Pilot Custom 845 Vermillion (!) 18Kt Fine.

[Penryn87]

This is the perfect pen. 10/10

Ok I am sure you want to know more.

https://imgur.com/XJXW98V There you will find a written version of this review that might not have all the details. https://imgur.com/a/wz7784l And here is the rest of the album.

So this is the Pilot Custom 845 Urushi. The finish is Vermilion and the nib is Pilot's 18kt gold two-tone. But you can see all that.

The Custom 845 Urushi is the full-size brother of the over-sized (or really super oversized lol) and number-less named Custom Urushi. Pilot USA does not import this pen so you will have to import it yourself directly from a Japanese retailer.

The Vermilion finish to this pen is, to the best of my knowledge, exclusive to Tokyo Pen Shop Quill. I am not 100% of that but it seems to be the only place you reliably purchase this pen if you're not in Japan anyway. Even then, the Vermilion is not in constant production and seems to restock around fall/winter of the year and sells out quickly. The price I paid for this pen was around 500 50000 yen and the experience in purchasing was amazing. Tokyo Pen Shop Quill only carries a very curated selection of Pilot/Namiki pens and thoroughly inspect the pen as well as tunes the nib before shipping it. The packaging could not have been better and included a lovely letter thanking me for my purchase as well as a nifty pen cleaning tool that according to my post purchase questions, the shop owner makes himself.

So that brings us to the nib. Pilot nibs are very reliable writers, no matter what price point, but these 18kt nibs are just something else. The shop owner himself does some adjustments that takes the quality to the next level. This is the smoothest fine nib I own and have ever used because if anything was smoother than this I would have bought it or not have sold it.

This pen is my first Urushi pen and I doubt it will be my last. The feel of the urushi (which is the red/vermilion sections) has a subtle warm/soft-feeling that is very unique compared to resin/plastic. It seems to be very scratch resistant as well. Size wish is is pretty much the same as Pelikan M800 but weights just slightly less. The body does have some lovely gold ring furniture and is just... ugh I love it lol.

The filling system is C/C.. yes piston snobs, I know.. but trust me, this thing is so pretty you won't care. While it might be C/C, it does use the venerable Con-70 push-button vacuum converter.

The pen is something special really. Pens sometimes reflect the personality of their owners and other times give something back to the writer. This definitely gives back in the form of confidence that you cannot help but feel as how hold the powerful vermilion hue in your hands. This is the first pen I have ever owned that as made me question the need to own anything else.

10/10

Edited November 23, 2019 by Penryn87

[AG_ORD]

Aloha Penryn87, in your post, you state the pen cost 500 yen; is that correct? That's about US $5.00. Did you mean 50,000 yen? Inquiring minds want to know. I love your pics of the pen btw. You get any line variation from the nib?

[Penryn87]

You can get a little line variation with slight pressure but I wouldn't sell this pen on line variation. And yes.. it was 50000 yen lol.

[bizhe]

My black 845 (m) put me off new pens for about a year. Even then the only pen I've bought since then is the cleo skribent classic in fine, for use on crappy paper.

[GardenWeasel]

Gorgeous pen!

[Honeybadgers]

I concur that Yaz over at tokyo pen quill shop is a hell of a guy. I convinced him to buy an ebonite feed from Joey at flexible nib factory for his 823 FA nib. He sent my 823 FA nib (he's the only person pilot authorizes to purchase the 823 with the WA or FA nib, everyone else in the world can only get the F/M/B) very carefully packaged, he covers warranty work so your pen is warrantied despite being overseas, his communication was great, and even though it was "special order" he had it in the mail within three days.

 

the 845 is so damn expensive though. I am going to pass on it until I get my hands on a wancher 18k urushi, which is about the same price.

[whichwatch]

"Penryn87", I enjoyed your review. Great job!

 

I received my Custom 845 Vermillion just this week and can echo everything you said about the service from Tokyo Pen Shop Quill. I first contacted them almost a year ago after reading that this pen was sold out and no longer available. They never forgot my interest, remained in communication, and proactively contacted me a couple of months ago to say they expected to have the pens available in November. Sure enough, in early November they contacted me that they were able to supply the pen with my desired BB nib. The pen arrived here in the US Midwest only four days after being shipped from Tokyo.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of my "happy family" - the Namiki Emperor, Pilot Custom Urushi, and Pilot Custom 845. And since

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7B7D7F37BA-15D7-439F-8797-BC1C87F55B08%7D/origpict/IMG_2298.jpg

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7BA4DE1D1C-86F3-4F45-BADD-F44546BD1179%7D/origpict/IMG_2299.jpg

 

 

 

the 845 looks rather small in these pictures, here are two showing it next to the Pelikan 800 in the comparison mentioned by OP. Not as small as it looks next to the two giants, right?

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7B8E10FB75-2830-4235-91FD-E4AFD81E0B86%7D/origpict/IMG_2301.jpg

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7BEEA708E0-1453-454F-90BC-B611FE8D3DA5%7D/origpict/IMG_2300.jpg

[Penryn87]

I concur that Yaz over at tokyo pen quill shop is a hell of a guy. I convinced him to buy an ebonite feed from Joey at flexible nib factory for his 823 FA nib. He sent my 823 FA nib (he's the only person pilot authorizes to purchase the 823 with the WA or FA nib, everyone else in the world can only get the F/M/B) very carefully packaged, he covers warranty work so your pen is warrantied despite being overseas, his communication was great, and even though it was "special order" he had it in the mail within three days.

 

the 845 is so damn expensive though. I am going to pass on it until I get my hands on a wancher 18k urushi, which is about the same price.

 

I am also very curious about the Wancher Urushi pens. Very well priced if they can live up to the expected quality.

[nibtip]

Well, what can i say after reading this dithyrambic review I crossed the Rubicon. There is a minimum of one month delay. I'm okay with that.

[Honeybadgers]

I am also very curious about the Wancher Urushi pens. Very well priced if they can live up to the expected quality.

 

At this point I'm buying one purely to pay them back for Chiaki at Wancher taking in my one of a kind vintage WWII japanese eydropper that spent 35 years underwater on a sunken japanese transport vessel for restoration for free

[TassoBarbasso]

I also have the 845 in vermillion and M nib (plus a spare falcon nib). Spectacular pen. Practically perfect.

[GardenWeasel]

At this point I'm buying one purely to pay them back for Chiaki at Wancher taking in my one of a kind vintage WWII japanese eydropper that spent 35 years underwater on a sunken japanese transport vessel for restoration for free

Very nice!

[Penryn87]

I also have the 845 in vermillion and M nib (plus a spare falcon nib). Spectacular pen. Practically perfect.

 

Does the regular falcon nib fit? Or is this the FA nib I have read about?

[half_inked_one]

I am also very curious about the Wancher Urushi pens. Very well priced if they can live up to the expected quality.

I have taken the risk in Kickstarter campaign to purchase Wancher Dream Pen Aka Tamenuri with broad nib and ebonite feed (red!). The Urushi lacquer is fantastic, nib writes a bit like a wet western Medium - compared to M600 B, that is - but the ink flow is fantastic. I do not know how to describe it, but line is perfectly showing the ink colours - whatever ink I put in.

I love it and fully recommend.

[Honeybadgers]

Very nice!

 

 

They do sell restored japanese vintage pens in batches and they're absolute screaming steals. About $100 each, you get a shiro semiflex nib in celluloid aerometrics or urushi ebonite japanese eyedroppers, restored perfectly, with a 1 year warranty (and they honor the warranty no questions, including paying shipping - something I had to do for one that lost its seal) and they come in easily the prettiest gift box I've ever seen, beautiful wooden chests with an ink sample vial.

 

Love their stuff and their communication and service to the community is awesome. But that's getting off topic.

[GardenWeasel]

Thanks!!

 

 

They do sell restored japanese vintage pens in batches and they're absolute screaming steals. About $100 each, you get a shiro semiflex nib in celluloid aerometrics or urushi ebonite japanese eyedroppers, restored perfectly, with a 1 year warranty (and they honor the warranty no questions, including paying shipping - something I had to do for one that lost its seal) and they come in easily the prettiest gift box I've ever seen, beautiful wooden chests with an ink sample vial.

 

Love their stuff and their communication and service to the community is awesome. But that's getting off topic.

[MightyEighth]

Thanks for the inspirational review. I love my black 845 and have been eager to have the Vermillion but had effectively given up. So, now that they are available again I put in my order today with Tokyo Pen Shop Quill. He’s already working on setting it up—yes, great service!

[Ryanlim]

Amazing review. Very informative indeed....a new grail pen for me....am still waiting for my 743 FA nib.....

[MightyEighth]

Today I received the Custom 845 Urushi Vermillion and I observed a small change in this production run, something you can see in the photos by the OP. Instead of printing URUSHI on the cap above the gold band, it is now incorporated in the band imprint, with the number of stars reduced from three to two in each instance to make room. So, the band imprint reads ** CUSTOM 845 URUSHI ** PILOT MADE IN JAPAN

 

The cap band of my black 845 (purchased April 2018), and previous versions of the Vermillion as found in some web searches, reads *** CUSTOM 845 *** PILOT MADE IN JAPAN

 

Sorry, no pix yet, and I haven't even inked it up. Just admiring it for a while. Such a beautiful shade of red.

 

- Marc

Edited December 5, 2019 by MightyEighth

[Penryn87]

Today I received the Custom 845 Urushi Vermillion and I observed a small change in this production run, something you can see in the photos by the OP. Instead of printing URUSHI on the cap above the gold band, it is now incorporated in the band imprint, with the number of stars reduced from three to two in each instance to make room. So, the band imprint reads ** CUSTOM 845 URUSHI ** PILOT MADE IN JAPAN

 

The cap band of my black 845 (purchased April 2018), and previous versions of the Vermillion as found in some web searches, reads *** CUSTOM 845 *** PILOT MADE IN JAPAN

 

Sorry, no pix yet, and I haven't even inked it up. Just admiring it for a while. Such a beautiful shade of red.

 

- Marc

Huh. I didn't notice that.