Pilot Custom 823 Collection Fountain Pens

I recently purchased a Pilot Custom 823 with a fine nib. I'm very pleased with Pen Chalet's assistance, pricing, and delivery. The Pen arrived promptly and in perfect condition, and I'm very happy with it. Using the Parker Blue ink that came with the pen, it writes buttery smooth for this old lefty! I highly recommend the Pilot Custom 823 and Pen Chalet!

Beautiful pen, writes smooth but the nib is a little too small for my liking.

This is not my most expensive pen, but it is the one that offers the most amazing writing experience. The fill mechanism is reliable and easy as well. My only complaint is I wish Pilot offered some of the other colors in the US

I was not sure I would like the Pilot Custom 823 fountain pen because of their vacuum filing system. After using the very buttery smooth writing from the elegant gold fine nib, I found the experience fabulous! The pen holds a huge, an amazing amount of ink. The amber shaded translucent body and cap at first seemed a novelty but later I found it better to see the amount of ink remaining and if I needed to refill. I am very impressed with the quality and styling; I would say it is worth a look and purchase if you are looking for a gold nib fountain pen.

I've wanted this pen for a while and saw that it was in stock at Pen Chalet, so I ordered it. I can't believe how good this pen is. Do be aware, though, that you will need a deeper bottle of ink in order to fill it. Happily, they include a bottle of blue ink with the pen. Pen Chalet fulfilled the order immediately and it came quickly.

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.