PILOT "CUSTOM 823 - Plunger Type/Transparent Brown (nib : Fine)

Since I first got into fountain pens several years ago, the Pilot Custom 823 has always been on my radar. I have seen countless videos and blog posts calling it a “grail” pen and comparing it to pens like the Pelikan M1000 or even Montblanc models. While those comparisons may be a bit exaggerated, I can confidently say this pen lives up to its reputation in its own right. The Custom 823 is an absolute pleasure to write with, hold, and even just look at. The transparent brown body is beautiful and refined, and the overall build feels thoughtful and well balanced. The medium nib is smooth and consistent, laying down a generous, controlled line of ink that makes long writing sessions effortless. Despite being a vacuum filler with a large ink capacity, this is the pen I end up refilling the most, simply because I cannot stop using it. This may sound overly enthusiastic, but if you have been in the fountain pen hobby for a while and have the budget for it, I genuinely think this pen is worth experiencing. It is a standout piece that feels special every time you pick it up.

The Pilot Custom 823 with the No.15 Medium nib is an outstanding fountain pen. It’s a smooth, wet writer with wet ink flow (especially when paired with wetter inks), and the large ink capacity means you don’t have to refill often. The pen has a decent grip for medium hands and is easy to fill. The 14k Medium nib is a bit broader than your steel Japanese medium nibs, and writes almost like a Japanese broad. At the current Amazon Japan import prices, its well worth the money . One thing you have to be wary about is opening the valve if you want wetter writing, or are writing for longer sessions, as this will make the ink flow easier. The only real con is maintenance, and when you want to switch inks or completely dry it out for it too rest, however this is such a good pen and practical pen I don't think it'll leave your rotation.

The Pilot Custom line's design is kind of ho-hum...mostly cigar shape bodies, hardly any exciting colors, almost all of them similarly sized...but appearance alone shouldn't be the primary reason to look at the Custom line. Most Pilot fountain pens are cartridge/converter pens, from the bottom to the top of the price range. If you want something with a piston filling mechanism, Pilot has only one pen: the Pilot Custom Heritage 92...and, on the other hand, you want a pen with a vacuum filling system, there is also only one: the Pilot Custom 823. Q: What's the advantage of a vacuum filling system? A: Greater ink capacity; Custom 823 vac filler (2.55ml) versus the Custom Heritage 92 piston filler (1.28ml) or all of the other pens' cartridge/converter capacity (1.03/1.23ml). If you tend to stick to one brand's ink color for a long time, like Pilot Blue or Pilot Black, and write for longer sessions at a time, the Custom 823 is the ideal choice. Q: What other reasons are there for calling this a GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) pen? A: The nib! It's a Pilot #15 nib (roughly equivalent to a JoWo #6), 14kt gold, in yellow gold color, available in F, M, B, and Signature sizes. No specialty nibs, no calligraphy nibs, no flex nibs. But for longer writing sessions, the smoothness of this nib is phenomenal, even in size F! The signature nib is similar to a Broad stub nib; vertical strokes are broad, horizontal strokes are Medium, all of them are buttery smooth. Q: What color of Custom 823 pen can I get? A: The Custom 823 is a "Demonstrator" pen, which means you can see through the walls of the pen, somewhat. The available colors are Amber, and Smoke, which allow you to see the ink level better than an ink window...but you won't really be able to see the ink color. There is also a non-colored clear demonstrator (new to the US since 2024) which allows you to see all of the pen's internal plumbing, and lets you enjoy your ink in living color. Q: What if I want more nib options? A: #1 alternative is the Pilot Custom 743, which is similar to the Custom 823, available in black or green with gold trim, has 14 different #15 nibs to choose from. #2 alternative is the Custom Heritage 912. Almost identical to the Custom 743, available in black with silver colored trim, but with flat instead of rounded ends ("Heritage" means it'll have flat ends, AND a sword-shaped clip), available with 15 different #10 (between JoWo #5 and #6) nib options. Both pens are (Pilot proprietary) cartridge/converter pens. Q: What if I want a bigger pen and/or spend more money? A: Pilot's got you covered. #1 The Pilot Custom 845 Urushi; has flat ends, but a ball clip, so it's not a Heritage. Beautiful red or black Urushi lacquered pen made from Ebonite, with gold trim and a gold and rhodium colored #15 nib...about three times as expensive as the Custom 823. #2 The Pilot Custom Urushi; has flat ends, but a ball clip, so it's not a Heritage. Beautiful red or black Urushi lacquered pen made from Ebonite, with gold trim and a gold and rhodium colored massive #30 nib...about five times as expensive. Both pens use the same cartridge/converter sizes as their much more affordable siblings. Both pens will impress with their artisanal beauty and hand-painted lacquer, but will write about the same as the Custom 823, have fewer nib options, and will run out of ink more than twice as quickly. Okay, those two-toned nibs look nicer, and the #30 nib may write with a little more bounce, but not by much. And if I had $1,500 to spare, I might have to buy one just to prove I'm right...LOL.

I'm glad I purchased this fountain pen. It writes smoothly and looks stunning.

This pen has the classic look and feel of a nice quality fountain pen. I chose a medium nib to suit my personal writing style. The nib is not particularly smooth and writing feels a little "scratchy" but that is my only complaint. The vacuum-filling system works fabulously and dispenses ink smoothly with little maintenance. I didn't need the fancy gift box and this product was well worth the money for the longevity that I anticipate getting out of it.

I'm a newbie as far as fountain pens go. This is a bit of a novelty for me. I don't do a lot of writing but will go through a Gell pen in a month just signing checks. So this is mostly for signature purposes. So I want something bold that puts down a clean dark line. So I'm ordering a Medium Nib pens because I don't want it too fine. First I got a Pilot Metropolitan and I like it. It's a lot cheaper than the 823 but writes a clean line and the cartridges are easy. So it is a good beginner pen. I got the 823 and I then picked up a Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pen; just to make sure I had my bases covered. All three pens are "Medium" nib pens. The 823 is a Beautiful pen. Definitely not as easy or as clean as a cartridge. I blackened my fingers filling it up - and I only got it half full - if that. But I know I didn't do part of it right and did much better the 2nd time. This pen flows a lot more ink than the Metropolitan and the Vanishing Point. It's wetter and bolder. I really like it for signatures and that's almost all I will use it for. For note taking and general writing - I prefer the Vanishing Point - and even the Metropolitan. The 823 is just too wet and bold. I was worried because some people have described the Medium Nib on the Pilot to be pretty fine. Not to me. One note of caution on the 823: Just keep the end cap at least three or four turns out. If you keep it snug all of the time the ink will stop flowing before the pen is empty and it's a frustrating thing. The only time I'll tighten it is if I'm traveling with it. Otherwise - Just leave it loose and ink won't flow out of it when it's being stored. Overall - it does exactly what I wanted it to do - which is to sign checks at my desk. It's weight is perfect and it looks rich and beautiful. But for note taking in meetings and conferences - I prefer the Vanishing Point.

If you are looking at this pen you probably know it has an epic reputation. Outstanding nib, super comfort in the hand, unique ink mechanism and massive reservoir, etc... All of that is true. During the 3 weeks waiting for it to arrive from Japan I became obsessed researching reviews on this pen. I pretty much knew what to expect. So what caught me off-guard? It arrived in a nice plastic case with various forms inside... I was expecting something more flimsy. The pen felt lighter than I expected, but once filled with 2+ ml of ink the weight was in-line with what I was expecting. I got the smoke transparent pen... once filled with black take-sumi ink the pen basically looks like a black and gold pen. It is very difficult to tell there is any transparency, especially in darker settings. The overall feel of the plastic was a bit of a let-down. At best it feels like my TWSBI 580AL plastic, and maybe that is a stretch. If I wiggle my TWSBI cap while on the pen all is rock solid. If I do the same with my Custom 823 I can hear plastic bits rubbing and grinding... just not as tight and refined. I did fix it by applying the tiniest spec of pure silicone grease to the cap threads with a toothpick, fyi. That 10 second fix changed the pen from feeling slightly flimsy to solid. So there are all the negatives. But if you buy a pen for the actual writing experience, this pen is exceptional. The quality of nib feel is worlds apart from the Pilot Metropolitan... and that $15 Metro pen nib is a work horse in its own right and just writes like a machine... but once using the 823 one now can have better understanding of the term 'nib refinement'. I got this pen to be my workhorse pen replacing my prior workhorse Metropolitan. The section and length sizing is just more comfortable, the ink reservoir has me not worrying at all on week long trips and that nib just feels better on all paper... my Metropolitan was smooth on good paper but scratchy on cheap paper. This #15 nib is smooth on all paper. I have a fine nib but there is no sweet spot, the nib seems to work equally well from all angles, which is nice and unlike the Metropolitan. The line size is very similar to my Metro Fine nib, but this nib feeds more ink so the lines are darker and more full of ink... but not too much. In summary, I'm real happy I got this pen. No regrets. And definitely like the black smoke version. 1/3/20 Update: After using this pen regularly for over 1.5 years I reaffirm that it is an amazing writer. Ever since that initial light greasing of the cap threads the pen has remained with a solid feel. After year 1, (8 or 9 fills) the plunger became very sticky in the barrel, making refills difficult and potentially dangerous to the structural integrity of the pen. After some research I learned how to dismantle the pen using a TWSBI wrench from the plunger-knob side of the pen so I could clean and re-grease the plunger with silicone grease... the metal shaft the plunger travels on seemed to have some surface corrosion, but the grease smoothed things out. After that lubrication the pen refills with ink even easier than when brand new. Any tool needs occasional maintenance and this is no exception. Still one of my favorites even after collecting a number of pens more than twice the price.

I'm a long time post '80s fountain pen collector and this is the first Japanese pen I have added to my collection. I am recently returning from a long hiatus on collecting. I use fountain pens every single day and almost never use a ballpoint or a rollerball unless I absolutely have to... So, I got caught up in all of the glowing reviews about this pen that I had to try one for myself. I chose the amber as I don't care for plain black pens at all. I think I only have one in my entire collection - a Montblanc 149 (ca. 1992). Well, I will give an honest review about this pen and try to be as descriptive as I can for anyone considering one, with both the positives and the negatives. Here they are, starting with the negatives: NEGATIVES: If you prefer girthy pens as I do, you will find the 823 to be very slim. And for me, I get writer's cramp quickly while using it. It is also very, very blah looking. I wish they had bright, solid colors in this line. I think demonstrators are ok but I already have too many. The cap looks like a definite attempt to copy a Montblanc but it just fails and seems kind of cheap. I guess I am just used to the thick, heavy nature of Montblanc caps. The 823 cap is much thinner in comparison. And being thinner walled all around, it is a light weight pen. Which surprised me because I watched a review on YT and she stated this pen had very nice 'heft' to it. I prefer pens with heft and weight. I added a comparison pic with my current inked FPs that reside on my work desk. From L to R: Delta Dolcevita OS (OG), the 823, Leonardo Furore, Pelikan 1000 and Pelikan M800. All are much more expensive except the Leonardo. And compared to the Leo, the 823 feels significantly cheaper. I am sure it's because the 823 is slimmer and has much less weight to it than the Leo. I paid less for the Leo with a 14k gold nib, also. Which made the Leo an amazing bargain because it is a top writing pen in my 50+ pen collection. POSITIVES: Why haven't I brought up the nib until now? Because the nib is absolutely awesome. I had read and watched reviews that stated it was soft and smooth. Well, they are 100% correct. It is a real smoothy. Inkflow is fantastic as well. No start-up issues, skipping or scratchy feeling at all. Just buttery smoothness. The filling system is a bit awkward but works well. Why is it awkward? Because you have to be careful not to shove the nib too far into your bottle while pushing the plunger down. Modern vacuum fillers take a bit of force, so this is kind of a balancing effort. I have three Visconti vacuum/plunger fillers and the Pilot seems about in-line with Visconti. So even with the awkwardness, it is a positive. It also holds a ton of ink. I expect a full reservoir to last me a few weeks or many, many pages of journaling or taking notes. In closing, the nib makes up for many of the other traits in this pen. But also, if you like girthy pens, you probably will not be happy with the 823. Overall, I am neutral on my rating. It is an average pen for having a real gold nib. If it weren't for the buttery smooth nib, this one would be sold off. EDIT: After writing for about half a page, the nib goes completely dry. The feed no longer draws any ink in. I figured maybe it was just factory gunk caught up in the feed, so I completely flushed the pen and again, it wrote well for about half a page, then dried up.