Thanks to Diplomat -- and a visual overview of the Diplomat Esteem x MadC Blue pen with B nib

March 26, 2022

TL;DR: I bought a while back several Diplomat fountain pens on Zalando. Of all the pens, this Esteem x MadC Blue Caneva arrived with a mislabeled nib. I contacted the Diplomat team and they were very positive and helpful. So, without further ado, the pen with a B nib is here and it's a great writer! The story follows after the photos.

Figure 1. The Esteem x MadC Blue Caneva, overview and writing sample. MadC (German-born Claudia Walde) is the artist who worked with Diplomat on creating this pen. Inked with Pelikan Edelstein Garnet, cartridge.

Figure 2. The B nib pen, steel but very smooth with just a bit of feedback. Surprisingly pleasant to write with, an EDC!

Figure 3. The pen barrel. They say every pen has its unique pattern; it may even be true.

Two more pics appear in an external album, OldTravelingShoe's Random Pics of European Fountain Pens. Requests for more pics are welcome.

The story, perhaps unnecessary for people who've seen this before: I bought a while back several Diplomat fountain pens on Zalando, following a large discount. I still credit @DvdRiet with being the enabler for this, alongside my better half who actually spotted these on Zalando and asked innocuously "But aren't these fountain pens? Do you also collect this brand?". (I did not collect them, but of course felt I have to try them at the very least. But more on (not) buying pens in other topics...) Now, of all the pens on my order, this Esteem x MadC Blue Caneva arrived with a mislabeled nib -- B on my order and B on the box sticker, but M on the pen. I already had several M nibs in the same package, so this was one too many for me. I didn't want to send the pen back to Zalando and they do not repair/replace defective products.

I contacted the Diplomat team, and asked if they could replace the nib. They could, but turns out they were much more positive and helpful than I imagined. Instead of replacing the M nib, they could send a new B nib and ask for nothing in return. They packaged the B nib very well, in a nib protector inside an envelope with bubbles, with ... postage depicting pens and pencils. Not to mention the pen is a great writer and a possible EDC. Awesome and many thanks!

To all: Thanks for reading all this!