I have many fine fountain pens and this has to be right up there in my top three or four. Ranking right up there with my Monte Blanc 146, my Pelikan M800, in my Pilot 912 FA. They feel, quality, in the smoothest of writing make this one of my favorite pens. And purchasing it from Goulet pens was an awesome experience. You will not be disappointed!

What a great pen! It fits my large hand nicely & is well balanced-very comfortable when posted. The medium No.15 nib's line surprised me with its thickness, as it was larger than I expected. I was basing my expectation on my Pilot Custom 74's extra-fine, which was very fine-lined and met my expectation. Perhaps the qualities of the paper that I was using. Love the vacuum filler, my first. As Tony, The Tiger would say, "It's GRRRRREAT!" Super enjoyable to use. Highly recommended. Also highly recommended, the speed & service from this company. I've learned allot about pens through the company's videos. Trying to juggle too many items for the picture-sorry-to show the fit.

I expected this pen to be good, but it is so much better than I expected. I got it with the medium nib and it is the best nib I have ever tried by far (I am comparing it to pens like the Lamy 2000 and Montblanc 146). I cannot put this pen down. The other pens in my collection that are supposed to be on par or better than the 823 just sit on my desk because I am so in love with my Pilot. Everything, from the grip section to the wetness to the build quality, makes this pen so inspiring to write with. I am using the pen as to write reading notes and ideas for a book-length academic project, and it just makes me so excited to sit down to work so I can write with it. I could not recommend the Pilot Custom 823 any more highly.

P.S. the amber pairs perfectly with Noodler's Walnut if you're into brown inks.

This is the best pen I have ever used. If this had been my first fountain pen I'd most likely only have a collection of one. I do hope to get another one down the road in fine, but he medium is very smooth & a great writer.

The nib especially is unlike any other I've used, and I mean that in a very good way. I usually have John Mottishaw customize my nibs, but I don't think it'll be necessary here. Also, customer service was awesome as usual�thanks again Sandy!Footnote: the Pilot ink is quite nice and I love the old school bottle to bits; I wish they would offer more, in the basic colours at least.

Excellent. These are absolutely amazing pens. I only gave value a high not a very high because, let's face it, $288 is expensive for an everyday carry pen. Nonetheless, I would have paid twice the price because it is such an unparalleled writing experience.

I have been using my Pilot daily for a few weeks, and every time I pick it up, it's a sheer joy. It's everything I expected and some. The nib in medium is a work of art and the smoothness is second to none. It's beautiful, heavy for a non metallic pen, feels like a million. I inked her up with Diamine Ancient Copper, perfect match!

Wrote like butter out of the box! Looks great & I've been writing with it daily for a few weeks now. I have a medium nib. I am thrilled with the large ink reservoir but I could see how that might not work for people who like to change ink colors often. Glad I made the investment....writing experience is exemplary!

Before this pen, the only fountain pen I had was the Pilot Custom 912 (Waverly) which I love and recommend to anyone, however, for my second pen I was looking for something finer, so I ended up getting the 823 in a fine nib. At first, I was shocked at how fine it was writing, I honestly began to regret my purchase since it was writing too fine for my liking. But, I stuck with it and it became my favorite pen! I noticed that my prior nib (Waverly Cust. 912) I was using was quite forgiving for my handwriting, which I got used to. But the Fine nib in the 823 really sharpened up my handwriting significantly, and it eventually became a pleasure to write with. I would say if you are wanting to use this as a writer, go for a wider nib. But if you have good handwriting and desire something finer in width, the fine is for you! Also, despite how much I've said about the fineness of the nib, the nib surprisingly has a good level of bounce to which you'll still be able to write with more or less noticeable emphatic strokes. The ink capacity is also enormous (compared to other fountain pens), as a master's student I write pages of notes on a daily basis, and the 823 will last me a few weeks (compared to my 912 W, a few days). - The ink I use for this is Pilot Tsukushi (which varies from light to dark brown depending on how heavy the stroke), I like how it matches the color of the pen.

Just an absolutely beautiful pen that writes very well. Love it with my amber ink.

This pen definitely lives up to all the hype and positive reviews! Fine nib is smooth writing, sufficiently wet and very comfortable to use. Can’t say it will be my last fountain pen but so far its the best!

The ink flow of this pen is amazing. A very smooth writer. I love the vacuum mechanism for adding ink. I’m really happy I bought this.

The pen writes beautifully and is exactly what I expected it to be, different from ,y other pens. I have a Montblanc 146, a Pelican and a Waterman Carene and it is different from each of those. NONE are "bad" pens, they ALL write eloquently and each differently, just like this one!

It's finally happened....been using the pen for a few months and feel it has taken a long time to find that sweet spot -- maybe being a leftie slowed down the process. Like a few others have said, I also find the pen a bit too smooth -- I prefer more feedback and bite. Also, I ordered a medium nib knowing that Japanese nibs tend to run smaller, but probably would have preferred a fine. Overall, the pen is fine, but not the grail pen status I had hoped for and probably would not purchase again.

I wrote a review for this pen soon after purchasing it (Jon R 9/30/2021), but feel compelled to add an addendum. After years of putting this pen to hard work every day, it unfortunately developed a leak! I was disappointed, but got in touch with the Pilot people and sent it to them for service. I was concerned about the cost, but they fixed it (even replaced a part or two) and sent it back by UPS and charged absolutely nothing! Pilot's customer service was amazing! So, again I say - buy the pen! You'll love it.

I am an active writer who writes 7 - 8 pages a day on 8.5 x 11 lined notebook paper and I use this pen exclusively. I have two: one that is 6 years old and performs as well today as it did 6 years ago. And this second one, recently ordered from Goulet Pens, purely as an insurance backup in case the original pen degrades or suffers some sort of damage.

I waited three years to finally pull the trigger on this pen and I can honestly say . . . I love it!!! Perfect size for my hand and the smoothest nib I have! I am running it with Iroshizuku Shin-kai through a medium nib and it writes like butter! I highly recommend it!

Writes very smoot, and the fine nib perfect

I knew it would be great: smooth writing and always wet. If the inexpensive Pilot Precise Varsity pens are great, how much greater the Pilot Custom 823 would be! It did not disappoint.

I have three Pilot pens. I sometimes wonder why I would even consider purchasing another brand. The fine point nib in conjunction with a flawless feed keeps me coming back. They are the best in my collection.

This pen is AMAZING and worth every penny of the cost. I had stopped buying name brand pens because I felt like they had gotten too expensive. I started buying doups on Amazon and was impressed with their quality. But, then I saw this beauty and had to buy it. This pen reminded me of why if you are on a budget, it is better to own a few name brand quality pens than to own several doup pens. I don't want to put this pen down! I will start saving for the next one very soon. And, as usual, the Goulet Pen Company is awesome to work with. Great customer service and speedy shipping. And, who doesn't love a Tootsie Pop? IYKYK.

The 823 did not disappoint as it writes as effortlessly as purported. The medium nib scribes slightly more narrow than a western nib which was exactly what I wanted. I would have rated the order five stars but shipping was slow despite paying extra for expedited delivery; most likely a USPS issue though Goulet may want to rethink this option given the US postal service’s track record.

This is the most expensive pen I own. It is my first vacuum fill pen as well, and my first gold nib.

It looks beautiful, and feels great in the hand. The vacuum system works amazing, and holds a generous amount of ink. I tend to dislike demonstration pens, but often find ink windows are poorly designed, breaking the flow of a pen. This is a great compromise, with the brown color not screaming demonstrator, but allowing you to see the full capacity.

The nib is amazing. Easily the best writing pen I currently have. I do find that gold nibs are overhyped by both enthusiasts and marketing departments, but they are noticeably better. Just don't expect a marked improvement or change to your writing or drawing.

This has become my daily driver. My favorite pen. I hate ink cartridges, and converters are often cheap, loud, and annoying to use, while providing limited capacity. The vacuum is easy and fun to use, and the ink capacity is amazing. I find that I like the vacuum better than a piston, even though I admit a piston filler is arguably the pinnacle of fountain pen design (perhaps in contention with the humble eye-dropper).

I have used a number of inks. It is easy to clean the pen, even with just water. I have not used inks known for sheen or shimmer, as I have few of those inks. They don't interest me, as most of my use case is standard writing in professional settings.

You may be on the fence about dropping this much money on a pen. I get it. Admittedly I felt pretty dumb, in the immediate aftermath. But, if you use a fountain pen regularly, especially in work/school settings, and/or you are an enthusiast or collector, it is worth it.

In my opinion, this is one of the best pens on the market, hands down.

I recently picked up a Pilot Custom 823 from Goulet Pens, and I can honestly say it’s the nicest pen I’ve ever written with. The nib is incredibly smooth—truly buttery—and it just glides across the page with zero effort. It absolutely lives up to the hype.

The build quality feels substantial without being heavy, and the vacuum filling system makes it feel like a serious writer’s tool. Every time I uncap it, it feels like an experience—not just another pen.

I try to purchase all my pens from Goulet Pens whenever I can. I appreciate supporting a family-owned business that genuinely cares about the fountain pen community. Their service is always top-notch.

If you’ve been on the fence about the 823, I get it… but it’s worth it.