The Diplomat Aero is an aluminum fountain pen with a design that was inspired by a zeppelin. It’s a heavier pen with a nicely sized #6 JoWo nib.
The Diplomat Aero is almost always seen as a fountain pen, but the Aero is actually a family of pens. It’s also sold as a ballpoint and rollerball.
The Diploma Aero fountain pen is commonly sold with a stainless steel JoWo nib, but is also sold with a 14K bi-color gold nib. This will generally move the retail price from $150 to almost double that amount.
The pen might not look it, but it is postable. This is generally not necessary because of the Aero’s chunky middle and considerable weight (31 grams for the body alone). It has a metal finial on the top and bottom of the pen in a contrasting color to the anodized aluminum of the body. The top of the cap has a small designed printed on it, which is Diplomat’s signature ink drop. The same drop is printed on the nib.
The body of the pen is simply a piece of carved (technically CNC’d) aluminum with long spines that taper towards the end. The aluminum has threading in it which screw down onto the grip section. The metal-on-metal unscrewing action is very smooth and squeak-free.
The grip section of the Diplomat Aero looks plain, but it’s quite comfortable. It’s on the wide size, tapering from 10.1 to 12.4 mm over a length of about 27 mm. There is a small circle at the front of the grip that is a nice aesthetic element but serves on real purpose.
The JoWo nib is a #6 in stainless steel, but it’s also sold in 14K gold. Technically it would be exchangeable with any JoWo nib, which are pretty easy to find and generally reasonably priced. The nib is totally fine, but does feel like a bit of a commodity item given all the pens which use the same nib or something quite similar.
Diplomat Aero Fountain Pen Review
The Diplomat Aero is a great looking fountain pen that is also quite functional. It has a kind of EDC (everyday carry) vibe to it, but it’s in no way clunky or too heavy in the way that some machined pens can be. The fact that it’s aluminum, not brass or copper, means that it’s definitely a tough pen, and it has some weight to it, but it’s not to heavy to go in a pocket.
The JoWo nib is functional and easily replaceable, but not distinctive or special. You could get a similar nib on a nicer Penbbs or a Kaco Edge, which uses a Schmidt steel nib. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when you are competing in this price category against 14K gold nibs, like the Platinum Custom 74, a steel nib is going to be a disadvantage. This is doubly true when it’s not one that is unique to your brand.
This Aero fountain pen really is all about the aluminum body. And that’s a good thing because Diplomat did a nice job with it. It looks sharp without actually being sharp, and it’s both nicely weighted and nicely balanced.
Diplomat Aero Fountain Pen Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Diplomat |
| Pen Type | Fountain Pen | Cartridge/Converter |
| Rating | |
| Barrel Color | Silver, Black, Orange, Blue, Purple, Green |
| Barrel Material | Metal |
| Body Diameter (mm) | 14.9 |
| Grip Color | Dark Grey |
| Grip Material | Metal |
| Grip Diameter (mm) | 11.0 |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
| MSRP | $150 |
| Still Sold | Yes |
| Release Year | 2018 |
| Similar To | |
| Refills | |
| Capped? Retractable? | Capped - Snap On |
| Clip? | Metal |
| Weight (g) | 41.0 |
| Nib Material | Stainless Steel, 14K Gold |
| Nib Color | Gold Bi-color, Silver |
| Nib Sizes | Extra-Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad |