The Visconti Homo Sapiens Florentine Hills Review

THE HOMO SAPIENS 

In late 2009, Florence-based luxury pen maker Visconti announced in a press-release covering a nib made of 95% Palladium (23k) alloy. Commonly available nibs are 14k/18k/21k Gold alloy (Sailor), with a few exceptions (Danitrio & the Japanese karat warriors), and this was the first of its kind perhaps after the Esterbrook or Sheaffer PdAg nibs.

The other side of the snippet showcased a pen christened with a name of Homo Sapiens(HS), which was forged from an equal mix of basaltic lava and resin, adorned with bronze and protected from competitors by a patent. The lava came from Mt. Etna (one of the active volcanoes) on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. 

I came to know of the HS a few years later. Visconti (estd. 1988) promised the HS lava to be unbreakable, flameproof (upto 100°C), albeit with a slightly hygroscopic body, oxidation prone bronze trims, but with a corrosion-resistant titanium power filler. The available designs now range from lava plus bronze/steel/black PVD to a 388-limited edition (bronze LE) or some 1000-LEs Crystal Swirls or Florentine Hills or 888-limited-London Fog (made up of Acroloid/Sterling Silver). Besides, fountain pens there are also roller-balls and ball-point pens in the HS range, but those, of course do not concern our primary interest. Initially after getting a HS in bronze, I was always on the lookout for one of these beauties in silver trims.

DESIGN (6/6) 

AN ITALIAN JOB 

Visconti started the Homo Sapiens in Bronze & Lava as an homage to the evolution of mankind. Bronze Ages predates us by around five thousand years is the period, when humans began smelting and mixing of metals like copper and tin, to produce alloys like bronze. Also during that particular period, a system of writing/recording had evolved, mostly through the use of symbols. The trim-fittings including the HS Bronze clip are all made of bronze. 

                      The Florentine Hills carries the same design but is an acrylic demonstrator fused with ribbons of coloured celluloid suspended within - thereby the nomenclature acryloid. The ribbons range from light green to vivid tinges of yellow and reddish brown. 

 

These colours remind of meanderings through vineyards and olive groves, from the beechwood forests to the grassy groves of the countryside. The splendid works of Tuscany art and those picturesque landscapes somehow seem to share quite a common inspiration in spirit. 

 

                     A large silver centre-band at the start of the grip section with a HOMO SAPIENS imprint is followed by the particular LE number of the piece. So it’s typically XXX/1000 unless you ended up with the thousandth piece. The overall shape tapers towards the ends where you can enjoy the translucency of vivid green. Looks almost photosynthetic! The cap & blind cap might carry some of those celluloid ribbons, in a more subtle manner. 

The taper is more pronounced at the plunger end/blind cap rather than in the cap itself. A sterling silver loop embellishes the design at the start of the blind cap. It’s actually the filler collar. You can perhaps see a drop of Yama Budo :)

The unique locking system of the cap is nothing new if you have tried a HS. The quick hook safe lock threads (six) enable disengaging the cap, with a quarter of counter-clockwise twist. 

That little twist will of course reveal the dazzle of 23 karat Palladium nib and another photosynthetic grip section! A click is heard, once you correctly twist-lock the cap. A view of the inner cap locks

The cap has a spring inside to assist the locking mechanism. The section starts with the upraised locking threads with a faint resemblance to the Greek Key, and then tapers comfortably before ending up with a slightly raised stop. 

The finial mentions VISCONTI with the company trademark of the mirrored V. As always, the medal is customizable via Visconti's My Pen System with your initials or zodiac sign or gemstone (available from $15 onwards). You can pull out the visconti medallion from the finial by using any magnet and replace it with a gemstone of your choice. VISCONTI is embossed within a dark enamel background on both sides of the Ponte Vecchio clip which is made of sterling silver. 

The cap itself has a subtle taper towards the finial. Two spaced silver rings adorn the middle of the cap, dazzling within the greener pastures. The clip is spring loaded and you have to lift it to put it in your shirt pocket. The HS Bronze cap seems to have its own allure. :) 

FILLING SYSTEM (5/6) 

A silver loop logically separates the blind-cap, from rest of the barrel. On rotating the blind cap till its end-stop, you will be able to pull out a plunger, much like a tethered sword pulled from its sheath. The inside of the blind cap carries a silver insert to run the threads and so that the acrylic is protected from any damage. 

          The plunger rod is made of Titanium, a metal which has proved to be phenomenally resistant to most corrosive of fluids. Titanium rods are often placed as support inserts by dentists, in order to rebuild broken tooth structures! However, the shining filler collar made of sterling silver shines down condescendingly on the rather dull rod. 

The filler collar in the HS bronze is made of titanium with a graphite like dull lustre. 

 

                                Once you push in the knob with the nib dipped inside an ink bottle, you can feel a surge of ink inside the pen. An ink capacity of around 2.2 mL doesn't allow your favourite ink to last that long, given a generous flow of even for a fine nib! Here you can observe the secondary ink chamber (double walled), which can be loaded/drained into the main chamber, once you pull back the piston seal. My flight experience has been pleasant with a fully filled secondary chamber. So unless one is taking the HS FH to Mars/ISS, one doesn't have to worry about it. The small chamber lasts quite a few pages with the Fine nib and can be filled once the wetness reflects a paucity of fuel! During longer writing sessions or broad nibs, I keep the piston seal open. 

NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (3/6) 

The giant two-tone nib with an usual iridium tip comes in four main sizes – EF, F, M & B along two special widths – BB (double-broad) & Stub (S). The nib has an leverage of around 2.6 cm and it is a #6 Visconti nib. These dreamtouch nibs are manufactured by Bock. Half of them are probably out of touch due to a tine issue or the other!

             At the tail end of the nib, lies the nib width, above which embossed are the specifications of 23k Pd 950 and a word FIRENZE. Firenze refers to Florence in Italy which is the birthplace of both Italian Renaissance and Visconti Pens, thereby its borrowed tagline - The Writing Renaissance. 

                      Palladium is the dazzling silvery and matches well with the overall trims. Personally though, I prefer the two-tone gold adornment. The silvery finish diverges from the lunar-eclipse breather hole across the inside of the tines and over to the tail. The name VISCONTI lies below the moony breather hole, with splashes of shapes of diamonds, droplets and half-moons to ornament the nib. This one is a fine nib and came with misaligned tines. Now it writes smoothly after adjusting the tines, thankfully I didn't have to send it to Visconti again. 

              The feed is a standard visconti feed with closely spaced fins, carrying the V logo at the delta region. The nib is screw-fit onto the grip section and can be swapped with ease, provided you take care of the tines. It has a bit of flex (which increases with use), although there is not much difference for an EF & F nib, when it comes to line variation with mild pressure. Be careful with over-flexing the palladium nib, it might result in a permanent damage. 

This nib initially ran wet, though it gave a strong feedback at certain angles due to the right tine, which was misaligned. The right tine stood lower than the left. And the width it lay was close to a true EF. That’s was what bewildered me, how come a Visconti Fine write so thin! I bet it was still better than some of my bad sailor nibs! Post alignment of the tines, the width of the lines increased to a true European fine or a Japanese medium and it now runs with heavy juice. 

PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING 

With a cylindrical body forged out of acrylic and celluloid & adorned with silver rings, it does give an earthly greenish repose. The overall weight has got a significant contribution from the cap due to the silver clip. A girth of around 1 cm is quite comfortable and it’s one of the most comfortable pens for me. As an analogy, the cap itself could be as heavy as a Pelikan m400 fountain pen. The HS bronze is heavier compared to the FH. 

• Capped Length ~ 14.4 cm 
• Non-posted Length ~ 13.2 cm 
• Non-posted Weight ~ g 
• Nib Leverage ~ 2.6 cm 
• Overall Weight ~ 37.8 g (HS Bronze ~ 43.7 g) 
• Overall Weight (inked) ~ 40.1 g 

• Weight Without Cap ~ 22.8 g (HS Bronze ~ 26.6 g) 

         Comparing capped lengths, the HS (Since HS LEs are Oversize/Maxi) does seem similar to a Pilot Custom 823 (which is not as hefty), a m1000 is there to reference a comparison with the Size#8 nib (its heft is on the higher of HS). 

 

ECONOMIC VALUE (4/6) 

          Though the Homo Sapiens Florentine Hills sells around USD 800, it is available for lower street prices. I was able to get the pen at a pretty good price, and I don't want your decision to be coloured by this price, apart from discussing it. Still, I do fail to find a great economic value for a piece of acrylic with some silver(@50 cents/gram), even though it does feel great to hold, write and a pleasure to see. I feel the bronze edition is a rather memorable pen to keep. 

OVERALL (4.8/6) 

             One thing regarding the misaligned tines, it was an easy fix for me and did not require specialised services. It’s the most common problem across many luxury brands and sometimes it does run worse. Had it been something worse where I would have had to send the nib back, my rating would have been 1/6 on the nib, 1-for the design. 

           I am used to a few large pens, I like the balance and do not find any problem with either the heft or balance of HS. Personally I like the Lava model more, since the materials and workmanship seem much more elegant. There is some line variation as the #6 nib does render springy softness to cushion mild writing pressures. No hard starts, no skips! The Fine nib lays a line which runs true to its European standards and for a cross-reference it runs more like a Japanese Medium nib. The pen feels well balanced for my hands though it does seem to have a short section for gripping. The hook-safe threads might interfere with your grip, if you tend to hold a pen higher. 

I have used multiple fills of Iroshizuku Yama Budo & GvFC Moss Green inks, and the pen runs rather nicely with Iro. Which pen doesn't :) Being a wet writer out of the box, the Fine nib lays a nice juice but thinner line, which takes around 35 seconds to dry a GvFC Moss Green (I find Moss Green to dry quicker) on MD Paper. 

The flex is evident due to the springy nib, which with a gentle pressure delivers thicker strokes, though the range of strokes run broader with increasing nib-width. Personally, I would have saved up for a Conid in acrylic, but the lure or Palladium/Silver/Acryloid vs a Titanium/Acrylic marched right ahead in my head. Perhaps some day else, since titan is already there.

REFERENCES 

HS Bronze Review

Press Release - 23kt Pd nib

Tine Adjustment Video (8:00 onwards)- Brian Goulet

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A Montblanc Meisterstück 149 in Red Gold

PRELUDE

I was looking to gift my dad with a Montblanc pen for a long time. And it had to be a new one. Personally, I had bought a pre-owned MB 146 (the only pre-owned in my small collection), and I am more or less happy with it. It’s kind of ineffable but the right shape with the right balance, encompassed within a classical look seemed missing in some luxury pens, which I own. Personally, I feel that any pen above $ 100 is never a VFM and it’s rather a self-indulgence in fooling myself when I order one more expensive pen. May be it’s just applying theory of brand relativity when I try to convince myself that a Pilot 823 or a m800 is a VFM pen.

Back to the pen and it’s acquisition, the phenomenon was popularly known as the Apshankar hand wave within our small fountain pen group on the Telegram app. Actually, Kapil & Pradeep are the two main agents for urban poverty for many people including Vaibhav and me. Jokes apart, both are really fine people who are passionate about pens & paraphernalia and real good friends. Pradeep was kind enough to place an order for me from LCC & the pen travelled across the Atlantic Ocean with Kapil to finally land in my hand. While I was a bit unsure of the Red Gold trim, aesthetic opinions from both Kapil & Dennis (of LCC) helped me finalise on my choice. 

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

As most of you would know, Montblanc was started as Simplizissimus-Füllhalter in 1906 by a Hamburg banker, Alfred Nehemias, and a Berlin engineer, August Eberstein. Simplizissimus-Füllhalter means Simplistic Fountain pens and the founders had learnt about fountain pens with ink tanks from the US. By 1908, three other people by the name of Wilhelm Dziambor, Christian Lausen and later Claus Johannes Voss had taken over the business and the company took the name “Simplo Filler Pen Co.” which referred to a fountain pen design with a built-in ink-tank. 

In 1909, a safety fountain pen made up of hard rubber called “Rouge et Noir” was launched, which actually translates into Red and Black. The pen consisted of a red cap and a black body, perhaps inspired from the card-game. You can also find a limited edition of the same. In 1910, the company became Mont Blanc, inspired by the highest peak of the Alps (4810 m) and a pen called Montblanc was introduced with a white tip (which would later evolve into the classical white star in 1913). In 1926, the Meisterstück was launched. By 1929, the nibs were engraved with 4810, the official height of Mont Blanc peak, as an allusion to superior quality and craftsmanship. The flagship Meisterstück 149 was launched in 1952, evolving from celluloid & brass mechanism to resin & plastic mechanism over the years. The 149 was reintroduced with a triple tone 18k nib (they are 2 colours really) somewhere around 1995.

For the conventions of MB, as far as the model numbers XYZ (149) are concerned, it did traditionally follow a naming convention, albeit in a rather loose manner

• X or 1: Tier of pen, 1 - Top class or Meisterstück 2 - Medium range & 3 - Economy
• Y or 4: 0 - Safety filler, 2 - Button Filler, 3/4 - Piston Filler
• Z or 9: Nib size, 9 being the largest

MB has eventually stopped production of all economy pens in 1992.

PRESENTATION (6/6)

The pen came inside a luxury gift box, with an user manual cum warranty card and a 60 mL bottle of Montblanc Mystery Black Ink. I hope that the pictures below will be able to do a justice, especially when you are gifting the pen to someone dear. I am someway bound to appreciate this presentation with a full rating. 

DESIGN - THE CLASSIC CIGAR (6/6)

Glistening with red gold with a non pretentious shine of black preserves a culture, while simultaneously adding a touch of modern luxury. While Red gold, Rose Gold & Pink Gold are often used interchangeably, 18k Red Gold is actually made of 75% gold and 25% copper, Rose & Pink gold add up 2.5% to 5% of silver which balances out the copper. The 149 is available in three delightful trims - Gold, Red-Gold and Platinum. The pen along resting against the shoe shaped ink bottle looks awesome to me.

While the pen does not look or feel hefty, it has the semblance of an oversized pen. The clip starts with a tiny piece of elevated ramp preserving tradition. The thin and thick cap bands along with the piston rings complete the minimalistic design of the pen with grace. The clip is tension fit and carries a serial number and GERMANY along the ring. On its underside carries multiple engravings this day, however the engravings could be completely dependant upon the year of manufacture. There are a lot of Chinese fakes flooding both online and offline channels, which is why Montblanc has to come up with newer and innovative hallmarks with every model. 

A quick pose with its smaller cousin 146 in gold trims. Red Gold vs Gold.

It is oversize but I almost never feel the heft while I hold the pen. The cap unscrews with a single turn revealing a red gold nib with a rhodium inlay. It also reveals the beautiful striped ink windows just above the section threads. The attention to details is kind of amazing. The section ends up with a little bump with a rougher loop of resin, before the mind delves into the dazzle of the rhodium inlaid red-gold nib.

The cap does mention MONTBLANC - MEISTERSTÜCK No 149 etched across the broader of the parallel cap bands in cross-hatched characters, while two thinner bands subtly play along with it. The finial of course carries the white-star. There is a tiny hole in the cap meant to equalise the ambient pressure and avoid inking of the cap. I think it could be a very recent modification. Some of the earlier 149s don't have it. There are some hallmarks including metal written on the underside of the clip to preserve MB’s product authenticity. 

FILLING SYSTEM (6/6)

The piston is distinguished by a red gold band and is very convenient to operate. The piston end unscrews with less than three rotations and as the white piston head moves along the ink-windows. Once screwed back inside the bottle, ink gushes inside the barrel. The brass connector renders some weight to the barrel. The feeder hole assists in efficient ink intake for an oversize nib. The manual carries graphical steps for filling the pen in case your are using a piston filler for the first time. The ink windows still rule my thoughts. The ink capacity is around 1.6 - 2 mL.

NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (6/6)

The dazzling triple-tone nib is tested by hand, and comes in eight different widths including EF, F, M, OM, OB, OBB, B & BB and a signature replacement width of O3B. And of course it looks awesome given its size and glamor content. The size and spread of the nib are just gorgeous.

A bounded layer of spiral galaxies rest within the rhodium inlay while red gold defines the decors in the outer tines as well as the inner body. Then, there is a dazzling red gold M logo resting inside the encircled star, above which rest the height of Mont Blanc peak, 4810 (m). This one is a fine nib and lays a smooth wet line. The tail end specifies the composition Au750 of the gold-alloy and the brandname of MONTBLANC rests above the tail. Between those there is a hallmark of StOD inside a crossed ellipse. There is no mention of width on the nib per se, while a sticker at the piston end of the barrel says it all. 

A black plastic feed (earlier ones had ebonite feeds) with a feeder hole improves ink suction while closely spaced horizontal fins ensure a good ink buffer and promise wet and smooth starts. Even with a dipped nib section, it can a few paragraphs.

PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING

The overall capped length is around 14.8 cm. I would prefer to use the pen unposted as both weight and balancing seem perfect with an awesome nib leverage. The section has a comfortable grip of around 1.3 cm. I feel it’s a very comfortable from an overall perspective balancing amazingly well for an oversized nib.

• Uncapped Length ~ 13.3 cm
• Posted Length ~ 16.8 cm
• Exposed Nib Leverage ~ 2.8 cm 
• Overall Weight ~ 32 g (without ink, cap weight~10 g)

Below are the pictures along with a MB146, Visconti HS Maxi and a Pelikan m805 for your reference.

ECONOMIC VALUE (3/6)

An expensive retail price of above USD 900 puts off people, while getting a pre-owned does save some money, while you keep the charm of writing with a 149. When it comes to the internet, one has to be careful regarding the abundance of fakes in the online marketplaces and the best fakes are costly and are quite difficult to identify without experience. I am not going to discuss the pricing, but I had more than a reasonable discount, thanks to Kapil. And for me it’s a gift (although I could end up using it :P) and the price didn’t matter. Although personally speaking, I would have preferred a pre-owned 149 in a great shape.

OVERALL (5.5/6)

The writing experience is as amazing as the nib looks, with just the kind of control which you would require from a superb nib. Both Kapil & Dennis had tested it before packing. There is spring and softness in the nib and an absence of any line variation between the horizontal and vertical strokes. The lines dry in 30 seconds with a MB Mystery Black ink running on MD Paper. 

                 
                   With other inks the width is good enough to reflect some shading too. The best part perhaps is the balance that Montblanc could find with an oversize nib, so that it does not feel unwieldy. I initially had my own doubts regarding the size but I did try the 149 in a MB boutique then Pradeep’s 149, to be certain. The nib never skips and always lays a wet line, and seems to be one of the best oversized nibs in my small collection. I am sorry I couldn't gather the courage to put some pressure and try flexing some characters out from this one. 

REFERENCES

Montblanc Website

Gentleman's Gazette

Model Numbers

StOD Hallmark



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Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze (Maxi) Review

THE HOMO SAPIENS

Somewhere around late 2009, Florence-based luxury pen maker Visconti announced a nib made out of 95% Palladium (23k) alloy, in a press-release. Most of the nibs that were commonly available were 18k/21k Gold with a few exceptions (Sailor, Danitrio among others), and this was the first of its kind. The other side of the snippet showcased a pen christened with the name of ‘Homo Sapiens’ (HS), forged from an almost equal mix of basaltic lava and resin, adorned with bronze and protected from competitors with a patented formulae. The lava came from Mt. Etna (an active volcano) on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. I came to know of this pen three years later while watching a bay sale. Visconti (estd. 1988) promised the HS lava to be unbreakable, flameproof (upto 100°C), with a slightly hygroscopic body, fitted with bronze parts with a corrosion-resistant titanium power filler. The versions available these days are  HS-lava/bronze or steel, a lava/bronze (by Mazzi) 388-limited edition (LE) and a 1000-LE crystal swirls or florentine hills or the 888-LE London Fog (made up of Acroloid/Sterling Silver). Besides, fountain pens there are also roller-balls and ball-point pens in the HS range, but those, of course do not concern our primary course of interest.

DESIGN (6/6)

AN ITALIAN JOB

Visconti does pay a gentle homage to the evolution of mankind by attaching significance to our Bronze Age, predating by around five thousand years. That’s the period when humans began smelting and mixing of metals like copper and tin, to produce alloys like bronze. Also during this period, a system of writing had gradually evolved, however it was majorly through symbols used to convey information. The trim-fittings including the clip are all made out of bronze, for this version of the pen. The trim-variants are steel or sterling silver for the other Homo Sapiens (HS) pens. The midi size is available only with steel trims.

Out of the well-protected box, this pen comes out with a spring-loaded clip made of bronze, holding a paper-flyer, which tells you the nib specification on one side (23K Pd – 950) and expresses ‘dreamtouch’ as – ‘Do not press! The nib will follow your dreams’. This being the Maxi model flaunts a larger nib.

The next thing, one would notice is the unique locking system of the cap. The quick-locking six hook safe lock threads enable disengaging the cap, with just a quarter counter-clockwise twist. That little twist will of course reveal a fabulous 23 karat two-tone Palladium nib and an almost earthly grip section. A click sound is heard, once you correctly twist-lock the cap. The cap has a spring inside, to support the locking threads. 

The finial on the cap mentions VISCONTI with the company logo of mirrored "V". It is customizable via Visconti's My Pen System with either your initials or a zodiac sign or even some gemstone. You can pull out the visconti medallion from the finial by using any magnet or adhesive tape and replace it with a gemstone of your choice. 

The name of the company VISCONTI is embossed on both sides of the (Ponte Vecchio shaped) bronze clip, with a dark earthly background. 

The bronze in my case had a slight patina developed over its rose-gold sheen, and I am happy with the dated-look. Alternately, there is a deep yellow bronze polishing cloth provided along with this pen to clean the surface-oxidation. For carrying it in your shirt pocket, you have to lift the end of the spring loaded clip, as the raised end does not slip easily. Two spaced bronze rings adorn the middle of the cap, with a mute semblance of another bronze-age. 

A large bronze centre-band at the start of the grip section with an earthly black HOMO SAPIENS imprint is followed by the cap-lock threads and subsequently the grip section. I would rather say that this pen is quite very intelligently designed, apart from wielding materials that could be hard to master.

FILLING SYSTEM (5/6)

As you can see, there is a bronze ring separating the power-filler knob from rest of the barrel. Once you rotate the knob counter-clockwise till an end-stop, you will be able to pull out the plunger, like a tethered sword from its sheath. The rod is made of Titanium, a metal which has proved to be phenomenally resistant to the most corrosive of fluids. Titanium rods are often placed as support inserts by dentists, in order to rebuild broken tooth structures. Yes you could quibble about an ink-window, but my guess is that it would compromise on the sheer robustness of the make.

                  Coming back to the HS-Bronze, once you push in the knob with the nib dipped inside an ink bottle, you can feel a surge of ink inside the pen. An ink capacity of around 1.2 - 1.5 mL doesn't allow your favourite ink to last that long, with this generous flow of the nib! The Steel midi version comes with a piston knob instead of a plunger. The midi has around 1 mL of ink capacity.

THE PALLADIUM NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (5/6)

The giant two-tone nib with an usual iridium tip comes in four main sizes – EF, F, M & B along two special widths – BB (double-broad) & Stub (S). The nib has an leverage of around 2.6 cm and is a #6 Visconti nib. These dreamtouch nibs are manufactured by Bock. Made up of palladium and adorned with gold, this two-tone nib of HS-bronze makes a singularly distinctive statement. The steel variant comes with an equally graceful monotone silver-colour.

The tail end of the nib specifies the size and below it rests the composition (23k, Pd 95%) of the palladium-alloy used. Palladium is the dazzling silvery white metal while the golden ones are simply plating. A golden decor runs along the shoulders of the nib and it converges across the outer tines onto the iridium tip, while the silvery finish diverges from the lunar-eclipse breather hole across the inside of the tines and over to the tail. The name VISCONTI lies below the moony breather hole, with splashes of golden diamonds, droplets and half-moons to ornament the nib body. This one is a fine nib and writes smooth. At the tail end of the nib, lies the nib width, above which embossed are the specifications of ‘23k Pd 950’ and a word FIRENZE. Firenze refers to Florence, Italy which is the birthplace of both Italian Renaissance and Visconti Pens, thereby its borrowed tagline - The Writing Renaissance. 

The feed is a standard visconti feed with closely spaced fins, carrying the V logo at the delta region. The nib is screw-fit onto the grip section and can be swapped with ease, provided you take care of the flexible tines. It has quite a bit of flex, although there is not much difference for an EF or F nib, when it comes to line variation with a bit of pressure. I would strongly advise you to be careful with over-flexing the palladium nib, there could be a permanent damage to the nib.

PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING

With a cylindrical body forged out of basaltic lava and resin with  bronze rings, it does give an earthly repose  when held for writing with nearly of length with mass. The overall weight has got a significant contribution from the cap. As an analogy, the cap itself could be heavier than a Pelikan m600 fountain pen.

• Capped Length ~ 14.4 cm 

• Non-posted Length ~ 13.2 cm 

• Uncapped Weight   ~ 26.6 g

• Nib Leverage ~ 2.6 cm 

• Overall Weight ~ 43.6 g

Comparing capped lengths, the HS Maxi does seem to be longer than a m805/MB146 although it's a tad shorter when compared to a pilot custom 823.

Uncapped all of them have a similar length, though the heft of the HS Maxi seems more.

ECONOMIC VALUE (5/6)

Though the Homo Sapiens Maxi sells between USD 450-695, it might be available at lower street/auction prices. With end of season clearance sale, I was able to get the pen at a good discounted price. I would not undervalue this rating by much, because in the end the Homo Sapiens is a kind of masterpiece in itself. After all it's a pen made out of basaltic lava and bronze, with a unique palladium nib. But is it worth $ 695? Is any pen worth $ 695 for that matter!, you see it's a subjective question, I do not have an answer to that!

OVERALL (5.4/6)

The adorable matte black finish complements an anachronistic appeal of the Homo Sapiens Bronze, given the lava finish along with oxidizable bronze rings. This pen is blessed with a smooth fine nib which delivers a nice juicy wet line. 
        I am used to a few large pens, I like the balance and do not find any problem with either the heft or balance of HS Maxi Bronze.The line width closely resembles with a Pelikan/MB Fine nib. And with slight pressure, the tines do open up, thus increasing the line width to a decent 1.5x. For a moderately wet Sailor Ultramarine ink, it takes around 35 seconds to dry on Midori MD paper. The flex is evident to a greater degree due to the springy Palladium alloy. The nib was pretty wet even for an extra-fine nib with a generous ink flow. For thinner widths extra-fine is a better option. The original nib was an EF and it was a QC-victim. I went for a F-nib replacement.

EF nib

F nib

I did not face a situation of ink-sweating at edges of the grip. Hopefully, it has been fixed and there is no need to grease the nib-threads anymore. 

Thanks for going through the review. 
More pen and paraphernalia reviews here.
There is a review of the Florentine Hills here.