Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pen

When choosing a fountain pen, size matters. Not only does the size of the pen itself matter, but also the ink storage capacity. Many times we experience long periods of writing. Whether it’s during extended work meetings, or while traveling without access to your bottles of fountain pen ink, it’s handy (pun intended) to have a larger supply of ink already inside your pen. That’s one of the best features of the Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pen.

In fact, having a maximum capacity of 2.55mL means being equipped to write for quite some time. The filling system is a powerful vacuum filler – my favorite type of filling system. Primarily, I love how the vacuum filling system is so efficient with one handed use. After a quick click shut, it’s sploosh – the ink rapidly shoots into the barrel. Its efficiency also allows the entire 2.55mL of ink capacity to be utilized.

Whether you prefer the Amber (kind of more of a brown) or the Smoke (exactly that – a smoky grey), both cap and barrel are made of a translucent resin. This is great for seeing the ink sloshing around inside your pen. While the cap and barrel are translucent, the grip section and the plunger knob are not. Importantly, these color themes keep the Pilot Custom 823 fountain pen looking classic and classy without any wild color choices to stand out.

Next, the nib is very functional. It writes perfectly straight out of the box. And the 14k gold nib matches the pen perfectly. Moreover, it’s a larger size nib, which looks great on this larger size pen. Yet the nib is very utilitarian as it doesn’t allow for any flex. It’s purely form and function with this pen. Choose from fine, medium, or broad points to fit your writing needs.

Finally, in terms of presentation, this pen takes the cake. It comes in a huge gift box and includes a generous sized bottle of Pilot blue ink. The plain white fabric lining the inside of the box contrasts nicely with the darker tones of the pen and ink bottle upon opening it.

What do you think? Do you have yours yet? You can check it out here.

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