The Custom 823 is a high-end vacuum-filling fountain pen from Pilot. It’s one of the brands premium pens, and one of the most expensive pens that doesn’t use exotic materials, limited editions, or hand-painting techniques (or anything else that would increase the price without fundamentally changing the writing experience).
The Custom 823 is commonly sold in Fine, Medium, and Broad 14K gold nibs. The pen uses a vacuum filling system which means it has a very large ink capacity but that it cannot work with cartridges or converters.
While there is no clear model sold, the pen is available in translucent materials — Amber brown and Smoke black — so you can see the fill level and internal mechanism. As the internals are visible Pilot considers this a demonstrator fountain pen.
As is befitting the $300+ retail price, the Custom 823 is the largest pen in Pilot’s standard line up — it’s a good deal larger than the Custom 74 and Custom 912 pens. The #15 nib size not only sounds impressive, it’s quite large, making for a true distinction between this and the other pens in the Pilot lineup.
If all this was not inspiring enough, writer Neil Gaiman is an owner and active user of this pen!
Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pen Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Pilot |
| Pen Type | Fountain Pen | Vacuum (built-in) |
| Rating | |
| Barrel Color | Amber, Smoke |
| Barrel Material | Plastic |
| Grip Color | Amber, Smoke |
| Grip Material | Plastic |
| Country of Origin | Japan |
| MSRP | $300 |
| Still Sold | Yes |
| Similar To | |
| Refills | |
| Capped? Retractable? | Capped - Screw On |
| Clip? | Metal |
| Length Capped / Retracted (cm) | 14.8 |
| Length Posted (cm) | 16.3 cm |
| Length Uncapped (cm) | 13.1 cm |
| Weight (g) | 29 grams |
| Refillable | Yes |
| Nib Material | 14k Gold |
| Nib Color | Gold |
| Nib Sizes | Medium, Fine |