Muji Aluminum Review
Despite its many criticisms, I am a fan of brutalist architecture. I am particularly fond of the Soviet-Era's use of raw concrete and jagged angles that provided a sort of physical manifestation of the world at that time. There are only two stationary items I have ever seen that give me the same feeling as those buildings. The classic X-Acto knife, and this pen: the Muji Aluminum fountain pen.
I stumbled across the Muji while browsing Amazon last week. I had heard good things about the brand, but have never used any of their stuff. I have a few knock-offs of their gel pens which have performed very well, but that's about it. I figured, why not try it out? At $17 dollars, it is on the cheaper end as fountain pens go, but given the brand's popularity it had to be decent.
Upon unsheathing the pen from its plastic bag enclosure, I was treated to a spine tingling agonizing sensation: the feeling of raw aluminum. The sensation (for me at least) was like fingernails down a blackboard. Given this initial reaction, I was inclined to put it back in the sleeve and promptly return it and request a refund. If I had done that, I would not be making this review (spoiler alert), so allow me to explain how I got over it.
After forcing myself to use the pen for approximately ten minutes, I got used to the feeling. That's it. Nothing crazy. I am just a sucker for a good hook. Regardless, it is a jarring texture at first. Under no circumstances would I recommend running your finger nail across it. If you avoid that, I am sure you would come to love this pen as much as I do.]
This is a no-nonsense pen. It has a clip, a grip, and a nib. The grip has a shallow knurling that is akin to that of the rOtring 500. It's comfortable, and provides a good amount of grip. It does get slightly uncomfortable after a bit as there is absolutely no taper to the body. The pen is completely straight, and on the thinner side. The clip works as expected. Since the cap is small relative to the overall length, the clip is a bit short, but it clips and that's what a clip is for I guess. The nib is extremely smooth. I have seen reviews online saying that it is scratchy, which is indicative of some quality control issues. Must've gotten lucky. It is iridium, which I understand is a good material for this sort of thing. I absolutely love how it writes, though. On LEUCHTTURM1917 paper, it is smooth as butter.
Speaking of quality control, this pen has some sharp edges. I do not typically post my pens (put the cap on the back of the pen while writing) as it shifts the center of balance. With the Muji, it is for a different reason. The cap posts by inserting the male end of the cap into the back of the body. It is a very tight squeeze, and again feels like nails down a chalkboard due to the scraping of metal on metal. These are also the locations of sharp edge 1 and sharp edge 2. Both exposed edges on this pen are sharp. Not razor sharp, but still sharp enough to cause some minor discomfort. I feel like it will smooth out with time, so I will have to come back and update this when that happens.
Despite my overly negative description of this pen, I would recommend it. It is beautiful in a weird way and stands out amongst my other pens. It writes very well, but that is definitely a gamble. I think it would be worth it to try one out, and get it exchanged if it is bad. I have been using it daily and it is really growing on me. That's all for this sporadic review. Thanks for reading and Stay Sharp!
