Moonman M1 Brass And Wood

[taike]

I've recently added a Moonman M1 in brass and Tiger wood to my collection and am glad I did. The pen was was about $12 on Taobao.

 

 

The pen is relatively long and slim. The section doesn't taper much at all. The cap takes about 3 turns to remove. The cap could post, I suppose, but the threads would likely tear up the wood and severely mess up the balance.

 

Moonman M1 Dimensions

• 13.5cm / 13cm capped / uncapped

• 26.2g / 16.7g capped / uncapped

• 8mm section diameter

• 12mm barrel diameter

 

It uses the same screw-in nib unit the Delike Alpha and New Moon 2 so if you have any of those pens, you can easily swap nib units.

 

 

Like posting, eye-droppering this pen has got to be out of bounds. I don't plan to find out.

The fude/art nib turns up only very slightly. It creates a sweetspot so that when the pen is at the correct angle the pen writes with a remarkably broad, wet line. The nib in my pen was smooth out of the box.

 

The writing experience with the pen is excellent. The balance is toward the front making the pen feel lighter than it is.

 

 

I'd definitely recommend the Moonman M1 for folks into fountain pens. Probably not as a first fountain pen, however.

 

Two thumbs up for the fude/art nib!

 

More photos and comments here

 

[farazqamar]

nice!

[visvamitra]

Wood and metal is a winning combination for me.

[5thhistorian]

I ordered an M1 and got a Hero nib. It took some adjustment but writes nicely, but is way bigger than I expected and the heavy brass grip and step down make it uncomfortable for writing. Still a nice desk pen and conversation piece.

[annafdd]

I have one of these in the reddish wood and I find it incredibiy beautiful, and very easy to use. I have the EF nib, and I smoothed it a little, but I like fine nibs and I never tire of looking at it.

[taike]

I'm curious if anyone has gone for the brushed bronze version of this pen and what you think of that variation.

[DavidD62]

I recently bought a Moonman M1 on eBay. It is a beautifully crafted pen especially in light of its low price.

 

Sadly, mine did not have the fude/architect nib, but rather a Delike EF. The nib on my pen is of very disappointing quality with an off-center slit and one tine longer than the other. It is paper-rippingly scratchy even after my attempts to smooth it with mylar sheet and micromesh.

 

I have ordered a Delike medium nib from a different eBay seller in hopes it is better. In the meantime, are there other nib options that would fit the M1? I tried a #5 Kaweco today which looked like it might fit, but the Kaweco threaded black housing was too large to fit inside the brass Moonman section. I have tried to pull the Delike nib out of its threaded housing only to bend some fins on the feed. Is it cemented in place?

 

I welcome any ideas; thanks!

 

Edited May 2, 2018 by DavidD62

[taike]

I had a go at trying to pull apart the nib unit from my Delike Alpha but wasn't successful. Just made my fingers sore. I figure it should come apart to try other nibs.

 

But I did find this taobao site that sells nib units for about a buck a throw. Granted, taobao might not be a good purchasing option for all, but if there's one seller selling nib units stand-alone, perhaps there will be others.

[taike]

I recently bought a Moonman M1 on eBay. It is a beautifully crafted pen especially in light of its low price.

 

Sadly, mine did not have the fude/architect nib, but rather a Delike EF. The nib on my pen is of very disappointing quality with an off-center slit and one tine longer than the other. It is paper-rippingly scratchy even after my attempts to smooth it with mylar sheet and micromesh.

 

I have ordered a Delike medium nib from a different eBay seller in hopes it is better. In the meantime, are there other nib options that would fit the M1? I tried a #5 Kaweco today which looked like it might fit, but the Kaweco threaded black housing was too large to fit inside the brass Moonman section. I have tried to pull the Delike nib out of its threaded housing only to bend some fins on the feed. Is it cemented in place?

 

I welcome any ideas; thanks!

 

75909074-F4F4-4CEF-A3BC-FFC2BE962696.jpeg

 

I had a go at trying to pull apart the nib unit from my Delike Alpha but wasn't successful. Just made my fingers sore. I figure it should come apart to try other nibs.

 

But I did find this taobao site that sells nib units for about a buck a throw. Granted, taobao might not be a good purchasing option for all, but if there's one seller selling nib units stand-alone, perhaps there will be others.

[DavidD62]

Now that I am developing an interest in Chinese pens, I guess I need to figure out how to use taobao. So far I have found it too daunting, but I may give it another try.

[DavidD62]

I received my replacement nib from eBay today. It is a smooth, moderately wet medium that I like very much. It is pretty rigid, but dramatically better than the EF that shipped with my M1.

 

The new nib is marked Dlike whereas the original nib was branded DELIKE. Are these the same manufacturer?

 

Anyway, now I think the Moonman M1 is a delight to use.

 

Edited May 22, 2018 by DavidD62