PILOT CUSTOM 823 - Plunger Type/TransparentBlack (nib : Fine)

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.

Amazing quality from pilot. With a 14k gold nib in extra fine, this pen is definitely worth your hard earned dollar.Considered a grail pen by many, once you write with it, you can feel its smoothness almost like you’re writing on butter. The ink reservoir also holds a very generous amount of ink.The best part of this pen is its vacuum style refill. I own many fountain pens but this, is my daily workhorse.Such an amazing pen!

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.

This has the feel of a very premium pen. The medium nib is buttery smooth to write with and is wet without gushing. Filling takes some practice with the vacuum piston, but is very satisfying when you get it right, and it holds a huge amount of ink if you are a prolific writer. If I was being picky, the only fault is it's very hard to rid the chamber of all ink when cleaning and it's not user serviceable (unless you are confident and don't mind voiding any warranties). At this point it's the favourite pen in my collection.

Wonderful nib, great construction on the pen. Now I understand why this pen has been around for so long