There are only a few pens that consistently come up as lonely island pens across the pen community. The Lamy 2000 is one of them. The Montblanc 146, too. Another one undoubtedly is the Pilot Custom 823.
Unfortunately, for quite some time this pen was rather hard to come by if you were not located in either North America of Asia. Since a few months, however, it has become much more readily available here in Europe through retailers such as La Couronne du Comte in the Netherlands (shipping worldwide).
I assume that this is a very welcome event for many fountain pen aficionados over here – and I am very happy I can now bring to you my perspective on it.
Before we hop into the review, I would like to take the opportunity to thank La Couronne du Comte in the Netherlands for supporting this review. You can also buy the pen at their brandnew (check it out!) webshop (no affiliate-link, just a friendly pointer).
But now, check out the video-overview below, which is as always preceded by some quick facts. Again, I hope the review is helpful and that you enjoy watching it!
Quick Facts
- Pilot Custom 823, smoke black (also available in amber and clear transparent)
- Resin barrel, translucent
- Vacuum (power) filler
- 14k gold nib
- Available nib options: Fine (F), Medium (M), Broad (B)
- Price: ca. 335€
Video Review
Picture Gallery
Click on the photos to enlarge.
I hope that online retailers in the UK will soon be stocking this pen. I have been hoping to get a Pilot 823 for some time, but so far it has been well overpriced! Around £280 – £300, I think, would be a fair price.