Pilot Custom 823. Is It Every Pen Collector's Grail Pen? 

I have two 823s. Both are among my best writers and the most reliable FPs I have used. Everyone needs to at least try an 823 if not own one.

My Pilot Custom 823 (F) runs to extra fine or even extra extra fine. However, it writes smoothly with an acceptable touch of feedback and it is surprisingly wet. I usually don't care for such fine nibs but this writes so well that I have really come to love this pen. I'm confident anyone who used it would like it at least as much as I do. It's an excellent pen. Thank you for your excellent video! Subbed!

This was my grail pen. Got a Broad nib last year and love it.

This was one of my grail pens for a really long time. There were a few things that kept me from pulling the trigger on the purchase. For starters, I'm more of a Sailor gal. I do have several Pilot pens and most of them are great, but my Pilot Custom 74 was a bit of a disappointment. It has an F nib that keeps catching onto pretty much any paper I use, despite the tines being perfectly aligned. It's also a tad on the dry side. I did manage to make it a hair smoother and wetter but it's just not a very enjoyable writing experience. It was the last of the Pilot pens that I bought and I vowed not to buy any more Pilots for a while. I've also read some horror stories from people on Reddit and FPN who experienced cracking of the barrel and grip section but maybe that was down to improper disassembly/reassembly, something Pilot advises against. And then there was the price. On my side of the globe, this pen's MSRP is €350 (or roughly 500 of your Canadian dollars, if you will). I did think that was a lot of money for what is basically, let's be honest here, a plastic pen with a "only" a 14K gold nib. But then I saw one on sale for €260 and I pounced. And I'll admit that I haven't regretted my purchase for a second. For an F it is indeed surprisingly smooth, with a touch of feedback (which I love) and it's soooo juicy. It's also nowhere near as soft as the SFM nib in my Pilot Custom 91, but it does have a bit of bounce to it. It's perfection, really. I totally understand now what all the fuss was about. I hope one makes its way into your collection sometime in the not too distant future.

The 823 is awesome. I really wanted to get the Bungubox exclusive blue color from earlier this year, they sold out quickly. Yes, Pilot is my favorite pen company. I have never had an issue with their nibs. They are beautiful and write very nicely.

I have a Smoke colored 823 and Amber823. WOW! It looked to me like the 823 you were writing with was laying down a medium-size line. Must be the camera or something. More likely my old eyes. My 823 seems more like an to me. I have to write way smaller when I use it. The nib is much smoother and wetter. For most of my pen usage I prefer the . I tend to write a lot on "less-expensive" paper and these pens still write incredibly well. Yes,much better feel on Tomoe River!

My grail pen is my Omas Milord Arco Oro Bronze Celluloid.

Someday, I think I may pick up one of those. First need to break my TWSBI/save money habit. 🙂

Very nice pen review. Love Pilot.

I love my 823. Writes great; looks great. Smooth; I like my TWSBI 580, but the nib isn't as smooth-writing as the 823.

Yes… Quite a desirable/grail pen for sure.. However, there’s Wingsung 699 as an ‘interim arrangement’ 😉

Great pen. I’m not fond of piston fillers so I opted for the 743 instead.

I have a ‘few’ pens and this is my favourite. I have the amber medium. There is no perfect pen as it is subjective of course. It handles a light touch and even a slightly heavier one. Versatile, aside from having to unscrew the rear cap for longer sessions and that it holds so much ink for people who like to change ink often. But for me this is now the ideal in that when I think ‘fountain pen’, this is the image in my mind. The review is spot on, thanks. Good to see you not pushing the nib too far.

Definitely my favorite fountain pen! I have 3 of them and was hoping to get a medium nib but could not afford it this year and now it is I think $60 more in price...so sad. I love that ink your friend chose, it almost looks like the ink I use in my Pilot 823 Amber which is Ancient Copper by Diamine......soooo gorgeous. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this grail pen.

how fun, can't wait to watch

Please do a Sailor Progear next. Or a Platinum 3776.

I got one second hand last year and the cap has been closed too tightly before, it seems… it’s a little loose now and I’m really afraid of breaking it. So I would also appreciate the cap band to sit closer to the edge… I think that might have prevented the damage, although there are no visible cracks, really… 🤔

While I love the capacity and over all features of the 823, I wish it had the full line of nibs available like in the 94 or the 912. The "soft" nibs are pretty spectacular compared to the already pretty good standard nibs.

I did want an 823 for a long time and I got one, but shortly thereafter I got a Custom Urushi and a Namiki Emperor, so I haven't touched the 823 since. My 823 has flow issues, running dry despite the valve being open. The bigger pens don't have that problem. So the 823 was an "intermediate grail" and a disappointing one at that.

I had two. One fine amber and one clear with a custom itallic nib. I sold both. SO STUPID to sell them!!! Need to buy again.

I finally pulled the trigger on this pen today. It's not my grail but it was very coveted.

I'm getting mine soon, but it's in a Medium, and that fine writes so beautifully. Are you able to show us the toothy/nail-like nib of the Sailor and compare it to the 823 so we know what exactly you mean by nail? I've never experienced any of my Sailor nibs to be like nails, but MF is the thinnest nib I own and I have them inked with wetter inks, so they don't feel like nails or maybe they do, but I'm just not really categorizing them as such for myself. Sometimes when I write faster, the ink does skip a bit on those Sailors, so perhaps that is a nail-like tip. The Custom 823 doesn't seem to skip a beat when you glided the pen across the paper. But since mine will be a Medium, I don't expect it to have any issues anyways with skipping compared to a Fine.

I do like this pen - it writes so beautifully, and it has a luxury feel. I especially love the #15 nib…but I think instead of getting another, I’m going to go for the 743. Same #15 nib, but no vac fill.

A beautiful and very inspiring review. Lovely pen sleeve by the way. Which brand is it?

So do you prefer that to your Custom 74? If one was going to take the plunge and purchase one of these high end Pilots, which one should it be?

Hi, I was wondering if you found out the name of the Monteverde ink used in this fountain pen (Pilot Custom 823). I really like the colour of it, and was hoping to buy some. Thanks. Great video.

Is the pen worth the price? Or should I stick to my twsbi eco’s? I was thinking about getting 823 in a medium nib.

Awesome video :) . I like 823 very much-- and have it in F, M, B, and FA. I do believe it is way up there in terms of value for the money [ with Lamy 2000, of course]. However, I can't help but think that the pen in general is very very slightly over-rated.

I am planning to buy one from online. Would you say 823 medium nib is finer than western medium? I write small but i feel 823 fine might be too fine for me.

Is the ink color Monteverde Moonstone?

I love my 823(m), 743(fa) and 912(fa), I call them my holy trinity grail pen

I have a bad experience, the sticker was fused to the lid, caused me to scratch it badly. The nib is so scratchy I can physically feel the letters in the paper. Definitely not any good quality control