Pilot Custom 823 Nib Size

[downwiththepc27]

I returned a Custom 74 that had a defective nib/feed and traded up for an 823, a pen I've wanted for quite some time. My original plan was to get a fine nib for notes, as I currently only have a Lamy 2000 EF that writes like a medium. But as I looked over the reviews, I saw great praise for the wet flow and smooth writing experience of the medium nib, and hardly anything for the fine nib. My biggest question is how wet is the fine? I really dislike dry writing nibs, it just makes the ink color look bland and ugly to me. I have about two days until the 823 ships to me and I need to decide if I should change nib sizes.

[MadAmos]

I have a fine nib 823 that I use at work and note taking is a large part of it's use. I love the fine nib and it is defiantly not dry, that being said with any very fine nib there is a loss of the ink's character and shading. YMMV

[MGB]

I returned a Custom 74 that had a defective nib/feed and traded up for an 823, a pen I've wanted for quite some time. My original plan was to get a fine nib for notes, as I currently only have a Lamy 2000 EF that writes like a medium. But as I looked over the reviews, I saw great praise for the wet flow and smooth writing experience of the medium nib, and hardly anything for the fine nib. My biggest question is how wet is the fine? I really dislike dry writing nibs, it just makes the ink color look bland and ugly to me. I have about two days until the 823 ships to me and I need to decide if I should change nib sizes.

 

Just to say that I'm in the same boat as you.

Hoping to get a Custom 823 which offers a fine but smooth line. Not sure whether that translates into a fine or medium nib. :hmm1:

[buffalowings]

just keep in mind a fine is really a extra fine and medium is a fine, and broad a medium, this goes for japanese nibs

[ClassicBlack]

Wow, am I the only person that voted for a medium nib? I love mine, I do want Japanese fine or a Euro extra fine nib someday. Maybe I will order an EF for my Pelikan m805, even better find a Pilot Bamboo in a fine.

[buffalowings]

now this is where the world gets confusing, now we don't know whether we are talking about a western fine or japanese fine etc

[Highbinder]

Well I ordered one with a B nib, hopefully should arrive soon & I can post up a wee writing sample to help sway you to the darkside. The way I figure it is if a pen has such a huge ink capacity I might as well get a nib that guzzles it and leave the F nib to a pen with a converter..

[downwiththepc27]

Well I ordered one with a B nib, hopefully should arrive soon & I can post up a wee writing sample to help sway you to the darkside. The way I figure it is if a pen has such a huge ink capacity I might as well get a nib that guzzles it and leave the F nib to a pen with a converter..

I was sort of thinking along the same lines, in that it would be cool to get one with a B nib and see it use a ton of ink. But I'm still not sure, since I need a pen for note taking and school work that is substantially finer than my Lamy. Hmmm. I'm running out of time to decide, although it seems most people have voted for the F nib so far.

[buffalowings]

Well I ordered one with a B nib, hopefully should arrive soon & I can post up a wee writing sample to help sway you to the darkside. The way I figure it is if a pen has such a huge ink capacity I might as well get a nib that guzzles it and leave the F nib to a pen with a converter..

I was sort of thinking along the same lines, in that it would be cool to get one with a B nib and see it use a ton of ink. But I'm still not sure, since I need a pen for note taking and school work that is substantially finer than my Lamy. Hmmm. I'm running out of time to decide, although it seems most people have voted for the F nib so far.

 

if this is the case, then you need a medium which is really a western fine, if medium is too broad for your work, then the fine should be perfect

[downwiththepc27]

Well I ordered one with a B nib, hopefully should arrive soon & I can post up a wee writing sample to help sway you to the darkside. The way I figure it is if a pen has such a huge ink capacity I might as well get a nib that guzzles it and leave the F nib to a pen with a converter..

I was sort of thinking along the same lines, in that it would be cool to get one with a B nib and see it use a ton of ink. But I'm still not sure, since I need a pen for note taking and school work that is substantially finer than my Lamy. Hmmm. I'm running out of time to decide, although it seems most people have voted for the F nib so far.

 

if this is the case, then you need a medium which is really a western fine, if medium is too broad for your work, then the fine should be perfect

Well, I'm not sure. I used to have a Sailor with a fine nib that was nice and wet. It was a great writer and a perfect stroke width for me. So I guess I'm more concerned with the wetness of the line, and my question was more along the lines of which nib has the best balance between wetness and thin width.

[nvbrennan]

I have a fine and have to admit that for my tastes it isn't wet enough. I'd say it's about a 5 on the wetness scale. Generally as a rule Pilot nibs tend to be on the middle to dry side if this helps. (obviously rules have exceptions though)

[Dr.Grace]

I have an M, which gives a nice wet Western-fine line. That seems like what you're looking for. You can increase the flow if necessary by flossing the nib.

[Robert Alan]

I returned a Custom 74 that had a defective nib/feed and traded up for an 823, a pen I've wanted for quite some time. My original plan was to get a fine nib for notes, as I currently only have a Lamy 2000 EF that writes like a medium. But as I looked over the reviews, I saw great praise for the wet flow and smooth writing experience of the medium nib, and hardly anything for the fine nib. My biggest question is how wet is the fine? I really dislike dry writing nibs, it just makes the ink color look bland and ugly to me. I have about two days until the 823 ships to me and I need to decide if I should change nib sizes.

 

Hi there!

 

I voted for a medium nib since I own an Amber demo Custom 823 with a medium nib. The medium nib is very close to an Aurora 88 and Optima medium which are considered close to several other manuafacturer's fine nibs. There is no standard! Oh, what fun!

 

One important thing to note, with the PC823, is that, if one follows the directions for this very particular and special fountain pen, the flow should be excellent with any of the three nibs offered in North America (fine, medium & broad). The plunger cap must be opened, after correctly filling the pen (preferably in a Pilot 70 ml ink bottle--like the one that comes with the amber pen), for writing, the plunger cap must be opened about 2 mm. This opens the plunger head, which acts like a valve, and allows ink to properly flow into the feed. If the plunger cap isn't opened, the pen is virtually leak proof--within reason. Of course, there may be ink in the feed, and some ink may trickle through, but it won't supply the correct amount of ink for excellent flow.

 

As the plunger cap is opened, one can see the plunger head move a little, away from the front of the barrel. Cool! I love my PC823. We're engaged to do a lot of heavy writing.

 

Adios, Robert

Edited January 19, 2010 by Robert Alan

[Highbinder]

My 823 arrived my 823 arrived! Just a quick scribble and a snap as I need to head off to work! Needless to say it's coming with me today

 

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/HBinder/custom.jpg

 

First impressions;

 

The nib width is funnily enough very similar to the M nibbed van gogh I sold to part-fund this pen. I prefer this nib tho. The filling is so cool!! And it's a great size, quite big, similar to my Varuna ebonite pen.

Edited January 21, 2010 by Highbinder

[downwiththepc27]

My 823 arrived my 823 arrived! Just a quick scribble and a snap as I need to head off to work! Needless to say it's coming with me today

 

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/HBinder/custom.jpg

 

First impressions;

 

The nib width is funnily enough very similar to the M nibbed van gogh I sold to part-fund this pen. I prefer this nib tho. The filling is so cool!! And it's a great size, quite big, similar to my Varuna ebonite pen.

Nice! I decided to stick with my original plan of the fine nib. It shipped out from Japan at 2AM this morning so hopefully I will get it soon.

 

Interestingly, it seems that my Lamy 2000 EF is broader that your 823 B, even with the same ink.

[Highbinder]

 

Nice! I decided to stick with my original plan of the fine nib. It shipped out from Japan at 2AM this morning so hopefully I will get it soon.

 

Interestingly, it seems that my Lamy 2000 EF is broader that your 823 B, even with the same ink.

 

It is so horribly subjective though My old van gogh was a medium that produced a much thicker line. For an EF to be broader though! Then again I have seen the 'supposed' EF and F nibbed safaris :ltcapd: )

Edited January 21, 2010 by Highbinder

[mirko]

Today I received my 823 with M nib, and I could not be happier. It puts down a nice, wet medium-fine line, same width as my Rotring Initial, slightly finer than my Parker Duofold.

 

I always thought Sailor would be my Holy Grail in fountain pens, but it looks like it is this Pilot!

[downwiththepc27]

Today I received my 823 with M nib, and I could not be happier. It puts down a nice, wet medium-fine line, same width as my Rotring Initial, slightly finer than my Parker Duofold.

 

I always thought Sailor would be my Holy Grail in fountain pens, but it looks like it is this Pilot!

Well, I think I'm going to have to send my fine nib in to Pilot. Its inconsistent flow has worsened now - it writes so much drier on diagonal strokes to the left. It's too bad, since I really like the line width. Hopefully the medium nib will do the trick for me!

[amateriat]

My 823 should be arriving sometime tomorrow morning (USPS says it's somewhere on Long Island right now). It has an M nib, which for my temperament is about as narrow as I care to go. (The Custom 74 I got late last week has a B nib, making for an interesting and versatile pair.) I'll be doing occasional note-taking with the 823 as well. Will post results "as soon as hey happen."

 

 

- Barrett

Edited February 5, 2010 by amateriat

[JimBeam]

Don't have one yet, but it'll be a fine.