Fountain Pen: Moonman T1
- whimsicaleccentric
- Mar 4
- 2 min read
VISUAL
The Moonman (now Majohn) T1 is a large piston filler pen with a clipless faceted cap. This particular pen is made with a teal-colored aluminum. It has a large cap that is lightly engraved with the 'Moonman' brand. The piston knob is a matching teal and frames a large clear ink chamber.
The teal is a lovely satin matte color. I really like the look of this pen, and the choice to make it clipless actually looks great.
TACTILE
The aluminum has a nice matte anodized texture. It's a bit slick - I find that the plastic of the barrel is actually easier to grip than the metal. The downside is that the section is also anodized aluminum, but it's a decent shape and not too hard to hold onto. The threads are moderately smooth. I feel like they're smoothed at an angle and are less sharp going toward the nib and more sharp going toward the barrel.
PRACTICAL
This is a pen that I like to admire from a distance. In practice, this pen has been a pain for me. To start, even after a lot of fiddling, this nib is very scratchy. It puts out a decent amount of ink and I haven't had any issues with strokes, but no matter how I work with it, it has frustratingly high of scratchiness.
Additionally, the piston knob is threaded into the barrel but is very persnickety. It seems to love to work its way slightly loose during normal piston operation somehow, and re-threading it into the barrel is annoying even when I use the right tools. With the piston knob loose, it isn't in danger of leaking, but it does wobble slightly during writing. And as someone who loves posting even when it doesn't make sense, this loose piston knob is even more annoying when the cap posts only on the knob and doesn't hold to the more stable part of the barrel.
On the upside, this pen does have a decently large ink capacity?
STATISTICAL
Pen Measurements:
Weight: 25.8g
Weight of Cap: 11.3g
Length Capped: 134mm
Length Uncapped: 129mm
Length Posted: 168mm
Nib: 6mm 'Fine' Steel
Body Style: Flat Top
Fill Method: Piston
Fill Volume: 2.0ml
Comparison Pens: Pilot Metropolitan, LAMY Safari
OVERALL
Pros:
Large Ink Capacity
Cons:
Impossible-to-fix nib
Wonky piston nob
Piston knob posting
I'm very forgiving of most issues in fountain pens. However, there are few pens that I can say frustrate me as much as this pen. I may look into replacing the nib at some point, but really at this stage I'm not sure that would be worth it for me.
DISCLAIMER: Pens and inks purchased by myself. Photos and opinions are my own.
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