Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pen - Black - Medium Nib

So nice, bought it twice...Well, in fact, make that *three* times, on account of my first one inexplicably going missing a handful of years ago, which was a sad, not to mention rather expensive loss. But I loved the thing so much that I bucked the "temptation of novelty" and bought a second 823 (Black, like the first one), instead of something else, this time with a Fine nib. That felt a bit different from the Medium, with just a bit more tooth which at first was briefly disconcerting (my issue with FPs in the past was with their being either *so* smooth they lacked control for consistent handwriting, or so scratchy as to be highly unpleasant to write with at all). The Fine nib turned out to be terrific for me, but the bigger reveal for me was that the only thing ... MoreSo nice, bought it twice...Well, in fact, make that *three* times, on account of my first one inexplicably going missing a handful of years ago, which was a sad, not to mention rather expensive loss. But I loved the thing so much that I bucked the "temptation of novelty" and bought a second 823 (Black, like the first one), instead of something else, this time with a Fine nib. That felt a bit different from the Medium, with just a bit more tooth which at first was briefly disconcerting (my issue with FPs in the past was with their being either *so* smooth they lacked control for consistent handwriting, or so scratchy as to be highly unpleasant to write with at all). The Fine nib turned out to be terrific for me, but the bigger reveal for me was that the only thing better for my writing than a single 823 was two of them (and a Vanishing Point for quick note-taking and such). For just a touch of variety, the companion 823 I chose was in Amber with Medium nib; amusingly, I'd gotten so used to the Fine nib that writing with the Medium was now slightly strange, but the memory of the first 823 came back quickly, and all was good. If you know of the 823, you likely know its oft-mentioned virtues: comfortable shape for extensive writing, fine-tuned nibs that write beautifully straight from out of the box, seriously-large ink capacity via an elegantly simple and efficient filling system, flawless fit and finish, and aesthetics that are pleasing to the eye but not fussy or overwrought. In other words, something a serious writer would happily reach for, very often. I certainly can't ask for more in a good pen.

A Grail Pen at 1/3 the price

The Pilot Custom 823 is the most expensive pen I have bought up to this day. I was a little hesitant at first, I have bought other pens close to this price mark, that just didn't seem to translate to the money I spent. This pen from looks, to how it feels, and, most importantly, writes, not only meets its price point but exceeds it. I've had this pen for over four months now, so I'm confident I can give this a good review. First the packaging it arrives in is wonderful and it comes with its own bottle of blue ink, which just sweetens the value of this pen. I currently have it inked up with the blue it came with and while its not my favorite blue, its still a very good ink. The pen itself radiates a classic type of beauty. Its classic cigar style shape, black body, ... MoreThe Pilot Custom 823 is the most expensive pen I have bought up to this day. I was a little hesitant at first, I have bought other pens close to this price mark, that just didn't seem to translate to the money I spent. This pen from looks, to how it feels, and, most importantly, writes, not only meets its price point but exceeds it. I've had this pen for over four months now, so I'm confident I can give this a good review. First the packaging it arrives in is wonderful and it comes with its own bottle of blue ink, which just sweetens the value of this pen. I currently have it inked up with the blue it came with and while its not my favorite blue, its still a very good ink. The pen itself radiates a classic type of beauty. Its classic cigar style shape, black body, with gold accents just shows that the old adage, if it ain't broke don't fix it, rings true with this pen. However the pen is body is kind of see through. At a glance or at a distance you won't notice that it is transparent but closer inspection allows you to see inside the pen, so checking ink levels is never a problem. Picking the pen up is a pleasure. For an expensive pen it has a decent weight to it, which is something I want in my higher end pens. I remember when I picked up my Lamy 2000 for the first time, and its light weight made it feel cheap. Not the case with the Pilot Custom 823, the decent weight just gives it that luxury feel. Inking up the pen is really simple too. Just unscrew the back, stink your pen in your ink of choice, pull up, then press down on the plunger, and your done. Now it is true that it won't fill the pen up 100% of the way and there are some tricks you can YouTube to get it completely topped off, but the chamber for the ink is so large its not really worth the hassle. The first plunge will be more than enough. Writing with pen is something you just have to try. I got this pen to be my work horse, so I got an EF nib, and it writes smoother than most of my B or M nibs. I can't imagine how smooth it feels in a larger size nib. For longer writing sessions you will need to unscrew the cap a bit to allow the pen to breath, but after a week or two of using it, I got the hang of it pretty quickly. The pen can write posted, but with my small hands I don't prefer it. Now for my only negative on this pen. It is hard to clean. I would highly recommend you think long and hard about what ink you put in there, because to get this thing clean enough to switch to a new color can take a while. It is possible to dissamble this pen, but after reading around and watching videos on it I wouldn't recommend it. On the bright side if you want to write in another color its just an excuse to get another pen. Overall, this is my favorite pen in my collection.

An active partner in writing

This well-balanced, fabulous pen is my best writer; perhaps better than my Pelikan M800. But this pen has a manual transmission, not automatic. Don't expect to just fill it up and write. The filling mechanism requires you take an active part in using this pen, before, during and after use. After filled (which is at least a 2-step process), the ink cavity is sealed. You can write using what ink is still in the nib feed, but eventually, you'll run out of ink. If you plan to write a lot with it, you'll either need to open the back knob and keep it open (and this works well when posted as much as unposted), or periodically open the ink compartment to break the seal and then close it up again to get about 10 more sentences of ink out of it. I highly recommend you watch ... MoreThis well-balanced, fabulous pen is my best writer; perhaps better than my Pelikan M800. But this pen has a manual transmission, not automatic. Don't expect to just fill it up and write. The filling mechanism requires you take an active part in using this pen, before, during and after use. After filled (which is at least a 2-step process), the ink cavity is sealed. You can write using what ink is still in the nib feed, but eventually, you'll run out of ink. If you plan to write a lot with it, you'll either need to open the back knob and keep it open (and this works well when posted as much as unposted), or periodically open the ink compartment to break the seal and then close it up again to get about 10 more sentences of ink out of it. I highly recommend you watch the Goulet video on using this pen before buying it.Like using a pipe or driving a stick shift, this pen requires you to interact with it. If you find that annoying, this is not the pen for you. But if you like ritual in an old-fashioned sense, and are willing to partner with this precision writing instrument, you won't be sorry. It will reward you with unparalleled performance. I've never owned or used a pen that's smoother, never, ever skips, even with lightning fast writing, and will write immediately after months of being ignored (if you can ever possibly ignore this pen!). It's perfectly balanced and just the right size, posted or not, and has just enough weight to feel you're holding something substantial without it being tiresome to use for a long time. It holds a TON of ink if you fill it completely (a 2-step process), and it just transparent enough to allow you to see how much ink it left if you deliberately look. Otherwise, it appears fairly opaque. While a bit pricey for a Pilot, it is superior in writing, style and balance to any "top tier" pen.

As expected and hoped for.

I am not a pen collector, however, I have had a fountain pen on my desk for the last 50 years. Nothing special, nothing I would even be upset about if I lost. For the last decade I have used a Lamy Safari. I still like the Safari but this 823 is no doubt now going to be my pen of choice. It seems to fit my hand and while the amber or brown color seems to be the most popular, I went with the almost black. There are a zillion colors and flashy pens out there, and it is just not my taste to have all the colors of the rainbow in my pens. They don't have to sparkle or display deep layers in their resin. Function over looks any day.To put it another way, the pen looks just fine to me but you have to understand, the most common color for my clothes is gray, favorite ... MoreI am not a pen collector, however, I have had a fountain pen on my desk for the last 50 years. Nothing special, nothing I would even be upset about if I lost. For the last decade I have used a Lamy Safari. I still like the Safari but this 823 is no doubt now going to be my pen of choice. It seems to fit my hand and while the amber or brown color seems to be the most popular, I went with the almost black. There are a zillion colors and flashy pens out there, and it is just not my taste to have all the colors of the rainbow in my pens. They don't have to sparkle or display deep layers in their resin. Function over looks any day.To put it another way, the pen looks just fine to me but you have to understand, the most common color for my clothes is gray, favorite seasonings - salt and pepper, favorite cracker - soda, favorite cheese - cheddar, favorite coffee - "normal".... like you get in just about any restaurant. I only play the game chess because there is no luck in the game, so you might expect I would be a bore and I probably am. I don't need to own the "Heaven Gold Pen", the "Caran D'Ache 1010" with diamonds, the "Aurora Diamante" or the "Visconti Alchemy H.R.H". Understatement is more to my liking.I selected the FINE nib and while smooth there is some feedback but I love the feeling that if I had some talent I could extract the most exacting results. And my favorite ink color... wait for it.... black - which I use 95% of the time. While I just got the pen today, I have been writing for two hours with De Atramentis Document Ink, thinking it might have the most body of my very small selection of inks and if the pen worked with it, then it would work well with any of my inks. For now, this has become my favorite pen and I am not sure it would be very easy to change my mind. Even before I put the ink in the pen I took out that one little gasket so I don't have to worry about it running out of ink. There is no chance this pen leaves my desk for any reason, and certainly not to take on a plane with me so I don't need the protection that shutoff gasket offers. Lovely pen and far better than my meager talents can fully utilize. If it makes me a better sketch artist, or letter writer, it will be worth every penny.

Beautiful pen

Finally inked it up to make writing samples for a custom grind. The nib is bigger than I prefer but that was to give the nib grinder enough tipping material. Wrote very nice but big nibs are not my cup of tea. My handwriting is small even though my hand are large. The pen. Absolutely beautiful. The nib too. Only downfall is that Pilot discourages dissasssembly. See it done on YouTube all the time but those videos are older ones. Heard they glue them together now and there is something on a couple of threads and I do not have the courage to fine out. Cleaning is still easy enough but not being able to remove the plunger makes drying the barrel above the plunger next to impossible. Maybe the nib meister can tell if it will come loose. Could have returned it but it is ... MoreFinally inked it up to make writing samples for a custom grind. The nib is bigger than I prefer but that was to give the nib grinder enough tipping material. Wrote very nice but big nibs are not my cup of tea. My handwriting is small even though my hand are large. The pen. Absolutely beautiful. The nib too. Only downfall is that Pilot discourages dissasssembly. See it done on YouTube all the time but those videos are older ones. Heard they glue them together now and there is something on a couple of threads and I do not have the courage to fine out. Cleaning is still easy enough but not being able to remove the plunger makes drying the barrel above the plunger next to impossible. Maybe the nib meister can tell if it will come loose. Could have returned it but it is worth keeping. Pet peeve with Pilot. If you purchase a pen and is damaged out of the box a warranty is great. If there is nothing wrong with the pen the warranty is probably not worth anything because if it’s damaged by owner it’s not valid anymore. Pet peeve #2 I buy it I own it, I should be able to disassemble as I see fit because it’s now mine. #3 the piece ******* into the barrel that guides the vacuum rod should be made with a quality metal like another well known company does and supplies the tool to do it with. Putting glue on those threads is a slap in the fade to the people buying them. I think Pilot forgot they just make them. We own them and they should be user friendly. It’s a black eye on Pilot, and an insult on us the consumers. Had to get that off my chest.

Excellent all-around writer

I’ve come to really love this pen. I have the fine nib and initially it seemed a bit dry, especially on the upstrokes (and yes I had the vacuum filler unscrewed at the back). I flushed with distilled water and re-inked. I’ve been using the Pilot/Namiki blue that’s included. The pen now writes excellently and the nib allows for some minor line variation. I love the precision of the fine nib. It’s smoother than my soft fine 3776 and finer (as expected) than my otherwise perfect Sailor PGS in medium. The weight and size are the best of any pen I have. It’s a pleasure to hold and write with unposted. I use this primary for writing and note-taking and it’s been my go to pen for the last month. It doesn’t dry out as quickly as some other pens even when uncapped for a few ... MoreI’ve come to really love this pen. I have the fine nib and initially it seemed a bit dry, especially on the upstrokes (and yes I had the vacuum filler unscrewed at the back). I flushed with distilled water and re-inked. I’ve been using the Pilot/Namiki blue that’s included. The pen now writes excellently and the nib allows for some minor line variation. I love the precision of the fine nib. It’s smoother than my soft fine 3776 and finer (as expected) than my otherwise perfect Sailor PGS in medium. The weight and size are the best of any pen I have. It’s a pleasure to hold and write with unposted. I use this primary for writing and note-taking and it’s been my go to pen for the last month. It doesn’t dry out as quickly as some other pens even when uncapped for a few minutes.I wasn’t initially sold on the filling system but I’ve come to appreciate it. I do wish it was easier to clean and that I could change ink colors more easily. But given all its other strong points, the custom 823 is my favorite pen in my small collection. Would definitely recommend.

Ruined all other fountain pens for me

This fountain pen is so good especially for the price. This is a pen for people who are very utilitarian and who want a fantastic writing experience. Personally, increasing the price point from here has not really given me that much better of a writing experience and I feel like you go into the realm of aesthetics of the fountain pen more so than the practicality of a writing instrument. I've bought a few different fountain pens that were similarity priced or even more expensive from Lamy, Visconti, and Platinum and I always come back to this pen. I find myself comparing all writing experiences to this fountain pen now, and nothing really measures up. It's buttery smooth and has the perfect balance of being fine but definitely not scratchy. The color variation of a ... MoreThis fountain pen is so good especially for the price. This is a pen for people who are very utilitarian and who want a fantastic writing experience. Personally, increasing the price point from here has not really given me that much better of a writing experience and I feel like you go into the realm of aesthetics of the fountain pen more so than the practicality of a writing instrument. I've bought a few different fountain pens that were similarity priced or even more expensive from Lamy, Visconti, and Platinum and I always come back to this pen. I find myself comparing all writing experiences to this fountain pen now, and nothing really measures up. It's buttery smooth and has the perfect balance of being fine but definitely not scratchy. The color variation of a bunch of different inks really shows using this pen. The vacuum filler is really intuitive and easy to use although I'm not sure how to fill it to 100% (although I'm satisfied with the 80% it can normally do). The ink capacity is huge and doesn't need any converters or extra attachments. The only drawback of having such a huge ink capacity is if you like to try out a bunch of different inks and colors. Filling it with a more exotic color might be your undoing since you might be stuck with that color for a while since the ink capacity is huge. This might be good for people who prefer simpler black/blue inks and who write a lot and who don't want the fuss of refueling ink very frequently. The black color of the pen is very black and just transparent enough to see the liquid if you hold it up in the light or if you're in a bright room (I feel like the pictures make it out to be more transparent than it actually is in my opinion). I haven't used this pen for art / sketching, but I would recommend this pen for daily use and works great for English lettering, cursive, or even Chinese / Japanese characters. The pen works both posted and unposted and doesn't feel awkwardly balanced personally. The length is also neither too big nor too small, but I could see how it might be a bit small unposted for someone with large hands. Cleaning and maintaining the pen is simple enough although I typically don't use shimmery inks just inks from iroshizuku typically. The body material feels nice and doesn't leave any fingerprints and doesn't seem to have any wear with extended use. If you're looking for a "next-next-level pen" (e.g. something pricier than a Lamy 2000 or Pilot Decimo) and are looking for a great writing experience and are practically-minded, this pen might be the final pen you ever buy.

The Only Pen I Really Need

I held off on buying this pen for a long time. Although I enjoy using fountain pens, I have always thought that spending a lot of money on a pen was not a direction I wanted to go. The price tag on the Custom 823 was certainly (for me) much higher than I wanted to spend. However, through my experience with TWSBI, both good (when they work, they are great!) and bad (all of my TWSBI's, various ECOs and a Vac Mini) all developed tiny cracks in the thread section of the body within about 5-6 months. I don't really care about the aesthetics of a crack, but they all began leaking and that made them unusable. I even used some silicon gel to end the leak on the VacMini, which only worked for about a month. Through all this, I had come to really like the demonstration style ... MoreI held off on buying this pen for a long time. Although I enjoy using fountain pens, I have always thought that spending a lot of money on a pen was not a direction I wanted to go. The price tag on the Custom 823 was certainly (for me) much higher than I wanted to spend. However, through my experience with TWSBI, both good (when they work, they are great!) and bad (all of my TWSBI's, various ECOs and a Vac Mini) all developed tiny cracks in the thread section of the body within about 5-6 months. I don't really care about the aesthetics of a crack, but they all began leaking and that made them unusable. I even used some silicon gel to end the leak on the VacMini, which only worked for about a month. Through all this, I had come to really like the demonstration style and, especially the vacuum system and huge ink capacity. You see where this is going. The Custom 823 began calling to me... I hade been gifted a Pilot Custom 74 and really loved it, except for its small ink capacity. Long story short, I finally pulled the trigger and succumbed to the 823. For me, this is the ultimate pen - the writing experience is incredible, it is absolutely beautiful (personally I think the amber is super classy, somewhat retro looking) and it all works like a charm. I have had it for almost a month and I like it even more than I did at the beginning. One last thing to mention - the ink bottle that comes with the pen is not just "a little gift" as has been described. In fact that size and style of bottle is the only one recommended by Pilot for the pen. The reason is that it is made (with an insert) that is specifically made to work with the 823! Directions are on the back of the bottle (as well, I think, as in the directions included with the pen). I would also suggest, against some who certainly have more experience with pens than I do, that you read carefully and follow the instructions given in the enclosed paper. Seems like if a maker of a pen says certain things done to the pen will nullify the warranty, then there must be a reason :). That said, if you can afford it, buy this pen! You will not regeret it!

Wonderful pen. A pleasure to write with and a really cool filling system.

Not necessarily one of my grail pens, but it kept catching my attention and I figured instead of jumping into the deep end with a Visconti **** Sapiens, I'd take a chance with this one and save a few hundred dollars. Very glad to have made that decision. Love the pen, love how it looks, how it feels. Being able to see the ink sloshing around inside is way more satisfying than it seems like it should be. And what a wonderfully smooth nib (medium)! The filling system is really cool. It's great for someone looking for a classic but unpretentious pen. If the Montblanc 149 is a fine champagne, the Custom 823 is a nice bourbon.Only problem is now my desire for another vacuum fill pen has gone down dramatically. I'm sure a Visconti is in my future, but now I think I'll ... MoreNot necessarily one of my grail pens, but it kept catching my attention and I figured instead of jumping into the deep end with a Visconti **** Sapiens, I'd take a chance with this one and save a few hundred dollars. Very glad to have made that decision. Love the pen, love how it looks, how it feels. Being able to see the ink sloshing around inside is way more satisfying than it seems like it should be. And what a wonderfully smooth nib (medium)! The filling system is really cool. It's great for someone looking for a classic but unpretentious pen. If the Montblanc 149 is a fine champagne, the Custom 823 is a nice bourbon.Only problem is now my desire for another vacuum fill pen has gone down dramatically. I'm sure a Visconti is in my future, but now I think I'll be content with a cartridge-converter model. The 823 has pretty much satiated my vacuum filler needs.

Worth It!

This pen is my first gold nib fountain pen and my first pen that cost more than 50 dollars. It was a leap, but I wanted to treat myself. I was worried initially, as a pen being just shy of 300 dollars is still slightly shocking (as you can tell, I'm not super deep into the hobby yet!). It is worth it.The pen is a smooth, effortless writer, and the gold nib surprised me. I admit, before this, I was somewhat of a skeptic for gold nibs, after all, how much better could they be? Well, let me tell you, there is a difference. It isn't necessarily night and day, and it hasn't ruined steel nibs for me, but I was surprised by how much of a difference there was. It works great on everything from cheap dollar store paper to some of the finer paper products offered here at ... MoreThis pen is my first gold nib fountain pen and my first pen that cost more than 50 dollars. It was a leap, but I wanted to treat myself. I was worried initially, as a pen being just shy of 300 dollars is still slightly shocking (as you can tell, I'm not super deep into the hobby yet!). It is worth it.The pen is a smooth, effortless writer, and the gold nib surprised me. I admit, before this, I was somewhat of a skeptic for gold nibs, after all, how much better could they be? Well, let me tell you, there is a difference. It isn't necessarily night and day, and it hasn't ruined steel nibs for me, but I was surprised by how much of a difference there was. It works great on everything from cheap dollar store paper to some of the finer paper products offered here at Goulet.The filling mechanism is a joy to use, and it is awesome to watch the vacuum break and the ink surge into the pen barrel. This is my first non-cartridge/converter pen, and I am digging the vacumatic filling system. It is quite easy to use, and also quite easy to get a full fill, which means a huge amount of ink on tap. You do have to leave the blank cap unscrewed slightly (3 turns, about 2mm or so), but this doesn't add any significant length to the pen, and the pen is so well balanced that it doesn't disrupt the writing experience. I haven't had any trouble remembering to unscrew and re-screw the cap before and after writing. I really enjoy the fact that by ******** that cap down, you seal the pen completely, meaning no leaks, and no worries.Including ink is a great choice by Pilot. It aids the presentation and helps the pen feel more special and luxurious. It also helps add value to the product, by including a rather sizeable amount of ink, in a bottle specially designed to aid in filling a vacumatic pen. Pilot blue is not anything to write home about (haha!) but it is a wonderful, non-offensive blue that just works, regardless of the pen or paper used. It is a very nice shade of blue as well, and rather low maintenance as inks go.All in all, I would recommend this for anybody looking for a quality, next-level pen, or looking for good quality and good value in a gold nib pen. It may appear a little pricey at first, but let me assure you, it is worth every penny.As for dealing with Goulet, it was pleasant as always. They shipped quickly, the package arrived ahead of schedule, and everything was packed with a slightly ridiculous amount of care. I also enjoyed the tootsie pop.