Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist
Every fountain pen enthusiast eventually faces a tricky time when they think they have enough pens.
I was in that phase when I first encountered the Majohn P140 more than a year ago while browsing Everything Calligraphy’s Lazada store. I took one look at it and thought, “That’s nice, but I already have too many Majohn pens.”
A sensible decision, really.
After all, my pen case was already well-stocked. I was happy with what I had, and there was absolutely no reason to add another pen to the collection. I even attempted to destash my pens early this year as part of my attempt at streamlining my collection.
Then fountain pen people happened.
Recently, I came across posts by Jose Dalisay on Facebook and in the Fountain Pen Philippines Network, the community for fountain pen enthusiasts that I’m part of. If you’re unfamiliar with Jose Dalisay, he’s one of the Philippines’ most respected writers and one of the founders of the Fountain Pen Philippines Network. When someone who has handled more pens than most of us will ever own says he likes a pen enough to buy it in multiple colors, I pay attention.
What caught my eye was his praise for the P140’s buttery smooth nib.
Naturally, my carefully constructed resistance collapsed almost immediately.
First Impressions
I chose the demonstrator version with a medium nib because, let’s be honest, if you’re getting a demonstrator, you might as well commit fully to the transparent lifestyle.
The pen arrived looking far more premium than its price would suggest.
The body is made of clear acrylic, and I have to say that the craftsmanship genuinely impressed me. Under the scrutiny of a loupe, I could find no visible flaws in the material. In fact, it reminded me of the excellent finish on my Majohn Q1, which is already one of the better acrylic-bodied pens in my collection. I wrote about the Q1, snippet below:
The P140 features a classic cigar-shaped design. According to Jose Dalisay, it is essentially a tribute—or depending on your preferred terminology, a dupe—of the legendary Montblanc 149. Since I don’t own a Montblanc 149, I can’t make a direct comparison. What I can say is that the shape is timeless, comfortable, and elegant without feeling pretentious.
The pen also has a reassuring heft to it. It’s not excessively heavy, but there’s enough substance to remind you that this is a piston-filling fountain pen and not a lightweight cartridge-converter model.
The Nib: The Real Star of the Show
Let’s get straight to the point.
Jose was right.
The medium nib is gloriously smooth.
Not “good for the price” smooth.
Not “after a bit of tuning” smooth.
Just plain smooth.
Right out of the box, the nib glided across paper with almost no resistance. The flow is generous and wet, exactly the way I like my fountain pens. Ink lays down beautifully, shading comes through nicely, and writing sessions become dangerously long because you keep telling yourself, “Just one more page.”
Then suddenly you’ve filled three.
I’ve tested fountain pens that cost significantly more and didn’t provide a writing experience that felt this satisfying.
Demonstrators Are Mechanical ASMR
The piston-filling mechanism deserves special mention because this is where the demonstrator body really shines.
Every time I fill the pen, I find myself watching the piston travel up and down inside the barrel.
It’s mesmerizing.
I know exactly how piston fillers work. I’ve seen them countless times before. Yet somehow, watching the mechanism draw ink into the pen still feels like a tiny magic trick.
And then there’s the ink.
Oh, the ink.
The P140 is currently filled with Jacques Herbin Emerald of Chivor, a bottle I purchased secondhand from a fellow fountain pen enthusiast. If you’ve ever used Emerald of Chivor, you’ll know that it’s not an ink that believes in subtlety. Between the deep teal color, red sheen, and gold shimmer, it’s basically a fireworks display in liquid form.
Seeing it slosh around inside the transparent barrel is ridiculously satisfying.
Sometimes I catch myself tilting the pen back and forth just to watch the ink move.
For purely scientific reasons, of course.
The Value Proposition
This is probably the most surprising part of the Majohn P140.
It shouldn’t be this good for the price.
Yet here we are.
The finish is excellent. The piston mechanism works smoothly. The nib writes beautifully right out of the box. The pen feels substantial in the hand and looks far more expensive than it actually is.
In a hobby where it’s easy to spend eye-watering amounts of money chasing the perfect writing experience, the P140 serves as a reminder that great pens don’t always have to come with luxury-brand price tags.
Sometimes they come disguised as an affordable Chinese fountain pen that you ignored for a year.
Final Thoughts
The Majohn P140 is one of those pens that quietly exceeds expectations at every turn.
I bought it because a trusted fellow enthusiast recommended it. I expected it to be decent.
What I got instead was a pen with a wonderfully smooth nib, excellent build quality, a satisfying piston-filling system, and enough demonstrator charm to keep me distracted by swirling ink for far longer than I’d like to admit.
I genuinely love this pen.
It wrote beautifully straight out of the box, looks fantastic, feels great in the hand, and costs far less than its performance would suggest.
In fountain pen terms, that’s not just a good deal.
That’s a steal.
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