New filling/sealing system: eyedropper cap sealing Diplomat Nexus 1922-2022

[peroride]

 

In that search for the perfect filling/sealing system...

 

I could not find this mechanism on Binder's where the main site appears to be down...

 

Has Diplomat found it with their anniversary 1922-2022 Nexus?

 

The claim is a proven seal after twist capping - skip the plastic baggy insurance when travelling in a pressurized airplane.

 

Unlike proven eyedroppers: Namiki Emperor/Opus 88 where a piston rod closes off the communication with the main ink chamber from the end cap, the Diplomat Nexus looks like it seals from the front instead. The unique note is watching at the 0:30 second mark the mobile grip section moving back and forth that I am guessing locks off the main ink tank upon capping. Later on, the video switches to a clear barrel to highlight the rod and ink filling.

 

Vac fillers like Pilot C823 and the Conid Bulkfiller, also lock off the main ink chamber with a piston rod so that seems like a proven design.

 

Over time, though there may be a disadvantage with that rod design. The piston rod is free floating and ink is sealed from the backend. Many a vintage Japanese eyedroppers need expert cork repair to seal. If the rod is made of ebonite, it can be prone to break over time.  Then there is rod wobble, it is easy to get wobble until the rod is locked in place to seal off the ink chamber. Despite near perfect tolerances, even my Conid Kingsize titanium?/steel? rod will have wobble play when the end cap is untwisted, but i do not expect ink to be leaking from the back-end for hopefully years to come.

 

The only foolproof ink system I found so far is the humble Pilot Varsity/V-pen which is closed off with a wick feed and can be refilled with the syringe method, excellently shown by Kenneth Lee. The only drawback other than aesthetics is Pilot uses a special ink formulation, but I have not had any problems with Noodler's HOD, YMMV

 

I look forward to Diplomat Nexus reviews, just when I thought nothing else can be re-invented!

 

 

 

 

[peroride]

For that sense of completion, The Goulet Pencast follows through with a good overview in their spotlight 01:18:30 mark 

 

Basically capping closes off ink flow by engaging the fixed stem with gasket and uncapping protracts the nib section which disengages the gasket from the section feed to allow ink flow. 

 

Seems a bit heavy at 39 grams body weight, though; not sure why.

[TheDutchGuy]

It’s an intriguing design and I’m happy to see some texture on that metal section to improve grip. The benefits of that sealing mechanism aren’t clear to me, though. If I leave the pen on my desk overnight, then put it in my shirt pocket and head off to work, the pen will heat from 18 to around 36 degrees Celsius. The air in the pen is going to expand significantly and I’m not fully at ease about what might happen when I uncap it. If the ink is halfway depleted there’s approximately 2 mL of air in there at twice the pressure compared to when I put it in my shirt pocket…

[Karmachanic]

@TheDutchGuy  Hopefully Diplomat tested the design before offering it to the public.

[arcfide]

I am excited about it and I have one coming my way. I do think it's heavier than I want, but the chance to play with it is too much to resist. 

[peroride]

I've had an expensive jacket and pants ruined with leaked 'new' ink designs, so I wanted to give the Diplomat a try.

 

Going on a blue Medium for about 2 months so here's my take:

• Great all around buy it for life pen if you don't mind the weight
• Probably can break auto glass in emergencies.
• Non slip metal grip: I hate metal grips
• Too heavy but balanced sans posting
• This is the value proposition for me: does not leak in extreme conditions, large ink volume, near sealed system (>1 month). 
  • Not your typical eyedropper/bulk/vac filler: If I shake my Conid Kingsize, Opus 88, I can get ink residue from the primary chamber to the cap upon rinsing despite shut-off from the main ink chamber
  • With the Diplomat Nexus, I had to really whip the barrel hard to get ink out onto the cap. Translation: less seldom to leak but not entirely leak proof. 
• Biggest drawback: barely a full single turn to uncap!!! UGH!
  • On the road: The stupid appeal for quicker uncapping with less turns can mean the cap sometimes loosens on friction when clipped in my backpack pocket so I have to be mindful and twist to recap or set it in a pen case like other pens.
  • At home: The advantage is offset with quicker deploy as the Nexus is a pen I reach for often even if capped for a long time. 
• The only comparable fountain pen I know that is near leakproof, sealed, droppable, yet with decent volume is my pack of Pilot Varsity pens which I adore but the girth and balance is just not there or my rollerball equipped Schon Dsgn full sized Ultem but similar monoline/not as enjoyable as a #6 nib. Similar for the Platinum Plaisir, but again smaller volume, and girth and Preppies suffer with cracked caps upon dropping (ive broke x2 at the cap lip!) . Finally the Itoya Paperskater (pen holder) was a last hope but a miss on durability since mine dropped, the metal grip came loose and the back spring interferes with setting the pen back to normal. I think I may have to glue the metal in place.

Hey pen makers: I really think there is a niche to occupy for a droppable, durable, large volume pen with a strong sealing system, oh and make it lighter than 40 g sans cap or 60g whole including ink weight. If someone could make a giant Varsity that may do it.

[arcfide]

The thing I'm struggling with at the moment is trying to get the nib to write in a way that I'm happy with.