It does everything well, with no flaws, and no downside. It’s a true “writer’s pen”, and has made my list of pens that I always have inked and at the ready.
I could have saved myself a lot of wasted time and money by paying a little extra for the pen I knew I would like, rather than embarking on a futile quest to find a lower-priced substitute. The pen fills when you retract and depress a metal plunger, creating in a vacuum that sucks ink into the pen on the downstroke. 5.0 out of 5 starsEverything the Custom 823 is touted to be Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2018 If you are looking at this pen you probably know it has an epic reputation. The Pilot Custom 823 is one of those pens that sat on my “to purchase” list for a very long time before I actually pulled the trigger at the 2016 Atlanta Pen Show. Same result as the first time. So much ink!Generally speaking, you cannot go wrong with a gold nib from any of the Japanese big three - Pilot, Platinum, or Sailor - but Pilot nibs are my personal favorite. The Pilot Custom 823 is a big pen. They match the pen perfectly, and actually made a big impression on me and my perception of the pens looks.And that is the kicker for me with the Pilot Custom 823. Aesthetically, there is no arguing its beauty. (Yes, I’m talking to YOU, While I’m not sure Pilot has a “flagship” pen, the Custom 823 sits atop the mainstream Pilot lineup, both in terms of size and price point. First impressions: I’m typically not a gold-trim guy, but I find the gold trim very nice-looking here, as it complements the amber acrylic. Currently in the United States, only the Amber finish is available. Put it in your hand and start writing and it is magical.Vacuum filling sytems are not that common so my experience is limited, but the way the 823 fills is incredible. I was actually hoping to fall in love with it while it was on loan to me, and while it is an elite writer, I never bonded with it visually. In the few weeks I spent with the 823 I can see why so many people love this pen. The filling system also makes the Pilot Custom 823 an excellent traveling companion because it's essentially leak-proof. Every time I write with this pen, it fills me with joy. It’s a nice brown color, a bit different than any other pen out there on the market. I’ve never had an issue out of the box, and that was the case with the fine 14k gold nib in the 823. PILOT CUSTOM 823 FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW The Pilot Custom 823 is close to what I'd call a grail pen. Well, it did skip once but that was when I forgot to unscrew the blind cap to open the seal after those 5 days it was sitting unused. The 14 karat gold nib is flawless and glides across the page, as you would expect from Pilot. However, since I acquired this pen at a pen show, I purchased the medium so that I could have For those of you unfamiliar with specialty nib grinds, an architect’s grind is best described as a “reverse stub” or “reverse cursive italic.” These two grinds have wide downstrokes and narrow cross-strokes, whereas the architect’s nib features a wide cross-stroke and a narrow downstroke. I haven’t measured, but my understanding is that completely full, the pen holds 2.2ml of ink. I used Pilot Blue Black ink exclusively with this pen and it was an excellent choice.Looking at pictures of the pen online I somehow overlooked the fact that the end caps were brown, not black like I thought. Given the length, I’d imagine that most people would want to use this pen unposted, and certainly those with smaller hands. I rarely have a bad experience with Pilot nibs. A lot of people think that a grail pen should only be something extraordinarily expensive, something you probably won't ever be able to afford. The pen holds a massive amount of ink, and it's fun to watch it slosh around inside the barrel. In the US, you can have the Pilot Custom 823 in any color you want, so long as it’s a clear, amber-colored acrylic. The Pilot Custom 823 is the perfect workhorse fountain pen especially pairing it with the right nib for yourself. That said, the pen is lightweight (the amber material is acrylic, after all) and the cap posts deeply, so I often post this pen when I’m on the go and don’t have a safe place to rest the cap. Pilot makes this pen in two other models, a If you'd like to read more on the Pilot Custom 823, I'd recommend these reviews from All content is the property of The Gentleman Stationer and Digital Divide Media, LLC and should not be reproduced without permission.