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I've done some searching but couldn't quite find what I'm looking for. I recently purchased a VP with a Fine nib and it's just finer than I would like, so I'm planning on getting a Medium nib unit later in the month. Later in the year I'm hoping to get my hands on a Custom 823. Before I got my VP I was thinking about getting the 823 in a Fine but now I'm likely to go with the medium. Only thing is, from what I've read on the forums, Pilot's VP Medium writes rather similarly to a Western Medium and that there's no real happy medium. Is this the case with the 823? How does a VP Medium compare to a 823 Medium? Thanks in advance for any input

I picked up 3 Lamy Safaris at the first of the year, for use in taking notes in an Accounting class. Charcoal, Blue, and Red (with matching Lamy inks). The pens all worked fine at home, after being flushed before use. But those were the last pens I bought for about 6 weeks. I needed a break after my crazy Nov and Dec Fountain Penning. The other night was the first class. The blue and black ones both clogged up or dried out or something, on the Clairefontaine notebook. I basically was writing nonstop with them - the blue for about 45 min, and the black for the next 45 min. Plus, the charcoal one writes like (bleep); it's so scratchy. (this is my second charcoal Safari - the last one was a little scratchy, too, though nowhere as bad as this one. I gave that one away months ago. I wonder if it's something about the black nib?) In the end, I figured it was a message that it's time to finally stop buying cheap pens just because they are cheap. So I finally took the plunge and ordered the Pilot Custom 823 I have been wanting for months. I went with "Smoke" in Medium. Should be here early next week. (Vanness doesn't mess around with getting orders shipped out.) It comes with a bottle of Pilot Blue, but I bought a bottle of Iroshizuku Take-sumi about a month ago. It's still unopened, purchased specifically to be used in the black 823 I knew I would order before long.

Hi all, I'm considering to purchase a Pilot 823 (again) but not sure which nib would work better for me. My preference is for fine nibs or Western EF nibs that lay down a wet line. I do like some softness on my nibs too. I've read that the Fine nib on 823 is wet and also has some softness to it. Same for the FA nib, but I'm not sure on the line width on that nib. Read that it can be like a F, FM or M on multiple forums with no pressure. Note that I'm not looking to use flex for daily writing. Any opinions and writing samples on this comparison would be highly appreciated! Cheers, Sidd

The Custom 823 pens have always been highly captivating demonstrators from Pilot Corporation (Japan), sporting the second largest nib (Pilot#15, Namiki#20 nibsize), with a vacuum plunger filling mechanism. The model number 823 refers to the price and year, of launch, although in a slightly intricate manner. Since this pen was released in the year of 2000, 82 years after the company’s inception (i.e. 1918), it carries the first two digits of the model number as ‘82’ and the last digit which is ‘3’ refers to it launch price of JPY 30,000 (3 X 10,000). Also replicated the content with additional pictures in my blog, as the images are/will be reduced to a small thumbnail after a short-while by the image hosting service. Happy reading ! Below is a link to the same: The Pilot Custom 823 Amber Demonstrator Review The Custom 823 (for the Asian market) comes packaged in a standard pilot gift box (Z-CR-GN) which might not draw much attention, quite unlike the pen. The US merchandise comes with a silver sateen lined gift box with a complementary (hey! not really folks) bottle of Pilot/Namiki Ink-70 (Blue). The pen of course is a hot star. A golden label with a model number and nib specs is tagged to the clip. The box carries a user manual for a Type P fountain pen, which does mention keeping the knob slightly unscrewed (at a 2 mm distance) relative to the metal ring, while writing. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/C823/DSC_4033_zpsn5yia4uf.jpg DESIGN - THE AMBER DEMONSTRATOR (6/6) The Custom 823 comes in three standard designs of translucency transparency - Amber, Smoke and Clear resin, all with gold plated trims. The resin material seems substantial and feels heavy. A silver trimmed version may be a nice thing for many fountain pen nerds including myself. I went for an Amber one with a medium nib and find it quite challenging to resist getting another Smoke version, with recently slashed prices in Rakuten/Ebay. The Amber demonstrator given its lightness, is capable of bedazzling you even with a tiny bit of moonlight. A golden dazzle along the three bands and the clip, subtly delivers the rest. The finials at the cap along with the piston knob conclude the design with a brownish opacity. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/C823/DSC_4038_zps59uqxwrt.jpg The cap feels substantial and unscrews with one and a half turn, revealing the elegant yet simply designed pen. The grip section is moulded from the same brown resin as the cap-final and the piston-knob, and another golden ring segregates the grip from rest of the body. The amber demonstrator translucency does reveal the steel rod with a plunger seal mechanism. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/C823/DSC_4058_zpsdj6urt8a.jpg The cap does mention a few things etched across the broader of the concentric golden bands, including the model name CUSTOM 823 and PILOT MADE IN JAPAN with six stars of separations. A thinner band above renders some more aesthetics to the overall design. The clip is tension fit and it encompasses a vertically embossed PILOT within its golden sheen. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/C823/Cap_zpsp81nns3m.jpg FILLING SYSTEM (6/6) The brown piston knob unscrews from the golden ring till an end stop, post which the plunger unit can be pulled out. The rod is made of stainless steel and is resistant to most of the commonly used inks. For IG (Iron Gall) and Pigment Inks, care must be taken to clean the pen several times, to prevent clogging or deposit accumulation inside the ink passages. The pen fills to more than two-thirds its capacity, once the nib is dipped in ink and the plunger is pushed back in. This can give a quick gush of ink inside with a comfortable volume of 1.4 - 1.5 mL, which again could last for several days. Although getting some more ink into your pen is quite possible. Cleaning the pen is a similar ritual accompanied with some shake and I suggest you do it on a regular basis, for the ink stains if left may look ugly with time, and might require a light ammonia solution to go-off. And as mentioned in the manual, while writing with the pen, you would need to keep the piston-knob slightly unscrewed (at a 2 mm distance) relative to the golden ring. This will displace a conical valve seal below the piston seal to allow passage of ink to the feed. Given the high ink capacity of these pens with plunger type filling mechanism, this has been done to prevent ink-leakage. And this is a nice thing to have, if you intend to carry the 823 in a flight. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/C823/DSC_4130_zpsjqcefo3d.jpg For a rather crazy and complete fill, you do have a workaround. With the nib pointed up, you can pull out the plunger of a partially filled 823 and then by slowly pushing the plunger inside, you would get the air-gap between the inverted ink-levels and the visible end of barrel-section minimized. Once the inverted ink-level reaches the visible end of the barrel, you can submerge the nib in the ink bottle and push the plunger in. Voila! Done. This process may result in some ink escaping to the threads of the piston knob, but again you can repeat the same process with water/cleaning solution and shake a little to wash it off. NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (6/6) The nib is friction-fit and comes in a standard 14k monotone design across three stock widths - F, M, B (and some specially ordered custom widths of FA and WA). The nib has a standard pilot design. The tail end of the nib specifies the month and year of manufacture. An elongated hexagonal imprint separates the design from the outer shoulders and tines with an arabesque decor running inside its circumference, encompassing the circular breather hole in between. The branding and nib specifications of PILOT, 14k-585 (58.5% Au Alloy) along with the nib size and width, which are imprinted below the breather hole. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/C823/DSC_4151_zpscb3t9giu.jpg A standard bluish grey plastic feed with thin fins and a decently sized feeder hole delivers the amazing ink suction. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/C823/DSC_4152_zpswsiiokoa.jpg PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING With a transparent translucent resin body in form of a traditional cigar shape, it does give a comfortable feel of length. The cap itself weighs 10 grams which makes it top heavy if posted. The overall weight of the 823s have thus a significant (one-third) contribution from the cap. There is then a comfortable grip section with around 1.1 cm diameter. Uncapped Length ~ 13. 2 cm Posted Length ~ 16.4 cm Nib Leverage ~ 2.4 cm Overall Weight ~ 29 g A capped and uncapped comparison with few of the standard large pens like Visconti Homo Sapiens Maxi, Pelikan m805 and MB 146 is posted below for your reference. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/C823/DSC_4154_zpsxjd20amq.jpg http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/C823/DSC_4155_zpsieq78ytb.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE(6/6) It retails at around USD 288, and as usual it’s available at lower street prices towards a band of USD 200. I had got the pen at a cost of USD 220 at that time, which I thought was a good bargain. This year Rakuten sellers made it look lamentable by selling 823s at less than USD 190, inclusive of shipping! OVERALL (6/6) This 14k nib has a wet flow, albeit a hint of softness like the custom 74. The nib is springy and lays a somewhat wider line with pressure. There is no significant variation among the horizontal and vertical strokes. These wet lines take almost 15 secs to dry a Sailor Jentle Sky High on MD paper. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/C823/DSC_4180_zpsxbepmpcf.jpg Thank you for going through the review. Sonik

This thread is for the fans of Frankenpens like me Story short: I own a Pilot 823 with a broad nib and I like the pen but dislike the nib. So I am looking for a nib replacement and Montblanc 146 nibs are normally nice to use and can be bought individually. I already tried to fit a JoWo nib from Franklin-Christoph, but it's too long. Has anybody ever tried to fit a 146 nib in a 823? I worry more about the length of the nib since Pilot nibs are usually short. The width seems to be pretty much the same (#15 from Pilot and #6 western nib) Maybe a nice Waterman vintage nib from the 1920s to 1940s would do the job?

Hi, I recently got a black Pilot 823 and I have been unable to unscrew the section. I tried my hardest, even using Goulet grips for added traction, and it won't budge. At this point I'm afraid I'm not strong enough or if I apply more force it may break the barrel. I have an amber 823 whose section unscrews with no problem. My guess is that the black 823 has some sort of thread locker put in. I created this thread on /r/fountainpens and at least one other person said that their black 823 has a section that won't come off. Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks.

A month or so ago, I bought a Pilot Custom 823 in M from an Amazon reseller. However, the pen just doesn't write about 30% of the time, regardless of blind cap openness, ink, or paper type. Is this a common issue with a common fix, or should I contact Pilot? I bought this pen from Japan and I live in Canada. Resultingly, who should I contact? I've already emailed Crestar and Pilot USA. I've heard about this issue before, but I don't know what to do about it. Thank you so much, FPN!

Hi everyone, Ive been given a pen from a friend, however it does not have the nib or feed. I understand that pilot does not make replacement nibs however, I was wondering a few things. 1. Do any stores carry size 15 pilot Nibs (FA or normal) 2. Does a Size 10 Nib & feed fit into the pen 3. Does a goulet pens size 6 Nib fit the pen 4. Are there any other nibs/ways to use my pen or is it just garbage? Thank you everyone

Hi everyone, Ive been given a pen from a friend, however it does not have the nib or feed. I understand that pilot does not make replacement nibs however, I was wondering a few things. 1. Do any stores carry size 15 pilot Nibs (FA or normal) 2. Does a Size 10 Nib & feed fit into the pen 3. Does a goulet pens size 6 Nib fit the pen 4. Are there any other nibs/ways to use my pen or is it just garbage? Thank you everyone

I have read that the Pilot 823 Demonstrator FA had a limited production and the Tokyo Pen Shop Quill places the pen as unavailable without a specific date of new inventory. Community, do you any news on its availability today?

Hello! I am looking into the Pilot Custom 823 and am curious how the broad nib might compare to a western medium. The only Pilot nibs I've used are a fine and medium, and know those usually run a little bit more narrow than a western nib of the same size. Does the broad Pilot size compare more to the western medium, or is the Pilot broad more to a "true" broad? Thanks for any input or advice!

Hello! I am looking into the Pilot Custom 823 and am curious how the broad nib might compare to a western medium. The only Pilot nibs I've used are a fine and medium, and know those usually run a little bit more narrow than a western nib of the same size. Does the broad Pilot size compare more to the western medium, or is the Pilot broad more to a "true" broad? Thanks for any input or advice! My apologies for the dreaded double post..

Hi guys, I just ordered a pilot custom 823 demonstrator which is supposed to be a limited edition. But how limited are pilots limited edition? I know pilot itself is a huge company what numbers should i think of? Do pilot limited edition pens raise / retain value? thanks for your insight guys new here all info and comments greatly appreciated.

It looks like there might be mould or spores in my 823. It could be staining of the grease in the barrel though. Has anyone got any suggestions as to where to get a suitable 'removal' liquid from, here in the UK? Our local pharmacists seem reluctant to speak about this - hardly surprising - and it would be a shame not to clean it out. Phenol or Carbolic Acid just don't seem to be classed as 'over the counter' medicines any more. Shame... So, helpful suggestions, please but the inks I've had in it, don't appear to be contaminated at all, so I guess it's just come from stagnant water. Bye for now.

Hi. My name is Dan and I'm looking for a new pen. My current pen is a Cross Century (circa 1980's). Decent pen but much smaller than the Pilot 823, which is on my radar . It looks like a Pilot 823 would fit the my needs, but I'm nervous about throwing down $300 USD for a new pen. For folks who have used a much smaller pen like the old Cross Century and now have an 823 (or similar): How difficult was it to switch to a larger pen like the 823?What was your experience changing from a cartridge ink system to a vacuum filling system? Any dislikes and drawbacks? Major likes and benefits?Also: How difficult is it to clean your 823 when you want to try a new ink? What ink do you use in your 823? Inks that perform poorly? Perform very well? Recommendations?Thoughts on the Pilot Iroshizuku inks? If so, what color do you prefer?Also, do you have the Amber or Black 823? Would you buy the 823 again? Other fountain pens to consider (under $300 USD)? Thanks in advance for any help. Dan.

Hi everybody, I've been haunting the forum for a while now without posting anything but now I desperately need some purchase advice. As a university student I need to take a lot of notes every day. I figure 5-10 pages a day isn't all that much for some of you hardcore writers out there but for me it is and therefore need a good pen… or at least want one . My requirement for a pen is that it performs well for fast and long writing sessions. From my research so far I have narrowed it down to the Pilot Custom 823 F or 742 PO / F. I don't really care that much about the price because I'm not a collector. Therefore, I don't plan to buy another dozen of pens but only one that does exactly what I want. However, the 823 is definitely at the upper (almost painful) limit. Through my search after the ultimate writing utensil for me, I already acquired several other fountain pens (Italix, TWSBI, Pilots) but sadly none of them left me satisfied. (I included the pens that I own at the bottom.) Writing this, I feel rather awful, much like a millionaire complaining about his collection of supercars. This is whining on a high level but I’m like that. I don’t want much but I want the best or to put it more accurately: the best value for money... If I was said millionaire I would probably buy a custom Edison, or a dozenof them since money would not be an issue anymore . Now, I can’t decide between the 823F and 742PO/F/EF. I want a pilot because they offer affordable, high quality pens with fine nibs. In addition, Pilot blue and blue-black inks are waterproof, well behaved and affordable. The 823 received high grades all around in the reviews, I’ve read. The only thing I don’t like about it, is that one must unscrew the back in order to make it write. That just sounds …wrong, kind of like having a car, that only drives if you turn on the windshield wipers … Moreover, the PO nib is intriguing me. I’ve read that the PO nib only requires little pressure(1) and is good for fast and small writing(2). This sounds exactly like what I’m looking for. However, there are only few reviews around and two youtube videos in which the nib makes an awful lot of noise. What? You’re still reading? Ok then, thank you so much for taking the time to read about my conflict! I really appreciate it. If you happen to know something about the two pens in question please let me know. Cheers, Quabop Supplementary information: These are the pens I already own: -Pilot 78G F: For the price it’s certainly a stellar pen but it's also small and flimsy and has a low ink capacity. On top of that it’s rather boring… -Pilot Vanishing Point F: The clicking mechanism is very convenient and the nib is on the dry side but smooth. However, the gripping section is placed awkwardly above the ridge between the metal cap and body. In addition, it's tapered towards the tip and rather heavy which makes the pen exhausting to write with. -TWSBI 580 EF: It looks very nice, has a good size and weight but it’s too wet for taking notes on heap paper, produces a too thick line and feels slow, a little like writing with glue… -Italix Parson’s Essential fine stub: It’s very smooth. The line variation makes everything look better and it’s built very well. However, the stub is too thick as well for taking notes.

I want to buy an 823 but I also want to buy a Nakaya or a KOP. For the Nakaya I would go with the Orange one. (From Nakaya website) Arai-Shu And for the KOP it would have to be the ebonite (no urushi because it is $1,500 more!) From Sailor website. The good thing about the KOP is that the nib is bigger and it can be a Naginta togi NMF. If I go the 823 route the others pens would have to wait for a year or two. So flashy/nice/stong color vs a good good nib, classical look pen. Don´t know where too ask, you friends of FPN could enlight me with your opinions. I had an XF Nakaya nib with the Mottishaw spencerian (needlepoint flex), but I want the new pen to be an everyday writing, note taking (any paper). So I would go with the M on the Nakaya and a MF on the Sailor. I want a super smooth nib, I have read the Naginta Togi could be very smooth but maybe the MF is too broad. Thanks. Lince

My holidays rarely match with others’ in the family. So, last afternoon, while I was staring at the chessboard to play yet another game, I thought of putting the board to a better use than just moving the pieces against myself. So, why not take three big nibs out of their temporary resting places and give them a try. In this fast-paced world, fountain pens have most certainly embarked the sail of luxury, consistent with properties of both time and money. These days, keyboards – physical, on-screen or speech-engine ones have taken over a Pen’s traditional space-time. Thankfully, notebooks and writing pads are still there to keep them alive, even if people have started to take notes in their tablets, phones or phablets. Not being a fan of very big pens, I usually go for the minus-1 flagship models. They seem to be appealing from both perspectives of cost and convenience. Rather than writing everything down, I have left it to the reader to decide the verse through pictures, mostly. The pictures lose resolution with time, as I am using a free service. Please feel free to navigate to the same topic in my blog : Tale of the lesser flagships A briefer history in time http://s25.postimg.org/5h2xulkiz/image.jpgMONT BLANC I came across a real Montblanc pretty much later in life, though used to love a pen called Camlin Premier during school days. It came with a 1-pen leather pouch, an additional screw-fit nib and it did have the striped ink windows. I say I loved it, but never wrote with it since it belonged to my dad and I was a kid. Back in 1999-2000, it cost around USD 5.00 and it was a hefty price tag for a locally made fountain pen . Later I did realize that it was yet another MB 146 inspiration, when I went to a pen store in Calcutta. As most of you would know, Montblanc was started in 1906 a Hamburg banker, Alfred Nehemias, and a Berlin engineer, August Eberstein as Simplizissimus-Füllhalter which means Simplistic Fountain pens, after they learnt about fountain pens with ink tanks from the US. By 1908, three other people by the name of Wilhelm Dziambor, Christian Lausen and later Claus Johannes Voss had taken over the business and the company took the name “Simplo Filler Pen Co.” which referred to a fountain pen design with a built-in ink-tank. In 1909, a safety fountain pen made up of hard rubber called “Rouge et Noir” was launched, which actually means Red and Black. The pen consisted of a red cap and a black body, perhaps inspired from a card-game. You can also find a limited edition of the same. In 1910, the company became Mont Blanc, inspired by the highest peak of the Alps (4810 m) and a pen called Montblanc was introduced with a white tip (which would later evolve into a white star in 1913). In 1926, the Meisterstück was launched. By 1929, the nibs were engraved with 4810, the official height of Mont Blanc peak, as an allusion to supreme quality and craftsmanship. The flagship Meisterstück 149 was launched in 1952, evolving from celluloid & brass mechanism to resin & plastic mechanism over the years. For the Meisterstück 146, the ink windows were modified to striped version somewhere around the 1970s from clear blue window and the the two-tone nib was introduced in 1993-94. You can find a brief history of Pelikan here and Pilot here. 146in Pictures http://s25.postimg.org/vuzqt8oj3/DSC_1786.jpg http://s25.postimg.org/vd4lddyy7/DSC_1801.jpg With m805, Custom 823in Pictures http://s25.postimg.org/cm2o384dr/DSC_1803.jpg http://s25.postimg.org/9c6bx63ov/DSC_1805_1.jpg http://s25.postimg.org/aeyffaz3j/DSC_1809.jpg Dimensions http://s25.postimg.org/zc1sw7nlb/DSC_1819.jpg http://s25.postimg.org/3ly2j18a7/DSC_1819_1.jpg http://s25.postimg.org/a0x3fpezz/DSC_1819_2.jpg WritingThe writing experience is simply superlative although I do find the pilot custom 823 and m805 equally good when it comes to non-flex nibs. Custom 823 with a medium nib & a wet-ink, is still able to draw a line, tad thinner than both 146 and m805 with fine points. Personally, I prefer the widths of 146 and m805. http://s25.postimg.org/comjq281b/DSC_1825.jpg Ratings With my own biases* http://s25.postimg.org/xigz8aptb/146_FP_rating_scale.jpg References http://www.montblanc.com/en-us/discover/history.html http://www.gentlemansgazette.com/montblanc-meisterstuck-fountain-pen/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2013/05/08/leadership-changes-at-montblanc-and-jaeger-lecoultre/ Thank you for your time; hope you like the chessboard too , Sonik