MUJI Aluminum Fountain Pen

FINAL update. What a rollercoaster. After weeks of breaking in this is now my go to pen for drawing. Read all that ⬇️ But now- with the same inks and paper-this pen writes and draws beautifully. Couldn’t ask or want for anything better. Yet another update and downgrade: This is the most inconsistent pen I’ve ever used. No matter what ink or paper- sometimes it writes like a dream -other times it’s a nightmare. No rhyme or reason. I want a return or a replacement. I’ve heard so many good things abt this pen im hoping mine is just defective. Update: maybe this pen needed a little breaking in but now it writes beautifully. I use it mostly for drawing and in a strange but nice way it feels like drawing with a pencil. Thats not a bad thing- but if you want a pen that “flows” and lays down a line effortlessly this this pen doesn’t really do that. (Not with the ink cartridge that came with the pen in any case) First review: Amazon said “expected delivery” Dec 16-31. But it arrived on Dec 8th . Pleasant surprise is an understatement! BUT, I hate to say it’s finicky. At first it wrote like a dream and I was planning on buying another one. But (evn using the ink cartridge supplied by the manufacturer) after about an hour it started skipping and needing a lot of pressure to write. I’ve been cleaning the nib, shaking the pen etc , but it’s just so inconsistent. I want to love it - and I DO when it occasionally does do its thing it’s my dream pen- but I can’t understand why it’s so random. (I’ve used the same ink and paper for hours now and I never know how it’ll perform)

Pen is an affordable and great starter fountain pen. Ink flow is great and NIB doesn’t bleed. You will need to order additional cartridges as it comes with 1. The pen is extremely light, but becomes too heavy with the top attached. Overall, great pen at great value so far.

Awesome everyday fountain pen for sketching and writing. No flex in the nib, don't try to either, but it's not for calligraphy. It's just a solid, minimalist design that has so far not given me any flow issues. A "wet noodle" of fine tipped nibs and takes other inks well. For about the same price as a Pilot Metro though, the Metropolitan is the better pen. For that matter though, a jinhao fountain pen also looks good, writes well, and only costs like $6, plus has a little flex to the nib for a little bit of what's probably a surprising, welcome spencerian script flair to add to your writing. This is more a workhorse pen you wouldn't feel too bad about losing or breaking for the price point, but being made all aluminum- breaking it (unless it's the nib tines or threading maybe) might be a hard task. I do think $15 and up is still kind of priced too high. I'd own a ton of them if they cost the same as my beloved parallel pens. Muji's do start up their ink flow pretty reliably each time though. Even after being capped for a long time and using different ink types. I've had Noodler's Apache Sunset, Pelican's Black, Diamine Oxblood, and even Maribu Aqua ink in them with no issue so far. It gunked up a bit here and there using Jacques Herbin's Emerald of Chivor, but kinda expected that with all the shimmer, and it still put out ink more reliably than a lot of pointed dip pens would with the Chivor. They're really best to me for sketching, filled with some good old Noodlers Heart of Darkness.

The most important thing I can say about this pen is that it writes very smoothly, very enjoyably. My EDC pens before this were both Pilots, a Metropolitan MR and the Kakuno and this from an ink application point is the nicest of the three. The nib is what I would consider fine, but is thicker than my fine point Pilots; I fine it to have less bite into paper than both of those but still a lovely sound on the paper. For reference I have used both the ink that came with it, Pilot Namiki black and Pilot Iroshizuku Ajisai and all three performed well with it. As far as ink delivery and nib behavior, this pen is very nice. As for its flaws, I find most to be in the form factor/ body design. I appreciate the appearance and lack of heft, as well as the rigidity of the metal body. It is easy to put in a shirt pocket or pants pocket and forget it is there. However, I find its small diameter/constant diameter to be a source of discomfort in writing. I have smallish hands and this pen is still a bit thin for my preference. I wish it was maybe 20-30% thicker. This means that despite the pleasure of writing with it, if I need to write for long periods I still use my Kakuno or Metropolitan. I also am not a huge fan of how the cap engages either in capping or posting. While it is clean from a design perspective you have to be more intentional in capping/posting it; it cannot really be done as quickly as pens whose caps simply slide over the end or tip. This doesn’t sound like much of a big deal but if you are frequently doing this (as I write in a lot of little bursts at work jotting down notes) then you might notice it like I have. Again, this is nitpicking quite a bit TBH but I did notice it as a point of consideration for using it. I also found the ink capacity of be a bit in the small side; I haven’t measured it precisely but it feels to be around 50-60% of the volume of my other pens so be prepared to fill it more frequently if this is the only pen you use. Overall, I think the experience of actually using this pen to put ink on paper outweighs its design choices that I would change. I have used this pen everyday since I got it and I don’t foresee that changing. For the $$ I would definitely recommend someone add this pen to their list of EDC pens!

I first tried one of these fountain pens a few years ago. I love how, even though being a fine point, the ink just flows without skipping. It is an excellent pen for inking drawings, and it's never given me any troubles. Until I lost, misplaced, or had it stolen. When I couldn't find my pen, I decided to buy another one, which I did and I was VERY happy that it's quality, look and feel and writing experience remain the same. I like how thin this pen is and how the cap slips onto the back of the pen while in use. It's a flat aluminum colored pen and it comes with cartridges filled with black ink. They look to be international standard type so I imagine you could get any color ink refills you'd like, I usually just use black in mine. This is a good beginner's fountain pen because of how easy it is to use, it just works without issue -- there is no "breaking in" or adjusting the nib, of the several I have purchased and used over the years, none have given me issues or need to be adjusted. Writing is comfortable and not a strain, much like writing with a regular pen or pencil. I likely will buy it again.

I have a collection of 20+ fountain pens ranging from $11 to $350 each. This is in the top three quality-wise, and bottom three price-wise (so inexpensive for what it is!). It’s very smooth, it behaves very well on many types of paper, the grip is fantastic (not slippery or stepped like a Pilot Metro), writes very consistently with stock ink (although my favorite ink is Platinum Carbon Black, which you can refill the cartridge with using a syringe), does not leak and is easy to clean if it does, is very giftable, etc. I have had 10+ friends and family members test out all my pens on FP-friendly paper, and this pen almost always falls into their top three as well. I recommend getting a refillable piston-style cartridge for it and a bottle of your favorite ink to prevent wasting the plastic cartridges (and the money needed to keep buying them). Hot tip: Muji’s notebooks are also FP friendly, specifically the tan 184-page “POCKETNOTE” book with the red ribbon (pictured). There is no bleed and very little ghosting even with black ink. Do yourself a favor and get this pen if you are just getting into fountain pens — you will not regret it, and will likely keep coming back to it even as your collection grows :)

The Muji aluminum fountain pen is fairly comfortable in the hand. It is lightweight due to the aluminum construction. This pen is designed to be posted. I’m not really a poster of my caps. I will usually hold the cap in my free hand when writing unless the cap posts deeply and securely. However, the design of the Muji aluminum fountain pen seems to make the writing experience better when the cap is posted. I tend to hold my pens at the very bottom of the section, close to the back end of the nib. Holding the Muji aluminum pen this way is uncomfortable because of the rather sharp step down between the section and where the cap slides into it. When I post the cap, technically making the barrel longer (due to the virtually seamless design of the cap and barrel) I grip the gnarled section a bit higher up, thereby avoiding the sharp step down completely. I really like the functional design of this pen. What I don’t like so much, is the fact that a convertor is not included. However, an ink cartridge is (an international short). Because of the design of the Muji aluminum fountain pen, there are a few crevices that would have to be cleaned every time the pen was filled from a bottle of ink. Or to avoid the messiness, a blunt tipped syringe could be used to fill the converter with ink as needed. Of course, the use of ink cartridges, avoids all the messiness and helps to keep the Muji aluminum fountain pen, looking pristine. I am currently using a Waterman long ink cartridge, which is working quite well and has much more in capacity than an international short. When I use the ink in this cartridge, I will refill it with bottled ink. This is the only cartridge/converter pen I own that I will probably use cartridges only. Bottom line, these are pretty nice pens. UPDATE: The bottom finial collapsed. This disabled the ability to post the cap. I’m not usually a cap poster however, I must admit the design of the Muji aluminum fountain pen really does allow the posted cap to enhance the writing experience. I was able to pop the finial back into place, but in a weekend state. Once I try to post the cap again, the same problem occurs, and I have to pop the finial back in place again. Therefore, I don’t post this pen, like many other fountain pens I own. Unfortunate, because this one is meant to be posted. Hence minus another star. I have pens that cost half of what I paid for this one and I have not encountered any problems with them whatsoever.

I can't believe I waited so long to get one of these. It's incredible. The nib is a western extra fine (so not a needlepoint line but very, very fine) with wonderful feedback, no scratchiness, a little softness (not flex, just bounce) and the fit/finish and feel in the hand are just phenomenal. The cap posts cleverly, the clip has a perfect amount of tension for everyday use, the cap is nice and secure, it's just about as good as you could possibly hope for in a $15 pen. I will say that I was initially really disappinted in how it wrote with the original cartridge. it was dry skippy, and awful. But I threw that away and put in a better pelikan 4001 cartridge and all of a sudden it was perfect. So don't use the included junk cartridge and you're gold. The grip has a wonderful texture very similar in feel to a rotring 600/800. Very secure in the hand. The aluminum body is perfectly balanced, neither front nor back heavy, and when posted, is long enough to hold in an "Artist" grip, but not so long as to be awkward at a normal grip, and it's plenty long enough to use unposted normally. If you want a converter, you need something a little slimmer than most standard ones. I think the schmidt K5 was too wide. But a faber castell converter, which is designed a little slimmer, fit great. It will hold two short cartridges in the barrel. If you want a nice inexpensive gift fountain pen, or a nice durable little knockabout for yourself, get a muji, throw away the included cartridge and get a converter or a box of J Herbin, Monteverde, Mont blanc or pelikan cartridges, and enjoy.

I am writing this review after using it for 2 months. I came across this via youtube video while searching for metal fountain pens, before that I never heard of it. And after using it, I must say its a great product. Unusually small cap as compared to other fountain pens, takes sometime to adapt to it. Some of the key features are very smooth wet nib, nice sleek grip, full metal body. Totally loved it and now it has replaced my Lamy Safari in daily usage. I tried sketching with this pen also and it worked amazingly. Must have, long lasting pen.

Es una pluma muy elegante y muy bien hecha, de una calidad muy buena para el precio que tiene, el cuerpo y la pluma en sí no se le puede poner ninguna pega, el acabado es mecanizado y perfecto y el plumín es de acero inoxidable con punta de iridio lo cual no es común en plumas de este precio y da una sensación de escritura muy suave y muy agradable. El punto negativo a ese respecto, es que no es una pluma de uso intensivo por su forma y ergonomía, y cuando llevas escribiendo un rato a ritmo intenso, con mi forma de agarrarla al menos, se me hace bastante incómodo y hasta me llega a hacer daño. Para uso no intensivo o esporádico o para colección es una pluma muy interesante. La uso con un convertidor pelican y he probado varias marcas de tinta y funciona perfectamente con todas.

a quality product

The Muji Aluminium Fountain Pen is a sleek and reliable writing instrument that exceeded my expectations. Its minimalist design is complemented by a lightweight yet durable aluminum body, providing a comfortable and balanced grip. The nib glides smoothly across paper, offering a consistent ink flow without any skips. I appreciate the pen's versatility, allowing me to use various ink colors. The simplicity of the pen, combined with Muji's quality craftsmanship, makes it an excellent choice for both everyday use and professional settings. Overall, a fantastic purchase for those seeking a stylish, high-quality fountain pen without breaking the bank.

Très content du produit. Merci