MUJI Aluminum Fountain Pen

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 first thing I noticed when preparing to write with the Muji pen is its lightness. At 20 grams it not light for a pen, but lighter than I expected for a metal pen. Then I noticed its clean, simple design. When prepareing to write you can’t help but notice the unique way it posts: the last 4 mm of the cap actually slide into an all but invisible groove in the end of the barrel.The nib is not particularly wet although you couldn’t call it dry. The Muji writes smoothly but does have a bit of what I call “phantom drag”. That happens when the iridium part of the nib is very smooth but the tines are stiff. It’s like writing with the nail with a smooth point. If you write with any pressure the nail moves smoothly but meets resistance because the paper is being pressed down in order for the tip to move forward. Because the resistance is quiet and smooth I call it phantom drag. A more flexible nib would simply bend up to avoid pushing the paper down. I admit that I write with a heavier hand than most – too heavy really. If you write with a light hand you may not notice any drag. I will that say there was minimal flex when I tried the figure 8 test for line variation. I was able to coax out some variation, but not much.Having said all that, I’ve got to add that the pen is really cool. It looks cool (reference MOMA design recognition) and feels cool in the hand. And I love the way the cap posts.Because it clips easily into the pocket, is inexpensive and is stiff enough to make carbon copies, it is a good pen to carry with me most days. For longer writing sessions though I like a pen with a little more size, heft and flex.

This Muji fountain pen is a great everyday carry (EDC) pen as it's a great price for a quality pen that does everything a pen should do and look great while doing it.The knurled grip provides the right amount of grip without being aggressive. The snap function of the cap is secure and satisfying. The caps posts as well, but I do not post my pens so it's not that big of a feature for me personally, but it's good to have a nice aesthetic when posting is desired.The nib is a western fine line, which is good for work or play. The included ink dries quickly and is a standard deep black, but it accepts international standard cartridges so one has a large selection of inks to choose from.Cleaning is easy, just remove the cartridge then run the nib under water until the water is clear, allow to dry for a few hours, and it's ready to go for another round.I highly recommend this pen for someone who's looking for an EDC or wishing to break into fountain pens. There are other options in this price range for starter or EDC pens, but for the money you will be getting a great-looking, slim aluminum fountain pen with a solid nib that has been reliable (with my unit, at least).

This pen writes on every paper I presented to it. It's been filled with Noodler's Bulletproof Black, Noodler's Original Brown, and Waterman's Serenity Blue (all of which can be purchased on Amazon), and it has written well on every paper it's been put to without feathering. Cheap office paper, binder paper, Leuchterm 1917 notebook paper, brown paper bags, hot pressed watercolor paper.... whatever. It does it all. It looks great in my hand at meetings, and fits easily in my pencil pouch in my work bag. It's my general go-to writing pen these days, and any ballpoint pens that are still around are pretty much in the bottom of my purse in case my Muji runs out of ink or someone else needs to borrow a pen. If you are thinking of picking up an under $20 fountain pen as you wean yourself off of disposable plastic pens, I highly recommend this Muji as your first easy-care, refillable, every-day carry fountain pen.