Potential issues of the Pilot Custom 823

[tshahariyr]

Hello! I've been looking into the pilot custom 823 for quite some time now, and the medium nib smoke 823 seems to be the absolutely perfect pen for me, large ink capacity, great nib etc. But I've seen quite a lot of reports about the barrels of these pens cracking, even without disassembling them, which is very much concerning considering how expensive these.are. So my questions are these- 

 

1. Did pilot change anything to prevent this issue? I've read that they used locktite on the threads on newer ones. Did they use locktite on both the barrel threads and the plunger threads(the ones that need the wrench to unscrew)?

 

2. How long is the plunger mechanism supposed to last without servicing? I've read that the silicone grease inside gets worn out and the plunger gets stiff, is it even possible to add silicone grease without disassembling the pen? 

 

3. In order for ink to flow properly, how many turns of the bottom cap is necessary? Can the cap be posted that way? Is it possible to always leave the bottom cap open? 

 

4. Does pilot USA service smoke 823s now, or do they still send it to japan for repairs?

 

Thanks! 

 

 

[peroride]

So far from light use, my Custom 823 is very easily maintained but I tend to not change inks and not be obsessive with cleaning.

 

I've read positive responses with Pilot USA inspection/repair in other forums. I assume the pen was from US retail, not sure about service for pens outside USA or second hand.

 

I have a Fine C823 but low rotation due to large ink volume and other pens and so far no issues.

 

I would suggest purchasing from an authorized retailer (mine from Anderson´s) for piece of mind so you can either work with them or secondarily Pilot USA in case there is trouble. Sometimes the nominal discount is not worth the headache if the pen has past reported issues.

 

The pen always writes if the feed is primed and a few end cap turns to disengage the gasket will allow for ink flow to reprime the feed and can be closed again for another writing session or left open for continuous flow, and still post the pen.

 

Bummer on regreasing the piston, but I do it from the outside and just grease the rod in hopes some has gone through from the end cap forward. No reason to risk barrel cracking by taking off the nib and feed and greasing from the front end. no problems so far. Same risk goes for removing nib for FNF ebonite feed.

 

I got a Custom 743 which is basically C823 body but c/c filling to reduce that potential cracking anxiety! which is another route along with the Wing Sung 699 or other less expensive vac fillers.

 

I too hope Pilot Japan takes customer feedback into consideration when or if they update the C823 plastic or barrel design. Dunno if that ever happens but Vanishing Pilot LS recall was surprising.

 

 

 

 

[Ron Z]

They usually crack on the lines of the seams, and likely because the section or filler unit are over tightened when reassembled, or from the pressure of the 0-ring on the threads.  The 699 does not have a gold nib, but they are well made and the nibs write nicely. 

[recluse]

8 hours ago, tshahariyr said:

3. In order for ink to flow properly, how many turns of the bottom cap is necessary? Can the cap be posted that way? Is it possible to always leave the bottom cap open? 

I turn it until I have some 1 mm gap between the knob and the body, about one complete revolution, maybe a bit more. It seems to do the trick. It does not affect posting whatsoever since, I believe, the posted cap sits on the band on the body. I found that leaving the pen open may not be beneficial because the ink may still stuck behind the stopper. I had the pen ran dry a few times when it was technically open. All one needs to do just close it and open again. It didn't happen often enough to see some kind of consistency but it did happen. Also, when the pen is _very_ low on ink and open, it may burp. It happened to me only once out of some dozen refilling cycles, so I cannot say what's the system here. I'm actually surprised that it didn't happen more often.

 

I also join to the recommendations with regard to Wing Sung 699. It's not 823 in many regards (for one, 823 posts better, at least, in my experience) but it gives a good idea about the logistic, maintenance and things like that.

[tshahariyr]

After a lot of deliberation, I've decided that I will be getting a pilot custom 823 smoke medium.

I considered some other pens such as the lamy 2000, custom 743, custom 912 etc but none of them scratched the itch, I know I always will be second guessing my decision after getting them. The heart wants what it wants ig 

 

Let's hope it doesn't crack or have any issues. 

[Frank C]

I have several Custom 823s. They are good pens. They hold lots of ink. The nibs are fairly stiff, which I like. I followed some youtube video showing how the disassemble them. I managed to crack the barrels—perhaps when I retightened them as @Ron Z suggests. Pilot USA said they could not be repaired, but did offer me a discount on replacements. I don't take them apart anymore. (They do come apart easily with a TWSBI wrench.)

 

I leave the back cap unscrewed all the time, except when flying. The pens post with the cap unscrewed. There are some techniques to fill the barrel almost completely with ink. I recommend practicing with water first—much easier clean-up. In my opinion, a Custom 823 is the best pen for taking on an airplane. By closing the back cap, one can completely isolate the ink supply from air pressure changes. 

 

Custom 823s were my daily user pens for many years. Now I carry two Custom 74s. They are very similar pens, but the Custom 74s are less expensive and come in more colors. I find it easier to keep track of them with the various colors. 

 

As for how long the plunger mechanism lasts, many years. I use the same ink all the time, Pilot Blue-Black, and just keep refilling the pens when they get low. Once a year or so, or if I have a feed issue, I'll rinse the pen with tap water. Otherwise, they are very low maintenance. 

[Uncial]

I have two.

1. Neither have cracked after many years of use.

2. Neither have ever been taken apart for any reason.

[Ron Z]

All of the ones I've had to repair have been opened/taken apart by the owner.  Therefore I think that #1 being the case  is dependent on practicing #2.    But we know that lots of people can't resist taking their pens apart to get any trace of ink out of every nook and cranny. 

[A Smug Dill]

2 hours ago, Ron Z said:

But we know that lots of people can't resist taking their pens apart to get any trace of ink out of every nook and cranny.

 

Yep, someone like me.  I don't have a Pilot Custom 823, and I have no intention or desire whatsoever to get one. I have several Wing Sung 699 pens (Why, oh why, did I order so many at once?), though, and I do try my damnedest to take them apart for cleaning. I dislike those pens, from the nibs they came factory-fitted, to the gimmicky filling mechanism, questionable effectiveness of the shut-off mechanism (which probably isn't a problem on a genuine Pilot), and weight balance when the barrel is filled with liquid. I can't find a permanent, dry-flowing ink that works well with them, and so I keep experimenting and switching inks; and that just exacerbates the annoyance, and completely undermines the intent of dedicating each of those pens to a single ink colour, and then just “set it and forget it” and carry on with using them for journalling (on paper that is unfortunately very apt to exhibit bleed-through if the ink marks are even moderately wet). 

 

However, for those who go for the Pilot Custom 823 on account of its large ink capacity and excellent Pilot gold nib for a workhorse pen, I can't imagine they'd need to or want to switch inks often necessitate such thorough cleaning.

[langere]

I have had a Pilot Custom 823 for 15 years now and have used it moderately.  I can report that I have never had any problem with it, but then I have never tried to take it apart.  No issues with the vacuum fill mechanism either.

 

This is a real workhorse pen and if you don't mess with it, it will serve you well for many years.  I know this is anecdotal evidence, but hopethis date point is worth something.

 

Erick

 

 

[mallymal1]

16 hours ago, tshahariyr said:

After a lot of deliberation, I've decided that I will be getting a pilot custom 823 smoke medium.

I considered some other pens such as the lamy 2000, custom 743, custom 912 etc but none of them scratched the itch, I know I always will be second guessing my decision after getting them. The heart wants what it wants ig 

 

Let's hope it doesn't crack or have any issues. 

 

Nice one. I've been using the 823 since 2017, and have had no problems...and a lot of pleasure!

 

Hope yours scratches that itch.

[Uncial]

13 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

don't have a Pilot Custom 823, and I have no intention or desire whatsoever to get one.

 

Let me tempt you......

 

I do genuinely feel that the Custom 823 is one of the finest pens, if not the finest, that money can buy. I have to be careful that my other pens don't hear me say that. It is a workhorse, it does have a huge ink capacity (which can be a slight, but not enormous pain to clean out) and has a great nib. It also has ergonomics and a sense of balance and proportion that are darned near perfect. There's a certain Japanese way in which a craft will be specialised in and perfected in a way, to a level and standard that just doesn't exist in the west (imo). I think the term might be 'shokunin' that applies here. The 823 is, I suspect, one such example of this refinement of attention and craft in a pen. The only thing I long for in it is a better range of colours or finishes, although there are ways and means  of producing this third party, so to speak. I've had a few other Pilot's and seen more, but none come close to the 823 (not even the big red). I can't think of any other Japanese pen that has everything as right and correct as the 823. Not that I've owned every Japanese pen, but I've had just about every brand through my hands and most models. For some with small hands it will unfortunately be a little too large, but the average size hands won't struggle, nor will large. It's one of those peculiar pens that seems somewhat underwhelming in the first flush of ownership, but slowly reveals itself to be about as close to perfection as one might possibly get. For me, the 823 is the pen by which all others are judged. I just don't tell them that.

[Thymen]

On 8/7/2022 at 5:37 PM, Uncial said:

 

Let me tempt you......

 

I do genuinely feel that the Custom 823 is one of the finest pens, if not the finest, that money can buy. I have to be careful that my other pens don't hear me say that. It is a workhorse, it does have a huge ink capacity (which can be a slight, but not enormous pain to clean out) and has a great nib. It also has ergonomics and a sense of balance and proportion that are darned near perfect. There's a certain Japanese way in which a craft will be specialised in and perfected in a way, to a level and standard that just doesn't exist in the west (imo). I think the term might be 'shokunin' that applies here. The 823 is, I suspect, one such example of this refinement of attention and craft in a pen. The only thing I long for in it is a better range of colours or finishes, although there are ways and means  of producing this third party, so to speak. I've had a few other Pilot's and seen more, but none come close to the 823 (not even the big red). I can't think of any other Japanese pen that has everything as right and correct as the 823. Not that I've owned every Japanese pen, but I've had just about every brand through my hands and most models. For some with small hands it will unfortunately be a little too large, but the average size hands won't struggle, nor will large. It's one of those peculiar pens that seems somewhat underwhelming in the first flush of ownership, but slowly reveals itself to be about as close to perfection as one might possibly get. For me, the 823 is the pen by which all others are judged. I just don't tell them that.

 

I ordered a pen as a gift for someone, but unfortunately it did not arrive in time. So I gave her one of my own pens... and now there is an empty space in my pen box that begs to be occupied again.

 

I am sorely tempted by the Custom 845 Vermillion, but I am afraid I might have to wait a long time for it. And it's a bit too expensive...

The 823 in Amber colour also looks very appealing. And your comment here makes me lean towards it more and more...

 

Thymen

[EricTheRed]

I bought an amber ( medium nib) and a clear 823 (broad nib) new in 2010.  Both pens wrote perfectly out of the box and feel wonderful in the hand.  I swapped nibs in both pens one time, they are friction fit nibs, as I personally preferred the m nib but the clear body.  The b nib is very smooth but mine writes very broadly, like a bb nib.  The medium is a classic Japanese m nib and is the best writer I have in my collection of hundreds of pens.  Both pens have been used heavily with various inks and colors.  No cracking or piston issues whatsoever.  
 

Other than swapping the nibs and feeds which was a breeze, I have never disassembled either pen. Between fillings, I simply run cold water through them a few times, then on to the next ink.

 

I have wasted small amounts of money on various similar filling pens by Twsbi, and Chinese manufacturers but there is no comparison between the quality and writing experience with them vs. the massively superior 823s.

 

If on the fence, get one, you will not regret it.

[mke]

The pens are made for normal Japanese and I doubt any* Japanese would EVER even think about taking it apart. So, normally, they are made to last.

 

But then, if there is a problem, they will stand immediately at the place where they bought it.

And the seller will certainly do what he can to keep the customer satisfied. Includes apologizing for the trouble.

 

Btw., Pilot has a good repair service in Japan where you can go personally if you are in Tokyo.

 

*There are a few who would but they are rare.

[tzinc]

don't disassemble it and it won't crack

[jmccarty3]

On 1/11/2023 at 6:04 PM, tzinc said:

don't disassemble it and it won't crack

I've had two 823s that were never disassembled and still cracked. You don't notice it until they start leaking. There's no repair available. You have to return the pen to Japan for a $250 barrel replacement or buy a new pen. I've given up on them and will buy Custom 743s instead.