I'll Give Them 1 Year To Fix This - Majohn A2 Fountain Pen
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- Опубліковано 23 лип 2024
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#doodlebud #fountainpen #majohn
0:00 - Intro
3:06 - Which nib is best
4:45 - Details and comparison with vintage Pilot VP
10:35 - Click off!
11:40 - Found the problem
12:45 - Writing sample
13:58 - Nibs under magnification
15:03 - Comparing springs
16:20 - Closing thoughts
I never realised that those older pilot clips were actually a part of the tip, they certainly did things properly back then. The One Piece is real and is indeed super sexy.
I think the cost is too high to machine it now..
That’s the exact same way I got my VP. I was intrigued by it but never wanted to spend the hundred some dollars until the A1 came out. Tried that liked it then pulled the trigger on the VP. Super nice pen.
I had gotten an A1 in an excellent promotion. I loved it, it became my daily driver. But I still found it too heavy for long writings, but as I took it with me for notes, it wasn't so much of a problem. But with the A2 I made an effort even though it was basically the same pen, and I bought it. And wow, how happy am I with that. When I saw that it was plastic and lighter, I was a little worried about durability. But the material has a lot of quality, nothing fragile, and the weight reduction is enough to make it much more comfortable, but far from being too 'light'. It has the weight that I consider ideal. The problem is that now A1 is kind of relegated because my main use of it has been completely taken over by A2.
Recently I got the black fish scale A1. The pen writes lovely after I adjusted the tines. The black end-part also has developed some scratches because of something sharp inside the clicker which scratched the coating off. But I totally love this pen style! It's sleek, clips to shirts and notebooks really wel. The clicking works really well when you take notes all day long. The EF nib also writes really well. I've gone through three eyedroppered cartridges in one week. It surprises me how much I like this really fine nib. I hope they will release other nib sizes in the future and fix the other little problems in their production runs.
Hi, is the clip functional or very hard to bend? Some of my pens don't even attach to a thin t-shirt...
Hey DB!: I hadn't realized the difference between the a-1 and a-2 until I saw this video. Wanted the a-1 because of the clipless version. But when I understood that the A-2 is more like the vintage style I was fascinated. I've ordered one and will see how it works. They have a lot of interesting colors on the a-2!
Very nice. I do like the callback to the Namiki Faceted. Yet another pen I may have to pick up eventually. Thanks Doodlebud
This whole family of pens are are what sparked my interest in revisiting fountain pens. They're my daily use pens, especially for work. I first got a pilot capless (on sale) & was immediately hooked! So now I have that one, 2 of the A1's & 3 of the A2's the A2's are my least favorite, but those are used for colors of ink that are less used for writing words as they are for marking or checking off items, so it's not a big deal. If they made the Capless or A1 in the colors I need, I'd replace the A2's, but for now, they do their job.
Nice job, DB. Love the in-depth analysis. And thank you for identifying the spring issue. You know, I own both the Pilot VPs, and also the A1s. I must be in the minority, but I prefer the larger diameter/girth and weight. I guess, I have a preference for that. I know alot of people here prefer that Decimo or A2s.
I boutht both the A1 and A2 based on your previous videos. The nib on one of them was scratchy, but thanks to your nib-tuning guides I was able to fix that and now they write beautifully! Since I also have a spare nib unit I would love to see you modify the nib profile on one of these - I would try to follow along.
I agree with the spring mechanism being too clicky, but for writing, mine writes smooth out of the box. Hope you get to enjoy the pen though
I have a Pilot Decimo (prefer the size) with a f nib and a stub nib. I also own 1 a1 and 2 a2s. Love them all. Regarding the clip spring, they will work smoothly and to get rid of the hesitation try putting the nib unit out and in again, it cleared up the stuttering in the one a2. the others are no problem. As you pointed out, everything is interchangeable with Pilot. Yes the pilot is flawless but in my case, 7 times the price of the a2. a=smoothing the nib is no big deal, love the majohns and take them everywhere.
As far as I can see, I prefer the A1 only because they offer the clipless version. I understand that the intent of the Capless was to be able to attach it to a shirt or jacket pocket and the vintage Capless clip did not bother me as it is flatter at the grip area. The updated version is such a hindrance.
I have a bag of springs from ballpoint and gel pens. I am sure there is one that would work in the A1 or A2 and fit better.
It is such an easy fix and be such an improvement.
Thanks for the review of the A2 and the comparison.
I love my A1, first metal version!!! Its a very nice pen.
😮 I just bought an A2 last week! Edit: I remember the video where you fixed the threads on the vintage one. It was an impressive exercise in patience and care for details.
I cut down the spring in my two A1s and it works just fine, now the little guiding nipple thingy sits in the slit. And the pen works just as it did before.
I really like the A2, but it broke on me in a few week right where the body meets the button, because there's nothing there but plastic (a metal ring, may be a good idea?). It was so dissapointing, because I loved it (not so weighty as the A1, since I have carpal tunel) and I was just using it normally. It was in my backpack when it broke, it's not like I threw it out a window xD.
Great videos, Doodlebud!
Thanks again for another interesting video. It took me a while to get used to my VP, and now it’s one of my 3 EDCs for work. In looking at the springs in the video and doing a very rough count, I noticed that the Majohn had around 11 coils (including the ends), and the VPs had 9/8 coils (including the ends) on one, and 8/7 coils (including the ends) on the other. Is it possible to compress the Majohn coil at each end to shorten the spring a bit, or would that ruin the spring action? I just picked up a vintage VP, so I’m definitely checking out your video on your vintage Vanishing Point. Thanks for all the useful tips and information.
I’ve VP, A1 and A2..
I agree that A2’s nibs are scratchier.. I had to do some smoothing to begin liking it..
Looking forward to gold trims in A3 !!
Of course we want to see you grind it!
Your vintage Pilot VP reminds me of the F-100 nose. Fun video taking all those apart.
I usually agree with you but not this time. for the cost of these Moonman/Majohn pens I don't think the spring thingy is an issue. I'd never noticed the difference between them and my VP's in click "quality" until I saw this video, that isn't important to me as long as it works. But let's see in some time if Moonman listens, that'd be bonus points for them.
I just got a Pilot capless on eBay , It is not vintage , but its cap looks exactly the same the cap of the A2.
l bought my black and chrome A2 a few weeks ago after watching your video on the 90s vanishing point and the only thing l don't like is the misalignment of the clip to the front on the pen, it drives me BONKERS! The spring size doesn't really bother me though.
I totally agree that the misalignment of the clip to the nib-opening of the front end of the pen is super irritating. I don't recall Doodlebud mentioning this(?) Also, the fact that the two Majohn A2 pens I got had really crappy nibs that are beyond my abilities to fix. Penboutique recently had a sale on Pilot 18k Capless nib units so I got one for one of my A2s;the one that has a less-pronounced misalignment of the clip-to-nib.
to be honest for that price you may aswell have bought a used vanishing point lol
@@McAmeron089III
I have two Majohn A2 pens(an orange and a green). The green pen has a clip that is misaligned in relation to the nib opening. The clip sits at about 1 o'clock to the nib opening. Maddening.
The orange A2 I have doesn't have the clip-to-nib misalignment quite as badly,so I replaced the nib unit in it with a Pilot nib unit. The misalignment of the clip is the most irritating feature of the A2;the crappy nib is also objectionable in my personal experience.
Other than that I like the A2's vintagey vibe.
First thoughts were, snippy snippy little spring. But pretty sure springs don't play that way. If I can source some correct springs I'll holler.
Wish there were a spring guru on here
I just got my second and third A1. I've inked up the matte black with a Pilot pink cartridge (very generous line, very smooth) and the silver striped one has a Pilot black cartridge in it (feels more like a Japanese EF, much drier. I'll ink up the third one once I have fewer pens inked up.) If adjusting the spring fixed the problem, then they should change that. It can't cost more. And I would love to see more nib sizes starting from a Japanese EF and going all the way up to B to give us enough tipping material for specialty nib grinds.
I got an A1 and love it, but I do wish they came up with other nib sizes. After getting the former, I decided to order a Capless direct from Japan at less than half the price in the UK, medium nib, and it’s currently my favourite pen!
Have I mentioned I bought the A1 because you raved about it? So it’s all your fault, really 😂
I looked the one of two that stutter clips and took the spring out, I think the opening door also might be a culprit, as the nib works its way open.
So, does the pilot spring work with the A1? If yes, is the clicking action smoother(since the tabs presumably stay in the notches), or is there no difference? If smoother, what size spring is in the Pilot, and where can we buy them?
My VP Décimo has a super smooth mechanism. I purchase a Majohn A1 that was initially smooth but developed a “bump” after some time. Wonder where the issue is? But still, considering the price point, who can complain?
The spring is one thing but my biggest issue is the nib drying out. I really need to find a modification to make it seal properly because I'm selling a lot of stacked A1 architects
Have you tried just wiping a little silicone grease in there? I did that with a curidas that was drying out a lot, and it’s perfect now!
The clip on the vintage Pilot looks like the fin on a vintage car hood and that would be the only reason I'd be o.k. with the clip in that place. 😅
I’ve been loving the A1s and also have that issue with a bit of a bump/catch/grind in the middle of the click on both of mine. I wonder if I need to just slather everything in some silicone grease and see where that gets me (really I mean dissolve some in a bit of water and wash the pen in that solution; I’ve heard that can work wonders…anyone ever do that?)
its so small, an architect grind is about all you can do, that nib would basically be a paper cutter if turned into a italic. those springs are usually found in eldctric motors, as you may remember, they hold the carbon rods that make contact with the stator. electrode springs?
Really silly question but can you cut the spring to the proper length? Or I misunderstood which is the VP and the A2
Ive used the A1 for a bit and the black matte does wear off. The problem in itself though is that brass does contain lead you should not be coming into contact with and you will need to apply basically clear nail polish to the exposed brass areas
So you're the type of the person that caused him to have to make the video about lead. Are you sucking on your pen?
You can cut the spring down to size; you won't have any issues.
Well, at least those with cracked vintage bodies now can “replace” the body with A2s and keep the vintage body safe…
Hey there DoodleBud, Thank you for the video and all your other videos! I really really like my A2 pen but the pen writes like right before your pen is going to run out of ink. The nib isn’t scratchy just very dry. I did flush the pen prior to using. I’m thinking about purchasing a VP nib unit and swap out it out with the A2 nib unit. I would like to know if you think that I will have any issues with VP in the A2?
Sounds like your nib just needs an adjustment. I have a whole playlist on how to adjust & tune nibs. That might help you out
@@Doodlebud Thank you for the response! I will give that a try.
@@DoodlebudJust watched your video on nib tuning. I have much better ink flow plus the Pilot black ink doesn’t look grey but black which is a good thing 😊 Thank you again 🙏
Is it common for the area where the nib meets the plastic feeder to get super wet with ink after a few seconds of usage?
The A1 I received dries out / hard starts after sitting for just a few hours. I tried two different Inks - Noodler's and Platinum - same result with both.
There seems to be a bit of variance in nib dry out. I picked up one of mine last week that I left inked since this review, and I was surprised it wrote no problem.
@Doodlebud Is it possible to do a test that checks the amount of lead in the brass in the A1 ?
Saw your question and ordered a test kit just now. Been asked a few times so figure what the hell. I have several of these pens so let's try it out. Can also do on some other pens too. If companies see that I'll test for it, maybe they'll only use lead free brass. Worth a try 👍
@@Doodlebud thanks so much DB. That would be awesome. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🙏🏼
I had ordered an A1, and after that one of my professors offered to sell his A2 , the A1 wasnt delivered and I wanted to check the A2 out. Didn't like it at all.... When the A1 was delivered, I was in love !
How does the Vintage VP match up with a modern Decimo. (that is the one I own. I hate fat pens). It looks like the Majohn A1 and A2 are slightly thinner than the VP. The Decimo is thinner (less fat) than the VP
Help my nib got stuck inside when i pushed the converter too much. Was thinking of putting the majohn nib to my destroyed pilot decimo but guess cant do it now as it got stuck inside.
I’d like to see Moonman put a clip where they placed the roll stop. I prefer not having the clip on the grip, but miss it when it’s gone.
I don’t think they will because the clip would hold the pen nib-down, which is a big no-no. Would leak all over your pockets if you stood in the sun too long!
I cannot write with the Pilot clip - I tried and failed many times. It is just uncomfortable for me. And nowadays the price of Pilot capless is getting ridiculous - so maybe I will try the A1 clipless.
I love the light, plasticky feel of the A2. I didn't realize it was based on a vintage design. Is the vintage VP also plastic and lightweight like that?
I got a Pilot VP like you said - my first gold nib pen - and I never liked it. I told myself it was because the pen store guy talked me into getting a medium when I wanted fine; but now I think I just don't like the heft of the metal body. Since then all of my favorite pens have been plastic/resin, celluloid, and ebonite (all lightweight).
I have 5 A2's + 1 A1 and tightness is the most common problem I encountered with nib tuning - i.e. tines needed to be spread a teensy bit to flow wet enough with normal viscosity inks. I didn't get a scratchy one out of the 6. FWIW there are AliExpress stores that sell the nibs a la carte, so it would be easy to buy a lot of them and tinker...
IMHO the biggest drawback of the A2 is the color choice. The yellow one is the only one that looks attractive to me IRL.
I use four colors of ink in four A2s for my journal. E.g. red is the date...
How do you remove the spring? I have a decimo that the spring is missing? Thought of using the A1 spring for it.
Just find something to hook it and pull it out. Can use a paperclip for example
@@Doodlebud I tried but it’s hard to get it out n I worry that I might stretch the spring
DO THE GRIND!
Just got my A1 'fishscale' a couple days back. The nib is slightly scratchy, but not overly so...soooo tuning is in store for it, but dear gods I love this pen. My biggest worry as a lefty was the clip. Turns out my hand LIKES the clip. Go figure. LOL.
Anyway, for the price, I'll take the Majohn offerings over Pilot's any day of the week. It is fun to live on the "low end". Now if my JinHao9019 would hurry the hell up and get here. 😀
Also, while the spring info is good, I'm not having any problems with it. (I thought it would be more fiddly than it is, but it really isn't...Mr. Engineer. Heh.)
One thing I don't understand about retractable fountain pens, is once the nib is retracted, how does it seal to prevent it drying out?
A trap door shut by a decent little spring snaps that tiny door shut. Apparently, it seals it well. I mean, it's been around like 50 years?
What are the good spring dimensions? Probably would take about 5 minutes to find the right one on McMaster Carr!
That was my first thought... McMaster has EVERYTHING.
@@Dosbomber It is the technician's candy store! It never ceases to amaze me that A, they are a company that has an incredibly functional website that 99% of businesses in the world could learn from, and 2, that they have all of the stuff on the website, in stock, and I would get it the next day across the border 90%+ of the time. They are a company that is doing it right, even if they are a little on the expensive side sometimes.
I ordered an A1 & an A2 in the past month and both nibs were misaligned. The A1 was so misaligned it skips constantly and I had to ask for my money back. It's misaligned in how the nib lines up with the body & is not fixable. They didn't take the time to make sure the nib is crimped onto the converter/cartridge housing properly, so it exits the body at an angle that, for me, causes severe skipping. My luck is astounding. My A2 is not as misaligned so it writes just fine, and is my Baystate Blue pen.
I think things would be easier to assemble if the button is “clicked” to the depressed position so you can make sure the nib unit nub (?) is in the slot before the cap covers it up.
So anyone find a source for a spring replacement?
Question. How hard it is to replace the nib on an A1?
No idea, haven't tried to do it yet. Maybe I could give it a go. Can probably just pull it off. I know you can also buy the full nib unit
@@Doodlebud Yes, the full nib setup is almost as much as a new pen. The one I like it only comes in M, I like EF.
I absolutely love my VPs, I don't think I would get a Majohn though.
Oh, how I wish that Pilot would make a "Vanishing Point" ("Capless" in Europe) without the clip. I would buy one immediately (probably more than one...)
The links are for Amazon Canada. Statistically, more viewers are in the US.
@@othername1000 I'm well aware of this but since I'm in Canada I can only generate Canadian Amazon links. They say it auto converts to the region the person is from but it doesn't work. Out of my control unfortunately
I have an A2. It dries out really quick. Don't using it overnight it will need the use of a paper towel the next morning. Is that only my A2, or did that happen to someone else. When it is writing everything is fine.
Great detailed info on these stupid click pens, thanks.
A bit of a prickely pear today are we.... 😂
I cant leave the ink in the pen because it spills when you click it
What do you mean by spills? If drips out of the pen?
@Doodlebud I doubt you'll be able to find an "off-the-shelf" replacement spring, because if you want more than the usual one or two inactive coils at either end of the spring or at a specific location in the middle of the spring, you'll have to place a special order. I believe Moonman buys standard springs, too bad for the exact length and/or inactive coils that improve centering. Surely they're almost free, whereas custom springs would surely raise the retail price.
The ring on the old model is an expensive zeal for nothing, typical of the generation of Japanese engineers at a certain time who were trying to turn around the very poor opinion of post-war Japanese industry. It was not uncommon to find hidden refinements that went completely unnoticed by users and from a functional point of view. This was just a form of misplaced pride, where the engineer told himself that even if he was the only one to know, he at least had the feeling of having done better than what was being done anywhere else in the world, and especially in countries that had a low opinion of Japanese products.
I own several Pilot VPs and think they are a very nice quality pen. In this case I am not even tempted to buy a knockoff. The only issue I’ve had with them has been the tiny converters. I’ve fixed this by fitting rubber squeeze converters from several Pilot metropolitans. Great thing is now I get more than 5 words a tank - your mileage may vary.
I love my Vanishing point and have owned it for years. I'm considering buying another one (or another nib unit) because I like the new striped version, and the LS in matte black. I have not considered buying a knockoff. I have a couple of inexpensive chinese made pens that I think are fine, but it doesn't make me feel good to buy a blatant copy, even though I understand perfectly why people do it.
I do not like the vintage clip on the vanishing point, but I do see how that will be better for some depending on how people hold the section and so on.
It makes me feel good because of how many times the copy has led me to be interested in high end pens that I turned my nose up at before I owned the copy. The fountain pen community is such that none of us are dumb enough to think a cosmetic resemblance makes a $10, $20, $40 pen comparable in a meaningful way to a $100-$1000 pen. In this case I feel even better about it than normal because the innovation majohn did with the converter was genius. Pilot should be trying to acquire rights from majohn to make the converters. I’d happily purchase 3 more majohn pens just to get my hands on the superior converters. A lot of pen users are cartridge haters, so those chintzy converters have probably driven customers away. If word gets out about a decent pilot-compatible converter, it could be a big boon to pilot. So it’s really not a copy in the sense that majohn, both with clipless versions and improved converter design, has just filled needs pilot never managed to. That’s beneficial to fountain pen lovers everywhere.
I hated the spring on the Majohn version. The notch would always get hung up on the key. Such a simple thing to be so annoying. I considered shortening the spring, but had second and third thoughts that I would lose too much spring pressure and the pen would start rattling. I ended up letting the OCD go. Instead I focused on replacing, what I considered the unsatisfactory Majohn nib.
Y'know I ended up retiring both of these pens, the Pilot and the Majohn, because they both leaked in the retracted position. Quite a mess to clean up the innards compared to a standard capped fountain pen.
I have a Vanishing Point and I have a dud. Unlike most people, mine dries out within 24 hours. It has been such a disappointment.
I had a curidas with this problem and I just put a bit of silicone grease around the trapdoor. Totally solved the problem, works like a dream now! Might be worth a shot?
I had a similar problem with my VP and I noticed dirt/dust/dried ink was keeping the mechanism from working properly. Using a squeeze bottle with a fine point tip (a blunt syringe can work, too), I carefully rinsed it out thoroughly, dried it and applied silicone grease as John suggested. It has been working well ever since. Being an EDU pen, dirt can collect in the mechanism so I clean mine about once a year, or when ever I it starts to have an issue-which is not that often. Good luck!
I have 2 Moonman A1, and they both write really well, and are just so convenient as jotters when out and about. I still remember losing the cap of my Pelikan on the train floor, and so I like using the capless on the train! I completely agree that the A2 does not match the quality of the A1, both nib smoothness and general build quality.
to be fair tho I doubt anyone from majohn would watch this video!
Off the shelf spring that's "close enough" 🙄
BOOM
Watched a review of a skeleton Hongdian and found myself looking for marks of the molding process, like you talk about in your videos. Couldn't see any of those marks, even on the sides of the clip. 😁 I never was interested in the tech side of pens until now. Wonder why! 😆🩵🙏🙌