Fountain Pen Collection: Diplomat
Hello my Lovelies 🙂
are you enjoying your weekend? I hope so 🙂 After a lot of snow we have the first weekend with lots of sunshine and the snow is nearly gone by now.
Today, let’s check out of my first posher fountain pen. Well, it isn’t by far as expensive as the one by Montblanc but it was very expensive for me the time I bought it.
I had known the brand Diplomat for quite a long time. During my studies I had some luck and a friend of mine owned one. So I tested it and I liked the heavier weight and the writing feeling which came with it. Years passed by and coincidentally I found an online offer. A Diplomat pen for half the normal price. I couldn’t resist and bought right away. Five years have passed since then and I am still in love with it. The writing is amazing and the fountain pen is simple and elegant.
This is my very first fountain pen which I used to start my Bullet Journal. I used to write with it every day. Now I am using it at least once a week for writing notes or writing into my journal with it.
So let’s have a much deeper insight.
Diplomat – Who?
Originally, Diplomat, founded in 1922 by Carl Räuchle, was a workshop for handmade fountain pens. In the 1950’s the brand became popular through their ballpoint pen. In 1958 the first fountain pen with a converter was made and it became a success.
Today Diplomat is owned by Mathias Ringeard who is a French businessman and also CEO.
The company produces fountain pens and ballpoint pens and also supplies for them. Diplomat is the part of the business which produces classic, high quality writing instruments. Every writing utensil is still made by hand and they are still using the same techniques they used in 1922.
The prices for the writing utensils starts at around 35-40 Euros and goes up to over 1000 Euros.
Diplomat EXCELLENCE
My fountain pen is a Diplomat Excellence A2 Black Laquer. It is completely made out of metal. The laquer is multi-layered and really nicely polished. Even the chrome elements are really shiny. Because of the black and chrome, the fountain pen looks elegant and timeless.
The pen is 13,8 cm long and the weight is 41 grams. The fountain pen comes with a converter which has „Diplomat 1922“ printed on it.
Normally, I keep the packages of my fountain pens but unfortunately I haven’t got that one with me right now (it’s probably still in one of our boxes when we moved house). However, I remember that the packaging was white and the company name with the foundation year was printed on top.
On the website the price is 190 Euros for the pen. To be honest, I am not really sure how much I paid for it because I don’t have the bill anymore (I think it was something around 100 Euros) and the shop where I bought it has only offers and when they are sold they won’t restock them.
The cap is black as well with a chrome clip. On top of it is the logo of Diplomat. It looks like an elegant black flower. On the bottom of the cap is a chrome ring with „Diplomat since 1922 – made in germany“ on it. The chrome clip is really strong, I can’t get it really moved. It is a little bit hard for me, so the clip is more decoration, for me, than of practical use.
To open the fountain pen you just need to pull off the cap. The zone where you hold the pen is black as well. The passage to the nib is a chrome ring which has the effect to soften the black body to the nib. It is like giving a little extra length to the nib. I like that look a lot.
The nib my pen has is a medium one. Normally, the fountain pens I go for are with a fine nib but I adore my Diplomat fountain pens with the medium nib which is polished stainless steel and due to that it is really shiny. On the pen’s nib is the logo of Diplomat. There is the name of the company with 1922 and the strength of the nib, „M“, printed on it as well. There is no decoration at all, so the nib is quite simple.
The pen has a soft slide for closing the cap. So if you want to open the pen, you need a good pull and if it is really closed you can hear a click sound. I like this soft slide thingy and I like the sound of it, too. 😀
The Writing Experience
When it comes to writing with the Diplomat, it feels like to meet a good old friend. It feels great to meet, have fun and enjoy the time together. It doesn’t matter how long you haven’t seen each other because your friendship is timeless and no one of you would question it.
I like the weight of the fountain pen and it’s minimalistic beauty. Sometimes less is more and I think this concept turns out perfect here.
Because of the feeling in your hand it is really comfortable to write with. I can imagine that the pen could be too heavy for some people. For example, my husband has a different Diplomat and my pen is too light for him. It is really interesting to see how different the sensation can be.
The nib isn’t quite flexible, because of the steel, I would say. Of course you can bring pressure to the pen and the nib can handle it, but I don’t think that you need any pressure to create a wonderful writing on the paper. The ink flow is really amazing. It is consistent even when you put pressure on the pen, however I don’t recommend doing this. Let the pen slide over the paper for you.
In all these years, I haven’t had any problem with ink which drys up or ink smudges. I tested different inks and I have never had any problems with any kinds of fountain pen ink. That is really awesome because I had fountain pens which couldn’t handle a variety of inks.
Final Thoughts
My Diplomat Excellence is one of two I own. I have never regretted buying it. I think that I will buy another one because of the high quality and the simple elegance. The pen is handmade and I personally love a great piece of craftsmanship. I think it is quite special because from a different point of view someone made the pen for you. I love such thinking because I appreciate the hard work and ability of making such a beautiful piece.
Wisdom of the Day: Your relationship with a pen can broaden your writing mind.
Love to you all and stay healthy,
Chrissi
The Evil Journalista
Evil Journalista 
Thanks for this post. I also have a Diplomat Excellence, in the Marrakesh metallic brown finish. Mine has a 14k gold nib, in fine, but I know the steel nibs are so good. I have an Excellence A Plus too with a steel Fine nib which I enjoy a lot. It has a screw on cap which only needs a very short twist.
Overall these a great solid comfortable pens from an underrated brand.
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