Although there are two different MUJI stores nearby, I put off buying a MUJI fountain pen for a long time. I figured I could get one anytime I wanted one and therefore there was no reason to get one anytime soon. Something like that.

Then, last week, I found out that the pens use Schmidt nibs and since I already have two pens with such nibs (my Retro 51 EXT and my Karas Kustoms Ink) and like them a lot, I thought I should give the MUJI FP a try.

For those who don’t know, MUJI is a kind of cross between an IKEA and a Gap store. They emphasize both style and simplicity, and all their goods come unbranded. MUJI is short for Mujirushi Ryohin (無印良品 in Japanese) or “No-Brand Quality Goods”.

The pen is a slender tube of aluminum with a knurled section and a pop off cap that slips into a slot at the back of the pen allowing it to post securely without scratching the pen. It takes small standard international cartridges (I’ve not tried larger sized ones) and will take an international converter allowing it to use bottled ink. I’m currently using it with a converter made by Levenger and Parker Quink red ink.

The MUJI fountain pen. Under the knurling at the front you can see the slot where the cap slides in.

Capped and with a converter full of ink it weighs only 21 grams, or 3/4 of an ounce.

The knurled section is comfortable but still a bit slippery for my taste, although that may be because the pen, at 10 millimeters (.4 inches) is right at the edge of too slender. Unposted it has a decent length of 12.5 centimeters (4.9 inches). Posted it’s still a comfortable 16 centimeters (6.3 inches). The inside of the small cap is rubberized, which does a good job of protecting the nib from, ahem, improper insertions.

The steel nib had to be washed out of the box as it had some kind of oil on it, probably as rust protection, and it has a lot of feedback but nothing annoying or scratchy. At this point, I haven’t experienced any skips or hard starts.

A close up of the Schmidt nib and knurled section.

To give it a work out, I’ve decided to make it my marking pen for the end of year exams. I’ve already had to make a lot of red marks with it and it seems to get along with the Parker Quink red.

My students may not be as impressed, though.