Episode 197: MUJI : Get it Before it’s Too Late!!

[@JSGilbert]

I’ e had one of these Muji pens for 6 or 7 years. I use a cheap convertor and have inked it a dozen times or more No leaks, no ink on the grip, no worries. It is really strange that Muji is discontinuing this pen. It tends to be a fan favorite even among quite a few pen snobs. The only reason I don’t use it more often is because I feel I must use the $400- $1,000 pens I own. Your friend with the 2 pens, er, um 3 pens is smart.

[@RobertMaguire67]

That little aluminum Muji I own is inked and in use non stop since I bought one. I love…..really love the pen! It is too narrow a barrel for longer writing beyond 3-4 lines, But as a journal pen this is the pen. Every child should be gifted this pen in school and a dozen or two cartridges in grade 3.

[@robertcalkjr.8325]

The Muji pen is on sale right now on Amazon.

[@followyourbrush]

And yes, I bought one on Amazon after seeing this, out of curiosity. It came today and I used the cartridge it came with. Indeed it does write well and very smoothly and easily with little to no pressure! Amazing!

[@PenBoyRoy]

It’s cool isn’t it?!? Too bad it’s being discontinued.

[@Tom_Samad]

This Muji fountain pen is so God damn appealing to me that i bought one in 2022. I think i need to quickly purchase another one just in case if something terrible happens to the one in my pen collection and before it no longer is available for under £30.

[@ZiaLinkZen]

I have a Muji, got couple yrs ago. In fact, I had gotten it out again recently trying it's Fine pt which writes smoother than my Sailor PGS (14K). As I said in a long multi-part post on Ep 191 I'm over pricey pens for now, but enjoying the ones I have... especially less "finicky" fountain pens, like the Muji. GL on your journey.

[@sirjoe88]

Loved hearing this about Yafa. Monteverde was my first nice pen I ever bought and I’ve had my eye on others. Will definitely be buying guilt free very soon knowing I’m supporting an awesome company.

[@HistoricGentleman]

They also used to make surgical instruments from solid or sterling silver for the antimicrobial properties, tho they weren’t entirely certain of the whole ideals of bacterial infections

[@clc3897]

I bought my first Muji pen the day when Peter Draws put up his video about the Muji pen being his favorite fountain pen ever. I just went and bought two more now that you said they are discontinued. I will have four in total since after buying the first one I had to get another one “just in case”.

[@PenBoyRoy]

I feel you. Soon enough they will cost more because they are limited.

[@yarens1]

Got one years ago. Surprisingly well made for the price.

[@mellow-jello]

It is crazy how much the simple MUJI fountain pen has gotten. Once only $15 CAD. I got them at $20 CAD, and I thought FOMO on the lower price. It can now be had for $30 CAD and above on marketplaces.

[@RobertMaguire67]

The Muji pen has a super smooth writing nib, the nib has been developed with a broadly speaking a wide number of angles sweet spot. The thinner barrel is ideal for thin pen loops of planners, Filofax comes to mind, and the aluminum makes it very durable…compared to a simple Kaweco. The MB Noblese is sort of a comparable type of pen at 5 times the price and the little MUJI nib outperforms that old style MB. I think my impression is it is a pen tuned to perform comparabily with a Japanese gel pen that is slightly thinner lines with effortless glide on the paper. I have what I think is a Fine but it is wet so performs well enough.

[@maxr2825]

Grab one of those wooden pens its a 0.5 mm fine point...its my everyday carry. Love the Muji fountain pen, didn't know they were discontinued ☹️ i think I have two will give it a little more love when i pull it out of my storage case.

[@eugenborcan]

I believe is a #5, not #4 nib size and you can use a converter inside of it.

[@PenBoyRoy]

Thanks. I still haven’t tried a converter. lol.

[@DaedalusGage]

Hey, Roy! Thanks for giving Yafa a shout out! It's good to hear that people like you and them are doing good things! I'm in the medical field, and these kinds of decisions weigh on us/go home with us, too... So I'm gonna go buy a Yafa pen out of appreciation!

[@ichirofakename]

I've had a Muji for a few years. For drawing, this pen is flawless, with a perfect design for slim pen users. No threads or step-up in the grip (yes, grip it behind the useless little "grip" section), flush with entire barrel, choke up as far as you like. Cap is flush when on either end of the pen. Mine has fallen into disuse as I have graduated to more refined nibs. It's a fine starter pen, though I personally always recommend the Varsity (pre-filled,

[@sailcat9]

I bought one of these pens a few years ago. I like the no-nonsense post-industrial look and I also like that it is cheap! I did have to perform some minor surgery on the feed and I had to do a nib-ectomy on it to make it work properly but now it works fine. I like the pen and I appreciate your fine review! Well done!

[@Julian-bq9qv]

I have had a couple of Muji a few years ago, and maybe it us just me, but mine felt identical in size, shape and writing quality, to my slender little Hongdian Blue Forest and my Asvine. You might give them a look, cartridge and converter, under 20.00 for those interested.

[@ImCFoxx]

The artist “Peter Draws” on KZbin at one time exclusively use Muji pens. He talked about them constantly. He loved everything Muji. Then he discovered fountain pens. I haven’t watched his stream for a long time, but he had over 1 million followers and was noted for his amazing ability to doodle complicated illustrations fantastical things and beings. I bought one it is still in the wrapper it cost $15 about two years ago. I don’t doubt that it is good. I should give it a try. Was planning to give it to my son who does pen & ink drawings.

[@ImCFoxx]

So about four years ago, I purchased a Muji pen from from Amazon for $15. Years prior to that I did see the fountain pens in the store but was too snobbish to give it a try.

[@ImCFoxx]

Great podcast. I’m about to go to the San Francisco Penn show tomorrow and I always look forward to talking to the folks from Yafa. They’re always so kind and conversational and informative. Not to mention they have great products.

[@PenBoyRoy]

I can relate… 😏

[@PenBoyRoy]

Yes. Then guys at Yafa are good peeps.

[@judyjacobs5827]

Ok, Sensei, you convinced me. I just ordered a Muji on Amazon, though I basically don't like Amazon, since new product developers too often have their hard work and trials and retrofitting stolen and sold at a lower price on Amazon, didn't even look at nib options, just slammed down my credit card. I agree about pen manufacturers discontinuing good products for no discernible reason, like the Loom. Now what do we have to do to persuade you to rethink the decision to discontinue the aquaria in the background? Betas beat tread every time. Thank you.

[@PenBoyRoy]

You really like the boring wall and my fish tank better? Honestly it’s easier to shoot now that I spring cleaned my office

[@judyjacobs5827]

@@PenBoyRoy Fish are cool. Also cold-blooded. The backgrounds lately are portraits of bo-ring. Steel tread? Rubber tread? Seriously? Before Bill Cosby trashed his reputation and became famous for drugging young women and fucking them while they were unconscious, he'd been a wholesome grandfatherly image, playing a tv doctor who somehow kept winding up with extra cute young children in the house, and in his spare time he made ads for Jell-o products. He never mentioned that the jiggly stuff is made from boiled hooves and noses of slaughtered cattle. And before that he was a secret agent or spy on tv, and before that one he did standup. One of his standup bits was about his grandmother, iirc, who used to say, "Cleanliness is next to godliness." But she was incorrect: cleanliness is next to impossible. A little dirt never hurt. Who in the KZbin audience is deeply offended by the possibility that PBR will have some stray bit of detritus, a handful of unused handgun shells, or a pile of cat fur on his desk? Raise your hands. Anyone? Nope. Nobody has raised a hand nor an objection. You are now free to broadcast with brutal honesty and fishies. I'll stop now.

[@Tr.Vincent]

I also thought the MUJI aluminum fountain was discontinued here in Taiwan. They started selling it again, and I saw it in the store.

[@PenBoyRoy]

Interesting. Maybe the brand is pulling a FOMO on us lol

[@debbypodgorski4144]

Great video! All pens should write regardless of the cost. I like learning about all brands.

[@PenBoyRoy]

I definitely agree!

[@JosephDickson]

I think you can remove the grip section for filling. Makes me want to use it even more. My tiny Kaweco converter fits.

[@theprof_001]

Cool little pen! Enjoyed the video.

[@PenBoyRoy]

Thanks for watching!

[@zeus52452]

Nice podcast PBR. I had thought about getting the Aluminum Muji for close to a year, but my focus always ended up on other pens. It's a simple pen that looks great and fits in the beginner/school pen space, but yet I've still held off getting one. Even now after watching the podcast I was sorely tempted to buy one, but there is just something about the pen that holds me back. I do have a Muji, but the one I have was given to me by my oldest son after he came back from a trip to Asia. The pen doesn't have a model name/number - it's just called the Polycarbonate pen. It doesn't have any branding on it, and it looks almost exactly like a Platinum Preppy!! It writes okay, but I think the Preppy is better. For me, I have a clear & an all Grey Pilot Kakuno both with Fine nibs that I'll stick with. I enhanced them by getting 2 black Kaweco clips that go on the Sport that fits the cap perfectly.

[@PenBoyRoy]

I wonder if the Muji poly IS preppy. I’m wondering cause I saw pictures online that even have the platinum logo on it.

[@konradyearwood5845]

I got one in the late 1990s or early 2000s and when I felt how it wrote I grabbed a couple more along with the propelling pencil and two of the needle point ball pens. I think the pens were £8 back then and more expensive than the pencil and ball pens. I have never bothered using a converter with mine. Occasionally I have to give the knurled section a clean as dirt and grime from your fingers builds up.

[@charliehows]

I recently bought a muji Aluminium pen in Bangkok. It didn't flow much ink so I tried squeezing the cartridge which promptly broke. Over the next couple of weeks I probably visited every muji store in Bangkok. Not one of them sold cartridges for these pens! I found something to fit it when I got home to Sydney, but it's in one of the crap pen boxes, I can't be bothered trying to get it to write. Muji? No. It cost more than a jinhao Dadao, a fabulously good pen in comparison; why waste time on it ?

[@pilesofthings]

This was my first fountain pen and I still use it everyday despite having many more pens now. The nib is so much more flexible than any other Schmidt or Jowo nib I've come across, don't know what magic they used. Sad they won't be producing them anymore.

[@Julian-bq9qv]

Calvin and Hobbs FORGERIES- and he was so righteously pissed off because HIS creations were being copied by people for those cringey images of a Calving like kid, pissing on ( fill in the blank) Ford, or Chevy, or Coke or Pepsi, or whatever was unpopular with some element of the populace - selling and profiting from a blatantly stolen image.

[@PenBoyRoy]

I’ve seen those all the time. I’d be pissed too.