It's amazing how you can keep up with putting out excellent videos so quickly, especially having a life outside The Tube. It's almost better to see videos where you really don't care for some pen, that reduces stress levels when the answer is a hard "no." :) Thank you for posting about this very interesting pen. I've been hesitating with it sitting in my wish list and now they've released the updated Opera. Might be worth cutting out some other expenses...
Have an Apollo (with a fine nib) and it is one of my favorite pens. Just a joy to write with. Think the only pen I have that writes better is my Pilot 823. Like how the body is fluted, almost like columns of an ancient temple. And the Mount Olympus etchings are very nice too. (Almost like a bit of knurling on the section.)
Dear David, just before watching this video while taking a break during my night shift, I wrote down some notes with my Mirage Mythos Zeus. My only Visconti so far (I have a limited budget, but the Van Gogh is interesting to me) and I really like it a lot. Thank you so much for adding your perspective to it!
David: Thanks for your great review. Bought one from Pen Chalet (the Apollo version in broad). It writes very well, and is smooth. Was hesitant at first to buy this, as we've all heard the negative reviews on Visconti nib issues. However, I think that Visconti hit a home run on this updated model.
What the 'indentations' are: Flutes. My take on the barrel band is that it has some stylized 'Vs' on it (one inverted) for "Visconti." I have one of these pens in brown, F nib, and I enjoy using it. Re: Visconti ink bottles: They are improved over the original design, which had a plastic base glued on the bottom of the bottle. I had the glue on one of mine fail, and ink spilled everywhere. I don't think the new design is an improvement; the bottle is top-heavy.
I have the Aphrodite (pink) with a fine nib and it is close to perfection - much like Pilot nibs. Also ordered Sailor # 231 ink for a close match to the resin color. The flutes in the resin remind me of greek columns and the streaks of gold in the resin just meld into the satin finish gold trim.
Very nice review. 99% of my pens are black, so I am probably not going to order one of these, although the temptation is great. Maybe in the future Visconte will add other models to this line - like a Hephaefestus Black 😅. I would snap one of those up in a split second.
Great review David. I owned an original Mirage and was sorely disappointed, especially the nib. I had it replaced twice and found it extremely scratchy. I enjoy that Visconti is using a #6 nib. I do not have any pen with a Schmidt nib but it seems to work very nicely. I will have to add this pen to my "to get) list.
Visconti pens are junk. Like most people I was intrigued by the fact that it's made from some kind of volcanic composite. I purchased a white viscotti Blizzard from a known retailer that's very well established and the nib would not write on the up stroke so I sent it back and the retailer sent me a second one and the second one also didn't write properly. I was going to return it but I really liked the weight and the feel of the material even though the nib was junk. I sent it to a first-rate nibmeister who fixed it however a year and a half later it started leaking and around the top of the nib from some red ink it was stained and it was impossible to get the red stain off of the pen. It had now been over two years but the pen was the most frustrating pen in my collection so I wrote a letter to the CEO of the company that makes them and was told that they would repair it for free but it was no longer produced and would have to go back to Italy. After about 5 weeks I contacted them cuz I didn't have it and they said it would take 10 weeks in order to get it replaced. at this juncture I changed my mind it was totally turned off by the brand and the pen and told the company CEO that I wanted a full refund and that if he was disinclined to return my money that I would litigate. Did not mean to be so threatening but was absolutely disgusted. Close of London said they would credit the retailer and the retailer was wonderful and sent me back my money. I know they also outsource their nibs and then later decided to do them internally but as far as I'm concerned the company makes garbage. For the price they charge the reliability and quality of the pens is absolutely horrific. At least that was my experience and I will never buy another one. Do yourself a favor buy a Sailor or a Mont Blanc or a Pelikan. Don't waste your money on Visconti. Can't imagine what an entry level one is like since their flagship ones are horrible.
Thanks for the review, your pictures are great. They show very well what I don't like on the cap band: the writing has some horizontal lines inside the letters and the Olympus engraving is not quite deep enough. I also noticed the blind cap is not aligned with the facets but you didn't show it, does yours also have this problem? A great pen nonetheless!
While the Breeze is still around in limited capacity, I would say that the new Mirage is a better "bang for the buck". Twice the price...but more than twice the pen.
Please inform me as from whom you obtain the Visconti ink. My daughter bought me the Apollo Mythos from the flagship store in Florence while she was in Italy.
Thanks for another awsome video. Please do a review on Opera Gold, preferably red which I'm going to pulll the triger on it 😄 and please show mirage mytthos on comparison part of video. thanks in advance
Visconti always confuses me with their engineering decisions. Why didn't they slope the entries on the capping keys so the cap just finds its way home to the keys automatically? The Faber-Castell Hexo has a great example of that.
It certainly looks much much nicer than any 50€ pen I've seen. Other than that it's pretty standard and doesn't look like it will write any nicer than a twsbi eco, but I think this will sell quite a bit since it would be a nice everyday reliable pen that looks super nice and will probably draw attention if that's what you're looking for. Visconti isn't the brand you turn to if you're looking for a "cheap" workhorse or great engeneering value for the money. It's a fancy brand that make pen that are meant to be beautiful first and foremost.
@@larsgottlieb It's not about expecting more or less, it just depends on what you value. Visconti clearly values form over function. With a brand like Pilot you'll get a much better pen for the same amount of money, but then you won't have the fancy over the top Italian aesthetics. It's not what I value personally, but I don't think you can get a pen with that type of attention to aesthetic for less than 100$
I had one, and to be honest it feels like garbage. I opened it up, uncapped it, felt a wiggle, tried to post it, cried, and returned it. Never inked, but I was sorely dissapointed.
This guy has never posted a negative review of Visconti or any other pen as far as I know. I find that highly suspicious, especially considering Visconti's infamously abysmal quality control.
He does seem pretty fair overall in his review. Even without posting a negative review he mentions that good and the bad. For example what I get from that review is that the pen looks great that the ergonomics are good, that it doesn't post well at all and that it writes well like all Schmidt nibbed pens. He seems to think that it's a decent pen for the price they are asking. My understanding after watching the review is that if I like the aesthetics and want a good everyday writer that will be an attention graber this would be a good pick. Plenty of his reviews made me think that a certain pen was over priced for what it offered, etc. You don't need to shit on a product for your review to be unbiased
@@FigbootonPens So you are capable of giving bad reviews after all! Then the question becomes how it's possible that you've never given a bad review to Visconti. I ask because Visconti is infamous for their lack of quality control, so much so that Sbrebrown has gone on record stating that some 60% of Viscontis he came across performed so poorly that it was impossible for him to review them. The Penhabit was equally scathing in his assessment of Visconti. How is it that you have been able to miraculously avoid mentioning Visconti's very well-known QC problems? Are you not doing a disservice to the fountain pen community? Please don't insult my intelligence by telling me that you've never come across a poorly performing Visconti, because that's so statistically unlikely as to be an impossibility.
@Dr. Anderson's ghost At times, I have been critical of the company when warranted. I can't recall in which of my 600+ videos it is discussed, but the overall quality of the brand is a topic I have broached on several occasions. My overall experience with the brand has been positive...but not without a few hiccups.
It's amazing how you can keep up with putting out excellent videos so quickly, especially having a life outside The Tube.
It's almost better to see videos where you really don't care for some pen, that reduces stress levels when the answer is a hard "no." :)
Thank you for posting about this very interesting pen. I've been hesitating with it sitting in my wish list and now they've released the updated Opera. Might be worth cutting out some other expenses...
Have an Apollo (with a fine nib) and it is one of my favorite pens. Just a joy to write with. Think the only pen I have that writes better is my Pilot 823.
Like how the body is fluted, almost like columns of an ancient temple. And the Mount Olympus etchings are very nice too. (Almost like a bit of knurling on the section.)
Dear David,
just before watching this video while taking a break during my night shift, I wrote down some notes with my Mirage Mythos Zeus.
My only Visconti so far (I have a limited budget, but the Van Gogh is interesting to me) and I really like it a lot.
Thank you so much for adding your perspective to it!
David: Thanks for your great review. Bought one from Pen Chalet (the Apollo version in broad). It writes very well, and is smooth. Was hesitant at first to buy this, as we've all heard the negative reviews on Visconti nib issues. However, I think that Visconti hit a home run on this updated model.
What the 'indentations' are: Flutes. My take on the barrel band is that it has some stylized 'Vs' on it (one inverted) for "Visconti." I have one of these pens in brown, F nib, and I enjoy using it. Re: Visconti ink bottles: They are improved over the original design, which had a plastic base glued on the bottom of the bottle. I had the glue on one of mine fail, and ink spilled everywhere. I don't think the new design is an improvement; the bottle is top-heavy.
I have the Aphrodite (pink) with a fine nib and it is close to perfection - much like Pilot nibs. Also ordered Sailor # 231 ink for a close match to the resin color. The flutes in the resin remind me of greek columns and the streaks of gold in the resin just meld into the satin finish gold trim.
Flutes. The very word he was reaching for. And way catchier for the catalog description than “rounded indentations” 😂❤
@@animula6908❤
Very nice review. 99% of my pens are black, so I am probably not going to order one of these, although the temptation is great. Maybe in the future Visconte will add other models to this line - like a Hephaefestus Black 😅. I would snap one of those up in a split second.
What is the lucky 1%?
A fountain pen from India - ASA Nauka. They sent me the wrong color, but I like how it feels and writes despite the slightly annoying color.
You’re the Steve Jobs of pen men. I’m sorry they let you down lol
Great review! This new Mirage looks so much better than the previous one! Very pretty! 😍
Great review David. I owned an original Mirage and was sorely disappointed, especially the nib. I had it replaced twice and found it extremely scratchy. I enjoy that Visconti is using a #6 nib. I do not have any pen with a Schmidt nib but it seems to work very nicely. I will have to add this pen to my "to get) list.
beautiful blue-gold colors
Visconti pens are junk. Like most people I was intrigued by the fact that it's made from some kind of volcanic composite. I purchased a white viscotti Blizzard from a known retailer that's very well established and the nib would not write on the up stroke so I sent it back and the retailer sent me a second one and the second one also didn't write properly. I was going to return it but I really liked the weight and the feel of the material even though the nib was junk. I sent it to a first-rate nibmeister who fixed it however a year and a half later it started leaking and around the top of the nib from some red ink it was stained and it was impossible to get the red stain off of the pen. It had now been over two years but the pen was the most frustrating pen in my collection so I wrote a letter to the CEO of the company that makes them and was told that they would repair it for free but it was no longer produced and would have to go back to Italy. After about 5 weeks I contacted them cuz I didn't have it and they said it would take 10 weeks in order to get it replaced. at this juncture I changed my mind it was totally turned off by the brand and the pen and told the company CEO that I wanted a full refund and that if he was disinclined to return my money that I would litigate. Did not mean to be so threatening but was absolutely disgusted. Close of London said they would credit the retailer and the retailer was wonderful and sent me back my money. I know they also outsource their nibs and then later decided to do them internally but as far as I'm concerned the company makes garbage. For the price they charge the reliability and quality of the pens is absolutely horrific. At least that was my experience and I will never buy another one. Do yourself a favor buy a Sailor or a Mont Blanc or a Pelikan. Don't waste your money on Visconti. Can't imagine what an entry level one is like since their flagship ones are horrible.
i love pens with a theme and as a kid i was obsessed with mythology of all sorts so these pens are fantastic for scratching those two itches lol
Thanks for the review, your pictures are great. They show very well what I don't like on the cap band: the writing has some horizontal lines inside the letters and the Olympus engraving is not quite deep enough. I also noticed the blind cap is not aligned with the facets but you didn't show it, does yours also have this problem? A great pen nonetheless!
It’s a beautiful pen. Thanks for sharing!
Great review. David can you tell me does Visconti have a pen called Breeze at about $80 which would be more of an entry level for someone like me?
While the Breeze is still around in limited capacity, I would say that the new Mirage is a better "bang for the buck". Twice the price...but more than twice the pen.
@@FigbootonPens Thank you David.
Please inform me as from whom you obtain the Visconti ink. My daughter bought me the Apollo Mythos from the flagship store in Florence while she was in Italy.
The ink is widely available at just about every US online fountain pen retailer.
Thanks for another awsome video. Please do a review on Opera Gold, preferably red which I'm going to pulll the triger on it 😄 and please show mirage mytthos on comparison part of video. thanks in advance
Nice pen, thank you!
Visconti always confuses me with their engineering decisions. Why didn't they slope the entries on the capping keys so the cap just finds its way home to the keys automatically? The Faber-Castell Hexo has a great example of that.
Good luck to the Aztecs!
Looks like a nice €50 pen.
It certainly looks much much nicer than any 50€ pen I've seen. Other than that it's pretty standard and doesn't look like it will write any nicer than a twsbi eco, but I think this will sell quite a bit since it would be a nice everyday reliable pen that looks super nice and will probably draw attention if that's what you're looking for.
Visconti isn't the brand you turn to if you're looking for a "cheap" workhorse or great engeneering value for the money. It's a fancy brand that make pen that are meant to be beautiful first and foremost.
@@KingColliwog Maybe I expect more from a $50 pen than you do.
That Visconti is ridiculously overpriced.
@@larsgottlieb It's not about expecting more or less, it just depends on what you value. Visconti clearly values form over function. With a brand like Pilot you'll get a much better pen for the same amount of money, but then you won't have the fancy over the top Italian aesthetics.
It's not what I value personally, but I don't think you can get a pen with that type of attention to aesthetic for less than 100$
@@KingColliwog Oh, you can - look at Hongdian pens, for instance.
I had one, and to be honest it feels like garbage. I opened it up, uncapped it, felt a wiggle, tried to post it, cried, and returned it. Never inked, but I was sorely dissapointed.
This guy has never posted a negative review of Visconti or any other pen as far as I know. I find that highly suspicious, especially considering Visconti's infamously abysmal quality control.
th-cam.com/video/yZfgv3wrguM/w-d-xo.html&feature=shares
He does seem pretty fair overall in his review. Even without posting a negative review he mentions that good and the bad. For example what I get from that review is that the pen looks great that the ergonomics are good, that it doesn't post well at all and that it writes well like all Schmidt nibbed pens. He seems to think that it's a decent pen for the price they are asking.
My understanding after watching the review is that if I like the aesthetics and want a good everyday writer that will be an attention graber this would be a good pick.
Plenty of his reviews made me think that a certain pen was over priced for what it offered, etc. You don't need to shit on a product for your review to be unbiased
@@FigbootonPens So you are capable of giving bad reviews after all! Then the question becomes how it's possible that you've never given a bad review to Visconti. I ask because Visconti is infamous for their lack of quality control, so much so that Sbrebrown has gone on record stating that some 60% of Viscontis he came across performed so poorly that it was impossible for him to review them. The Penhabit was equally scathing in his assessment of Visconti. How is it that you have been able to miraculously avoid mentioning Visconti's very well-known QC problems? Are you not doing a disservice to the fountain pen community? Please don't insult my intelligence by telling me that you've never come across a poorly performing Visconti, because that's so statistically unlikely as to be an impossibility.
@Dr. Anderson's ghost At times, I have been critical of the company when warranted. I can't recall in which of my 600+ videos it is discussed, but the overall quality of the brand is a topic I have broached on several occasions. My overall experience with the brand has been positive...but not without a few hiccups.
@@FigbootonPens Positive? As in being compensated by Visconti is a positive experience?