Jump to content

Pulling The Trigger - Pilot Custom 823


Cryptos

Recommended Posts

Hey fellow fountaineers,

 

Having sold most of the old and not very good stuff I had, I find I am sitting on $220 in my PayPal account. This is designated pen funds only - after all it's not like I'm spending any new money!

 

Anyway, the obvious question is: what to get?

 

Now, as I may have mentioned elsewhere, 4 of the 5 remaining pens have got what I think of as specialist nibs (italics, flexible, giant stubs etc). What I am looking for is a nice daily workhorse, and that leads me to the Pilot Custom 823. There are many reviews of this pen, which sounds great but can also be confusing.

 

So, I am poised with my finger over the BIG RED "Buy it Now!" BUTTON. :yikes:

 

Before I do that I thought I'd canvas some last minute opinions. Is this the right choice? I thought about a 743 but reviews talk about visible seams on the body, and besides which I don't particularly care for the styling.

 

Does anyone have any compelling arguments as to why I shouldn't consider the 823, and perhaps should look at something else at or around this price point?

 

As Dumbo (might have) said, "I'm all ears" :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 76
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Cryptos

    19

  • Bluey

    5

  • Water Ouzel

    4

  • Betweenthelines

    4

I can't think of any reason not to buy the 823. It's a great pen

 

Some regards

Allan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's been on my serious consideration list for quite a while. The main reason I haven't gotten one is that I think it might be a bit bigger than I like. From comparison pictures, it seems to be significantly larger than my Custom Heritage 92, which is at the upper end of my size preferences.

 

But if you like big pens, then that wouldn't apply.

"So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do."

 

- Benjamin Franklin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At first I have one... and then I have two.

 

Now I am on the verge of telling myself I don't need to buy any new pen unless one of them broke. I think I'm good with them for the next few years until I can afford two Montblanc 149 to replace them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't think of any reason not to buy the 823. It's a great pen

 

Some regards

Allan

 

"Some" regards? :unsure: Never seen that before.

 

Anyway, there are about 7 hours before I get home. Hopefully there may some further opinions on the 823 by then, but perhaps it is seen as a very good pen by most people?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is are no more satisfying pens to use than my MB 149 and my Pilot 823. The only reason not to buy a 823 is because you do might not believe in buying any expensive pens. This one though, is well worth it.

Edited by RudyR

What Would The Flying Spaghetti Monster Do?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before I do that I thought I'd canvas some last minute opinions. Is this the right choice? I thought about a 743 but reviews talk about visible seams on the body, and besides which I don't particularly care for the styling.

I've got two 823's and one 743. They use the same nibs. Well, you can get several nibs on the 743 that aren't offered by Pilot on the 823, but they're the same size #15 nibs. (And lovely nibs they are, too.) The pens are close the same size, too.

 

The 743 can accept the CON-70 converter, but the 823 still holds quite a bit more ink.

 

Given that you're looking for a plain nib for EDC, the 823 fits the bill. And I think you'll love the nib on it. If I had the dosh, I'd get another one to play with my F and M-nibbed 823's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I understand it - and I'm rarely well-informed on such matters - the barrel cracking issue was associated with those owners who just couldn't resist pulling their pens apart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wish I could help, but such a thing has never been in my hands. Good luck with the decision (cough...cough..."purchase").

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also have to choose - if I go for the 823 - which of the three colours I would like it to be. I've gone through the gamut. Started at transparent, decided I didn't really need this to be a demonstrator. Looked at the amber, quite liked it... but ended up thinking the black smoke may be a better stealthy choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only downside, other than limited width options for my preferences, is the plunger come needs to be unscrewed for ink to flow properly. Never bothered me but some do not like it.

 

I would recommend the amber. I found it a good balance of transparency and the ability to hide ink staining the lubricant for the plunger.

If you want less blah, blah, blah and more pictures, follow me on Instagram!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Deleted, duplicate post.

Bill Sexauer
http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/zyNIMDOgTcgMOO/5768697.0/org/p/PCA+++Logo+small.jpghttp://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/zyNIMDOgTcgMOO/5768694.0/org/p/Blk+Pen+Society+Icon.jpghttp://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/TE3TzMUAMMYyNM/8484890.0/300/p/CP04_Black_Legend%2C_Small.jpg
PCA Member since 2006

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought an amber 823 in 2010, inked it and have never let it go dry. It gets refilled whenever it gets low because it has become my A no. 1 everyday writer. I recently bought a second one, this time a clear demonstrator 823 with an FA nib and I like it just as much. I haven't had a bit of trouble with either one of them.

Bill Sexauer
http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/zyNIMDOgTcgMOO/5768697.0/org/p/PCA+++Logo+small.jpghttp://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/zyNIMDOgTcgMOO/5768694.0/org/p/Blk+Pen+Society+Icon.jpghttp://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/TE3TzMUAMMYyNM/8484890.0/300/p/CP04_Black_Legend%2C_Small.jpg
PCA Member since 2006

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking at it objectively, while the 823 is a lovely pen the filing mechanism is rumoured to be exactly the same as that used on the much cheaper Twsbi vac 700, so essentially what you're spending the extra $140 on is a gold nib.

 

Having said that, if you're paying over $70 for a pen it's worth having a gold nib even if there is no real performance advantage, but of course that's not the underlying point because it's about the feeling that you're using a classy pen.

 

It's probably worth asking yourself what the bottom line is

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is no monetary bottom line here. This is a fund that was used last year (and a bit of this year) to buy pens that have now been converted back into money. In a sense it's money already spent and adjusted for.

 

As far as the Vac700 goes, well, it is to me a quite ugly pen (I'm sure there are people who say the same of the 823 too). As the cost is not an issue in this case I can choose between them based purely on aesthetics, not to mention the nib.

 

I guess the question is: at this price level is there anything out there that provides an equivalent or better writing experience than the 823?

 

I like Pilot pens. Just thought I'd throw that in there! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I understand it - and I'm rarely well-informed on such matters - the barrel cracking issue was associated with those owners who just couldn't resist pulling their pens apart.

Or...every barrel cracking incident was associated with owners taking their pens apart. I won't own an 823. I had one and it decided to crack on me. Never took the thing apart. It seems on this forum some things are just givens and it is a given that a cracked 823 is the owners fault.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm I think I see what you mean about the Vac 700 being ugly. Not ugly but not exactly a work of art. I have the smoke version because it's like a subtle demonstrator, and I bought it mainly for the novelty of the filling mechanism(I want each of my pens to be unique in some way), but I very quickly got bored of it. Now I see it more of a pain than a novelty because while it has great capacity it's not very convenient to fill.

 

There's no doubt that the 823 has oodles more class as a complete package than the Twsbi even if they do have the same filling mechanism. The nib is large and will give a hint of softness to it when you're writing which is nice.

 

You mention that it's partly about about the appearance.One of the downsides(apart from the cracking which other people have mentioned, which may or may not be an issue) of the 823 is it looks too generic. It's that classic cigar shape which seems to be ubiquitous, and that's a shame. Some people like it but I would prefer pen companies to change the record now and again.

 

Good luck!

Edited by Bluey
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find most production pens at my price level look somewhat generic. An MB 149 looks generic. So personal taste will play a big part of course. As far as pens having similar filling systems, well, that could applied to everything that uses cartridges and converters, all piston fillers and vac fillers too. I wouldn't discount something just because of that similarity. Personally I rather like the design of the 823, even though my last Pilot purchase was the flat-topped 912. I like that too. I'm quite plastic in my tastes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...