Pilot Custom 823 With An #15 Su Nib

[sessyargc]

(I had already type most of this post but I inadvertently press the backspace key ... and everything got wiped out ... sigh)

 

My first review so please be gentle. The photos are from a smartphone so not the best quality.

 

I will try not to duplicate the reviews made by other users:

Another Pilot Custom 823 Review!

http://www.fountainp..._1#entry2114852

 

Pilot Custom 823 Medium 14K Nib

http://www.fountainp..._1#entry1996933

 

Pilot Custom 823

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/146938-pilot-custom-823/

 

I will instead "try" to focus on the nib that came with this 823. It is a #15 SU (stub) nib. Ink is Waterman Blue-Black on Life Noble Memo paper (personal favorite). Pilot pens look bland and boring on the outside but they do have a wide selection of nibs. And that is what matters to me.

 

The nib is smooth out of the box and doesn't catch on the papers that I use (Life and Rhodia). It's noisy on paper but not scratchy. It is a wet writer. This specific nib has some springiness into it. Nib and feed is friction fit into the section so maintenance is easy.

 

 

 

 

The biggest nib that I have is a #10 MS (music) so I wrote with both pens to show the differences between the two.

 

 

 

 

Closer look at my bad penmanship (and showing the lines drawn by these nibs). Normal speed on a table.

 

 

 

The #15 SU is wide but not as wide as the supposedly smaller #10 MS.

2 blue lines from SU with pressure. 1 blue line from SU with normal pressure.

2 red lines from MS with pressure. 1 red line from MS with normal pressure.

 

 

 

The SU nib width is around 1mm.

 

 

 

 

I like the SU because I can get the line variation I want without using the wide MS. I like this nib better than the B nib on an MB149. I write my journal on a small B6 notebook so space is at a premium.

 

(Note: photo taken with page not totally flat)

 

 

 

I hope you will this useful.

 

(edit 1: added link from jandrese)

Edited November 25, 2011 by sessyargc

[TMLee]

Thanks for posting.

I have always been interested in an 823, but yet to own one.

Read Lots of good things written about them.

 

I prefer my nibs to be extra smooth writing.

Do you think it falls in this category?

What's your view/experience?

 

The two pens compared have different sized nibs.

The 823 is larger at size 15.

I am not sure but do you think it contributes to the 'spring' you mentioned?

[markiv]

Thanks for sharing - nicely done.

I quite like the flat vernier - where do I get one?

[raging.dragon]

The nib size is independant from the line width - you can get both the #10 and #15 in fine, medium, broad, and others sizes.

[sessyargc]

Thanks for posting.

I have always been interested in an 823, but yet to own one.

Read Lots of good things written about them.

 

I prefer my nibs to be extra smooth writing.

Do you think it falls in this category?

What's your view/experience?

 

The two pens compared have different sized nibs.

The 823 is larger at size 15.

I am not sure but do you think it contributes to the 'spring' you mentioned?

 

One can always make a not so smooth nib smoother with the right tools.

My taste or feel might differ from yours ... to me it is smooth. Less smoother than the B nib on my MB 149.

 

I attribute the "spring" to the pen being a "tester pen" at the brick and mortar shop where I bought it. It was the last one. Maybe size contributes to the "spring" but do take note that I have a #10 FA nib (on a 742) and a #15 FA nib (on an 823) and the smaller #10 FA nib has more "spring" to it.

 

Thank you.

 

 

Thanks for sharing - nicely done.

I quite like the flat vernier - where do I get one?

 

Thank you.

Bought the caliper from the local DIY shop ... Tokyu Hands.

 

 

The nib size is independant from the line width - you can get both the #10 and #15 in fine, medium, broad, and others sizes.

 

Thank you.

I did realize that nib size is independent of drawn line width but I was dealing with a stub here. Most nibs are oblong/rounded in shape, with the corners aggressively rounded off to be more smooth. The stub is more of an ellipse. Flat central region with slightly rounded corners. So one could easily attain line width == nib width. With enough pressure on the pen/nib I can draw a line almost as large as the measured nib width. That is my observation.

The measurements could be off thus my measurements should be taken with a grain of salt.

Edited November 25, 2011 by sessyargc

[jandrese]

Thanks for the review, I would like to get another one of these with that nib. Nice call on the clear demonstrator, and I liked your nib comparisons. For anyone wanting more full size pics check this

Link

[sessyargc]

Thanks for the review, I would like to get another one of these with that nib. Nice call on the clear demonstrator, and I liked your nib comparisons. For anyone wanting more full size pics check this

Link

 

Thanks!

The only one missing in my mini-collection is a Brown transparent 823.

Clear demonstrator w/ SU. Black transparent w/ FA. Still thinking what nib to get with the Brown transparent.

[VillersCotterets]

 

Thanks for sharing - nicely done.

I quite like the flat vernier - where do I get one?

 

Thank you.

Bought the caliper from the local DIY shop ... Tokyu Hands.

 

 

http://global.rakute...m/aiger-tky-10/

http://www.amazon.co...0/dp/B001M6042U

[raging.dragon]

Thanks for the review, I would like to get another one of these with that nib. Nice call on the clear demonstrator, and I liked your nib comparisons. For anyone wanting more full size pics check this

Link

 

Thanks!

The only one missing in my mini-collection is a Brown transparent 823.

Clear demonstrator w/ SU. Black transparent w/ FA. Still thinking what nib to get with the Brown transparent.

 

It seems these pens form two collections in one, both Custom 823's and Pilot specialty nibs. So how about a music nib? That would complete both collections!

[ParkerBeta]

By the way, how did you get an 823 with the SU nib? I thought the 823 only came with choice of F/M/B nibs. Was the SU nib transplanted from a 743?

[sessyargc]

@raging.dragon :-) I'm actually looking at getting the WA-nib for the Brown transparent.

The MUsic nib in the collection already, it is on the Custom Heritage 912.

 

@ParkerBeta I think the pen and nib came standard from Pilot as a demo unit only. The pen was bought from Maruzen at Nihonbashi. The people behind the counter at Maruzen seem to be tame, and may not be capable of transplanting a nib from another model. They know they're pens, but they don't usually play around with them. It was on display, tested it, loved it, bought it. The 823 can be bought with the specialty Pilot nibs. I have the 823 with SU (as pictured above) and an 823 with FA. This website has been floating around the forums for quite some time now. It's where I bought my 823 with FA nib.

[raging.dragon]

Is the Pilot WA a Waverly nib with upturned tip? How fine is the tip? From the photo it looks like it might be equivalent to the F, or perhaps even finer.

[ParkerBeta]

 

@ParkerBeta I think the pen and nib came standard from Pilot as a demo unit only. The pen was bought from Maruzen at Nihonbashi. The people behind the counter at Maruzen seem to be tame, and may not be capable of transplanting a nib from another model. They know they're pens, but they don't usually play around with them. It was on display, tested it, loved it, bought it. The 823 can be bought with the specialty Pilot nibs. I have the 823 with SU (as pictured above) and an 823 with FA. This website has been floating around the forums for quite some time now. It's where I bought my 823 with FA nib.

 

Thank you for the link! It was new to me. From Google's auto-translation of that web page, it appears that this stationery store negotiated with Pilot to be able to sell 823 pens with the WA and FA nibs (usually only available in #15 size on the 743). The origin of your 823 with SU is a bit mysterious, but is probably due to a similar deal (perhaps a one-off "demo") between Maruzen and Pilot. Very interesting!

[sessyargc]

@raging.dragon

IMHO the WA is near a Japanese M nib. Yep the tip is upturned, the part in contact with the paper is like the tummy of a mantis.

 

@ParkerBeta

Not sure if its a "one-off" in the strictest term because last time I was in Maruzen, they had another 823 with an SU nib on display. Special negotiations most probably :-)

[leod]

Is that a stock nib or custom grind stub?

I have not seen this nib in stock

[saskia_madding]

I really want one of these #15 SU nibs to add to my current 823. I'd even buy a whole pen for it! But where to find one?

 

Are the #15 nibs the same ones that are on the Pilot Custom 742s? Or what about the nibs on the Custom 74s?

 

ETA: Looks like only the 743 and 823 have the #15 nib. CURSES.

Edited January 19, 2012 by simonerodrigue

[sessyargc]

@leod That SU is a stock Pilot nib. They come in #15 (ie Custom 823, Custom 743) and #10 (ie Custom 742, Custom Heritage 912) size.

 

@simonerodrigue Yep, 743 and 823. Aside from the more expensive 18K (two-tone) on the 845 which I think it can only be bought in F, M, B and BB.

[nicholasyeo]

That's a nice nib... The more I see this pen, the more I like it...

Especially with the stellar reviews...

[raging.dragon]

I find that I'm not interested in any of the Pilot/Namiki pens available in North America. The Maki-e pens are beautiful, but too expensvie for me (though perhaps in the future...). An Emperor in basic urushi, tame-nuri, or even raw ebonite would be nice, but the first has been discontinued and I've never seen the other options. None of the specialty nibs are available here, and the clear and smoke 823 while being regular production items in Japan were released here as small limited editions, and thus are unlikely to *ever* be made available here again.

 

:bonk:

[saskia_madding]

I am super sad about not being able to get an SU nib in the USA/Canada. I just want the nib separately, but have no idea how to get it. I'll probably have to end up buying a Custom 743 on ebay just for the nib, which is a $275 adventure. Maybe I'll be able to sell the body to recoup some of the cost.