Pilot Custom 823 M

[NickM]

It's possible to swap the 15 nib on the 823 with another 15 nib (the nibs just slide out), and many people want to do just that with the FA nib as you suggest, but Pilot doesn't sell individual nibs, so you'd have to buy both pens.

Hi Tsujigiri:

 

First let me say "Thank You" for the very informative and impressive review--and very nice photos, too--of the Pilot Custom 823 M that you recently just acquired.

 

When you say that "the nibs just slide out", how do you go about accomplishing this? Do you just grab the nib between your fingers--or secure your grip with a rubber band wrapped tightly around the nib/feed section assembly--say a prayer to the Gods, take a swig of whiskey, and then hope for the best as you begin to pull?

 

--Nick

[diplomat]

Tsujigiri,

 

First: thank you very much for this comprehensive review: you have high standards indeed, that's hard for us to keep the pace!

 

Second: the Ito-ya pictures made my day! I dig that place. I have fond memories of it. And I regretted to have not a picture of it from my visit in 2007.

 

Last: it's strange that a nation which is famous for combining tradition and advanced technology only have ONE fountain pen model with a self filling mechanism.

 

Ciao,

[Tsujigiri]

Thank you for the comments, diplomat and NickM! I just grab the nib with my fingers, close to the grip, and twist side to side a little with a rocking motion while I pull it out. It seems to be friction-fit, unlike the Sailor 1911m, which clicks in and out.

It's true that it would seem that the Japanese would explore different filling mechanisms... with all the emphasis they seem to place on good writing instruments (their inexpensive ballpoints and pencils are unparalleled), you'd think that they'd pay a little more attention to their fountain pens. That might change when Sailor comes out with their piston filler next year/decade/century, though...

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

Thank you for this -- I continue to be fascinated by the pens that Japanese manufacturers reserve for their domestic market.

[acolythe]

I have the 823 in brown with a Broad NIB. I purchased on ebay new from engeika at what I considered to be a very good price. The broad nib is about a western medium ini size and lays a very smooth line. It is a little dry but only a tad, just enough to give good shading. If I had to part wuith all my pens tomorrow, this would be in the top three of those I would want to keep.

 

[Ghost Writer]

This pen certainly has an interesting filling system. Thank you for taking the time to give us such a complete review and for the pictures.

[Solomander]

Nice review. I have had a couple of Pilot 823s and really like them. I wish that they were a little bit easier to clean and a bit larger in diameter. Very cool pens. As you have mentioned, they are great for traveling because you can seal the ink chamber tight. Their ink capacity is enormous too.

 

Joel

[Banana]

Your recent comments on the Pilot Custom 823 is an inspiring individual perception of magnificent arrogance, and outrageous insolence of prejudice. May I remind you that if you consider Pilot, and this pen in particular, as "inferior" compared to the respected German brands of Mont Blanc and Pelikan, than you astound us with your insightful lack of knowledge on writing instruments.

 

I think these are matters of opinion more than knowledge and while I don't agree with Georges' opinion, I don't think it makes him arrogant or prejudiced.

[CharlieB]

I have two of the 823s and enjoy them both. The #15 nib is particularly nice.

[PinarelloOnly]

I love my 823. I have used it now for almost 1 week and cannot say enough about its outstanding ink supply by way of the

vacuum filling system. It's definitely a serious pen for the serious user. Bravo to Pilot for making it available here in the

States.

 

The 823 is going to have a big following once more people over here start to experience these outstanding pens.

 

 

 

[HenryLouis]

Great review! Where can i buy this online?

[Pengrump]

Great review! Where can i buy this online?

 

The first place that comes to my mind is Richardspens.com. But I think Oscarbraunpens.com (Pam Braun) has them too.

Edited May 3, 2009 by Pengrump

[Nikolaos]

I just inked up mine (after a long time). Writes amazingly well...as always of course

 

 

[Tsujigiri]

Great review! Where can i buy this online?

 

Thanks! The best option I can think of in North America would be to buy one off ebay from a Japanese seller. Try searching for one on ebay with the "worldwide" and "add store inventory" boxes checked. I'm not sure if the other two have a regular supply of this pen. The only online store I can think of that I've seen this in is Pen-house.net, but I'm not sure if they ship outside of Japan.

[susibilia]

It is probably a good thing that I stopped taking Japanese classes for the time being - if I were still learning the langauge, and thus still planning to visit Japan in the next few years, I would probably end up wasting away my college fund on awesome pens and paper

 

Hopefully by the time I DO make a visit to Japan (probably some time in college), my pen lust will have died down a bit.

 

Lovely review, though! It's a beautiful pen.

[Tsujigiri]

Update: I bent the tines back a bit to improve the ink flow and filled the pen with Aurora black, and now it's a very wet writer. Wetter even than a Sailor. I can now enjoy how smooth the nib is on this pen, and it's become one of my top pens. The one gripe I have now is that Aurora ink seems to cling to the walls of the pen, which makes it hard to read the ink level.

[Flourish]

My absolute most favorite pen ever! Especially when you switch out the nib for a xxxf Falcon nib. I really love that I can shove this pen upside down into my pocket without worry. I can get a whole days writing or drawing out of this pen without a refill and that alone, to me, makes this pen worth every penny I scrounged, borrowed and stole to get it.

[Escribiente]

Thank you for the detailed review, but, especially, for the pictures of the pen taken apart. They show how careful is the design and how accurate the manufacture of Pilot pens.

[Moore]

Another fantastic review from Tsujigiri.

Great photos