(The is a guest post from Paul, aka The Poor Penman. Paul (he/him) is a life-long stationery fiend and former industry professional. Read about his journey with pens and paper at The Poor Penman and on Instagram.)
The Viper is the latest in a long line of boldly-designed fountain pens from Diplomat, a brand with over 100-years of experience under their belt. In addition to manufacturing fountain pens, they are credited with being one of the first ballpoint pen manufacturers in Germany. They also introduced their region to ink cartridges, which were far easier to use than the filling mechanisms of the era.
The exterior of the pen is adorned with engraved “scales” in a diamond pattern which give it the serpentine signifier. The pattern, while a bit too geometrically-perfect to be found in nature, gives the pen a striking look. The Viper uses a snappy magnetic slip-cap that glides off and on with just the right amount of resistance. It can also be posted, though the magnetism does not extend to the rear. The pen’s clip is a slim and firm bar that offers security without imposing on the overall design aesthetic. It is also surprisingly rigid, often pushing and tugging at fabric or elastic retainers rather than gliding over them. This can make rapid re-sleeving a bit of an issue, but at least security is never in question. On-pen branding is minimal, with “Diplomat” stamped twice around the cap ring, and their logo stamped on the finial.
Beneath the cap, protruding like a singular fang, is the Viper’s most unique feature: a hooded nib. The nib is available in exactly one (1) width: Fine-Medium. The nib appears to be roughly the size of a Jowo #6, though it is narrower as it recedes into the housing. If there is a way to take this unit apart to get a better look at the nib, I have not yet found it.
True to the vague sizing, this pen lays down a line somewhere between a western Fine and Medium; roughly equivalent to a 0.5 to 0.7 mm gel pen. Line width can vary a bit with your choice of paper and ink, but in my observations it lands a little closer to standard Fine nibs. There is also a fair amount of tipping material on the nib. If custom grinds are your thing, the Viper is a great candidate. Ink flow is good as well. Not overly wet, but rich enough to lay down a solid line.
I’m a big fan of the diamond scale pattern on the cap and barrel. This design gives an otherwise typical pen a unique look, an interesting tactile feel. The surface grooves are big enough to feel when you run your finger over the surface, but not so deep as to catch or drag.
Writing with this pen feels good. The writing experience might not blow your socks off, but if you’re looking for solid, consistent performance, you won't be disappointed. The grip section gradually slopes towards the front, and feels like it was designed more for aesthetics than ergonomics. I typically prefer a bit of contour in my pen grips, but the Viper smoothly slopes from around 11 mm at the thickest point to around 8.5 mm at the thinnest graspable area in a flat curve. For comparison the Pentel EnerGel’s grip has a diameter of 10.5 mm, and the TWSBI ECO measures in at around 9.5 mm.
Inking a pen with a hooded nib may be cause for consternation. When filling through traditional methods (dunking the nib into your ink of choice and turning the converter’s plunger,) you end up with ink on roughly a quarter-inch of the grip section that needs to be cleaned. There are also some nooks and crannies above the nib where excess ink can hide, waiting to leave a little surprise on your page later. Rather than deal with cleaning the nib and grip, I typically fill my converter pens by dipping the converter directly into the ink bottle, then plugging the converter into the pen after wiping off the comparably smaller amount of ink from the device. You do have to wait a few minutes for the ink to find its way through the feed, and it usually results in some lightly-inked fingers, but I vastly prefer this method over submerging the nib.
On a side note, upon researching the pen it appears that I did not receive the stock/factory converter with my Viper. (Pen show pick-up, these things happen.) My pen came with what I’ll call a Manuscript-style converter as there is no obvious branding. I vastly prefer this style for their ease of disassembly when it comes time to clean. The pen should work fine with any Standard International converter, so don’t be surprised if you buy the Viper and it comes with something different from what I’m showing you here today.
The Viper is one of those pens I’ve been eyeing since its release in late-2024. When I saw it at the California Pen Show (in the Year of the Snake, no less) I simply could not go home without it. This pen is a solid writer, and adds a very unique layer of style to any collection. While Diplomat have been hard at work updating the Viper with two additional color variants (blue and brown) as well as a rollerball version, they have not yet seen fit to add more nib options to the mix. While I was able to score a slight discount on the last day of the pen show, I don’t have any trouble recommending this pen at its typical retail price of $96. If you’re looking for a solid writer with a unique flair, check out the Diplomat Viper at Truphae Inc., or your retailer of choice.
Special thanks to Truphae Inc. for making me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and to The Pen Addict for platforming this review!
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