PILOT Custom 845

[Idiopathos]

Have just re-read MYU's review for the nth time, because it's so good; as, indeed, is J-san's. Realise, of course, that it takes a good pen to prompt good reviews, but these two are outstanding.

 

My 845 improves each day: the nib becoming more responsive and the pen as a whole more tactile. That said, if cap, section & barrel were celluloid instead of ebonite & urushi, I would probably feel the same, perhaps even better. Forgive my lack of sensitivity, but the black bits of the pen still shine like an MB and offer little else.

 

The converter, feed and nib, however, are the stars for me. The CON-70 is just so efficient that I wish most of my pens had it. The feed must be efficient (but I don't know why or how). And the nib is basically the same as my two other Pilot/Namikis - as good as the best of my other pens and better than the very large majority.

 

Two points occur to me. Why don't other manufacturers copy Pilot's converter/feed/nib technology? And did we 845 owners need to spend quite so much? Couldn't we have just bought the 'Bamboo', which, after all, delivers just as good results on the page?

[MYU]

Hey, how's this for testimony of quality.

 

I left my Pilot Custom 845 boxed away for 3 months with a half loaded CON-70. I take it out today and think to myself what an idiot I was, and that the pen would have to undergo intense cleaning. But guess what?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It still writes!

The nib is wet. I didn't even have to prime it. NO PRIMING! This is unheard of. And my apartment was exposed to temperatures in the upper 90's while I was away during the month of August. Unfortunately I didn't conduct a more formal test. I can't remember exactly how much ink I had left inside it, so I don't know if any evaporated. But I tell you, if any ink would evaporate it would be through the nib, which means that the nib and feed would have dried out. They did not! I guess the cap seals much better than I thought. Of course, it was also contained in the original box, which seals up pretty well. That may have helped. Still...

 

This is pretty amazing!

Edited October 13, 2009 by MYU

[Flourish]

While I too wish to hold a Custom 845 between my writing fingers I do believe that my dream pen so far is hands down the Custom 823 with a xxxf Falcon nib as the 823 can produce about 16 pages of flourished delights before it needs refilling. now don't get me wrong if I come across one of these 845 wonders at a price I'm willing to pay then I'll have me one in a heart beat with no second thoughts but for now I'm happy with my Namiki Falcons (got 3 of em') and Customs 74, 743 and 823's. And for some reason I'm still on the fence about taking the leap into the MYU, Vanishing point and Fermo world.

[Idiopathos]

Have been using the 845 again recently and remembered why I put it away for a while: the nib reminded me of a Sailor Naginata-Togi, which just wouldn't 'grip' all the types of paper I have to use at work. It would slide and leave no ink.

 

On the right paper, the 845 is excellent, but I can't guarantee to give it that option every time. The smaller Pilot nib on my Dunhill AD2000, however, is a 'gripper' and will write on almost anything, which is what I need from a working pen.

 

These things said, I shall continue to give the 845 time to settle down and bed in.

[thebz1]

Great Review! :clap1:

[Lava Fountain]

MYU

 

Forgot to add my thx for the Wonderful Review & Excellent Photos as well as I recieved mine about a month ago and agree with all you say and defintiley Love writing with it. Beautiful!

 

I got it with the BB nib and well, Like Melting Butter doing on paper it's sooo smooth & effortless, more so than anything else I have or could have imagined a nib could do! Wonderful!

 

Wouldn't Love to get a F maybe M or a B nib somehwere along the way. Just for the experience.

 

 

Thx again for the time & effort.

 

Cheers,

LF

[Lava Fountain]

MYU

 

Forgot to add my thx for the Wonderful Review & Excellent Photos as well as I recieved mine about a month ago and agree with all you say and defintiley Love writing with it. Beautiful!

 

I got it with the BB nib and well, Like Melting Butter doing on paper it's sooo smooth & effortless, more so than anything else I have or could have imagined a nib could do! Wonderful!

 

Wouldn't Love to get a F maybe M or a B nib somehwere along the way. Just for the experience.

 

 

Thx again for the time & effort.

 

Cheers,

LF

 

Let me correct that, like Melting Butter going on paper :ltcapd:

[Pen2009]

Does the inner felt on the cap really help prevent scratches on the barrel when posted? Pilot also applies the same concept on their Urushi lines for its Namiki lines as well.

[Pensioner]

Great review. I finally acquired one of these with the broad nib, and I love it. Smooth writer. It has a wonderful feel in my hand, perhaps due to ebonite and urushi. The only problem is that I'd like to have a fine and a medium, too. But my level of CPAD is still a little short of that for now.

[hari317]

Does the inner felt on the cap really help prevent scratches on the barrel when posted? Pilot also applies the same concept on their Urushi lines for its Namiki lines as well.

 

I think it does(I post my 845) and shows Pilot's attention to small details. Personally, I am a poster and I don't like the fact that Nakaya/Platinum and Dani Trio expressly prohibit posting their urushi pens due to danger of Urushi damage. They could have designed a mechanism to allow safe posting the cap if the user so wished.

[Painterspal]

Does the inner felt on the cap really help prevent scratches on the barrel when posted? Pilot also applies the same concept on their Urushi lines for its Namiki lines as well.

 

I think it does, and also when removing the cap. A few of my pens show faint rub marks, caused by the cap being screwed and unscrewed. The felt prevents this too. Excellent attention to detail by Pilot I think. Their top quality pens are fantastic.

[rogerb]

I was so regretful at trading mine, that I replaced it .... saw an unused one FS here a while ago and exchanged pound notes for it at the London Show a couple of years ago.

I love it, but, for some reason, forget to use it as much as I should. (I think that means I have too many sweet-writing pens .... if that is possible!)

[MYU]

I'm still using this pen. While I tend to use fine and stub nibbed fountain pens, this is the only high end pen I've got with a broad nib. And I'd have to say that being conservative on this, it writes more like a medium. The good thing is that with a little extra pressure you can get a broad line as well.

 

Still so very stately. Formal affair in its air. But the balance is so nice and ink flow so smooth. I left my pen in the box for 2 years with ink inside it. Idiot. And yes, it was dried out. But I was amazed at how easily it cleaned out. They must treat the feed with some special coating or something that holds onto wet ink sufficiently but won't let dried ink grab a tight hold.

 

 

I never provided some writing samples, so I'll try to follow up later with some.

[MYU]

One other thing I'd like to add... some people have expressed disappointment that the section is not coated with urushi. But I think I know why Pilot decided on that. This way you can soak the section and nib in water. If it was coated in urushi, you would NOT want to do that (I believe that long term exposure to water can damage urushi). So Pilot was smart to use a quality plastic instead.