(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)
Visconti does a good job of making their version of an entry-level pen feel very fancy. While the $159 price tag of the Mirage Mythos Athena Fountain Pen is far from beginner-friendly, it's a good entry point for those interested in trying out this luxury brand. It's also a perfectly good pen in its own right, and this one in particular has been a delight to write with for the past few weeks. It also comes in a fancy gift box that feels like a whole event to unwrap. It's not as much packaging fanfare as their other pens, but it's decidedly Extra for a pen in this price range. I generally prefer simpler packaging, but I appreciated feeling like it was my birthday for a few minutes.
The Mirage is made from a lightweight acrylic in lovely swirling colors. The Athena is in this gorgeous turquoise with pink, rust, purple, and even a touch of green rippling through. There's a subtle sparkle to it. The color is offset with brass accents on the grip, clip, finial, and cap band, which also has some textured etching. It has the classic bridge-shaped, spring-loaded Visconti clip, which gives it its signature look.
The body of the pen is lightly fluted, which helps with grip and keeps it from rolling on the desk.
The brass grip section unscrews from the body of the pen, and the body is lined with a brass sleeve that prevents a brass-on-acrylic thread connection--a nice detail that will prevent wear and cracking over time. The concentration of brass at the grip does make the pen a little front-heavy, but that doesn't have a negative effect on the writing experience.
The cap closes--and also posts--with a clever magnetic attachment. To close, the magnets pull the lid into some notched threads that keep it securely in place. The seal is good--the pen has never dried out between uses. When posting, the magnet helps secure the pen to the end of the pen, though it's a less secure connection and it rattles a little when writing. It's also quite large when posted. But it can be done! Just don't make any sweeping gestures or the cap will fly off.
The highlight of this pen, for me, is the nib. Visconti has had some nib quality issues in the past, mostly on their very high-end pens, but this gold-colored steel nib is totally dreamy. It writes as smooth as butter with the perfect balance of wetness. It's so pleasant to use that I find myself doodling between thoughts just so I can keep using it when my writing is paused.
This pen has been a delight. It was my solo writing instrument on my recent writing retreat and I cranked out over six thousand words that weekend and enjoyed every minute of the writing experience. I'm very content with this pen, but the good experience does tempt me toward someday trying one the fancier Visconti models. This one will do just fine until I cave to temptation.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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