New Diplomat Viper.

[senzen]

Images from Appelboom:

 

 

 

Quite striking, not that expensive, and probably a nice pen to write with...

[The_Beginner]

interesting, how does diplomats anodizing usually hold up ?

[senzen]

Maybe others can chime in, my one Excellence is lacquered.

[Paul-in-SF]

How long before US dealers are able to carry this? It's not an Appelboom exclusive, is it?

[jchch1950]

The section and the nib look like they were inspired by the Parker 51. The body and cap look amazing.

[jthole]

I was at Appelboom this week, but I didn't check for them (didn't know they existed yet then).

 

I'll try to get a good look when I am there again.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I had to limit which Pens I collected, Pelikan, Osmai and MB finally snuck in. In Diplomat seemed to make mostly nails...I ignored them.

 

When I was  a noobie and thought I'd limit my self to just 10 pens, I had a light aluminum Diplomat that was so nimble and well balanced, even to this day I regret getting rid of it, but it was a nail.

 

My wife's has this Diplomat with silver plated horse stirrup clip, and a jumping horse in the finial.... That she won't use, being a pure Ball Point Barbarian....who likes horses. I take the picture when I win a pen; especially when it's good..Light makes it look gold but it's a silver plated pen. There is also a Tennis pen with a tennis racket clip instead of the stirrup. .

 

I have a Burl Diplomat was made in Japan, so the M = F.  It is a springy regular flex nib.

Top pen in this lot I won in a live auction.

 

They have been making pens I think from the 1920's and it was family owned until about 2000. So they make a good pen....

 

[Mercian]

On 9/11/2024 at 11:44 PM, senzen said:

Images from Appelboom:

 

 

 

Quite striking, not that expensive, and probably a nice pen to write with...

I really like the look of the black one!

 

It looks like the modern successor to the Parker “51” - a hooded-nib c/c pen engineered by Germans, which will accept European ‘Standard International’ cartridges or converters.
In light of the reputation of Diplomat’s pens and nibs here, I expect that it may be the perfect fountain pen for use at work 

 

So I followed your link to the Appelboom website - where I was dismayed to read that it is only available in one nib size 
Which size they don’t actually state, until one opens the ‘specifications’ tab, where it says that the nib is (unsurprisingly) ‘Medium’.

 

Also…

 

…magnetic cap? 🤨

Does anyone have experience of other pens with magnetic caps?
Are those any good? Do they seal the pen well enough to prevent nib dry-out?
Are they reliable in the long-term? Or does the magnetic seal ‘fail’ after a while?

Does the magnetic seal mechanism men that one cannot ‘post’ the cap on the back of the pen?
(Although, given that it is a similar size to a Pelikan M800, that might be moot.)

 

[senzen]

I was ready to take the plunge but shipping from the Netherlands to the UK is 35 euros...

[Mercian]

9 hours ago, senzen said:

I was ready to take the plunge but shipping from the Netherlands to the UK is 35 euros...

…which (at today’s exchange rate) would make it cost £115 for you or me.

(Unless anyone believes that HMRC wouldn’t charge us UK VAT for receiving it from Europe )

 

I have contacted Diplomat to ask them about its materials, and full dimensions.

I will wait until I receive their reply before I decide whether I think that it is worth £115 to me.

[senzen]

Diplomat along with Platinum is one of those brands that always gets the price wrong for me, in the sense that there's usually a very decent alternative at their prices or for much less. 65 GBP was quite acceptable.

[lamarax]

At last! A Diplomat that doesn't look like wielding a small cucumber 😛

[VillersCotterets]

On 9/13/2024 at 11:04 AM, Mercian said:

Does anyone have experience of other pens with magnetic caps?

If the magnet is strong enough, the cap works like a snap-cap, and the magnet in itself doesn't prevent it from being postable. It's just a question of the geometry of the barel. The only issue with magnetic snap-caps is that they interact with all the objects in their vacinity that are sensitive to magnetism: other metal pens, paperclips, credit cards, cash, USB keys, etc.

[The_Beginner]

On 9/13/2024 at 8:04 AM, Mercian said:

 

…magnetic cap? 🤨

Does anyone have experience of other pens with magnetic caps?

 

I had one magnetic a pen, though cheap to try out i give a word of warning to all who live in a hot climate dont leave it too exposed to high heats, Magnets believe it or not can demagnetize and with high heat it's possible. Left mine in the car when it was  100 degree weather and the magnet its self wasnt as strong as it used to be.

[inkstainedruth]

On 9/13/2024 at 4:03 PM, lamarax said:

At last! A Diplomat that doesn't look like wielding a small cucumber 😛

As for the new Diplomat Viper?  It's a "maybe" for me.  Kinda like the color of the blue one but not sure I'm all that keen on the look of the body and cap.  And of course, while the price isn't horrible, I'm really kind of a cheapskate (and have a bunch of pens that I want to get rehabbed at OPS, which is coming up in about 6 weeks...).  So unless I can see one of these in person at some point, it's probably gonna be an "Ehhhhh, maybe -- but maybe not..." for me on these.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[inkstainedruth]

1 hour ago, VillersCotterets said:

The only issue with magnetic snap-caps is that they interact with all the objects in their vacinity that are sensitive to magnetism: other metal pens, paperclips, credit cards, cash, USB keys, etc.

That would be my concern with them.  Because I don't know if even having a pen with a magnetic cap in a sleeve would affect my credit cards in my wallet if they're both in my purse.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[VillersCotterets]

I really don't like the fact that the official Diplomat website doesn't even mention the Viper. I would expect them to have all the information and promotional material on their website.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_3R0gNPW8w/?img_index=1

Quote

Featuring a magnetic cap for quick access and a specially designed converter, this pen offers smooth, effortless writing at an exceptional value. 

 

I hope "a specially designed converter [...] at an exceptional value" isn't a marketing euphemism for ‘cheaply made plastic push-pull converter’.

Several sellers describe the nib size as in-between fine and medium.

https://fontoplumo.nl/product/13911/diplomat-viper-blue-f.html

 

Quote

The pen is equipped with a magnetic cap and one nib size which is comparable to Fine / Medium.

 

I wonder if the nib is the same #5 as on the Magnum. That would explain its affordable price. Those nibs are great. 

[jthole]

I had some unfortunate experiences with corroding magnets in the Visconti Van Gogh caps. While I believe that's more Visconti's lack of material standards (and their below par customer service) than an issue with magnets in general, it makes me a bit weary of magnetic caps.

[davisgt]

I just saw an advertisement for this pen today. Quite a sexy pen. I was disappointed that the only colors were black and blue.  You name the pen viper and you don't have one in green?? Marketing needs to be chastised.  

[senzen]

The blue one may be quite a bit darker in person. From Goulet pens:

 

 

Gorgeous pen. Black with green accents would also work. In a world awash in Chinese knock offs it's refreshing to see a brand come out with an original design.