Pens are something I am particular about - finding a good pen in the right color can be difficult, but the right pen is really satisfying to use.
I have recently been using a new pen - the 0.38mm Muji black gel pen. They come in thin frosted plastic bodies, with the only color being in the cap and the ink barrel itself. It’s a thin and easy to hold, which I really like. It also writes well and doesn’t smudge easily.
I really like the smaller 0.38mm size, since my handwriting is pretty small. Maybe because of a slight bleed, or maybe because mechanical pencils just leave smaller marks, I have always found 0.5mm pens have been slightly too big. But 0.38mm is a perfect size - it’s still thick enough for the text to be legible but thin enough for it to look nice and feel precise.
The only problem I have with the pen is that dropping it on it’s tip can make the ink come out improperly when you hold the pen at certain angles. Because the tip is so small, any bits of dirt or dents in the ballpoint can interrupt the flow of the ink. It doesn’t happen every time the pen is dropped, only if the tip hits the ground in a certain way, but it’s very annoying when it does. The effect varies from nothing to lighter ink to making that barrel unusable.
I’m currently treating the pens as disposable, but I’ll probably start buying replacement ink barrels from now on to refill the empty pen bodies I have. I’ve considered buying one of the refillable bodies in black or white because they look a little nicer, but unfortunately it isn’t available in the U.S.
The pen is great though! It has become my favourite to use.
