Oh, My. GOSH! I was actually yelling at the computer while watching this video, it was just BRILLIANT!! I cannot say enough great things or articulate how much I enjoyed this, thank you! Also... team Visconti only because I have climbed Etna and have an ongoing affair with Italy courtesy of my Grandpa, who served during the Italian Campaign as a member of the Royal Canadian Army.

Have both, and love both! And, like they say, "timing is everything" i.e., I purchased both pens new for < $600. 00 each. So, if you're patient, the deals are out there to be had!

I inherited the majestic MB 149 from my late father. So, it will always hold a special, unrivaled, sentimental place in my heart. But the pen is also a fantastic feel in hand and superb writer (I have the M nib). In this particular face-off, I’d still pick the Visconti HS. It edges out the MB in the feel of the material. And more importantly the way the nib writes. My Bronze Age HS is one I very belatedly bought less than a year ago. And it wins this contest for me.

My husband surprised me with a Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age for my birthday. It should be arriving later this week👍🏻 loved this video 😊

Your method of comparison makes a lot of sense. At the end I was hanging in suspense wondering which of the pens you would choose. Thank you for actually picking one. Thank you for an enjoyable video.

Well, I can’t believe it, but it is 12:00am in the morning as I sit in my room at the Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas for a work conference and I’m watching KZfaq videos on Fountain pens and primarily for the Mont Blanc 149. First for you; AWESOME video, this is the first video of yours I have Seen, and I think it’s one of the best on KZfaq, great job! Being Italian and owning other Italian pens, I have wanted the Visconti Homo sapiens Bronze Age for years. BUT; as I was walking through the Grand Canal Shops here at the Palazzo, I went into the Mont Blanc store, watches, bags and lots of pens including special edition Mont Blancscthat were $38,000, no exaggeration, so the $700 to $1,000 price on the 149 seamed reasonable. Even though I have to many cigar shaped black pens from Sailor to Pilot, etc. I am drawn to that classic style. They had 3 sizes of this pen side by side and even though they didn’t have any filled with ink, they let you handle and dry write with them. A bit more feedback than I prefer in my pens, but that could be because it didn’t have ink. I only buy fountain pens with EF nibs and they didn’t have that nib size and said it would be a special order they would have to send to MB and it could take weeks or months to get it. That struck me odd, but yet it made it feel special, in that it just wasn’t mass produced? I will be here for 3 more days, and I’m having a hard time pulling the trigger on the 149. I don’t gamble, so there is that here in Vegas, if I were, you could easily drop that amount in losing. Any more advice or coaxing would help with my decision. And once again, great video, I’ll be watching more. Thx!

Love all your videos but this one is my favorite! I loved the side by side comparisons and I hope we can look forward to more videos like these in the future!

Great video! So much fun!

Thanks for the introduction of these two fantastic pens! I am a fan of fountain pen now!

Another great video. I loved the comparisons. Can't wait to get my first HS. My MB 149 is devine. I write with it everyday

Well done my friend! I like this format from time to time. I need both. P.S. congratulations on 5k subscribers.

You can't argue when something is just right and that Montblanc 149 is just right for you.

Over here just watching this amazing video again. I think I have made a big decision. I am going to wait until my next trip to Italy and get my Visconti there. With the VAT it may end up being more expensive, but a purchase in Italy will only add to its personal value to me and sentimentality. I now find myself looking at the Montblanc because despite my small hands, I much prefer bigger pens. Thanks again for this video, Hemingway!

Hello HJ. Another interesting video. I have neither pen but I do inspire to get a Montblanc. However, after watching this video, the Visconti has me intrigued. You have placed me in a peculiar position my friend and have opened my eyes to another dream. Time will tell of my choice.

Again, HJ, you have produced a wonderful video. I must say that I am a bit biased, in that I absolutely love the MB 149 pen. And right now, I have 5 of them!!!! Had a Visconti HS pen, but, I didnt quite like it, so I sold it to a friend who seemed to love the Visconti. But, MB 149 is still my absolute favourite pen.

I have a Lamy Safari & Pilot Kakuno. These are more in my price range LOL. But, if I had the opportunity, I'd pick the Visconti over MB. 1) Cost - I sleep more soundly and eat better spending the least amount of money on a pen lol 2) Uniqueness - the design & color of the MB is more widely copied. My untrained eyes would have a hard time picking it out unless I see the MB finial. With the Visconti, you literally get to hold a little bit of Mount Etna in your hand. You can't beat that! 3) The clip - that arching crescent shape is no ordinary clip. It's designed to mimic the Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge in Florence. There's a Visconti boutique not too far from there. Thanks for a great comparison!

I love this so much. Fantastic. So's the sweater. :)

I don’t own a Visconti, but I have had a 149 since the early 80’s, never serviced and it works perfectly. You have inspired me to buy a Visconti Homo and to join your channel. See you in KZfaq also. Thanks.

I truly enjoyed your Visconti/Montblanc comparison. I have the the Bronze Age and the Montblanc 146 and I love them both. One feature about the Bronze Age is that the metal features on the print actually tarnish and develop a patina, which definitely adds to the character of the pen. The early Homo Sapien models came with a non-gold, proprietary material, nib, maybe a titanium alloy. It offers a bit of flex but no variation in line width to speak of, which mine has. Visconti has switched to a gold nib for that series of pens. I'm glad I have the earlier nib. Thanks for your channel. It's great fun.

I appreciate your video. I have been debating for some years about getting Visconti HS Bronze Age, but have not purchased one yet. I have several Montblancs, including 3 146s. I don't have a 149 yet. But your video answered a huge question for me. I have osteoarthritis in my writing hand (it happens when you get older). I find that I can write for hours with my MB 146s, but not so much with my heavier pens. And I love, love, love the way all of my MBs write - they flow. Like you, I am not heavy handed. So the MB writing experience is better for me. So, you answered an important question for me - the Montblanc 149 is the answer.

I am on the edge of my seat ! Great video RS. Canada

$700 for a grail fountain pen sounds crazy, but that’s also the price of an Indonesian made electric bass guitar that I’ve been considering as a beater. I would use that grail pen every day and the beater guitar maybe once a month. I still can’t spend that much on a pen yet though as I have a 34-year old Montblanc 146 that my wife gifted me for our first anniversary. It’s currently covering my grail pen category.

Great video, brilliant cliffhanger!!! But I was right! What gave me the clue was the comfort in writing for long periods.

Interesting comparison, HJ!

I liked this concise comparison. Thank you for it. I've never even touched either of these two pens, so I can't add anything from my experience. But I did learn some things from your video. I want to hold that repurposed lava more than I want to hold the MB plastic....

Great video. Really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing. I have neither pen but I too would choose the Mont Blanc 149. Did you say it was made of resin?

I'm not an expert on fountain pen nomenclature, but in the non-fountain pen world, the Visconti 1/4 turn cap securing mechanism is called a "bayonet mount". I'm guessing the term comes from Civil War or earlier rifles. The term bayonet mount is commonly used in electronics, photography and household tiny light bulbs. BTW I've been using an Aurora FP with a similar screw piston fill mechanism as the 149. My grandmother gave it to me in the late 70s and I used it daily for school then work for at least 30 years and it still sucks up ink like Day 1. Then I lost it and found it years later - now it's very seldom used. Keep up the good work on the channel!

Love the video! I agree… the writing experience is paramount.

I just bought a pre-loved 149 not in small part owing to this video. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Hi. I really had a great time, and you had me worried. Glad you made the correct choice, the 149 is just the perfect writing experience, Visconti needs to get its quality control issues sorted out. I'm not totally against Visconti, their Blue Lagoon is one pen I wound buy because it's lighter and visually stunning.🤗 Cheers.

thanks again Hemingway

I really enjoyed this video. I would take the Visconti, hands down, without an ounce of regret. There are a great many pens out there that can get really close to the feeling of the 149, but to date: I've encountered nothing like the homo sapiens. What a dull and colorless world it would be if we all agreed on everything though. I really appreciate the love you have for your 149. All the best from the Midwest!

Great video, thank you. Never having used or touched either of these pens I am drawn to the Visconti as for me it is visually more interesting. Question: is your writing grip unique or is there a “name” for it that I could read about? I use a classic child of the 70s/80s educated pinch grip but the way you hold these pens looks comfortable.

The Namiki Emperor nib is bigger than the 149 and according to some reviews it is lovely to write with and is really an amazing pen even though it is really expensive.

For me, in that Visconti Homo Sapiens is an ink window missing.

I don't think I can ever afford these two. However, I am in love with Visconti Homo Sapiens ! This is my grail pen !

I notice that some of the backdrop is from the paintings of Hieronymous Bosch, "The Garden of Earthly Delights", an astounding painting. Well done. Is there some Pieter Bruegel also?

Well, that was a fun contest. Despite the scoring, I was pretty sure you were going to go with the MB. I finally broke down and bought a 146 a couple of years ago out of some curiosity -- and only because it was at a rather good price. I will admit that it was better than I expected but personally, I feel what your paying for in MBs...is their rather proficient marketing systems. So, to each his or her own but in my book I'd go for Visconti (yup, have one and predates my MB).

Hi, great video (again!). Quick question: which tarot deck are you displaying in the background in some of the shots?

Visconti. I love mine! Great video HJ. My next pen will be the MB.

Both are wonderful pen your very lucky to have someone bought you two beautiful pens ,yr last video was great.frank in Oswego I'll.nice 18kt nibs

I was most impressed with the beautiful B&W map of Rome you were using as an underlay. Great review! Personally, I'd definitely prefer the Visconti.

I very much enjoyed this video. I had purchased the Visconti for a very good price and it had been on the top of my wishlist for a very long time, because I love the looks and found the material very intriguing. And then I returned it... I still love the looks and the material is wonderful, but the ridges of the capping mechanism kind of hurt my fingertips, so I had to let it go. I really enjoy the nibs of my Montblanc pens (mostly vintage) and would LOVE to get a 146 because the 149 is too big for my hands which are rather tiny 🙂. But I am still searching for a used one with an OM nib, because I will not pay the price for a new one which is as you said only plastic.

That was my question that which one is better 👏 Thank you

Great one HJ. I agree with everything you said save a couple of points. 1. I have replaced the barrel of one of my 149s myself. Not sure if Visconti parts are as readily available. 2. The filling mechanism on Visconti is just as bad....cleaning them takes forever. I would not consider it superior. Again, One can easily replace the piston on 149. Though one can argue either way. BTW, I never had a shadow of a doubt which you would pick 😀 I would also pick 149.

Awesome review.

❤ great review!!! I picked the Homo sapiens over the MB 149…. But only because it came to me on the second hand market or a great deal. I am currently saving for my MB 149 ❤🎉❤🎉

Great video! It's interesting I have a few MB's Solti edition and Mozart. Love them both, great quality. My mother is Bavarian and I have been over multiple times. Plus loved working for German companies in the States. The Visconte is less recognized and subtle, this to me now is a plus as I care less about impressing others. Also my father served in the 85th division the whole war (WWII). He landed in Sicily went through Rome and finally Northern Italy. Received the Bronze Star and only recounted the funny memories. For me the final decision was to get the Visconte, it will be here in a few weeks.

I recently picked a 1979 149 from Antique Digger and it’s something really special. I eventually want to get a Visconti. I wish the clear band ink window would be brought to the normal Homo Sapiens from the crystal dream/Skylight models.

very neat $ clean comparison with facts, it would be great if you can add an information about the resale value, Thanks a lot, best wishes from Kathmandu, Nepal

I have both pens and I like them both for various reasons. Both hold a lot of ink, which is important to me. Both are comfortable in hand. The clip on my MB149 clips to my pocket more securely than the VHS-the clip on the VHS is somewhat smooth and tends to slide off my shirt pocket. I do not post either pen when writing with them. And for me, filling from an ink bottle, the MB149 is easier to get a complete fill over the VHS. I feel that the piston filling system may be a little more reliable over time, whereas the VHS’s seals may need to be replaced sooner than the MB’s-this is just speculation on my part, both of my pens are filling as they did when they were purchased (a very small dab of silicone grease on my MB every 4 years seems to do the trick-I’m not sure how I would do this for my VHS). My MB is smoother writing, where the VHS experiences a lot of hard starts, and seems to run out ink faster (probably because I can’t seem to get a full fill). The MB has an ink window (a big plus), and the VHS does not-you could move up to the Crystal Dream, but then you are now in the MB price range. The VHS’s lava-resin material resists scratching, where the MB will not resist scratching. And the VHS is not as recognizable to most, as compared to the MB149, and is less conspicuous. My VHS has the, 23kt Palaidium nib, which is always going out of adjustment and my MB writes first time, every time. So for the writing experience I’d say the MB is better, and for durability, I’d have to give it to the VHS. Both pens have their strengths/uses. Right now, my MB edges out the VHS, but if I can get the VHS’s Palladium nib swapped out with an 18 kt gold extra fine nib, I would say the VHS might just edge out the MB slightly, but so far the MB works the best between the two.

Just have bought a Visconti ! And going to buy a Montblanc in June 2024, Thanks for the video, helped a lot

Thank you for this detailed comparison Hemingway. I have to say the classic beauty of the Montblanc really appeals to me and I’m about to buy a 1985 era 149 for what I consider to be a reasonable price ($600 AU) - not something I would have said 6 mths ago before I was bitten by the fountain pen bug. I am not particularly interested in the name, and in fact, would prefer it did not carry the increased pricetag because of it. Watching your videos has confirmed to me though that this is my grail pen. May I ask who you are quoting in the Montblanc writing example please?

I really like my Visconti homo sapiens and i own a Montblanc 146 and not a 149, but i would like to say the Montblanc is the winner for me all day long.

A major surprise HJ, I thought for sure you’d pick the Visconti. I have the 149 and it trio is a classic, but I do hope to get the Homo Sapien sometime soon. My only concern is the iffy QC with the Visconti nibs.

Love the tulips!

What’s your secret for keeping the bronze on your Bronze Age so clean looking and gorgeous. I seem to remember my pen coming with a special cloth but I lost it ages ago. I’ve tried chamois as has been recommended, but not really having much success

Just got the Visconti HS Bronze Age today and must say it's an amazing pen. Also have MB146 which in itself is a legend.

I love the matte finish of the Visconti plus the gold/brass rings. I prefer a pen with a bit of heft.

I got both but the Visconti nib was horrible on the paper had to get it retune and the montblanc wrote nice out of the box. Prices wise the Visconti is a few hundred cheaper. Forgot to say Sailor king of pen is also a great contender.

Great review, but for me the Homo Sapiens wind hands down. I appreciate it is 10grams more but it's by no means a heavy weight, the nib gives some fantastic line variation and the vac filler is far easier to clean than the over priced, over hyped, precious resin (plastic) MB.

Enjoyed the video, tough comparison! I guess I fall on the side of Montblanc as well, the 149 is the perfect size and weight.

OK You have me subscribed

The safe course is to own both of these magnificent pens, as you do. I, alas, own neither.

The largest nib I have ever written with is a Namiki Emperor Urushi Lacquer Vermilion No.50 nib Fountain Pen . My friend just got one this last year when we visited Atlas Stationary’s in Chicago it’s her grail pen… My grail pen is a David Oscarson Alexander Fleming ( gray) fountain pen… I ended up having it alternate it just a bit ( I put a small diamond in the clip ) David saw it after it was done and he was fine with it , actually he liked it. ( thank goodness) I have both the Visconti and Montblanc, I’m with you. I would keep the Montblanc but I love them both. Enjoyed the way you weighed the two pens out, negatives and positives ,that was great ! Thank you 😊

Lovely vlog…sir where is the sweater from

Anyone familiar with your videos knows which pen you'd pick. To me, I feel like the 149 is an old friend to you. It also occurs to me that over time (and with the use you mentioned previously) the 149 nib has customized to your writing, like a well worn, well crafted dress shoe, which leads to a better writing experience. At this point, if I were you, I would not let anyone use or try your 149. For sentimental reason I think of my 149 like no other, yet I am blown away every time I pick up my HS, that the pen is made from lava, that the pen is millions of years old, and the feel of the pen is just unlike any other. Your point that you are literally getting a piece of Italy was marvelous. It's a good line, that Visconti could do well using. You know how Italians love evoke that Italian in them. Visconti used to make two-tone nibs for the HS when they were using 23k palladium nibs on their finer pens. Those nibs were a bit softer and so smooooth. It very well could have swayed your decision on the writing experience, because when the nib was working well they were just fantastic writers. Your 149 might have received no points with the older nib. Nonetheless, fantastic video, and see you next week in the MB class.

i will always find the Visconti more interesting but i definitely appreciate the craftsmanship of the Montblanc as well. by the way, i do know of one nib larger than the 149. its the number 50 size nib found on the Namiki emperor. though those have a starting price of 2,000 dollars, and they go up much further.

Well, fooey. These are two pens were out of my pen lust list because of their ridiculous price points. But now I might have to reconsider both of them!

Great comparison and I do agree they are both nice pens. I own a HS bronze age and a Montblanc brothers Grimm edition and I love them with different reasons. I'd also like to point out that Montblanc did quite a decent job with their piston filler compared to Montegrappa who tags a higher price IMO. My Extra Otto takes a whole eternity to screw the piston through its way, and that makes it a "happy to write, torture to clean" champion in my fountain pen collection. BTW I titled my HS the "loyal companion in the winter" and Montblanc is the "best go-to when gloomy mood strikes"

Is this with the single reservoir safe for air travel when screwed down or does it not seal? As in don’t need to unscrew to write?

the Montblanc 149!!

I was 200% certain you'd keep Montblanc 😀😃😉

Hi Hemingway. Well I was counting each round of this contest and I believe you owe the Visconti another point. The score should be 5 - 2. That said, there's no way I'd pick the Homo Sapiens as the winner. Just one look at the 149 writing sample and the MB is a much nicer writer (in my opinion). I would need to get used to the extra girth of the 149 but this would be a small sacrifice for a pen with such a superior nib.

Well done. I only do Platinum. Never Gold or Brass. Odd? Never Gold rings or watches either. I have the MB 149 and MB146. I use the 146 more often. I would love to try the Calligraphy nib but that does not come in Platinum. Perhaps the nib exchange program?

Montblanc for sure.

Tried both (well the 146) back to back at a store. And I was really hoping to like the HS, but that nib was so much longer that it affected my writing. Going by looks, I prefer HS's body, 146's nib. I ended up with the 146.

Have you handled a Pilot Custom Urushi? That pen practically dwarfs all other pens, and the nib is quite big. When I saw it in person, I couldn’t believe how big it was. It was like Andre the Giant big. 😄 I wanted it so badly, but I couldn’t afford it. Maybe someday. ❤

Wow a thriller with a happy ending... phew, I got cold sweats :)

How about 149 vs King of Pen? The ultimate nib face off?

No doubt in this camp, MB. Writing experience is most important. There’s nothing like a big, light pen with a proper nib.

In 2024, the MB 149 is priced by the Visconti HS, which elevates the HS as pen of choice. MB is definitely gouging customers for what you are getting.

1. This was both informative and very entertaining, thanks. 2. As neither of these two pens is really in my wheelhouse, my opinion is not worth much. But I find the Montblanc boring and pretentious, and the Visconti unique and fun, so Visconti it is. 3. I do enjoy grail-offs - I would do one between the M1000 and the KoP, but I own neither.

It's a difficult choice. The Homo Sapiens is a better fit in my hands due to the narrower section. The 146 is a more comfortable pen for me, and if you find one with a monotone nib with an ebonite feed, writes just as nicely as a 149. The nib on the 149 looks stunning though.

I really do enjoy the MB 149 (I've only used some newer models) but I much prefer MB vintage pens, which I am starting to collect. I absolutely love my Homo Sapiens Bronze Age with the 18k Fine nib. There aren't many pens that have the same look and feel as the Visconti and not the same could be said for the MB. That gives a a lot of grail points to the Homo Sapiens for me. Honestly speaking though, nothing comes close to Pelikan for me.

Thank you for the great video. I own both of them but unfortunately, I rarely use them... well, honestly, I don't use them. The Montblanc 149 has certainly established the benchmark that many other manufacturers have studied and tried to imitate or develop similar designs. It is not that I have small hands, but for me, when I grab the Montblanc 149, it feels like I am holding a child's big crayon... it's a kind of weird feeling to write with a big, fat pen, even though it is not that heavy to hold. The Montblanc 146 and the Pelikan M800 have better ergonomics and balance. And regarding the Visconti Homo Sapiens... well, it is heavy and especially back heavy which makes my writing to be unbalanced and unusual. I would like also to mention how ridiculously heavy it is to clip it in my front, shirt pocket, hahah... Don't get me wrong: both are lookers but for me, they are not suitable to my writing. Nevertheless, it is just my own personal feedback as an owner of both pens. Thank you again for your great videos. Cheers!

I happen to not like the look of the upstart Visconti pens I‘ve seen. But that is just taste. However, when it comes to writing experience there should never be a moments hesitation, so I knew you would chose the Montblanc. I would not like the 149 because it is to big for my taste, but I‘m happy to own 3 vintage Montblancs, one was my mothers and she gave it to me when I was still in my teens, the other I inherited from an aunt and the third came to me recently from the estate of an author I was acquainted with. This last one is not a Meisterstueck, but it writes beautifully and I think it may be from the 1950s. The cork piston no longer works properly so I‘ll have to have it serviced. That will be so worthwhile, because the nib is bouncy.

I agree. I own both and I love and use both but if i had to depart with one then it would be the Visconti. The 149 is the best ever.

A few months ago I took a trip through Asia and the USA. I stopped in 5 airports, each had a Montblanc store in them. I took with me a few fountain pens (as always) One of them was a black, two tone nib, Jinhao x159. I went into Montblanc stores in each location from Atlanta, South Korea, Manilla, and more. In each one we tested the Montblanc 149 and compared to the x159. I had the sales people do it, I had my companions do it. Some are very familiar with fountain pens, others had no clue. We did blind tested holding them, writing with them, etc. NO ONE could tell the difference between the two pens until I clearly showed them the actual pens and their labels. (I even posted the x159 with the Montblanc to trick them up). So personally, I just don't think I could ever buy a 149 at full price after a 5 shop, 4 country test with more than a dozen Fountain Pen Sales people and random consumers. I also think there would be value in hearing your feelings taking personal sentiments out. We got a great review but then your emotions made the choice. If there were only two pens to choose from and you had to buy them; which one would you get. Forget which one you had for 20 years or who gave it to you. Just a few random thoughts.

If you want to sell your Homo Sapiens I'm interested! I have a 1911 Sailor Realo, which is a beautiful 21k gold nib writer, so I don't need an MB. It posts (or not), it has a viewing window below the cap (this is a big deal), it's a piston fill and holds 1ml of ink, so I never have to mess with a converter. As an aside, it has a bit of flex too! But, and this is a big but, I want to write with, I need to write with a Homo Sapiens. I need a Homo Sapiens! Oh how I need a Homo Sapiens. (Beautiful review)

I happen to have both of these pens but f I could only keep one, Montblanc for me.

Both pens are great. However, my 149 is always inked while my Visconti HS Bronze Age isn’t. The balance and performance of the 149 are just better, at least for me.

The Visconti HS is in the mail for me. Maybe someday I'll get an MB 149, but I just feel the extra you pay for the name is too much.

I’m strangely relieved you would choose the MB because my obsession with the HS is becoming unhealthy! You cooled my jets a little here !

You said you can't think of a bigger nib than the 149. Here are 2 for a start....Pelikan M1000 and Namiki Emperor. Both clearly bigger than the 149

I have both, and I love them both. The Visconti is better imo.

Pilot custom urushi has a noticeably larger and better nib, so did the pilot Namiki emperor which uses the largest nib

Damn! Now i must have both. I am sure that one day my bankruptcy trustee will want to have a word with you.

Is your MB 149 a modern or a vintage one?

No question for me, Montblanc 149.......to be honest I haven't tried writing with a Homo Sapien. I bought a Visconti Van Gogh and the pen was so overpriced for what you get and the nib needs a nib master out of the box. I don't know what is wrong with it because I haven't cared to have someone look at it. I was so unimpressed. So I won't be checking out any other Visconti's at this point. Fun video!