A couple of people asked for a description of this pen. Here's what I've already posted:

The Muji shop is kind of dime store with Bauhaus designs; low cost items with Japanese modernist design, which is both international and recognizably not Scandinavian or German or whatever. Lexon is a reasonably well known brand that illustrates this excellent tradition. The FP is an aluminium cylinder, with knurling at the gripping point, a simple clip, and a nib marked Iridium Point which is a smooth writing rigid article, in my case fine. It takes two international carts. Cost GBP10, which is, I think, ~USD17 at the moment. It's not a fancy pen, but it's a good functional writer, and sufficiently styly that even a Film major would probably award you cool points for using it.

AFAIK, Muji only operates in Japan and Europe, so here's a pen that it might be worth getting in Europe for Americans (North and South) on a trans-Atlantic trip.


To add, I don't want to do a full review, because essentially this is a pen without faults. That doesn't mean it's The Perfect Pen, because that don't exist, but if you accept it's a slim, low-cost cartridge pen, then it does that superbly.

Here, though, if I've managed this right, are some pix from my brand new Flickr account. Please be gentle if I've fouled this up, and the pix are just snaps I grabbed in a minute.


Best

Michael

Edit: I have failed with Flickr, since I haven't yet worked out how to get a proper URL, and I just failed with file attachment, so I'll try that again.

2nd Edit: well, I've got one pic -- sorry it's a bit big. And you can see the coffee stains on my keyboard -- how em*bar*rassing

I *think* I *may* know how to link to Flickr. Let us see:







But if this doesn't work, I'm going to bed and trying again in the morning.

? 9 OR ?

Maybe you all will be

Best

Michael

The MOMA Stores (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC have a Muji store within their stores, both brick-and-mortar and online. Haven't looked if they have this pen, but the do have a lot of interesting storage item, etc. Worth a look.

Just what I needed, another on-line store offering hard-to-resist stuff. Muji is at

http://momastore.org/webapp/wcs/stores/ser...gId=-1&src=shop

(that should all be one very long URL -- else navigate from momastore.org ).

However, they don't have the FP. A v. quick Google doesn't locate any other North American source, but a reference on a Canadian shopping blog suggests the pen may now cost GBP15. I'd still call that good value.

Michael

Sorry to bring this thread up from the dead, but if anyone comes across this pen, please let me know! MoMA seems to have dropped this FP from their webstore.

Any FS offers?

I'd love to find one of these as well, I think the style is very appealing. Muji (in Europe, at least) don't carry them any more. It seems that they dropped the copy of the Ohto Tasche that they were selling as well, which is a pity.

Like the look, definitely looks sleek. How's the weight, Michael? Is it balanced well? It looks like it'd be a little on the heavier side, being metal...

I've looked for this pen at the MOMA Design Store, but they no longer carry it. However, MUJI is opening up a location in NYC in November, so there's hope....

http://gothamist.com/2007/09/06/muji_announces.php

One of my friends picked one up at the MOMA store last year. It's a small, light, and very nicely designed and executed. The nib was fine, and it had some spring (as I recall) -- a great writer! He said it was $20. Excellent deal IMHO!

You will notice that there is no logo or brand name on the pen. I believe Muji means "no label" in Japanese. It's kind of the perfect anti-Montblanc. Uh oh, I've used the magic fight word. No flames please!

Doug

The pen looks very similar to a Yi Cheng Young Engineer I got some time back from Neotiger here at FPN. I really like the pen, and wish I could get more, as friends have admired the pen, but I am unwilling to give it up. If anyone finds a source for these PLEASE put it on this forum.
Donnie

There will be a MUJI store opening in SoHo this November, according to reports. I shall investigate as soon as it's open.

I visited the Muji store in Hong Kong last year, and remember they had a range of fountain pens that look similar to some Ohto pens and some Tombow pens, but without branding.

They cost in the range of about 80-200HKD, which is between $10-30USD.


Edit: Btw, glad you liked the pen Donnie! I really liked the shape as well, but the nib was too fine for my writing.

Don't know if they still have this pen, but they did, because I bought one there a little over a year ago.

I checked out the MoMA store and look, they have the perfect journal for our new FPN Van Gogh Starry Starry Blue ink!!!!!!

Looks like a very nice fountain pen.

Nice pen, congratulations! It looks similar to another Bauhaus design-influenced pen like the Lamy CP1. I believe I saw one of these Muji's in the marketplace recently.

It looks just like an Xacto

Muji now sells what I might call their 'second generation' fountain pens. They are very short, but they pull out to full length, and come in silver and black. If anyone wants a photo, I'll try to take one.

I had one of these but gave it away. When you stuck the pieces together to write the pen rattled horribly, the cap not fitting the barrel very well. Shame, as it had a nice nib.

Cheers,
Eric

I was just looking at the Muji Japan website and they have 4 different models in their catalogue!

There's the aluminum one that the OP wrote about, a black aluminum one, a black ABS plastic, and a grey acrylic. They range in price from 1100 to 3000 yen (about $10-28). I was reading a Japanese blog about the two aluminum ones and the writer had nothing but good things to say about them.

I'm going to try to pick up one of each when I go in the spring. Anybody want one?

Neill

I mentioned earlier in the thread about a "young engineer pen" I got from neotiger, and wishing I could get more. I was able to, and it is similar to the Muji, but with a semi hooded XXF nib. If you are interested, please see my listing on Marketplace.

Donnie

Velma..did it open?

Eric--for those of us who do not post...worth the money???

Just to let everyone know that I've some for sale in the Classified and Market Watch:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=52796

/beaming out

The Muji store in SoHo did open in November; I've never made it down there, because I get waylaid by the concept of the new Kinokuniya branch that opened near the main branch of the New York Public Library. Too many temptations within three blocks.

I don't know if it is still the case, but Muji pens used to be made by Sailor. If it is still the case, isn't it so nice to get a Sailor pen at this low price?

Naoko

AFAIK, unfortunately Muji Pens are not Sailor pens any more.

I got one at

<MUJI Soho>
455 Broadway, New York, NY 10013
(Between Grand and Howard Streets)
tel: 212.334.2002
price: $15.50

They will open another store at Times Sq. on 05/31/08

They have nice notebooks too.

I have one of these myself, always reliable and a good friend