Moonman Again

Some months ago I analyzed the Moonman A1, the capless pen made by the Chinese company. The main conclusion in that text was that the Chinese copy was a good product for a very good price. But did it offer anything new with respect to the Pilot original? The answer, suggested by a commentator, was the existence of a clipless variation of the model.

Moonman, apparently, had paid close attention to what some enthusiasts had said in the Net: the clip in the Capless was a nuisance to many.

Following that strategy it was only normal for Moonman to try to replicate the popular and missed Pilot Capless FCN-500R (and variations)--the faceted model in the market between 1984 and 1998. And that attempt is the Moonman A2. But, how faithful is the replica?

The faceted Moonman A2.

Just a quick inspection of the A2 shows some clear differences with the Pilot model:

– The Moonman A2 is bigger than the Pilot FCN, as can be seen on the following  table:

	.Pilot Capless FCN.	.Moonman A2.	.Moonman A1.
Length closed (mm)	132	141	142
Length open (mm)	133	139	139
Max diameter (mm)	11.8	12.2	12.9
Weight, dry (g)	17.6	20.8	33.7
Ink deposit (ml)	0.9 (cart) 0.5 (CON-40)	0.9 (cart) 0.4 (conv)	0.9 (cart) 0.4 (conv)

Pilot Capless FCN-500R (front) and Moonman A2 (back).

– The original Pilot FCN implements a very clean solution for the clip—it is made out of the same piece that conforms the nose of the pen. On the contrary, the A2's clip is closer in design to that of the regular Capless and of the Moonman A1: a separate part attached to the nose.

This is no small detail as the FCN's clip is often regarded as less intrusive and more comfortable than that of the current Capless model.

The clips. Pilot's on front, Moonman's on back.

– The previous table also shows that the A2 is slimmer and lighter than the A1. Moonman accomplished this removing the internal metallic thread in the A2. But this results in a metal-to-plastic thread in the A2—a weak point shared with the Pilot FCN. In fact, it is not uncommon to see cracks on the area of the plastic thread in the Pilot model.

Moonman S2. Metalic thread on the left, plastic thread on the right.

In any event, the parts of the A1 and A2 are fully interchangeable as these two models share their threads and internal dimensions. This is not the case with the equivalent Pilot models (the old FCN, and the current FC).

Moonman Frankenpens. But they work!

Therefore, the conclusion is that the A2 is little else than a A1 in different costume. Sure there are some changes –the shape of the clip, the absence of metallic thread in the upper body--, but the basic structure and internal dimensions are common to both models.

Then, is the Moonman A2 a copy –or a fair substitution-- of the Pilot FCN of 1984? in my opinion, less so than the A1 with respect to the current Pilot Capless FC.

Capless FCN (burgundy) and Moonman S2 (blue).

Capless FC (front) and Moonman A1 (back).

Other than this, A1 and A2 models use the same nib unit made of steel with only one nib point—a smooth nominal EF. And this unit is perfectly compatible with those made by Pilot.

Moonman A2 - Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
June 28th, 2023
etiquetas: Moonman, Pilot, capless