Jump to content

A Pilot MYU Review


AndyHayes

Recommended Posts

First Impressions

I had been looking for a MYU for some time, but was not willing to pay the prices that were being asked. A cheaper one would eventually come up, but would soon be snapped up by the more fleet of finger. £75 was my limit on this pen and this is exactly what I paid. I knew the seller from previous deals and her pens have always turned out to be better than described. There was little description with this, but it did not disappoint.

 

Oddly, at the time of writing this review there is no MYU review on FPN. MYU owners must be a reticent bunch!

 

Appearance

This pen has an almost unique appearance, the body of the pen becomes the nib in what could best be described as aircraft styling.

 

Design/Size/Weight

Its a pen in the short/long style, meaning that posting the pen takes it to its full length. It would be very difficult to write with if you were not to post it, unless you have very small hands. Despite it being made from stainless steel it feels very light, due to its size.

 

Nib

I have only ever seen these being sold in fine and medium sizes. This one is a fine. I rarely use fine nib, preferring stubs and broad nibs, but such a stylish pen should not be overlooked. It is a true fine and writes well.

 

Filling System

A CON20 fits this pen or Pilot's proprietary wide-necked cartridges also fit. I buy these in the UK from The Writing Desk. No affiliation, I only mention it because they are not available easily due to their proprietary nature.

 

Cost and Value

I have seen these being offered at around the $200 mark. If you pay that much in my opinion you are paying too much. $150 seems a lot, but you are getting a unique pen which you can use. The nearest pen to this in design is the Parker T1. The big difference is that the Parker is titanium, but people who own them just wont use them. Not due to the value or rarity, apparently due to the fragility of the tipping. A pen that you can't write with is just a stick.

 

Conclusion

It has been a long time coming, and it's a pen that probably wont stand out in a crowd, but it is a pen that when you show it to even those unenlightened enough to use FPs they can't help but be impressed by the style/engineering. Am I glad that I bought - you bet! If I lost it would I buy another - definitely.

 

Pics

 

Sorry that they are so lousy - better than none at all?

 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb177/shetlink/Myu1.jpg

 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb177/shetlink/Myu2.jpg

 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb177/shetlink/Myu3.jpg

 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb177/shetlink/Myu4.jpg

 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb177/shetlink/Myu5.jpg

Skype: andyhayes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 11
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • AndyHayes

    2

  • CS388

    2

  • jgrasty

    1

  • hecya

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

Fantastic pen, Mr. Hayes, and a great review. It certainly catches the eye. I'm wondering, what sensation does it give while writing? Stiffer than normal, average? Is really a beautiful piece, although I share your taste on broader nibs.

Thank you for reviewing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well done Andy. Nice review on a nice pen. I bought one sometime ago as I felt (and still do feel) that my collection would not be complete without a MYU.

 

Mike

Edited by Keng

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.

- Cree Indian Proverb

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ondina - Yes it is stiff - nail-like, but not unpleasant like I found my Rotring 600 to be. I assume that this is down to the weight of the pen and the smoothness of the nib. It really is a pleasure to write with. I was worried about how I would take to the grip, it being smooth and tapered, but even that is OK, probably down to the weight.

 

Mike - Yes, I know what you mean about the incomplete collection!

Skype: andyhayes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice review Andy. And it is the kind of pen that catches your eye once you see that nib. That is when I first noticed them, from a photo here on FPN.

 

By the way, I do think there are a couple of others reviews here. I believe that MYU published one a while back (do these things fall off?).

 

 

the Danitrio Fellowship

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like your review, Andy--thanks for posting it. :)

 

Y'know, the odd thing about FPN is that you can't search for 3 letters or less. So "MYU" turns up nothing. I think there was a review a long time back, maybe 4 years ago. Perhaps it rolled off like Doug said, because I can't find it either.

 

Anyway, there is a somewhat recent review about the Pilot short/pocket pens in general that includes the MYU. An updated version is located on Googlepages. These are great pens, yet I do think $200 is overpriced for a MYU701. The current price surge is not very justified, IMHO. Based on some people's auction wins, I'm suspecting there's perhaps one or two buyers soaking them up for back channel selling at higher prices. One advantage of selling a pen is that it doesn't take up much space. Sitting in a pen tray for a year at a vintage pen shop or at pen shows until it goes for $250-$300 is probably worth someone's wait.

 

Given the increased volume of these pens on auction (you often see more than a half-dozen up for sale at one time), I believe there's bound to be a saturation point and the price will come down. Especially if the dollar rises in value. From two years ago, you're looking at around a 30% discount with the deflation of the USD for those fortunate folks on the Euro.

Edited by MYU

[MYU's Pen Review Corner] | "The Common Ground" -- Jeffrey Small

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

...(edit)... Based on some people's auction wins, I'm suspecting there's perhaps one or two buyers soaking them up for back channel selling at higher prices. One advantage of selling a pen is that it doesn't take up much space. Sitting in a pen tray for a year at a vintage pen shop or at pen shows until it goes for $250-$300 is probably worth someone's wait.

 

 

Looks like you may have been right, MYU. Now (April 2010) you'll be lucky to find more than two on ebay (international) at any given time. The last ones I saw went for $220 plus.

 

Thanks AndyHayes, nice review.

 

Even though I've had problems with my 701, I'm still deliriously happy with it. It's a design classic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may seem a stupid question, is there any connection between this pen, Pilot MYU and Pilot M90. By the way nice review.

 

No hold everything found it, its the latest version also known as the MYU 90. Obvious really.

Edited by Ed Ronax

And how can this be, because he is the Kwisatz Haderach.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may seem a stupid question, is there any connection between this pen, Pilot MYU and Pilot M90. By the way nice review.

 

No hold everything found it, its the latest version also known as the MYU 90. Obvious really.

the MYU, or Myu 701, is the grandfather of the M90. The M90 was created to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Pilot, Hence the 90, M not because it is MYU, but rather it's the symbol µ, when stylized, resembles an M.

The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.

Blaise Pascal

fpn_1336709688__pen_01.jpg

Tell me about any of your new pens and help with fountain pen quality control research!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am also looking on this pen but the prices I have seen on ebay are way too high. Congratulations!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am also looking on this pen but the prices I have seen on ebay are way too high. Congratulations!

 

I understand and sympathise.

 

But let's bear in mind that the prices mentioned in this review are from 2008. These pens are now becoming harder to find and, as such, the prices will increase.

 

Maybe $200+ is now the going rate for a 701?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been trying to snipe a MYU 701 on eBay for a few months now (I did manage to win a M90 a few weeks ago). Prices have ranged over the last few months between $125 to $226 for NOS MYU 701, plus about $13 for shipping from Japan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...