Getting to Know Diplomat and Aero
When I think back on pens that made an impression on me from my very early days working at Pen Boutique, the Diplomat Aero is one of the first to come to mind. Even though I had loved fountain pens for some time, there were so many new pens I had never encountered, and it took me a while to gradually learn about each brand and their noteworthy models. The Aero, with its distinctive Zeppelin-inspired shape, anodized aluminum body, eye-catching colors, and Art Deco style, stood out from the other pens that were new to me. The fact that each Aero color had a fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint version helped, too. And there were even Aero mechanical pencils! Each Aero looked like a little aerodynamic airship in the display cabinet. Later, I also got to know the Elox, a new futuristic looking Aero spinoff introduced in late 2022, made with a unique double anodising manufacturing process.
[Pictured, top to bottom: Aero mechanical pencil, Elox ballpoint, Aero rollerball, and Aero fountain pen.]
Although not as well known as Pelikan, Montblanc, Lamy, Faber-Castell / Graf von Faber-Castell, and Kaweco, Diplomat pens are also made in Germany, and the company was born over 100 years ago, a few years before Lamy. At first, founder Karl Räuchle focused on piston-fill fountain pens and mechanical pencils, but, as the brand evolved, its reputation and presence grew, and Diplomat introduced Germany’s first retractable ballpoint pen in 1952, and its first school fountain pen with ink cartridges in 1958. Both of these were major steps forward in the German writing instrument market, improving the everyday lives of countless people with dependable and convenient pens.
Throughout the rest of the 20th century, as major cultural and industrial changes transformed Germany, Diplomat maintained a focus on consistent quality, strengthened its base in Europe, and earned the respect of pen connoisseurs. Production moved from Hennef, a town in Southern Germany near Bonn, to Pforzheim, the famous watch and jewelry-making city near the Black Forest, an area well-suited to Diplomat's precisely made metal parts. Diplomat believes "each pen must be designed as a durable object that is both reliable and aesthetically pleasing," and the Aero is a prime example of this precept.
[Pictured: Diplomat Aero in Turquoise.]
In the 1970s, Diplomat declared avant-gardism as a requirement, and even launched a watch pen in 1983, reminiscent of Casio's calculator watches! But the 2000s marked the most significant transformation for the brand. Diplomat established a new production facility in Cunewalde, Germany, modernized its product line, refreshed its logo and overall image, and significantly expanded exports across Asia, Europe, and the United States. This evolution accelerated after the company was acquired in 2016 by French entrepreneurs Mathias and Marcel Ringeard. Despite the changes, the Ringeards preserved Diplomat’s “Made in Germany” identity and maintained a strong commitment to craftsmanship. Each pen is still handcrafted and individually tested in Germany.
[Pictured: The "Germany" designation is on the back of every Aero. This one is the lacquered Evergreen colorway.]
During this era, Diplomat's contemporary writing instrument range exploded, with the introduction of the Excellence, Esteem, Traveller, Optimist (now retired), and Aero, along with the gorgeous Zepp, a limited edition, high-end fountain pen also inspired by the design of Zeppelin airships. They also created the innovative Nexus, a high-capacity eye dropper -filled fountain pen with a patented leak-proof closure, and more recently, the popular Viper, with a magnetic cap, hooded nib, and anodized aluminum cap and body with a chiselled texture reminiscent of reptile scales.
What Makes Aeros Special
Even with the profusion of new models, Aero still stands out as Diplomat's iconic pen, and it's the kind of pen that really clicks for certain people. Often, when I'm assisting a customer who wants a writing instrument that feels solid in their hand, is a little larger, and has a satisfying weight, all the other pens in the store drop off their radar completely when I show them the Aero. The metal construction, eye-catching shape, and exclusive "soft sliding click" snap cap on the fountain pens and rollerballs are the clinchers.
[Pictured: Aero in "Flame." This edition has a special flame-torched steel body and is significantly heavier than other Aeros, weighing in at 71 grams, compared to around 40 grams for most colors.]
Each Aero writing instrument feels special. The ballpoint and mechanical pencils feature a premium continuous rotation mechanism which extends the pencil's 0.7 mm lead and ballpoint's smooth-writing Easyflow refill tip with a satisfying twist. (They can take any Parker style ballpoint refills.) On the ballpoint, the extended tip locks decisively into place.
[Pictured: Aero mechanical pencil in my medium-sized woman's hand.]
[Pictured: Elox ballpoint in my medium-sized woman's hand. The Elox and Aero have the same form factor and internal workings.]
Rollerballs come with a Schmidt Safety Ceramic Metal Tube refill, a top-tier German refill choice with a ceramic writing ball for a premium feel and a sturdy metal housing to match the rest of Aero's metal components. Its "safety" features prevent the ink from drying out for up to a year, even without a cap.
[Pictured: Antique Rose Aero rollerball in my medium-sized woman's hand.]
[Pictured: writing tests with mechanical pencil, ballpoint, rollerball, and fountain pens.]
For fountain pen lovers, trying the nib seals the deal. Diplomat uses a large #6 German Bock stainless steel nib made to their own requirements, so it has a different feel from any off the shelf nibs, and Diplomat's nibs are regularly praised in the fountain pen community for their exceptionally nice, firm but smooth writing feel. Each nib is tuned and “written in” before leaving the Diplomat's workshop in Germany, ensuring smooth ink flow and reliable performance right out of the box.
Fill is by standard international cartridge or converter (provided installed in the pen), and Aero's nibs are available in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, and Broad. My usual favorite nib grade is Fine, and Fine is also my favorite for the Aero. It's smooth and precise, and just very satisfying to write with. I took almost all my notes for this article with the Fine nib, and really enjoyed writing them. The slight audio feedback is very pleasant with all of the nib grades, and every one that I tried was, indeed, perfectly tuned. I love their large size and how controlled they feel. I used a Kaweco Royal Blue cartridge and my Leuchtturm 1917 notebook for my writing tests.
The Aero is also available with a nice 14K gold version of the nib, but the standard nib is so good, we don't sell those as often. We keep a few 14K gold nib pens in stock, and can quickly and easily get other colors or nib sizes by special order. The 14K gold nib is extra pretty, but I thought they had a remarkably similar writing feel, at least in the Extra Fine size that I compared. Both nibs felt great.
[Pictured: 14 karat gold nib on the left, and standard smooth-writing stainless steel nib on the right. The two feel very similar, although the gold one provides a little more cushioning.]
Aero's grip section is exceptionally long, which gives you a lot of space to maneuver, and its anodized aluminum material has a nice texture that provides a good grip. The pen also has a very nice balance, and the metal construction isn't overly heavy like some metal pens. Weight varies by finish, but most Aero fountain pens weigh about 38-41 grams (empty of ink) including the cap, while ballpoints, mechanical pencils, and rollerballs are a little heavier. Closed, Aero is about 140 mm long, about the same as a Sailor 1911L, Pelikan M800, or a Lamy AL-Star, but much heavier than those pens. Aero is around 11 grams lighter if you write with the cap set aside.
[Pictured: Stripes Black Aero fountain pen in my medium-sized woman's hand.]
The Aero is a relatively long pen, so posting the cap isn’t usually necessary. However, for those who prefer to post, the cap is lined with a special plastic insert to prevent scratching against the metal body. It also posts deeply, so it doesn’t significantly change the balance point or make the pen back-heavy.
[Pictured: Elox fountain pen in my medium-sized woman's hand.]
Some say the special soft sliding click opening cap is overrated, but I don't know... I definitely find the feeling of opening and closing it satisfying! Yes, it's a pen, not a fidget toy, but the additional pleasure of the slow and tight slide followed by the crisp snap and secure feeling of closure is very nice. I also love the feeling of the classic Aero's longitudinal grooves in my hand, although I realize the pen's shape is not for everyone, and some people find the grooves uncomfortable when they rest in the crook of your hand while writing. I don't feel them while writing, and, to me, they are both fun and calming to touch while handling the pen. All of the Aero's connections feel super secure, and stay fully closed once completely seated. The stability of the build feels so nice!
[Pictured: Aero's quality construction is even more evident when you disassemble the pen!]
Zeppelin Inspired
Aero was first introduced in 2013, and the design is a tribute to the Zeppelin LZ 1, the world's first successful rigid airship. (The pen was actually originally called the "Zeppelin" while it was being designed, but was changed to "Aero" due to naming rights.) LZ 1's first flight took place on July 2nd, 1900, under the aeronautical leadership of German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. The vast majority of rigid dirigibles ever built have been manufactured by the firm Count von Zeppelin founded, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, so the term "zeppelin" has become an eponym, but I was delighted to learn that Luftschiffbau Zeppelin still produces modern airships, and resumed its historic partnership with Goodyear in 2011. The current Goodyear blimp is a helium-filled Zeppelin NT (New Technology) semi-rigid airship!
The Aero's inspiration, Zeppelin's original airship design, featured a rigid metal framework 420 feet long and 38.5 feet in diameter, made up of transverse rings and longitudinal girders which enclosed multiple individual gas cells filled with hydrogen. Its structure enabled the Zeppelin to be significantly larger than non-rigid airships. Passengers and crew were carried inside a small gondola mounted beneath the frame, and the airship's propellers were driven by two internal combustion engines, also attached outside the framework. Forward and aft rudders provided steering, while pitch was controlled by a 220 lb weight suspended from the hull, which could be winched forward or aft to control the craft's attitude.
If you hold an Aero with its clip facing down, it does closely resemble an elongated version of the LZ 1 airship! The Aero's tapered spring clip looks like the Zeppelin's gondola, and the pointed accent finials on either end are darker, just like those on the airship.
Of course, the pen doesn't have any propellers, but that would just be silly. The stylized flower petal Diplomat logo does kind of resemble a propeller, though! It's actually an updated version of the brand's historic logo, a Maltese Cross, which was a common heraldic cross in Europe. It's different from the German Iron Cross that ended up being used as a Nazi insignia, but Diplomat still wanted to distance themselves from any possible associations with that symbol. Diplomat calls the friendly rounded "petals" on their logo an "ink flower," and they are intended to represent droplets of ink. Or maybe a propeller...
Diverse Variations
The original Aeros have an anodized aluminum matte finish, but there have been many variations now, including the vintage-looking oxidized brass Oxyd Brass;" the colorful flame-torched steel Flame; proprietary hot lacquered aluminum in several different glossy lacquer colors including Lacquer White, Midnight Blue, Marrakesh, and Evergreen; the geometric Rhomb design in fully polished aluminum with chrome fittings; and the mindblowing Funky Petrol color-shifting iridescent fini
[Pictured: Aeros in Rhomb and Funky Petrol.]
[Pictured: Lacquer White, the first lacquered Aero.]
The latest Aero at the time of this article's release is the "Black Forest," which features a handsome woodgrain look created through a specialized hydro-dipping process. It's much nicer than the faux wood grain popular on microwaves and filing cabinets in the late 20th century!
[Pictured: Black Forest Aero.]
I definitely have a soft spot for the classic raw aluminum Aero, and have fond memories of discussing it with teammates in the store. With its silver color, it stood out from the matte finish of the other models, and its strange name delighted me. Instead of being called "Blue," Green," or "Orange" like its fellows, it was "Factory"! We fondly called Factory the "trash can" pen because it resembles a classic galvanized steel trash can, like the one Oscar the Grouch lives in on Sesame Street. Factory was our favorite. Later, several of us got our own Aeros in Factory, but I eventually got an Elox in the fascinating green Matrix design.
[Pictured: an Aero in raw aluminum Factory. Both the pen and the name are cool!]
In late June, we will receive the limited run "Pure Black" Aero, an ultramodern version with a "fully blacked-out silhouette" and a "deep matte texture, enhanced by subtle satin reflections and a uniquely smooth, almost silky touch." Diplomat assures us that, "Every detail has been refined to achieve a perfectly balanced, monochrome aesthetic, including its black PVD nib." That will be exciting to see!
Several of the newer releases, including Pure Black, Funky, Black Forest, and Rhomb, have dispensed with the Aero's traditional fluted shape, and more closely resemble the Elox, Aero's close sibling. But, not to worry, Diplomat hasn't abandoned its classic longitudinally ridged Aero, and, in fact, Pen Boutique has some store exclusive colors in the works....
What's An Elox?
Speaking of Elox, how is the Elox different from an Aero, anyway? Aeros and Eloxes are interchangeable, feature-wise, so some of my photos in this article have actually included Elox pens, and almost everything I wrote about the Aero also applies to the Elox. Diplomat describes it as a pen that "has been created on the basis of the Aero DNA, but with a very different, futuristic style." Other than the visual style, which has actually begun to blur, the primary difference between the Aero and Elox models is that the Elox designs are created using a unique double anodizing process.
“Elox” derives from the German term eloxieren, meaning anodizing. The pen’s caps and barrels are first fully anodized in black, after which the recessed rings or matrix patterns are anodized again in bright colors. This process creates vivid matte tones that appear to glow against the deep black background. The aluminum grip sections are also anodized in matching bright colors, unlike the Aero’s black or silver grips. They are very striking, although not quite as textured.
I really like the Elox model and actually own a green Elox Matrix myself, so I was sad to learn that Eloxes have recently been discontinued. We do still have a few left, so if you like the cool futuristic double anodized version of the Aero, snag one while they are still around.
By the way, if, like me, you are wondering what exactly "anodizing" is, it's an electrolytic passivation process that thickens the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal components. The term comes from the fact that the part being treated serves as the anode in an electrolytic cell. Anodizing enhances resistance to corrosion and wear, while also improving the surface’s ability to bond with paints and adhesives compared to untreated metal. Please don't ask me what "electrolytic passivation" is.
I have to admit, I especially enjoyed photographing the pens in this article because the anodized matte aluminum finish on many of them (whether single or double) is very relaxing to the eye, fingerprint and dust resistant, and feels nice in my hand. It is able to hold crisp details like the Aero's fluting or Elox's rings and matrixes, and expresses both soft and vibrant colors in a way that beautifully shows off their highlights and shadows. As much as I love writing these articles, expressing my vision through the photographic illustrations is very important to me, too, and Aero made doing that a pleasure.
Aero has such a unique design, is sturdy and well made, and is just a fun and interesting pen! I loved learning more about it for this article, and now I want to keep my Elox inked for a while. Testing the Aeros and Eloxes for this article reminded me what a great writer it is!
-Laura P.
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