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Joining The Club... With A Pilot Custom 823


magnus919

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This pen has been on my radar for a long time. I write a lot, and so have been considering investing in a pen that I would enjoy writing a lot with. I'd caught Neil Gaiman mentioning it on Twitter as a pen that he uses pretty exclusively for book signings which, for him, must be pretty exhausting and demanding pen sessions. Respecting his opinion on such things quite a lot, and after doing a lot of my own research, I jumped in.

To date, my pens have been under $50 (Lamy Al-Star, Safari, and a whole lot of cheap Chinese pens). I did try buying a Pilot Namiki Falcon a few years ago through Levenger but that was a train wreck and I still have Pen Traumatic Stress Disorder from that purchase. Spending a lot on a pen again, especially a Pilot, took a lot for me to screw up the courage to do after that.

No writing samples below, but it suffices to say we're off to a great start. I'm keeping this one loaded up with Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses and it's working out quite lovely thus far.

 

http://i.imgur.com/K8jEeTJ.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/LhP2pGx.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/KlFE6Bk.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/uitJ5A0.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/yRLJKYX.png

Magnus | Raleigh, NC [uSA] | @Magnus919 | TerraMagnus

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Thanks. So far I'm quite pleased. I might even try a medium for my next Pilot, now that I see just how fine a "F" nib really is... so I can still write small but benefit from enjoying the finer qualities of the inks I use.

Magnus | Raleigh, NC [uSA] | @Magnus919 | TerraMagnus

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Congrats! The 823 is a beautiful pen, and it will sure allow for lots of writing in one fill, with that huge ink capacity.

 

I'm curious about what went wrong with your previous purchase (the falcon), since you mention that you were worried "specially" because this was a Pilot.

Pilots usually have a great reputation for being very good and reliable right out of the box.

 

Enjoy you new pen.

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The Falcon had a bad nib right out of the box. It wouldn't write at all. I am autistic and I handle some of these kinds of things a little differently than most. I didn't deal with the vendor to resolve this and left it put aside for awhile before dealing with it again, coming to realize that over a year had gone by. Getting a new nib for it would have been almost as much money as just buying a new pen. And that model has since been discontinued anyway.

Magnus | Raleigh, NC [uSA] | @Magnus919 | TerraMagnus

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I see that you got your 823 from Tokyo Pen Shop Quill. I have one just like it in a medium, and I also recently bought the 845 in the vermilion urushi finish with the Waverley nib. Wonderful pens, not available in these colors or nib choices from US dealers. The service from Tokyo Pen Shop Quill is excellent. I have used Iroshizuku Asa-Gao and Skin-kai, with excellent results. Congratulations on your new pen!

Rationalizing pen and ink purchases since 1967.

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The Falcon had a bad nib right out of the box. It wouldn't write at all. I am autistic and I handle some of these kinds of things a little differently than most. I didn't deal with the vendor to resolve this and left it put aside for awhile before dealing with it again, coming to realize that over a year had gone by. Getting a new nib for it would have been almost as much money as just buying a new pen. And that model has since been discontinued anyway.

I'm sorry you were unlucky with the falcon. Perhaps it is worth sending it to a nibmeister, the Falcons are great pens.

I also have a pen with a bad nib that I didn't send back and almost never use (it's very scratchy and I tried everything), I'll probably send it to a nibmeister at some point.

Happy writing with the beautiful 823 (the transparent one is quite tempting ;) ).

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Of the many pens in my collection, my Custom 823 with a fine nib is still my favorite to write with. I tend to favor even finer nibs, but the writing experience with the 823's #15 is so smooth. I have been tempted to pick up one of the Tokyo Pen Shop Quill exclusive offerings, but have not yet pulled the trigger. I only wish that they had a posting nib available.

 

Enjoy your new pen!

Edited by deacondavid

Current Daily Carry: Pilot Custom 743 with 14k Posting nib (Sailor Kiwa-Guro), Sailor 1911L Realo Champagne with 21k Extra Fine nib (Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu). Platinum Century 3776 Bourgogne (Diamine Syrah), Nakaya Portable Writer Midori with 14k Extra Extra Fine nib (Lamy Peridot), Pilot Vanishing Point Stealth Black with Extra Fine nib unit (Pilot Blue Black), a dozen Nockco DotDash index cards of various sizes and a Traveler's Notebook.

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Of the many pens in my collection, my Custom 823 with a fine nib is still my favorite to write with. I tend to favor even finer nibs, but the writing experience with the 823's #15 is so smooth. I have been tempted to pick up one of the Tokyo Pen Shop Quill exclusive offerings, but have not yet pulled the trigger. I only wish that they had a posting nib available.

 

 

David, it might be that Pilot doesn't make a posting nib in the #15 size. But it wouldn't hurt to send an email to TPSQ to ask. The proprietor is very cordial!

 

(If anyone wondered how I knew magnus919's 823 came from TPSQ, I recognized the little origami swan. This is their trademark, just like the Goulets' Tootsie Roll Pops.)

Rationalizing pen and ink purchases since 1967.

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(If anyone wondered how I knew magnus919's 823 came from TPSQ, I recognized the little origami swan. This is their trademark, just like the Goulets' Tootsie Roll Pops.)

 

That swan was a pleasant surprise. One of my kids, who has a drawer full of origamis that she's made, was tickled to have one from the motherland of origami.

Magnus | Raleigh, NC [uSA] | @Magnus919 | TerraMagnus

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David, it might be that Pilot doesn't make a posting nib in the #15 size. But it wouldn't hurt to send an email to TPSQ to ask. The proprietor is very cordial!

 

The Custom 743 has a #15 nib and the posting nib is available as an option. I may have to drop them a line... Thanks for the idea!

Current Daily Carry: Pilot Custom 743 with 14k Posting nib (Sailor Kiwa-Guro), Sailor 1911L Realo Champagne with 21k Extra Fine nib (Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu). Platinum Century 3776 Bourgogne (Diamine Syrah), Nakaya Portable Writer Midori with 14k Extra Extra Fine nib (Lamy Peridot), Pilot Vanishing Point Stealth Black with Extra Fine nib unit (Pilot Blue Black), a dozen Nockco DotDash index cards of various sizes and a Traveler's Notebook.

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(If anyone wondered how I knew magnus919's 823 came from TPSQ, I recognized the little origami swan. This is their trademark, just like the Goulets' Tootsie Roll Pops.)

 

Interesting... The Pilot Kasuri Green Vanishing Point that I recently ordered (from eBay) came with an little origami swan. The vendor's name on eBay wasn't TPSQ, but maybe that's who I was dealing with. It was certainly an easy transaction that I am glad I made.

Current Daily Carry: Pilot Custom 743 with 14k Posting nib (Sailor Kiwa-Guro), Sailor 1911L Realo Champagne with 21k Extra Fine nib (Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu). Platinum Century 3776 Bourgogne (Diamine Syrah), Nakaya Portable Writer Midori with 14k Extra Extra Fine nib (Lamy Peridot), Pilot Vanishing Point Stealth Black with Extra Fine nib unit (Pilot Blue Black), a dozen Nockco DotDash index cards of various sizes and a Traveler's Notebook.

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My 823 came in today from amazon.ca for a great price, totally happy with it :)

Regards,

 

Simar

 

"Be the change you want to see in the world." -- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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I've been writing a lot with my 823. A couple of Leuchtturm1917 notebooks came in. The big one is for a book manuscript, and the smaller one is for my notes to help write the book. I banged out a Foreword in the big book, and quite a few pages of notes in the smaller book tonight. This 823 is fantastic. Truth be told, I think I'd like this in a Medium nib for writing in the big book, but the Fine nib is definitely what I want in the smaller book.

 

http://i.imgur.com/aNisHOP.jpg

Magnus | Raleigh, NC [uSA] | @Magnus919 | TerraMagnus

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My seller went by the name "e-sell_jp". The real name on the tracking was "Yoshiharu Takahashi".

 

That's where my Kasuri Green Vanishing Point came from.

Current Daily Carry: Pilot Custom 743 with 14k Posting nib (Sailor Kiwa-Guro), Sailor 1911L Realo Champagne with 21k Extra Fine nib (Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu). Platinum Century 3776 Bourgogne (Diamine Syrah), Nakaya Portable Writer Midori with 14k Extra Extra Fine nib (Lamy Peridot), Pilot Vanishing Point Stealth Black with Extra Fine nib unit (Pilot Blue Black), a dozen Nockco DotDash index cards of various sizes and a Traveler's Notebook.

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The Custom 743 has a #15 nib and the posting nib is available as an option. I may have to drop them a line... Thanks for the idea!

Hello,

 

Asahiya Kami Bunguten (Tokyo Shop Quill) offers custom 823 in 5 nib, namely, F, M, B, WA and FA. Posting nib is not an option with them.

Engeika may switch 823 nibs with 743 nibs. Please try your luck with them.

 

Best Regards,

Mew

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Enjoy your pen. The 823 medium is my favourite in my collection.

 

Yeah I think I need to get some Metropolitans in different nib sizes so I can get a feel for what my next "real" Pilot acquisition will be. A Medium might well be right for the big book.

Magnus | Raleigh, NC [uSA] | @Magnus919 | TerraMagnus

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