Visconti Homo Sapiens Fountain Pen - Bronze Age
The Homo Sapiens is handmade from hardened basaltic lava sourced from the Mount Etna volcano in Italy, with a trim made of solid bronze. Visconti lava is virtually unbreakable, comfortable and warm to the touch - and slightly hygroscopic, absorbing moisture from your hand. The basaltic lava is mixed with resin to create this pen.
The pen caps using the Visconti 'Hook Safe Lock', a revolutionary capping system so you can cap a pen without worrying about the cap accidentally unscrewing in your pocket and leaking. The fountain pen's vacuum power filler is made of titanium to resist ink corrosion, and it features a rose gold-plated oversized 18k gold nib to match the trim color (note: our images may still show the old 23kt palladium nib).
- Condition
- New
- Brand
- Visconti
- Type
- Fountain Pens
- Color
- Black
- Demonstrator
Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.
- No
- Body Material
- Basaltic lava, Resin
- Cap Type
How the cap is opened/closed from the barrel of the pen. Some common options include Snap-Cap, Screw-Cap, Magnetic Cap, or Capless (no cap).
- Hook Safe Lock
- Compatible inks & refills
Which ink this pen will accept. Choices include bottled ink and various styles of pre-filled ink cartridges.
- Bottled ink
- Filling Mechanism
How the pen fills with ink. Click here to watch our video tutorial on common filling mechanisms.
- Power Filler
- Grip Material
- Basaltic lava
- Nib Size
- Extra-Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, 1.3mm Stub
- Nib Color
- Rose Gold
- Nib Material
- 18k Gold
- Postable
Whether or not the cap fits securely onto the back of the barrel when open.
- Yes
- Retractable
Whether or not the nib/tip can retract into the body of the pen (usually for click or twist-open style pens).
- No
- Diameter - Body
- 14.3mm (0.6in)
- Diameter - Cap (without clip)
- 16.5mm (0.6in)
- Diameter - Cap (with clip)
- 21mm (0.8in)
- Diameter - Grip (mm)
Measured from the place most people choose to rest their fingers, which varies with each pen.
- 11.0mm
- Length - Body
The measurement from the back end of the barrel to the tip of the nib.
- 132mm (5.2in)
- Length - Cap
- 59.3mm (2.3in)
- Length - Nib
The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.
- 24mm (0.9in)
- Length - Overall (Closed)
- 146mm (5.7in)
- Length - Overall (Posted)
When the cap of the pen is posted onto the back of the pen body, this is the measurement of the entire pen including the nib.
- 173.4mm (6.8in)
- Weight - Body
If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.
- 26g (0.9oz)
- Weight - Cap
- 17g (0.6oz)
- Weight - Overall (g)
- 43.0g
- Max Ink Capacity - Piston Vac
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using the built-in piston or vacuum filling mechanism.
- 1.51ml
Customer Reviews
Excellent writing instrument. Great customer service.
It turns out that this is fast growing to become a favorite pen. The Pelican 800 was the prior with a strong contender in the Waterman (is fantastic for my work situation because of the paper used in the office).The Pelican is a very wet writer and tends to feather and bleed through the documents. Both the Waterman and the Visconti are less juicy but still lay down a bold line. The Homo Sapien, however, is aesthetically appealing and just plain fun to write with. It is well balanced, with or without the cap posted. Also, It doesn’t hurt that it is unique in its construction and the tactile feel of the grip while writing versus the other pens in my collection with metal or resin grips.
I'm fairly new to fountain pens and had been disappointed with the mid-range pens I'd bought. I was nervous about laying down the money for this pen, but it turned out to be everything I hoped it would be.
The most challenging attribute of this pen to describe is the material. It's substantial yet velvety-smooth to the touch. It's always within arm's reach, as I enjoy just holding it and rolling it around in my hand as I'm thinking. The size, shape, weight, and balance are all perfect for my hand and preferences. It disappears into my hand as I'm writing. There are very few pens I'd describe that way.
I was torn between the medium and broad nibs; I wanted something that would write comfortably in a 5mm grid but also show off the ink. I went with the medium nib, which was the perfect choice for me. It is quite generous/wet, which puts enough ink on the page to allow it to do its thing.
I'd seen a number of video reviews of this pen that were not kind to the writing experience. Some of them may have been with the old nib design. Or maybe I just received a particularly good one. Whatever the reason, I can't imagine a better writing experience.
The quality is indeed very high. I think the price is more than fair, but I can't really rate the value as "very" high at this price point for any pen.
At the moment, I honestly can't think of another grail pen I'd want except maybe another Home Sapiens version.
Great pen - distinctive appearance - smooth writer large ink capacity
This was a very pleasant experience with Goulet Pen Company. I will definitely be purchasing through them more in the future.
FAQs about Fountain Pens
How do I fill a fountain pen with ink?
It depends on the pen's filling mechanism, which you can find in the Technical Specs section above.
Here's a quick definition of the most common filling mechanisms:
- Cartridge - A small, disposable, sealed plastic reservoir that holds fountain pen ink. These come pre-filled with ink, and typically you just push to insert them into place and you'll be ready to write! Check out our quick guide here.
- Converter - A detachable and refillable ink reservoir that allows you to use bottled ink in a cartridge-accepting pen. Typically you will install the converter into the grip section, dip the nib/feed into the ink, and twist or pull the converter knob to draw ink into the converter. Here's a video for how to fill a cartridge/converter pen using a LAMY pen as an example.
- Eyedropper - A pen that utilizes the entire barrel as a reservoir for ink. Ink is directly filled into the barrel, allowing for a high ink capacity. Here's a video on how to do it!
- Piston - A type of filling system that uses a retracting plunger inside a sealed tube to draw ink into a pen. They are typically either twist or push-operated. These pens cannot accept cartridges or a converter, and only fill from bottled ink.
- Vacuum - A push-style piston that uses pressure to fill the large pen body with ink. They seal the ink chamber when closed, making it ideal for flying without risk of leaking. Check out our video on how to use a vac filler here.
Check out more info on these filling mechanisms including a video on how to fill each one on our blog.
How do I clean a fountain pen?
It depends on the filling mechanism, but it mostly comes down to flushing it out with water, and sometimes a little bit of Pen Flush if the ink is really stuck.
It's a bit easier to show than to tell, so we've put together a few quick videos showing you the process:
How often do I need to clean my fountain pen?
We recommend a good cleaning every 2 weeks, and any time you change ink colors.
Water will usually do the trick, but we recommend you use our Goulet Pen Flush if the ink has been left in the pen for a while and could have dried up, or when you’re switching ink colors.
My pen won’t write! What do I do?
First things first... make sure you have ink in the pen! Be sure that the ink cartridge or converter is seated properly in the pen, and that you aren't out of ink.
We always recommend you give your pen a good cleaning first, using our Goulet Pen Flush, or a drop of dish soap in some water. New pens often have some machining oil residue left in the feed, so a good cleaning often does the trick first.
If that still doesn't work, try priming the feed. This consists of either dipping your pen nib and feed in ink, or forcing ink from the converter down into the feed.
If it’s still not working after that, please reach out to us so we can help!
What's your return policy?
You can submit a return request within 30 days of your order date. You can read all our Return Policies here.
To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.
Please note we are unable to accept a return of any Namiki or Sailor Bespoke fountain pen for any reason once it has been used with ink. Please thoroughly inspect and dry test the pen before use.