Pilot Custom 823 Collection Fountain Pens

I now understand why all the excitement among fountain pen enthusiasts! The Custom 823 is real gem! Thanks Pen Chalet for steering me in the right direction.

After hearing all the hype over the years about what a great pen this was I finally had to break down and buy one. There is absolutely no disappointment on my behalf about that decision, the Custom 823 is one of the best, if not the best, writing pens I own and I own some that are quite a bit more expensive than the 823 is. I'm in complete agreement with Matt Armstrong that if you could only have one pen to use for from now on out this would be the one that I chose. A great pen and worth every penny that it costs.

I originally purchased the medium nib based on the conventional line of thought about Japanese nibs being finer than other nibs. While that may be true for some Pilot nibs, it isn't for the 823. The medium nib on the 823 writes a very smooth, but heavy line. I exchanged the medium for a fine nib, and am very pleased with how the fine writes. It provides a finer line with more feedback, but it writes extremely smooth and the ink flow is perfect.

The vacuum fill system works as easy as described. The pen does post top-heavy, but not so much that it becomes uncomfortable.

I received excellent customer service from the Pen Chalet, with no questions asked about the exchange.

This is an awesome writing instrument and clearly the best pen I own. Read the reviews on "The Pen Habit" or "The Pen Addict's Top 5 Pens."

One Happy Writer Here

I am now in my second life with fountain pens. I used them and enjoyed them in grad school in the 90's, but for some reason left the path. I started using and enjoying fountain pens again only a few months ago.

Soon after I re-immersed myself in the world of fountain pens, I identified the mighty Pilot Custom 823 as my grail pen, the one pen to rule them all. About that time, though, the Pilot Custom 823 became essentially unavailable across North America, at least with fine or medium nibs.

Pen Chalet's site *seemed* to have them in stock, so I placed an order. After a few days, I called Pen Chalet to find out what the situation was. Ron was extremely helpful: he told me that no, his store didn't have them in stock at the moment, but he would find out what was happening. He called Pilot North America and found out that the pen had sold out across the country during the holiday season, but there was no serious long-term supply issue. And, he was able to get an 823 for me in just a few days after that, while I'm still seeing it sold out on other sites weeks later.

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As for the pen itself, it is everything I hoped it would be. There are a number of good reviews of the Custom 823 on the Web (especially Matt's from The Pen Habit), so I'll just hit the highlights here. The nib is magic: smooth and springy with just a hint of welcome feedback. The reservoir capacity is terrific: I can go through a CON-50 converter in a day; the 3 ml in the Pilot Custom 823 can last close to a week. Filling the pen is super easy, and it's a fun, tactile activity. I love knowing how much ink I have left, and it's fun to watch the ink sploosh around in the reservoir. The resin the pen body is made from is so smooth and high quality... with the tactile qualities of the resin and the weight of the pen it feels more like it's made of glass than of plastic.

To mention one possible nitpick -- just so it will be apparent I am not unreflectively gushing about my pen -- you could say that the 823 is slightly unbalanced, top- or back-heavy, when posted: until now, I have never been inclined to write with a pen unposted, but I definitely prefer writing with the 823 unposted. Without the cap, the pen is perfectly comfortable and balanced.

After extensive research, I determined the Custom 823 would be perfect for me. I planned to use it near exclusively for journaling (although I like it so much I’ve been trying to find an excuse to use it whenever else).

Pros include a demonstrator body that allows you to see the ink level; huge ink capacity especially when filled to the brim; luscious nib that writes smooth wet lines; gorgeous appearance; good weight (I use it unposted) how it fits the hand perfectly.

I initially opted for a fine point since my writing is small. Unfortunately, both pens I received had a hint too much of scratchiness and I found it unpleasant edging on irritating. This was probably the exception rather than the norm given other reviews declaring the fine nib sensationally smooth, and the reputation of Pilot nibs to be glassy smooth. Pen Chalet has been absolutely outstanding in addressing my concerns, and ultimately after many phone conversations, we decided a medium nib might perform more to my liking.

Since receiving the pen I’ve been writing with it every day, and the medium was a completely different experience, more akin to what I expected. These days I get giddy excited come time to refill the barrel. Now you can’t say that for all fountain pens!

A wonderful pen with a wonderful line, my custom 823 is my preferred instrument when writing in my lab notebook (even over my Lamy 2000). I used this pen ever day as the sound of the gold nib on the paper is so quiet and the resistance to motion so small I never get fatigued using it.

So why the low rating for quality? After all, this is a pen Pilot is famous for. And with the basis of the Namiki Co. being to create a 10,000 year nib they certainly have the right philosophy.

The problem is in the fill mechanism and the nib. The fill piston works by pushing down to fill the chamber. Frankly, I have never been able to get it to completely fill the chamber, even after listening to other users who claim they can. The piston also seems to have a very odd progressive resistance as you push down, with an extra amount of force needed to get it to finish. This seems to be a quality issue since many other users seem to have no problem, so perhaps I just got a bum mechanism. This concerns me as Pilot only offers a three year warranty on the pen while Lamy's is a lifetime one.

The result of this is that the pen only lasts about two days before I have to refill it. My Lamy 2000 and Lamy Studio, both with piston systems, last about a week. Heck, even my Monteverde Invincia lasts longer than this. And nothing is as frustrating as being in the middle of writing a long passage and suddenly writing dry. If this was a cheaper pen I might excuse it.

I will contact Pen Chalet about this - they have always been responsive and I am certainly they'll help. But it is trying to have to go through something like that given the reputation of both the pen and the maker.

Beautiful pen and an excellent writer. Easily one of my new favorite pens if not my favorite pen. Purchased the Fine nib and has no hint of scratchiness with little to no feedback. Feels great in hand both posted and unposted.

I am pleased with pilot custom 823. It is what I was expecting. I am impressed the way it writes. I give it 5 stars in all aspects. Pen chalet were very good to deal with.

This was my first gold-nibbed pen and my first non cartridge/converter pen. Wow... The writing action is so silky smooth and feels amazing! The filling is also great and I love how easily it is to load up with ink. Even my grandfather, who has a few vintage pens, talked about how gorgeous this pen was. I'm very happy with this pen!