Review: Visconti LE Classic Green Fountain Pen @CouronneDuComte

A look at Visconti's Classic fountain pen!

ABOUT

Body Material: Resin
Trim: Metal
Length (capped): 132.5 mm/5.21''
Length (uncapped nib-end): 120.3 mm/4.73''
Length (posted): 156.3 mm/6.15''
Barrel Diameter: 10.6 - 12.1 mm/0.41'' - 0.47''
Section Diameter: 8.6 - 10.2 mm/0.33'' - 0.40''
Nib material: Steel
Weight (all): 20 g
Weight (cap): 20 g
Weight (body): 20 g
Fill type: Cartridge/Converter
Price: € 85,00
Where to buy: La Couronne Du Comte

 PACKAGING

This Visconti Classic came in a simple, fake-leather clamshell box with rounded edges. Inside, the pen was nestled in a tan bed. Very simple packaging compared to the usual (somewhat excessive) packaging from Visconti.

APPEARANCE

This Visconti is very simple and straightforward in is design. It has a round body with blunt, flat ends. Both the top of the cap and the end of the barrel are black resin. The finial has the Visconti logo in metal flush in the cap. The clip is attached externally by a thin metal ring, starts wide at the top and narrows into a round ball at the end. The surface has ridges running down it and there is a Visconti 'V' engraved at the top. It's a plain clip, like the ones Visconti used on their first pens.

The center band is a metal band on the end of the cap. There is also a thin band at the end of the black end plug. The section is short, in black resin, tapering slightly towards the nib, and ending in a wide flared ridge before the nib.

The cap and body are a deep pearlescent green resin. It's a pretty consistent green color, shimmering in some areas, but not changing much in shade. This pen is quite unlike what Visconti usually makes; it's definitely on the plain side, compared to their usual designs.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The medium steel nib is a Schmidt nib. It has a single slit, and no breather hole. The nib is engraved with an M, Iridium Point, and some flourishes. It looks like a pretty thin nib.

The medium line was a fair medium - a little more on the dry side than the wet side, at least for my tastes. Drying times were pretty average (~30 seconds). The nib did not hard start or skip, and it wrote well out of the box. There was no tuning required to get it up and running. There was a little bit of feedback, and I found it a pleasant nib to use, although not spectacular. With pressure, some line variation was possible - the nib was a little springy. It offered a more fun writing experience than I was expecting.

IN HAND

The clip is nice and springy, easy to operate, and not the kind to snag very easily. I found the shape of the section comfortable, except it was a little on the short side. The length of the section may bother those with larger hands. The threads at the back of the section are not sharp, so they didn't bother me.

Unposted, the pen felt light, comfortable, and well-balanced. The cap did post by friction, sitting snug but not very deep. Posted, I found the pen a little long, but not very top-heavy or uncomfortable. Given the short section though, I preferred to use the pen unposted.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

I find it interesting that Visconti has decided to release this pen, based on the first pen they manufactured in 1988. It's a nice, simple pen - comfortable, decent writer - but it doesn't make me think Visconti. There's no change to the Schmidt nib, the clip is very simple, there's nothing engraved on the center band, and even the material is not one that screams ''Visconti"! That's not a terrible thing. It's not a terrible pen at all, but I feel like it's not Visconti. Of course, that's silly since it's supposed to be based on the first pen from 1988. Visconti has come a long way since then and made a lot of changes. I do find the pen expensive for what it offers.

I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.