Posts filed under Diplomat

Diplomat Magnum Fountain Pen Review

One of my favorite categories of stationery to review are entry level fountain pens. Not only do I love helping people discover their first fountain pen, I love using these inexpensive workhorses myself.

Why? Amount of money spent does not directly correlate to superior writing performance. If you have been in this hobby for any amount of time you know this, but for those just starting I think it is important to repeat. Heck, this is basic life advice that we all sometimes forget. It’s easy to assign the “more expensive=better” formula to anything, and that’s simply not the case.

In the case of the Diplomat Magnum fountain pen, the story starts with the price. At $23, the brand has positioned it as their entry level writer. That’s a good price for a good pen. The challenge for Diplomat is if it is a better choice than the huge amount of competition it the same price range.

In breaking down the Magnum, the first thing I noticed is the ultralight weight of the barrel. It is a standard length pen, checking in at 13.5 cm inches capped (12.5 uncapped,) but has a thinner than normal barrel diameter and grip section. The total weight of the Magnum is 19 grams, which places it well above the Kaweco Sport (9 grams) and Platinum Preppy (11 grams,) but if I didn’t look these numbers up I would have guessed it was much closer to the other two. That’s an effect of the narrower barrel I believe. Lightness aside, it feels good in the hand.

As with many entry level pens, your nib choices are limited. In this case, Fine or Medium, of which I went with the former. (Note: My mistake-they come in Extra Fine and Broad too!) It was smooth and had great flow out of the box, but it does skip on some of my faster vertical downstrokes. It’s not bad or repeatable, but it showed up enough to make me bring out the loupe to see if there was an issue. I didn’t seen any obvious baby’s bottom or misalignment, but I did smooth it a bit on 12000 grit sandpaper and that seemed to help.

Another nib comment: I find it soft for a #5 sized fine steel nib. As best as I could find online, these are Jowo nibs, and they have more give than I expected. That’s not real knock on the nib, other than making the fine line broader than you would expect. It is a good writer overall.

Diplomat Magnum Comparison — *L to R: Lamy Safari, Platinum Preppy, Diplomat Magnum, Kaweco Sport.*

The Diplomat Magnum is generally loved by everyone who has picked one up. I can’t disagree with that sentiment, but I can’t say it would be in my top five entry level fountain pens - maybe even the top ten. Off the top of my head (in no particular order) I’d go with:

Platinum Preppy

Pilot Metropolitan

Pilot Kakuno

Kaweco Perkeo

Kaweco Sport

TWSBI Swipe

TWSBI GO

Lamy Safari

All of these pens are under $30, with only the Sport ($24) and Safari ($29) more expensive than the Magnum. If I open up the over $30 price point, that brings in both the TWSBI ECO and Pilot Prera, which I believe are better as well. That’s ten pens right there that are easy choices, and I’m sure I’ve forgotten some.

None of this is a knock on the Magnum, but rather a state of the union in this price range. There are a ton of great pens! And I would certainly recommend the Magnum if you like the style and weight of the pen, especially over more particular pens like the Safari (a more extreme molded grip than the Magnum, which has three flat sides) and Sport (short length, half the weight.) Diplomat has leaned into the fun with the Magnum, too, as seen by the translucent orange barrel I chose to review, along with a range of other bright and subtle colors.

The Diplomat Magnum is a box-checker. Meaning, if it checks all of your boxes for what you like in a pen, then you will be happy with your purchase. If it doesn’t, then it is an easy pivot into other options in the same range.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on August 1, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Diplomat, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Diplomat Magnum SoftTouch Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The sub-$50 range of fountain pens can be a really interesting group. There are solid choices that have been around for quite awhile (ahem, Lamy Safari), and there are also newcomers trying to break into this low price point. Not everyone succeeds when trying to offer a good fountain pen at this price point. With the Diplomat Magnum SoftTouch fountain pen, I think they've created a great pen for the price.

Like the name implies, the exterior material used with this pen has a soft texture that feels great in the hand. It makes the pen feel warm and comfortable, regardless of the surrounding environment. I'm not sure what the actual material is, but it has a slight rubbery feel without being tacky. It also doesn't pick up lint and other particulates very often, and does a decent job of resisting fingerprints as well.

Like the beloved Lamy Safari and AL-Star, the Magnum also features a contoured grip section, which might make or break the pen for you. I happen to enjoy contoured grips, and this one is pretty comfortable. Even though the size of the grip is somewhat small to match the small size of the pen, it's still comfortable and secure when writing. If you tend to write with a grip that doesn't conform to the "standard" three-finger grip, you might not like the contours. If you've used a Lamy Safari, AL-Star, or Vista, you can let that inform your decision with this pen since they are very similar grips.

There are several other nice visual features that compliment this pen, including a large ink window, a minimally decorated nib, a translucent finial that shows off the Diplomat logo, and a strong, branded clip that just doesn't give up. The nib size is a bit small, but it's comparable to the rest of the pen.

In use, the cap can be posted, but it doesn't feel 100% secure. I don't think the cap is in any danger of falling off with normal use, but it doesn't have any sort of reassuring sound or tactile feedback when posting to let you know it's secured. Capping the pen, however, has a satisfying click (both audible and tactile) that leaves no doubt that the cap is secure.

For the price point, the pen feels well made and is a pleasure to use. So, how does it write?

The model I have includes a stainless steel nib with a fine point, but they also offer a medium and broad point. The point matches up with the typical German sizing that you're accustomed to, and it's a great nib in use.

One of the most notable things I've come away with after writing with this pen for a while is how springy the nib is. When using a steel nib, that's not something I expect. In this case, it's a welcome surprise. The nib certainly doesn't qualify as a flex nib, but it has a noticeable spring when writing that makes it more comfortable to use while also providing feedback from the page. Think of it like the suspension on your car. This nib is soft on the page, and I have really enjoyed it. Of course, like all things, this will come down to personal preference. Either way, I think it's impressive when a steel nib feels similar to a gold nib.

Due to the springy nature of the nib, you can achieve some good line variation in normal writing. Nothing dramatic, but similar to a small stub in terms of line width variation.

In use, the pen has been incredibly reliable and consistent. I haven't had any trouble with hard starts, skipping, or ink burps. If the pen goes unused in an upright position for more than a couple weeks, it does need a minute or two on a horizontal service to re-establish ink flow, but that's better than a lot of my pens can do.

The pen takes either standard (or short) international cartridges or a standard international converter. In all, I've been really impressed with this pen given the price. Diplomat is one of those brands that you always see at pen shows. They have interesting and pleasing aesthetics, but their premium prices can put off a lot of buyers who haven't had any experience with the brand. In the case of the Magnum, I think they have a great representation of the brand as a whole that sets a precedent for their more expensive lines.

You can normally find the Magnum at Vanness for around $25.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on February 7, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Diplomat, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Diplomat Magnum Asphalt Gel Pen Review

For me, a big reason that I like any pen is the color and type of material used in the body. In short, this is the aesthetic appeal of the pen, and I would guess that this also drives a majority of pen purchases for other people as well. But, the aesthetic appeal can only carry the pen so far — it also needs to function well as a writing instrument.

The Diplomat Magnum gel pen is a sleek and stylish click pen that features an asphalt gray finish. The finish is a sleek combination of dark gray material with silver flecks mixed in. It's a pretty material that I enjoy quite a bit.

The Magnum also uses a standard Parker-style refill, which is a really good thing since the included refill is quite an under-performer.

When I pick up a gel pen, I usually don't have any concerns about skipping, hard starts, or other issues that typically crop up with ballpoint refills. With the Diplomat, I was bound for disappointment in the refill area.

The gel refill in the Magnum is unlike any others I've used. Picking the pen up and writing with it isn't normally possible without doing a few seconds of scribbling on scratch paper to get the ink flowing. Once the ink starts flowing, the delivery is skippy and inconsistent. If you stop writing for more than 10 seconds, the ink has already dried up and requires more scribbling. All told, it's an incredibly frustrating refill.

The fact that this pen accepts all Parker-style refills really saves its bacon. This is a truly attractive pen that feels good in the hand, and it's also a pretty good value at $20. My only advice is that you need a replacement refill from the beginning if you choose to purchase this pen. There's a chance that the refill I have is a dud, but gel duds usually refuse to write altogether in my experience.

With all this in mind, it's hard to recommend this pen unless you're absolutely in love with the aesthetics. Like I said, it feels great in the hand and operates perfectly as long as you discount the refill performance. Replacing the refill is a must, and this is an extra cost if you don't already have some Parker-style refills lying around.

If you like the style of the Magnum, I suggest you take a look at the Retro 51 Tornado lineup. They're a tad more expensive, but they're better pens that also feature much better refills. Plus, with the wide variety of styles, you're bound to find one that matches your fancy.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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