Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pen Re-Review
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- Опубликовано: 24 окт 2023
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I’m so glad to see a review about a pen someone does NOT like. It assures me your reviews are honest. That said, I do like my 823. Thanks for the great review.
I know Pilots aren't your favorite, but I don't think you've ever reviewed an E95S. It's one of my favorites, if not my favorite pen, and it's getting a lot of traction, both because it's one of the cheapest gold nibs on the market and because Brian Goulet has a habit of talking about it as of late. I think a lot of people would like to see you give it a spin.
I appreciate re-reviews of pens, even when the reviewer’s opinion doesn’t change. We afford ourselves too little opportunity to consider our judgements and weigh whether they were fair.
I have two 823s, one with a fine, the other with a medium nib. Both cost me far less than $300. I don’t remember whether I got lucky with sales or had coupons, but I wouldn’t have purchased these pens if they had cost $330+.
My hands are small, so the slim diameter is comfortable for me. But I am surprised that Pilot didn’t offer a larger size as well (and more colors would be nice).
I am happy with my pens. I am not over-the-moon ecstatic about them not merely grudgingly accepting, but quite satisfied. I was surprised by the significant difference in the way the two nibs write. The line-width difference is much more marked than I had expected. The fine is very fine indeed and the medium (which I expected would be more like a Western fine) is almost a medium-broad. But both write well, especially when I remember to let some air in.
I bought these back when I thought I would be doing more travelling and liked their reputation for being less likely to leak on airplanes.
I can understand why these are not pens to which you feel drawn; thank you for not needing to trash them because they do not suit your tastes!
I look forward to your next review.
My Pilot Custom 823 replaced my Lamy 2000 as my daily writer for 2 main reasons:
1. The 823 fits my hand better
2. I can fly with the 823 full of ink and not worry about leaking
It's not a pen I get super hyped about, but for me it is the perfect daily writer that's lovely to use and that I don't have to worry about. I can save my more characterful pens for my desk at home where I have time to troubleshoot if they misbehave.
I have had this pen twice and sold it twice. Maintenance was a problem and at the time, no one would recommend removing the section, not even Pilot. Now I seen removing the section and nib can be done. I wonder if Pilot changed the section for removal?
As for the nib, while Pilot makes the most consistent, well made nibs, I would agree that Sailor has the best nibs. Platinum, for me, would be a solid third place.
If there was any caveat I would wish Sailor made genuine soft nibs.
Fair enough, Stephen. I like mine very much, but as you say, not everyone's tastes (or hand sizes) are the same. Your reviews are always honest, informative and, frequently, humorous and I love them all! Thank you!
I have an 823 with a broad nib, and it is wonderfully juicy, glides across the paper. Never a hard start. But as you say, it's often a question of what appeals to you. I have a Lamy 2000, which is perfection in terms of build and performance, but it just doesn't inspire me. The custom 823 does. De gustibus non est disputandum
Well done again -for the second time around. As much as I love vac fils I have never really even considered looking at the 823. Price for what it is, just a pen, and a demo type, which I have never liked. So I will continue with my 30s-40s Wahl/Eversharp,and Sheaffer Vacs. Lovely to look at, Delightful to hold, and very reliable writers. Thanks again Stephen, I still look forward to and enjoy everything you post.
lol I just bought one today. I had a broad in smoke and really liked it. Today I got the clear one with a coarse nib. It will be dedicated to shimmer inks because I can seal and shake it up. :)
Thanks again for the honest opinion. I found mine skipped and railroaded (with a medium nib..😮). I ditched the warranty and added an ebonite feed to this, and now its lovely, but still not my favorite for the $.
I very much prefer the Custom Heritage 92, it's like a Japanese Pelikan M600 in my opinion. More usable thanks to the piston, better aesthetics too but that's subjective, I don't particularly like the ball tip on the 823 clip.
I love my Gravitas vacs, a little heavier and definitely girthier and much easier to maintain. The titanium flex with polymer feed is a really fun gusher.
I love my 823. I love the weight and balance and it just feels quality to me
I seem to have seen a lot of increased interest in the Custom 823 lately. I thought I would check out some clones, like the Asvine V126 and the Wing Sung 699. Neither are gold nibs (as of this writing, but Wing Sung may change that at some point), but both have been compared very favorably to the 823, especially given the CONSIDERABLE price difference. After running a few fills through those vacuum fillers, I have come to the conclusion that vac fillers just aren't my thing. Between that, the dearth of color options, and the lack of availability of an extra-fine or needlepoint nib, it just won't be on my wish list in the foreseeable future.
Yep, I agree that the 823 pen could be a bit girthier. It's a bit too slim for its length. However, the Pilot fine nib totally makes up for it. Wish they had it in EF.
I believe there is a place (the name of which currently escapes me) in which certain feeds can be bought in regards ink flow
I have a Pilot 743 in black, which is a cartridge-convertor sibling of 823 and I love it! It's a perfect size for me (unposted) in length and girth.
Also, i like the Pilot Blue ink - beautiful blue color, it's more pleasant to write with (wetter?) than Pelikan Royal Blue which i used before and it's partially water resistant, which is very important for me.
This looks like an amazing grail pen. I am expecting a WS699 since the 300+ investment is not an option for me right now (gold is actually going up, so I expect the prices for gold nib pens to rise as well). I would love to see an 823 with a FA nib or the 845 2-toned nib. What hurts me is that despite the hefty price tag, Pilot only warrants the 823 for 1 year, and Japanese companies have a bad reputation when it comes to after sales service. Meaning if something happens to the pen, spare parts may take months to arrive, and that is only covered for the 1st year after purchase. Also Pilot sells no spare parts, not even nibs. If you dont like the nib size you bought, tough luck. Maybe that's why they only sell it on F,M and B. I am also concerned about getting O-rings and rubber flanges for the piston, a few years down the line.
The more I think of these things, the more I consider this an amazing pen that I will enjoy for the next few years and less a grail pen that ll last a lifetime. Could be wrong though.
Thank you for the re-review Stephen, the original was informative and the trend continues.
I'm curious about the intro music , what language is it and what kind of genre music ? BTW I just acquire my Pilot 823 in medium nib but haven't used it extensively , I bought it out of curiosity .
What is it that you like more about Sailor nibs?
There’s an art to getting a full fill of ink with this pen. It requires nerves of steel and can get very messy if you get it wrong. I bought mine with a broad nib equivalent to a western nib.
The Pineider Travelling inkwell is your friend when it comes to getting a full fill. It's easy to use, but you still have to be careful.
Love my 823!
IDIC - Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. I certainly love mine though. It's probably my best pen in terms of writing experience, but my favourite is still the Lamy 2000 in terms of appearance, ease of use and sentimental value.
Dr. Brown, Thank you for your unbiased opinion. I purchased 2 823's and a Lamy 2000 quite a while ago because of the broad fan base for these pens. I don't like any of them. I keep "giving them another chance" thinking maybe a different ink or maybe my tastes will change. I almost feel like I need permission to have a different opinion. They just aren't for me.
The only Pilot I have is a 78g+ with a B calligraphy stub nib.
£20. Super nib.
Tiny converter only half fills.
Can I ask for a fuller understanding what you don’t feel enamored with Pilot nibs? I’m not grasping your hesitance.
Love 823s. The right price is like $200 and at that price it is a spectacular pen. $350 and stuff... that's really not a good deal.
Great review, for a non lover of this pen, you sold it very well 🇦🇺.
a lovely, lovely pen
I have one. Well OK, OK, mine is a Wing Sung 699 - a very good copy even down to the piston filler :-)
it suits SBREBrown ink perfectly
You mean the vacuum filler? For my money, I think the Asvine V126 is actually a better copy.
I'm confused. I didn't think the section was removable, at least without running the risk of cracking something and voiding the warranty, which--aside from the material which to me feels cheap--made the 823 an absolute non-starter.
You are correct, the section is actually glued on and removing it, or disassembling the piston voids your warranty.
Got one for 195 usd from ebay.
nice) 360 euro in EU . WOW
Nice, balanced review. I prefer the Plats 3776 given the $ difference or even the TWSBI vacs (with no gold nib). That said, if you can find them, the 823 has a wide nib selection. Cheers!
I wish you'd leaned more into your dislikes of this pen. There's no lack of videos singing its praises, and instead of providing valuable counterpoints, you ended up mainly echoing those videos, just with less enthusiasm. This review could've been useful.
Great review, for a non lover of this pen, you sold it very well 🇦🇺.