Muji Aluminum Body Fountain Pen

Name: Unsharpen
Item: Muji Aluminum Fountain Pen
Rating: 5
Author: Unsharpen.com Staff

03/16/21 Check Price Video

Muji is a Japanese company that offers a wide range of products from apparel to home furnishings. Among these are a line of stationary products including pencils, ballpoints, and gel pens. One of their more popular items is an aluminum-bodied fountain pen.

The Muji Aluminum Body fountain Pen has a sleek design with a snap-on cap and knurled grip. It is completely aluminum with a raw finish except for the plastic feed and brass clip. The threads between the barrel and grip section are aluminum as well. Capped, it is almost 14 cm in length with a diameter of just over 10 mm, so it’s a nicely sized pen despite the price.

This fountain pen has a stainless-steel nib that’s only available in Fine. It has engravings denoting the tip size as well as claiming an Iridium Point. There are no other markings on the pen whatsoever.

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The Muji fountain pen is a cartridge/converter pen and uses Standard International Short cartridges. It’s available direct from Muji for about $15.00.

The pen is quite similar, interestingly enough, to the Caran D’Ache 849 fountain pen. The pens have similar nibs, similar snap-on caps, and similar retaining rings on the caps that allow them to post onto the back of the pen. The 849 fountain pen costs about three times as much as the Muji.

Muji Aluminum Fountain Pen Review

This pen is like the Zebra F-701 of the fountain pen world. With its super simple design, raw metal look, and knurled grip, it’s as if Muji wanted to make an EDC fountain pen.

Being aluminum, the pen is very light, weighing in at about 9 grams. Its balanced well with the tip being heavy. It’s also light enough that extended writing is not a problem nor is hand fatigue.

The knurled grip is very well machined. I can see no imperfections in it. It is a little smooth to me. I’d like the knurling to be a little more aggressive like the Rotring 600 re-release.

The cap can be posted but I don’t recommend it as it makes the pen too long and throws off its balance. Posting the cap is interesting though. It actually recesses into the body of the pen to hold it in place. There is a small amount of wiggle in the cap, but I don’t find this to be problematic.

The brass clip is strong with minimal flex. It holds tight to shirt pockets well and won’t let the pen fall out. While it does seem bendable, it would take unusual circumstances to do so.

The pen is very utilitarian in design. There are no finials or decorative bands. Muji chose functionality and a minimalist form which I like a great deal. The aluminum also feels very good in the hand.

Writing Experience

Writing with the Muji Fountain pen is very enjoyable. In Japanese, “Muji” translates to “no-brand quality goods” and this pen is exactly that.

Ink flow is very nice and consistent. The nib feels a lot like a TWSBi Eco in both smoothness and ink delivery. It has not had any hard starts either. Even after sitting for about a month unused, it laid down ink immediately with no hiccups. The nib is not buttery smooth, but I like the small amount of feedback it offers.

The tip heavy design and lightweight body offer an excellent writing experience. Both for general day to day use as well as extended note taking. It would be better if the knurling were a tad more aggressive but it’s not a deal breaker.

Verdict

For $15 dollars, the value of the Muji Fountain pen is excellent. It writes and feels like a pen worth twice its price. For a daily driver fountain pen, the Muji is a solid choice. It’s price to performance ratio isn’t as good as the Platinum Preppy. Yet, you don’t have to worry about the barrel cracking.

If you need an affordable every day carry pen and want a fountain pen, the Muji Aluminum fountain pen is hard to beat.