Pilot Custom 823 Vs. Pelikan M600

[Nib+]

I've been looking at pens available on nibs.com for a while now, and have narrowed it down to two pens: the Pilot Custom 823 and the Pelikan M600 (ultrasmooth wet nibs, most likely M and F, respectively). Deciding between them has been difficult. Currently, there are three concerns that I have after lurking about the threads on this forum:

 

• Whether or not the threads on the Pelikan M600 are a bother, due to the short section
  

 

• The durability of the Pilot Custom 823's filling system
  

 

• Ease of flushing the Pilot Custom 823 compared to a piston filler
  

 

If anyone could share their experiences, opinions, or thoughts on either of these pens, I would greatly appreciate it.

[jandrese]

I have both, but I love the 823. With these pens it is six of one, half dozen of the other. Both are excellent. Good luck with your decision.

[Ytland]

I had the C823 and loved it initially, but with time I found that the balance of the pen would tire my hands over long periods of writing, and the need to unscrew the blind cap to write was also a little annoying. The cap also required just short of 3 full turns to uncap. In short, the 823 didn't work for me for short note taking or for long writing stints, so I ended up selling it.

 

The M600 is my current workhorse. It fits perfectly in the hand, holds a generous amount of ink and the nib is nothing short of perfection.

 

So I vote M600

 

Jack.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Ytland

[mongrelnomad]

I have both and prefer the 823. The Pelikan's a great pen, but it feels cheaper and the nib (the one it came with, not the vintage nib with which it's now fitted) had no personality at all.

 

My one criticism of the Pilot would be that it is an absolute pain to clean. I tend to stick to one colour in it and accept that change isn't on the horizon...

[JLT]

I prefer the 823 and the biggest differentiator is the nib. That great big nib is top notch in every respect. Sure, it's a pain to clean out thoroughly, but the 823 will write forever on a fill. I have filled mine almost exclusively with Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher from the beginning and it is truly a workhorse pen.

 

As for the durability of the filling system, I have no reservations. It is a very well-made pen and there's no reason to expect any less than many years of service if one execises due care.

[kazoolaw]

Had both, sold both.

 

823: threads a bad fit for my grip. Like the original Onoto piston filler better.

 

600: no, zero, personality. Which is just fine for a daily workhorse. Fill it and forget it. Just looking for some spice.

 

gary

[tonybelding]

My one criticism of the Pilot would be that it is an absolute pain to clean. I tend to stick to one colour in it and accept that change isn't on the horizon...

 

Why is it hard to clean, I wonder? My TWSBI Vac 700 is a snap to flush out.

[mongrelnomad]

My one criticism of the Pilot would be that it is an absolute pain to clean. I tend to stick to one colour in it and accept that change isn't on the horizon...

 

Why is it hard to clean, I wonder? My TWSBI Vac 700 is a snap to flush out.

 

Don't know, but there always seems to be just that little bit of ink left in there - the water never runs clean!

[Bigeddie]

C823 for me, I have had a couple of M600s but preferred the M400 posted.

 

I haven't had any problems cleaning my 823, but it tends to live on a diet of fairly low maintenance inks (MB Royal Blue, Herbin Lie de The, and PI Fuyu-Syogun); not deliberately avoiding anything, they just seem to suit the pen nicely . If anything I find the vac fill faster to clean than some of my piston pens, particularly if a piston knob is a little tight and gets slippery. Vac fillers have been around for decades and don't seem to be particularly prone to problems. If a seal is going to go then I can't see that it would be more likely with a vac than a piston (others may have more experience than I).

 

Something to be aware of is that the silicone lubricant in the body will stain, but it's not obvious and does not deteriorate in appearance after 2 or 3 inkings.

 

The Pilot is a dream to write with, it has knocked off my MB146s and M1000 as number 1 'writing pen' (as opposed to a note taking pen, editing pen, etc.). I am trying to find a way to justify buying a second 823 black in a B (first one is an M in amber), but I need an unexpected cash windfall for that to happen.

[yotiao]

If I could only have one pen I would go for custom 823, one fill can write like forever. But I have both, and prefer M600 for ease of cleaning.

[PJR]

I love my Custom 823. It has a great nib with lots of personality, holds an enormous amount of ink, and fits my hand well. However, I will agree with everyone who says it's more of a writing pen than a note-taking pen; the cap takes a full turn to remove, and you have to open the bind cap. It's not suited to jotting down a quick note every few minutes.

Edited July 14, 2012 by PJR

[Koyote]

I love my Custom 823. It has a great nib with lots of personality, holds an enormous amount of ink, and fits my hand well. However, I will agree with everyone who says it's more of a writing pen than a note-taking pen; the cap takes a full turn to remove, and you have to open the bind cap. It's not suited to jotting down a quick note every few minutes.

 

I don't own the C823, but my understanding is that one can write a fair bit with the ink in the feed without unscrewing the blind cap. Is that not true?

[playtime]

I've owned both, and have since sold both (to the same person i might add--hopefully mrwh1609 will offer his observations as well:))--to upgrade to a m800. Since then, have turned to a vintage Pel 400.....

 

Found both the 823 and m600 had their respective virtues. The 823 felt GREAT in the hand; the firm, fine nib is a wonder as an everyday writer; and the filling system is a cinch to use. i purchased the Smoke version, which not only permitted a view of the ink but also hid the inevitable flow of ink into parts where ink did not belong (good for OC sorts like myself!) Sold it ONLY becuase of its looks--purely aesthetic reasons (not a fan of rounded caps). now that there is a custom 92 with a piston filler.....

 

The m600 with a medium nib is what made me swoon for Pelikan. A wonderously wet nib that glided on paper, a well proportioned pen that fit naturally in the hand (and even better balanced should you post your pen--but i am not a poster), and a lightness in weight that i failed to recognize when i owned it.

 

neither is a wrong choice. i suspect both will find their way into your hand.

[Bigeddie]

I love my Custom 823. It has a great nib with lots of personality, holds an enormous amount of ink, and fits my hand well. However, I will agree with everyone who says it's more of a writing pen than a note-taking pen; the cap takes a full turn to remove, and you have to open the bind cap. It's not suited to jotting down a quick note every few minutes.

 

I don't own the C823, but my understanding is that one can write a fair bit with the ink in the feed without unscrewing the blind cap. Is that not true?

 

 

That is true, you can ceratinly get a page or so without a drop off in flow, after that the skipping starts to remind you to unscrew the blind cap (the first time this happens its a moment as you realise nothing is wrong).

 

One of the things that I religiously use my 823 for is taking ethnographic field notes for research. I make notes on what people are saying or doing if it's relevant to my area of study. That could mean a conversation is a page or two, or it could mean 10 points of 2 lines each over a couple of hours. For this I don't do up the blind cap and just leave the pen flat on a notebook, never caused any problems. On one occasion I packed up in a hurry on a Friday night, came to use the pen again maybe Sunday or Monday and I had left the blind cap unscrewed; no harm done.

[johntdavis]

I don't have a lot to add, but I am a Custom 823 owner, so I thought I'd confirm that you can write with the blind cap closed, but the flow will stop after a page or two. Mine is an F-nib, so I can probably get more done with the blind cap closed than someone with an M or B nib.

 

Cleaning the Custom 823 depends on the ink, I think. It's going to be an arduous process either way, though: that's a huge reservoir and ink likes to stay there. I've run water through mine for an hour, with J.B.'s Perfect Pen Flush thrown in for flavor, and never gotten it to run completely clear--though I've had to run the water down a white sink to see the tint.

 

Of course, I fill my Custom 823 with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo, which is a lovely burgundy/red wine/red-purple color. I think that color is particularly hard to clean out of the pen.

 

When I filled it with Diamine Sherwood Forrest while studying for the bar exam (because the thin paper the bar review workbooks were printed on was soaking up too much Yama Budo), I seem to remember the ink being much easier to flush out when I went back to my Yama Budo.

 

So my advice is to find a color you really like and be prepared to empty the bottle with your Custom 823. You'll see a dent in the ink level every time you fill it, which is fun.

 

Also, fill it from a big bottle. The nib is huge and won't even fit in something like a J. Herbin bottle. It's got to be fully submerged to get a good fill because of the way the vacuum works.

[51ISH]

I don't have a lot to add, but I am a Custom 823 owner, so I thought I'd confirm that you can write with the blind cap closed, but the flow will stop after a page or two. Mine is an F-nib, so I can probably get more done with the blind cap closed than someone with an M or B nib.

 

Cleaning the Custom 823 depends on the ink, I think. It's going to be an arduous process either way, though: that's a huge reservoir and ink likes to stay there. I've run water through mine for an hour, with J.B.'s Perfect Pen Flush thrown in for flavor, and never gotten it to run completely clear--though I've had to run the water down a white sink to see the tint.

 

Of course, I fill my Custom 823 with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo, which is a lovely burgundy/red wine/red-purple color. I think that color is particularly hard to clean out of the pen.

 

When I filled it with Diamine Sherwood Forrest while studying for the bar exam (because the thin paper the bar review workbooks were printed on was soaking up too much Yama Budo), I seem to remember the ink being much easier to flush out when I went back to my Yama Budo.

 

So my advice is to find a color you really like and be prepared to empty the bottle with your Custom 823. You'll see a dent in the ink level every time you fill it, which is fun.

 

Also, fill it from a big bottle. The nib is huge and won't even fit in something like a J. Herbin bottle. It's got to be fully submerged to get a good fill because of the way the vacuum works.

 

 

I read here that 'Red Inks' in general stain more easily than any other colour....some will not use them in Demonstrators at all for this very reason.

[SamCapote]

Both are great choices, but I also give the nod to the 823 because it is a fun and unique filling mechanism. Pilot Nib is better quality writing experience for me.

[johntdavis]

I don't have a lot to add, but I am a Custom 823 owner, so I thought I'd confirm that you can write with the blind cap closed, but the flow will stop after a page or two. Mine is an F-nib, so I can probably get more done with the blind cap closed than someone with an M or B nib.

 

Cleaning the Custom 823 depends on the ink, I think. It's going to be an arduous process either way, though: that's a huge reservoir and ink likes to stay there. I've run water through mine for an hour, with J.B.'s Perfect Pen Flush thrown in for flavor, and never gotten it to run completely clear--though I've had to run the water down a white sink to see the tint.

 

Of course, I fill my Custom 823 with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo, which is a lovely burgundy/red wine/red-purple color. I think that color is particularly hard to clean out of the pen.

 

When I filled it with Diamine Sherwood Forrest while studying for the bar exam (because the thin paper the bar review workbooks were printed on was soaking up too much Yama Budo), I seem to remember the ink being much easier to flush out when I went back to my Yama Budo.

 

So my advice is to find a color you really like and be prepared to empty the bottle with your Custom 823. You'll see a dent in the ink level every time you fill it, which is fun.

 

Also, fill it from a big bottle. The nib is huge and won't even fit in something like a J. Herbin bottle. It's got to be fully submerged to get a good fill because of the way the vacuum works.

 

 

I read here that 'Red Inks' in general stain more easily than any other colour....some will not use them in Demonstrators at all for this very reason.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they stain more. I should note that the purple ink comes off the body of the demonstrator fine. It's stained the grease inside a bit, but so has the green I put in...

[langere]

I love both my Pilot 823 and my Pelikan 600. The Pelikan is an iconic pen, but the Pilot has many fans too. On balance, I prefer the 823 because of the filling system and because I prefer finer nibs; my Pilot 823 is better suited for me in that respect; Pelikan's nibs are juicier, but not fine enough for much of what I use the pens for.

 

Erick

[Nib+]

Wow! I wasn't expecting that this thread would get all the love that it has! I wanted to make my decision before the Pelikan price increase hit, and the comments all of you have posted have helped me tremendously in making a rather difficult decision between these two pens. A big thank you to everyone for sharing. The Pilot Custom 823 is the special pen that will reside on my desk. I will try my hand at a review when I've had some time with the pen.