Review of the Pilot Custom 823 F nib

INTRODUCTION: I was attracted to the Custom 823's plunger filler but I had a tough choice choosing among the 3 colors available, smoke, amber and clear. In the end, I chose smoke because it was not only the cheapest, but because I heard that it's limited in number ( not sure if that's true or not). The pen came in a nice padded box AND a bottle of black Pilot ink.

1.      Appearance & Design (7/10) – The pen has a typical torpedo pen body with gold bands. The smoke body is slightly transparent. It's a really attractive design and a nice deviation from the usual black and gold design. The gold band around the bottom of the pen cap has “PILOT MADE IN JAPAN *** CUSTOM 823 ***” engraved on it in black. The only regret that I have with getting the smoke design is the it's hard seeing the level of ink left in the barrel especially if you filled it with black ink. I have a feeling that the amber and the clear (duh~) pens will allow you to look at the  ink level more easily. Another design that people really like is that when the back cap is screwed in completely, the plunger cuts off the ink supply to the feed, reducing ink leakage. When you want to write, just unscrew the back cap and allow the ink flow to resume. While that seems really practical, I don't like it for a couple of reasons: The place I'm at can get really cold, so my nibs tend to get dry out and clogged easily. I found that if I completely screwed in the cap, the nib tends to be hard to start up and the the ink flow becomes irregular. Ink flow doesn't resume completely because of air bubbles trapped in the barrel. Hence, my back cap is forever uncapped unless I have to make a long distance trip with the pen. I would have prefer the pen without that feature or at least, make a variant of the pen without that feature available.

2.      Construction & Quality (10/10) –  There's nothing much to comment here, as the quality is top-notched. A perfect 10.

3.      Weight & Dimensions (10/10) – I will classify this pen as a full-size pen and when empty, it's surprisingly light for a pen of that size. However, when the pen is fully filled, it has a nice heft to it. Hence, the heaviest part of the pen is somewhere in the middle, where the ink is stored in the barrel. I find it to be perfectly balanced and the size to be just right. Again, a perfect 10.

4.      Nib & Performance (16/20) – The nib is a 14K gold, one tone Fine nib. What I like about the nib is that it's huge! Hence, it really looks good on the pen. When I first got the pen, the nib didn't really write well; It was hard to start, it occasionally skipped, and the flow was irregular. After a while, I realized it was caused by ink drying up in the feed due to a lack of ink flow caused by the plunger. When the nib writes properly, the nib is a dream to use. It flexes slightly as well but I won't call it a full flex nib. It's a Japanese Fine nib and I will say that the actual line laid down is in between an Extra-Fine and Fine. I can't give the nib a perfect score because of the occasional problems it gives me.   

5.      Filling System & Maintenance (8/10) – The pen is a plunger filler and the main reason why I bought this pen. You'll only get about a 60% fill on the 1^st try but if you fill it once or twice more with the nib still immersed in the ink, you can get up to 85%-90%. That means you get almost as much ink as if the pen is an eyedropper. However, I found that it is almost impossible to fully clean the pen. Firstly, the nib and feed can be removed with a simple tug, and the barrel can be screwed out and the body interior scrubbed or cleaned with a cotton bud. However, the cotton bud can’t reach the ink stain behind the plunger. The only way to remove that ink stain is to use a ultrasonic cleaner. Lastly I've read that cracks can develop in the barrel if you repeatedly unscrewed the barrel so please take note.

6.      Cost & Value (9/10) – I bought this pen for $255 on ebay and you might be able to get it cheaper if you're patient and bid on it. For that price, you get a great pen and a bottle of ink to start you off. If anyone is looking for a workhorse pen that can hold a ton of ink, and you'll feel safe bringing with you on long distance trips, this pen is perfect for you. I can't give this pen a perfect in this section because there are other pens in this price range that write better.

7.      Conclusion (Final score, 60/70) – This is a pen that comes loaded with features and I think it's a pen worth looking into if you need them. I won't get this pen for its nib but if you need a pen with a huge ink capacity, this is one pen that you should seriously consider. Personally, I find the plunger filling mechanism to be tedious to use and maintain and I probably won't buy another plunger filler in the future.