A Jenny Pilot 823

[Fabienne]

I sucked it in and bought a Pilot 823 (the amber demonstrator) with a nice B nib. It came in style BUT it started skipping about 3 weeks after I got it. I flushed, filled with Pilot ink, etc. Did not help. I sent it back to Pilot. I got it back. I have had it for about 3 years and all of a sudden it's acting up again. It does not start writing as soon as the nib goes to paper. Now, it is leaking inside the cap! I called Pilot and they were very nice. I should send it in and they will advise me. To tell you the truth, I really don't feel like spending more money on the thing as this is the second time for it and it's just not my favorite pen. What would you advise? Do you think they will charge me? I looked at the warranty and it is a 3 year warranty and this is the 3rd year. Actually, it's just about to the day (the last repair was sent to me 1.24.12. Argggggh! I feel as if they want to charge me for repairing it, I would just tell them to keep the d*mned thing.

[PabloAU]

I would find out the warranty situation before sending it to them so that you know whether you're likely to have to pay or not. If you're going to scrap the pen should they decide to charge you, it may be better to pull out the nib and feed, give it a good soak and scrub, and have a go at fixing it yourself. Even if it all goes wrong you're no worse off and will have saved yourself shipping costs.

[Fabienne]

I did look at the warranty situation and I am JUST out of warranty. They might decide to be nice guys and fix it for free or not. If not, I think I will tell them to send it back and pull the nib and feed. What would it fit into? Do you know? Aren't nibs and feeds standard sizes? The body is OK but nothing to write home about, I would be fine with putting it on a different bod.

[PabloAU]

Pilot use proprietary nibs & feeds. The #15 nib in an 823 *appears* to be the same size as a Jowo #6 or Bock 250. I've never actually pulled the nib from one of my Pilot pens, so it might have an alignment notch etc hiding away inside the section. If it does, that shouldn't stop you using the nib in another body, but might prevent you going the other way. I suspect you'd have luck transplanting the nib into the usual #6 suspects - TWSBI Vac 700/Micarta, Jinhao x750, Diplomat Excellence, Noodler's Konrad/Ahab, or the larger Edison or Franklin-Christoph pens. If you go this way, make sure you measure the length of the original nib from the end of the section to ensure that the transplanted nib doesn't impact on the inside of the cap.

[Dr.Grace]

The hard start problem could simply reflect a clogged feed, a DIY fix. But the ink leak is a more serious problem. I hope Pilot will fix it for you!

[Fabienne]

They are going to charge me $215, that is almost what I paid for the pen. I had a repair of the NIB done by MB for $80, and all my TWSBI repairs have been free (and there have been a lot of them). I am going to tell them to send it back but I would love to know if there is a nibmeister out there who could put on a new part OR if I could put the nib and feed on a different pen body. Never did like that amber see through body with all that silicon grease packed in it for anyone to see, it looked scabrous.

[New_Falcon]

I'm sorry to hear of your issues with this pen. Over the years I've been close to buying this pen but whenever I read about it I just keep hearing issues that keep me from buying it.

 

Not sure if you have already but I would post over to the Japan-Asia forum. I know that several posters over there have had these pens apart.

 

Good Luck.

[rdh]

My guess is that it is an alignment issue. Resetting the feed is not difficult. There are a number of posts on FPN and other pen sites on how to do this. Just make sure you don't apply a flame to get it warm. There is very little to lose. I would also use Pilot ink. I bought mine used about 3 years ago. Once I got it going, it has performed exceptionally well. Great pen. One of my all-time favorites and the only pens that is always inked.

 

Dave

[Fabienne]

The Conclusion: I got the pen back last night. I wanted to see the damage they wrote about (the barrel was cracked and the nib had to be replaced according to their correspondence) and so I pulled out my loupe and hunted for the crack in the barrel. I could not find one. It simply wasn't there! I also looked at the nib and it was aligned, in one piece, unbent, hugging the feed as it should, maybe possibly a little baby bottom but that was it. It looked as if all was well. So, I was very puzzled UNTIL I got an e-mail this morning. They told me that the technician had replaced the barrel on the pen for free. I was very happy to hear that, and do think that is what should have been done. I had not dropped or abused the pen in any way, always carried it in a protective case, treated it very well indeed. There was no reason for a crack to develop unless it was of the same type as I have seen on TWSBIs. Maybe it's atmospheric, maybe it's because of the injection molding process, maybe it's inherent in the chemistry of the plastic, I don't know. But the bottom line is that they made it right and I wanted to come back and let you know that.

 

Everyone involved did the right thing and it ended well for everyone.

[Dr.Grace]

Awesome, glad to see that Pilot did the right thing. The barrel cracks are the only real problem with the 823, and they shouldn't happen unless people disassemble the pen and reassemble with a little bit too much force. (Unfortunately, that's easy to do.)