I'm sorry but as someone who has been using fountain pens daily for 20+ years which has included a huge range of fountain pens from $5-$800, this video is a lot of bad info. There are PLENTY of affordable range pens that write and feel just as great as much more expensive pens. Furthermore, gold nibs 95% of the time make little-to-no difference over a properly tuned steel nib and being gold does not make them adapt to the user, that is a completely debunked myth. The material of the nib is not even what is touching the page, the tipping material is. Gold nibs are not more sensitive to ink types or paper than steel nibs, where are you even getting your info? Also, not trying to be a total negative nancy, but Visconti has famously bad quality control, especially in regards to their nibs... something I've experienced multiple times myself.
@@rouniksahoo4970 First off, let's clarify that a good performing pen lives or dies based on how well the nib is tuned and both cheap and expensive pens can be properly or poorly tuned. For example Visconti (expensive) is known for being pretty hit or miss in terms of proper tuning out of the box but Faber Castell is known for having a pretty great hit ratio for very well tuned nibs out of the box yet those pens can be as cheap as $30. Furthermore, a cheap OR expensive pen with a poorly tuned nib can often be tuned by the user in a matter of minutes with a loupe and some maybe some micromesh. Also I don't know what exact line we're talking about here in terms of "affordable" vs "premium" as most of the brands talked about in the video are well into the $500+ range so I'm going with "affordable" being more in the $50-150 range for pens that can give comparable writing experience. Some other more affordable pens I own that perform just as well as the much more premium ($500+) pens I've owned: many models by Kaweco, Lamy, Opus 88, Sailor, Platinum, Faber-Castell, Diplomat, Esterbrook, Benu, Edison. That being said, you can also get $30 range pens that perform exceptionally well, they may just have a a worse hit/miss ratio.... but then again, Visconti doesn't have a great ratio there either. Point being, more money does not automatically equal better experience, it greatly depends brand to brand and model to model.
@@rouniksahoo4970 I replied yesterday but it doesn't seem to be here for some reason. Here it is again, hopefully this one sticks: First off, let's clarify that a good performing pen lives or dies based on how well the nib is tuned and both cheap and expensive pens can be properly or poorly tuned. For example Visconti (expensive) is known for being pretty hit or miss in terms of proper tuning out of the box but Faber Castell is known for having a pretty great hit ratio for very well tuned nibs out of the box yet those pens can be as cheap as $30. Furthermore, a cheap OR expensive pen with a poorly tuned nib can often be tuned by the user in a matter of minutes with a loupe and some maybe some micromesh. Also I don't know what exact line we're talking about here in terms of "affordable" vs "premium" as most of the brands talked about in the video are well into the $500+ range so I'm going with "affordable" being more in the $50-150 range for pens that can give comparable writing experience. Some other more affordable pens I own that perform just as well as the much more premium ($500+) pens I've owned: many models by Kaweco, Lamy, Opus 88, Sailor, Platinum, Faber-Castell, Diplomat, Esterbrook, Benu, Edison. That being said, you can also get $30 range pens that perform exceptionally well, they may just have a a worse hit/miss ratio.... but then again, Visconti doesn't have a great ratio there either. Point being, more money does not automatically equal better experience, it greatly depends brand to brand and model to model.
@@rouniksahoo4970 Sorry I keep trying to reply to you but my replies keep disappearing for some reason. I'll try posting here again: First off, let's clarify that a good performing pen lives or dies based on how well the nib is tuned and both cheap and expensive pens can be properly or poorly tuned. For example Visconti (expensive) is known for being pretty hit or miss in terms of proper tuning out of the box but Faber Castell is known for having a pretty great hit ratio for very well tuned nibs out of the box yet those pens can be as cheap as $30. Furthermore, a cheap OR expensive pen with a poorly tuned nib can often be tuned by the user in a matter of minutes with a loupe and some maybe some micromesh. Also I don't know what exact line we're talking about here in terms of "affordable" vs "premium" as most of the brands talked about in the video are well into the $500+ range so I'm going with "affordable" being more in the $50-150 range for pens that can give comparable writing experience. Some other more affordable pens I own that perform just as well as the much more premium ($500+) pens I've owned: many models by Kaweco, Lamy, Opus 88, Sailor, Platinum, Faber-Castell, Diplomat, Esterbrook, Benu, Edison. That being said, you can also get $30 range pens that perform exceptionally well, they may just have a a worse hit/miss ratio.... but then again, Visconti doesn't have a great ratio there either. Point being, more money does not automatically equal better experience, it greatly depends brand to brand and model to model.
While I have a few expensive pens, most fit into the category of inexpensive. A pen has to feel good in the hand and writes very well on paper. It can be steel, gold, or other material nib. It also needs a good ink capacity. I usually avoid converters for that reason. I will eyedropper fill a barrel whenever I can. It also needs to be easy to maintain. Many expensive pens are not made for such maintenance, in my opinion. I have a Montblanc Edgar Alan Poe. The resin is truly mesmerizing. It can also be a distraction when I want to write. Maintenance is problematic. So, it sits on display which is a shame.
In the world of expensive fountain pens, avoid Montblanc and Visconti; awful quality control. Unless you bought them secondhand at a cheap price. Let someone else take the hit 🤣
@@gvnady8380 I agree unless you buy your pen from a retailer that can check and tune your pen before sending it to you. I bought my Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age second hand with a 50% saving and I’m on my second nibmeister to fix the nib issues! Montblanc is generally overpriced in my opinion. It takes forever to get a nib swap so you’re stuck with a medium nib or waiting up to 6-8 months for a replacement nib. To make matters worse, the writing experience isn’t better than a Pilot Custom 823 at 1/3 of the price! I adore my vintage 149 though.
@@mandmaq Buy Pilot and you are sure to get a great product with great quality control for a fair price (not the EF nib though, that thing is atrocious).
@@ichirofakename despite the QC issues I just love the unique design and beauty of the Homo Sapiens. Everyone raves about the lava, Bronze Age in particular, but their resins are truly stunning, high quality and so chatoyant. The Blue Lagoon is my favourite. The 23 Pd dreamtouch nib has slight baby’s bottom and skips occasionally but it’s so beautiful it’s easily forgiven! My most recent purchase, the Earth Origins Water is the only Homo Sapiens I’ve ever bought where the nib is perfect straight out of the box. The problem with Visconti is that they concentrate on the art, design and beauty of their pens without giving the same consideration to the quality of their pen nibs. I’m a sucker for beautiful things and I’m resigned to a nibmeister fixing the nib for me just so I can own one.
@@LisaPottinger No one's questioning their beauty. If that's what you want, and you plan for the likelihood of it not working, then go for it. Though personally I wouldn't want to support a company that has a history of producing products that don't work.
@@ichirofakename I get that some people wouldn’t want to buy pens from companies with a reputation for awful QC. I’ve questioned it myself whenever a new Homo Sapiens catches my eye, but I think people make decisions on whether to purchase a pen or not depending on the connection to the pen and the emotion it evokes as well as cost/value. That’s why this hobby is all about personal preferences, where everyone gets to choose what works for them. For me, the aesthetic appeal of the Homo sapiens overrides the poor nib QC. It’s annoying but I know it can be fixed by a nibmeister. Your opinion is different to mine and I can respect that.
Unfortunatelly expensive fountain pen quality is going downhill. Pelikan doesn't even check their nibs manually anymore before sending a 800 dollar pen out of the line. Can you imagine selling a product by that price and not even checking if it works AT ALL? People also have similar problems with MB nibs and others. Most Italian manufacturers sell overpriced plastic with a generic Bock/Jowo nib, and so forth. Pretty much only Lamy and Japanese manufacturers offer a trully premium product with quality control that befit their price.
Expensive pens are designed specifically for people to show off to less knowledgeable people. My new FP cost fifty bucks. It is made by a respected maker. It is a great writer. You need more fountain pen education, I am afraid. 😢 FAIL!
@@robertmaxey5406 that’s a little harsh and I don’t agree with you at all. I have a combination of inexpensive and expensive pens in my collection and it all depends on personal preference. Why do you write with a fountain pen, which is much more expensive, when compared to a Bic biro that performs the same function? Are you trying to “show off to less knowledgeable people” or do you have a personal preference that differs from others? Everything is relative and subjective. I don’t agree with some of the content in this video, but there’s a wide variety of opinions in the fountain pen world. I’m not a huge fan of Montblanc, I have several models in my collection and I’ve found them to be overpriced and average at best, but I know there are people in the community that swear by Montblanc. Maybe it’s the prestige of owning one or they genuinely like Montblanc pens, either way their experience is different to mine. As an owner of several Visconti’s my overall experience has been one of outstandingly beautiful pens that have poor nib quality control. However, the last Homo Sapiens I bought was perfectly tuned straight out of the box. Everyone’s experience will be different and they will talk to their experiences. Personally, I love the more expensive pens in my collection for their design and materials: I adore Inlaid nibs, urushi, raden, maki-e and chatoyant resins, but these materials are more expensive , as is the labour required to make them into higher end / artisanal pens. I buy them because they’re beautiful and I enjoy writing with them. I’m not trying to impress anyone. If someone wants to buy an inexpensive steel nib pen and get a nibmeister to tune it to their personal preferences, that’s fine. From my perspective it doesn’t matter if it’s a £2 Jinhao 82 or £1k Montblanc 149. To each his own. However, to feed the RUclips algorithm there are a lot of flagship pen comparisons (Montblanc, Pelikan and Visconti) by pen influencers that will have different opinions to the audience. Engagement and debate is good, right?
use the code PLAIN at check out for 10% off any orders with the “plain looking notebook” - awritingguy.com/shop
I'm sorry but as someone who has been using fountain pens daily for 20+ years which has included a huge range of fountain pens from $5-$800, this video is a lot of bad info. There are PLENTY of affordable range pens that write and feel just as great as much more expensive pens. Furthermore, gold nibs 95% of the time make little-to-no difference over a properly tuned steel nib and being gold does not make them adapt to the user, that is a completely debunked myth. The material of the nib is not even what is touching the page, the tipping material is. Gold nibs are not more sensitive to ink types or paper than steel nibs, where are you even getting your info? Also, not trying to be a total negative nancy, but Visconti has famously bad quality control, especially in regards to their nibs... something I've experienced multiple times myself.
can you suggest some pens that are as good as premium fountain pen in term of writing.
@@rouniksahoo4970 First off, let's clarify that a good performing pen lives or dies based on how well the nib is tuned and both cheap and expensive pens can be properly or poorly tuned. For example Visconti (expensive) is known for being pretty hit or miss in terms of proper tuning out of the box but Faber Castell is known for having a pretty great hit ratio for very well tuned nibs out of the box yet those pens can be as cheap as $30. Furthermore, a cheap OR expensive pen with a poorly tuned nib can often be tuned by the user in a matter of minutes with a loupe and some maybe some micromesh. Also I don't know what exact line we're talking about here in terms of "affordable" vs "premium" as most of the brands talked about in the video are well into the $500+ range so I'm going with "affordable" being more in the $50-150 range for pens that can give comparable writing experience. Some other more affordable pens I own that perform just as well as the much more premium ($500+) pens I've owned: many models by Kaweco, Lamy, Opus 88, Sailor, Platinum, Faber-Castell, Diplomat, Esterbrook, Benu, Edison. That being said, you can also get $30 range pens that perform exceptionally well, they may just have a a worse hit/miss ratio.... but then again, Visconti doesn't have a great ratio there either. Point being, more money does not automatically equal better experience, it greatly depends brand to brand and model to model.
@@rouniksahoo4970Pilot Preppy is a ”sleeper pen”. Thre sizees nib options. Try them!
@@rouniksahoo4970 I replied yesterday but it doesn't seem to be here for some reason. Here it is again, hopefully this one sticks: First off, let's clarify that a good performing pen lives or dies based on how well the nib is tuned and both cheap and expensive pens can be properly or poorly tuned. For example Visconti (expensive) is known for being pretty hit or miss in terms of proper tuning out of the box but Faber Castell is known for having a pretty great hit ratio for very well tuned nibs out of the box yet those pens can be as cheap as $30. Furthermore, a cheap OR expensive pen with a poorly tuned nib can often be tuned by the user in a matter of minutes with a loupe and some maybe some micromesh. Also I don't know what exact line we're talking about here in terms of "affordable" vs "premium" as most of the brands talked about in the video are well into the $500+ range so I'm going with "affordable" being more in the $50-150 range for pens that can give comparable writing experience. Some other more affordable pens I own that perform just as well as the much more premium ($500+) pens I've owned: many models by Kaweco, Lamy, Opus 88, Sailor, Platinum, Faber-Castell, Diplomat, Esterbrook, Benu, Edison. That being said, you can also get $30 range pens that perform exceptionally well, they may just have a a worse hit/miss ratio.... but then again, Visconti doesn't have a great ratio there either. Point being, more money does not automatically equal better experience, it greatly depends brand to brand and model to model.
@@rouniksahoo4970 Sorry I keep trying to reply to you but my replies keep disappearing for some reason. I'll try posting here again: First off, let's clarify that a good performing pen lives or dies based on how well the nib is tuned and both cheap and expensive pens can be properly or poorly tuned. For example Visconti (expensive) is known for being pretty hit or miss in terms of proper tuning out of the box but Faber Castell is known for having a pretty great hit ratio for very well tuned nibs out of the box yet those pens can be as cheap as $30. Furthermore, a cheap OR expensive pen with a poorly tuned nib can often be tuned by the user in a matter of minutes with a loupe and some maybe some micromesh. Also I don't know what exact line we're talking about here in terms of "affordable" vs "premium" as most of the brands talked about in the video are well into the $500+ range so I'm going with "affordable" being more in the $50-150 range for pens that can give comparable writing experience. Some other more affordable pens I own that perform just as well as the much more premium ($500+) pens I've owned: many models by Kaweco, Lamy, Opus 88, Sailor, Platinum, Faber-Castell, Diplomat, Esterbrook, Benu, Edison. That being said, you can also get $30 range pens that perform exceptionally well, they may just have a a worse hit/miss ratio.... but then again, Visconti doesn't have a great ratio there either. Point being, more money does not automatically equal better experience, it greatly depends brand to brand and model to model.
While I have a few expensive pens, most fit into the category of inexpensive. A pen has to feel good in the hand and writes very well on paper. It can be steel, gold, or other material nib. It also needs a good ink capacity. I usually avoid converters for that reason. I will eyedropper fill a barrel whenever I can. It also needs to be easy to maintain. Many expensive pens are not made for such maintenance, in my opinion.
I have a Montblanc Edgar Alan Poe. The resin is truly mesmerizing. It can also be a distraction when I want to write. Maintenance is problematic. So, it sits on display which is a shame.
In the world of expensive fountain pens, avoid Montblanc and Visconti; awful quality control. Unless you bought them secondhand at a cheap price. Let someone else take the hit 🤣
@@gvnady8380 I agree unless you buy your pen from a retailer that can check and tune your pen before sending it to you. I bought my Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age second hand with a 50% saving and I’m on my second nibmeister to fix the nib issues! Montblanc is generally overpriced in my opinion. It takes forever to get a nib swap so you’re stuck with a medium nib or waiting up to 6-8 months for a replacement nib. To make matters worse, the writing experience isn’t better than a Pilot Custom 823 at 1/3 of the price! I adore my vintage 149 though.
What are actually great pens
@@mandmaq Buy Pilot and you are sure to get a great product with great quality control for a fair price (not the EF nib though, that thing is atrocious).
QA at Visconti? Hahahaha.
I know. 75% failure rate on Homo Sapiens nibs I’ve bought. Visconti keeps nibmeisters in business😂
@@LisaPottinger I guess they have other good features.
@@ichirofakename despite the QC issues I just love the unique design and beauty of the Homo Sapiens. Everyone raves about the lava, Bronze Age in particular, but their resins are truly stunning, high quality and so chatoyant. The Blue Lagoon is my favourite. The 23 Pd dreamtouch nib has slight baby’s bottom and skips occasionally but it’s so beautiful it’s easily forgiven! My most recent purchase, the Earth Origins Water is the only Homo Sapiens I’ve ever bought where the nib is perfect straight out of the box. The problem with Visconti is that they concentrate on the art, design and beauty of their pens without giving the same consideration to the quality of their pen nibs. I’m a sucker for beautiful things and I’m resigned to a nibmeister fixing the nib for me just so I can own one.
@@LisaPottinger No one's questioning their beauty. If that's what you want, and you plan for the likelihood of it not working, then go for it. Though personally I wouldn't want to support a company that has a history of producing products that don't work.
@@ichirofakename I get that some people wouldn’t want to buy pens from companies with a reputation for awful QC. I’ve questioned it myself whenever a new Homo Sapiens catches my eye, but I think people make decisions on whether to purchase a pen or not depending on the connection to the pen and the emotion it evokes as well as cost/value. That’s why this hobby is all about personal preferences, where everyone gets to choose what works for them. For me, the aesthetic appeal of the Homo sapiens overrides the poor nib QC. It’s annoying but I know it can be fixed by a nibmeister. Your opinion is different to mine and I can respect that.
Unfortunatelly expensive fountain pen quality is going downhill. Pelikan doesn't even check their nibs manually anymore before sending a 800 dollar pen out of the line. Can you imagine selling a product by that price and not even checking if it works AT ALL? People also have similar problems with MB nibs and others. Most Italian manufacturers sell overpriced plastic with a generic Bock/Jowo nib, and so forth. Pretty much only Lamy and Japanese manufacturers offer a trully premium product with quality control that befit their price.
Quite a few hard starts. Is this the pen, ink or paper? I've been keen on getting a Moonman P136.
This is a very good video to show people who don’t understand my passion for this hobby. Thank you sir 👌🏽
Sir, you have a beautiful hand writing. Love the cursive.
Your handwriting is absolutely wonderful
Hello sir.... Your handwriting is very beautiful...Kindly tell the name of calligraphy style
Expensive pens are designed specifically for people to show off to less knowledgeable people.
My new FP cost fifty bucks. It is made by a respected maker. It is a great writer.
You need more fountain pen education, I am afraid. 😢
FAIL!
@@robertmaxey5406 that’s a little harsh and I don’t agree with you at all. I have a combination of inexpensive and expensive pens in my collection and it all depends on personal preference. Why do you write with a fountain pen, which is much more expensive, when compared to a Bic biro that performs the same function? Are you trying to “show off to less knowledgeable people” or do you have a personal preference that differs from others? Everything is relative and subjective. I don’t agree with some of the content in this video, but there’s a wide variety of opinions in the fountain pen world. I’m not a huge fan of Montblanc, I have several models in my collection and I’ve found them to be overpriced and average at best, but I know there are people in the community that swear by Montblanc. Maybe it’s the prestige of owning one or they genuinely like Montblanc pens, either way their experience is different to mine. As an owner of several Visconti’s my overall experience has been one of outstandingly beautiful pens that have poor nib quality control. However, the last Homo Sapiens I bought was perfectly tuned straight out of the box. Everyone’s experience will be different and they will talk to their experiences. Personally, I love the more expensive pens in my collection for their design and materials: I adore Inlaid nibs, urushi, raden, maki-e and chatoyant resins, but these materials are more expensive , as is the labour required to make them into higher end / artisanal pens. I buy them because they’re beautiful and I enjoy writing with them. I’m not trying to impress anyone. If someone wants to buy an inexpensive steel nib pen and get a nibmeister to tune it to their personal preferences, that’s fine. From my
perspective it doesn’t matter if it’s a £2 Jinhao 82 or £1k Montblanc 149. To each his own. However, to feed the RUclips algorithm there are a lot of flagship pen comparisons (Montblanc, Pelikan and Visconti) by pen influencers that will have different opinions to the audience. Engagement and debate is good, right?