How It’s Made: Visconti Writing Instruments

During our visit to Visconti headquarters in Florence, we got a look behind the screens, to see where their beautiful writing instruments are created. In this video you will discover what the connection is between Visconti and lemons, you find out how Visconti has assured the quality of their products and how they improved quality control, and if you look really closely, you will get a preview of a soon to be released edition!
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About Appelboom Pennen:
Est. in 1989, Appelboom is the pen specialist of the Netherlands. We have an extensive and very special range. Our friendly and specialized staff have, a passion for pens, and is very pleased to help you in finding the right pen. With our webshop we hope to offer you more service, A beautiful bag, or nice writing instrument, you buy them also online by us.

[@davidanderson3425]

I always enjoy fountain pen factory tours.

[@AppelboomPennen]

We too! It brings you to the centre of a company

[@muhendisbey1233]

When I was a child, I saw Visconti Homo Sapiens in a magazine and said "I will buy this pen when I grew up". I fulfilled this wish in 2019, bought this pen from Appelboom. I enjoy using it. You helped me through the buying process, Joost. Thank you Visconti for this excellent pen. Also, thank you, dear Joost.

[@AppelboomPennen]

Glad to read that you still enjoy your Visconti!

[@user-gl5ld9vm7i]

Very glad that you brought up the nib issue with the CEO. Normally, one wants to be in strong favor with one of your clients, and would be afraid to bring up such an issue. Very brave of you to bring it up. Now, if they can just lower the prices 😒

[@AppelboomPennen]

We will ask about the prices next time!

[@Normy12]

the nib issues are what knocked visconti off my radar. Seeing how they have been dealing with it puts them back

[@canadafree2087]

It is nice that they addressed customer complaints. People expect more when an item is made in Italy.

[@AppelboomPennen]

We are happy with it too!

[@smart4141]

Thank you Mr.Joost for the lovely tour of the Visconti factory. Very pleased to know that they are not emphasizing more on quality control. I simply love my Visconti HS Fountain pens

[@AppelboomPennen]

We think that it is a great improvement!

[@Penandpapers]

Wow 😮 many times I feel grateful towards all these people whome I probably will never meet but they are working hard to make our experience enjoyable. World indeed is a small village and we are all connected in some way or the other Thanks 🙏🙂

[@andysmith5940]

I love my Opera Gold! The medium nib writes incredibly smooth! The clip is absolute perfection for my shirt pocket

[@matistysk79]

Very nice video and very intresting fountain pens. Love the series that are based on different painters. The colour scemes of Van Gogh for example are unbelievable.

[@AppelboomPennen]

Thank you for watching!

[@VAitken1]

I have two Van Gogh pens from Visconti, and although they are at the more affordable end of their range they both write beautifully with wet smooth nibs. I love the romance of Visconti and the Van Gogh pens really reflect that.

[@AppelboomPennen]

The Van Gogh collection is a beautiful colorful collection!

[@bartmuytjens1014]

Thank you for this informative video. I've had quite a few Visconti pens in the past. Several HS and Rembrandt models. I sold off or returned all of those, frustrated with the issues they all had. Build quality was mediocre, the nibs had issues (palladium nibs). However, I recently bought a HS Bronze Age again, and one this is for certain: there is a massive improvement in quality and consistency. This is the first one that I actually have nothing to complain about: from the nib (18K rose gold, how nice!) to the fit and finish. Everything works. So now I can finally truly enjoy the great design and feel of these pens. An Opera Master is calling my name... who knows ;-).

[@AppelboomPennen]

Glad to read that the QC improvements work

[@normm7764]

I only had one - a limited edition. After reporting troubles to the shop five times, I got angry and returned it. Pleased to hear QC has improved, but it will be a long time till I buy Visconti again.

[@nrs6956]

Very good. Blends history and modern aspects.

[@AppelboomPennen]

Thank you for watching!

[@pen_journal]

Beautiful presentation Joost! Very concise, very informative, with a very nice touch of richness of elegance to it! Thank you!!! :D More of such series please!

[@AppelboomPennen]

Thank you for the support!

[@elizabethmolton4086]

My favorite brand.

[@AppelboomPennen]

We can imagine that!

[@jpg5540]

Nice tour, thank you for the visit. Always great to see how things are made.

[@AppelboomPennen]

It was our pleasure!

[@moniquelegarda1842]

Thank you for the tour. Visconti makes such beautiful writing instruments.

[@AppelboomPennen]

We agree with you!

[@Copycat_Radar]

So beautifully explained.. I can't wait to receive my first Viconti pen

[@AppelboomPennen]

You will love it!

[@Javi_C]

Thank you for showing us this!

[@AppelboomPennen]

You are welcome!

[@katjaengelkamp3452]

This was very interesting and enjoyable to watch, thank you, Joost!

[@AppelboomPennen]

Thank you!

[@GiuseppeAntonioGiardinaPapa]

Video Meraviglioso ! Grazie

[@joshjacob1530]

we want funnt mustache man edition in honor of one of europes greatest thinkers

[@ziggytheduke]

Good job on getting the nibs done yourself and improving on QC. I plan on buying a Visconti one day, when I have saved enough money. Also, I'm very jealous of the man of Appelboom getting to visit the workplace and CEO of Visconti and all that in the beautiful city of Florence!

[@AppelboomPennen]

We are happy to help you with the Visconti!

[@kurroth]

Love the tour of Visconti HQ!!! It looks more like an office building and warehouse than I expected.....

[@AppelboomPennen]

The location is unique for such a production facility

[@kurroth]

@@AppelboomPennen yes! Maybe TWSBI HQ next time?

[@immolder]

Enjoyed the video. I have ordered a Homo Sapien Bronze Age. The looks to me are masculine and manly, yet not overly flashy as some other pens are. But that is not why I bit the bullet and bought it. My father was drafted into the Army in 1942 and served with the 85th Infantry Division for the full duration from Africa through the Italian Campaign. He would tell me how they landed in Sicily and fought through Italy till the war was over and he was shipped home. He passed 22 years ago, I still have his Bronze Star he received and now I will have a piece of Sicily and him as I write with it.

[@AppelboomPennen]

That is indeed a wonderful memory and we are sure that you will love the Homo Sapiens!

[@jasondaniel918]

This is a very good video. Thank you. Even factory production has a certain charm in Italy. ^ I have several Visconti FP's, all over 20 years old. My favorites are the Voyager series. One thing I will never forgive Visconti for - changing from the "wave" clip to the "billboard" clip. But the nibs! They are superb! ^ As for current production Visconti pens. I think in terms of insurance commercials for senior citizens - the most important thing? Price, price and price. I no longer buy Visconti pens.

[@TheWatchEnabler]

If only they would FINALLY fix the clip so that it actually holds the pen in your pocket. I had an Opera and then a Wall Street, both suffered from falling out of my pocket. I caught the Wall Street a few times, and then unfortunately it fell out again and I lost it. Never again will I own a Visconti. I sincerely hope Mr. Poggesi reads this. I own over 50 high end pens, and zero Visconti.

[@SUSSDUE]

Interesting video. I agree Visconti makes beautiful pens. It would also be nice if they made pens that could write. I was an idiot and fell for the Visconti hype, first bough three from the Van Gogh range and told myself that the constant problem I had with them was down to them having steel nibs and then, unexplicable to me now, made my most expensive mistake ever regarding pens, I bought the Homo Sapiens. Lovely to hold, useless to write with. The shop sent it back twice to Visconti for correcting but it still would not write even decently. In the end an independent nibmeister did what he could but it still writes so bad. So even if they now have different nibs I will not trust that company again to produce pens that perform well. In the video it looks like the nibs are tested by dipping them in ink-of course they will work then, it says nothing how the actual pen works as one need to test how the ink feeds into the nib. So by just dipping them in ink they can say the nib works, but the same nib might not work in a pen because the ink feeding system does not work. It is sad, as I completely agree they look fantastic. But I rather have a boring pen that works than a flashy 500£ one that cannot write a sentece without skipping or just going dry.

[@AppelboomPennen]

Luckily they have improved this part of the production!

[@thisoldcottage]

It was always the nibs - scratchy/ misaligned/skipping. Let’s hope that new QC measures have stopped these flaws……. 👍🏼🙏🏼

[@AppelboomPennen]

The new improvements should make sure the nibs write perfectly

[@sandrosantos3622]

This series really are showing us who are the real manufacturers of fountain pens. Like the watches, there's a lot of marketing on some luxury brands. That said, i will keep on with my Pelikan, Aurora and unfortunately extinct Omas.

[@AppelboomPennen]

We are happy to show it in this way!

[@sandrosantos3622]

@@AppelboomPennen Keep on, it's a good work so far.

[@Supra_Mare_Cultro_Bloke]

I got couples of visconti, until recently i found out their piston was glued and unable for service. 😢

[@wesdenham282]

Interesting that factory signage is in English.

[@AppelboomPennen]

Good eye for detail!

[@Mmmyess]

Interesting...but also a little weird to see nearly every sign in this proudly Italian company written in English (e.g., "Quality Control" at 6:48).

[@AppelboomPennen]

Very sharp of you!

[@paulmchugh1430]

I own a number of Visconti pens. All all ballpoints or rollerballs. I do not own a fountain pen, yet. I would like a Homo Sapiens with the lava resin. I would have to save a lot to get one. May have to sell some of the ballpoints to do so. Is there less expensive alternatives with gold nib?

[@AppelboomPennen]

We are happy to help you with a Visconti fountain pen! There are enough Visconti series with stainless steel nibs

[@paulmchugh1430]

@@AppelboomPennen does Visconti make a Homo Sapiens with a steel nib option?

[@minhly8487]

Not a fan of the brand but I like the content.

[@AppelboomPennen]

Thank you!

[@theoilisburning7444]

Personally I just think the box should be smaller, so it takes less space in peoples drawers and stuff.

[@AppelboomPennen]

Thank you for your feedback!

[@1968gadgetyo]

The medallion is polish by hand. Makes me feel guilty by swapping the medallion for a semi-precious stone.

[@tjerkheringa937]

Op de een of andere manier ben je in staat geweest om elk enthousiasme voor Visconti en het vertrouwen in hun producten vakkundig de nek om te draaien met deze video.

[@AppelboomPennen]

Wat vervelend om te lezen dat u dat zo heeft ervaren!

[@ziggytheduke]

Hee Appelboom, open sollicitatie (in de yt comments 🥴) als jullie zelf geen tijd hebben om iemand op te zoeken doe ik het graag hoor, en gratis. Ik spreek goed Frans en Engels en mijn Duits is redelijk. 🤪

[@AppelboomPennen]

We zullen het in ons achterhoofd houden!

[@JoseMr57]

its a shame the reputation for their QC is really bad,the homo sapiens is a really beutiful pen

[@AppelboomPennen]

Luckily they have improved this part now!

[@pilotstyle123]

paladium nibs

[@AppelboomPennen]

Are replaced by the gold nibs a few years ago

[@michaelhe5363]

Beautiful pens, but buyer beware their nib QA still sucks in the latter half of 2022. If you get a Visconti pen, assume you'll have to take it to a nibmeister first. They need to improve the training on the QA workers because they are losing money hand over fist from their bad QA reputation. Are they aware that ink is supposed to come out of the nib? My pen came unable to write and with a nib so scratchy I thought it must've been misaligned (it was just poorly finished). I didn't want to send it back because every story I heard always ended up with them getting the same nib issues back after waiting several months, complete waste of time. Now that I've finally fixed it, my Visconti is one of my favorite pens, but I will not be getting another one, and I can't in good conscious recommend the brand to anyone else because even the most beautiful pen is just a paperweight if it doesn't write. Give more attention to your QA process Visconti because I'd love to get another pen in the future but not until the QA is fixed. Try to see what companies like Pilot or Faber Castell are doing, because they are remarkably consistent with their nib quality and always write out of the box.

[@daviduchiha9930]

Visconti it is one the worst brands . I cannot imagine someone buying a pen for 700 euro and to not write , pure trash . I bought the divina elegance from Visconti and sent it back 3 times to fix finally get it fixed

[@AppelboomPennen]

We completely agree and are happy that this is now one of the main focusses of Visconti!