Pilot Custom 823 vs 845 - Comparative Overview
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- čas přidán 18. 09. 2021
- This video is part of a review which is to be found on wp.me/p7302D-1zl
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Very nice job! I'm happy that I am blessed to own both of these gems.. for me.. Pilot vs. MB is not event a contest.. both are lovely, but I would still keep my 823, and 845 over the 146 and 149.. love your work!
Frank in Colorado, USA
Thanks much! Greetings right back!
The thing is, Japanese pens are meant to write kanjis, while European pens are for Latin letters, so both call for a VERY different style on how to move the hand to write.
The other thing is, the 146 and especially the 149 are on another level because they are piston fillers, so much more complicated to make. Everything else is just a matter of taste.
I have both the pens. The PC 823 (M) in Amber. And the PC 845 (B) in red Urushi.
I absolutely adore both of them. I like both the rounded finials of the 823 and the flat top ends of the 845. I even like both the Vac filler and the Con-70 converter. The writing experience is very nuanced. I bought the 823 first and hence was first wowed by that sublime 14k nib. The 18k is equally smooth but slightly more stiff and feedback-y to mu senses. Ultimately, it’s extremely difficult to pick one over the other. But, if forced to choose, the 845 only just edges out the 823 for me.
Thanks for a very interesting and relevant comparison. Because I own and use both the pens, I’ll admit that I’ve occasionally compared the two pens myself. I only think the 823 is quite fairly priced. But the 845 is overpriced.
845 is overpriced until you see what other urushi pens cost
@@Cortesevasive …Ha, touché, touché!
I know. And I have one such other Urushi finish fountain pen by another brand that cost nearly twice as much as the 845. So, who am I to complain, really? 😀
@@Cortesevasive haha, i bet.
One guy takes ranga pens and puts iroshi on them..those are fairly affordable. He is new to the scene, relativly.
Yeah i wish the ebonite pen was a vacuume filler too :P then id say its much less overpriced :)
The 845 it's not entirely lacquered with Urushi. The section is plastic, the cap threads are made also from plastic.
The fenil on the cap and barel is also plastic. Also, I have doubts on the urushi process, hand painted with the traditional brush, I think it's sprayed, a mix of natural and synthetic lacquer. The pen is too expensive, I know, I have one. Izumo it's much better and it's entirely made from Ebonite and Urushi.
Good comparison video, subscribed !
Thanks!
Thank you for the thorough review. Am thinking of getting the 823.
This is a superb comparison and review. - Thanks.
FWIW I have two Custom 823s with Medium nibs. There is a marked difference in the line width between them. It's not a problem as both write within the bounds of what I enjoy.
Y'know, I am not so very keen on my 823s. The are both exemplary writers, they feel good in my hand and have tremendous nibs but the nib to paper feel is rather personality free. (Edit - Since writing this I have been using one or 'scratchy / rougher' paper - they now have personality LOL)
When I look at the high street price of the Custom 845 I think there are other pens just as good for a lot less, or an Onoto at the same price with solid gold, or solid silver fittings, in natural acrylic and a nib only otherwise found in the best Fountain Pen dreams.
Anyway - wishing you a warm winter and seasons greetings.
Cheers.
Festive greetings to you, too!
Thank you for the video. I can’t say I appreciate the 845’s looks from a tv screen, but having a similar Urushi pen, I can say if it looks like my pen, they are truly lovely. I do like the 823’s smooth writing, but mine is a M nib, and that is a factor in its smoothness I think. Pilot’s 743 series sports a #15 nib, I would think it might write similar to the 823, but as yet don’t have one so I don’t know. Pilot’s line of Custom pens really meets me with their quality, and functionality at whatever price point I want to get in at. Great pens 👍😎 . Thanks again for your comparison 🤗.
Definitely super good pens. Thanks for the comment!
good comparison video, thank you. I keep my pen budget under $50, so I might not ever know which I like better, but i like to know what's out there.
thanks! glad it was insightful.
That is an enjoyable and well done vide. Your writing is excellent and it is not that important either how we write. Variety in life is fun. Thank you. RS. Canada
Thanks, Richard! Very refreshing comment and perspective. I agree wholeheartedly.
I Like your comparison a lot! Im left handed as well and got a Custom Maple with a No. 10 nib. The downstrokes are great but the upstrokes are very thin. I exeprienced the same issue on the no. 5 nib and im curios if the larger nib maybe doesnt have that issue. Can you relate?
They will always have that. I wouldn’t say it’s an „issue“. It’s more simply a characteristic of those type of Pilot nibs. The softness produces line variation, if one is not extremely light handed. Some people look for exactly this aesthetic- others despise the inconsistency; and go for the extremely precise Platinum or Sailor nibs.
@@Scrivelynotes Thanks for the answer! You got a point. Probably I will experience this behavior on every soft nib. I tried a 743 EF, and the nib ist fortunately very stiff. Best regards!
Hello, my friend. I recently purchased a Custom 742 with an FA 14k nib - I already own a Custom 823, with a Fine 14K; in truth, I have yet to find a smoother, more satisfying Japanese writing instrument; that was my comparison, but still the 823 won thru'. I do like the flat-topped 845, but even with an 18K nib & Urushi laquer, I couldn't see myself purchasing it - I wouldn't (personally) feel justified in the expenditure. but hey, that is only my personal opinion. I have a few Pilot scribes - both gold & steel nibs, & in terms of the gold, I am more than satisfied with the 14K issues. Thank you for this comparitive overview, Michael - best to you & your loved ones,
Andrew :)
Great pen, indeed, my friend! Hope all is well
Quite so, Michael. We are both well, thank you,
Best,
Andrew :)
I wrongly assumed that the 845 would have a softer nib than the 823! That alone made me change my mind and I think I'll get a 823 instead! Thank you for saving me almost 300 euros :D Oh, I subscribed to your channel of course!
Thanks much, Antonio. Glad this was helpful
I must have watched a ton of tedious unboxing videos for the 845, which I've had my eye on for awile, but none of them showed how the pen acually performs. I have the 823 and as a fine-line writer I've been trying to find out how the urushi 845 compares with the 823 in that regard. To actually see a writing sample of the two, and with fine nibs no less, is a lucky happenstance for me and incredibly helpful. Urushi 845, here I come!
Super! Glad this was helpful! Great pen(s).
A reason for the difference in the nib may actually be caused by the difference in the nib housing within the section. What I found was that when I moved my 823 Nib into my 743... the nib itself was less bouncy. The 743 nib housing and section may be the same one used in the 845.
hm, could be yeah. like the housing exerting more or less pressure, hence allowing for more or less flexibility
I wonder if the caps can be swapped. lol
I guess I can skip 823, and try 845 or its larger no.30 nib brother someday. I have a Pro Gear and I sort of regret it becoming pretty heavy with writing while posted, but a little too short unposted. By the way of your handwriting, I can see that you tend to put the tip first and make the stroke, that is very much how Japanese nib bounce gets utilized for writing Japanese characters, that way also, as experienced through Japanese gold nibs that I own, the dryness and overall line width often greatly influenced by the ink characteristics, and sometimes correspond to the feeling of proper flow of ink. I like the basic color inks from Pilot or Platinum on a lot of them, Sailor's inks, not so much(can be rather finicky even for Sailor pen itself)
I have both and use both. Very different writing experiences.
Thanks for sharing!
Unfortunately none is the right one for me at this moment because they are a tad too costly for my budget, but I’ll take your experience into account in case I am able to buy one of them. Thanks.
😍😍
One more difference is that the body/cap of the 845 is made of ebonite.
appreciate the informative video ! although i often find it funny that the folks reviewing pens in general have such wonky hand writing :)
I just wish Pilot would take a leaf out of Pelikan's book and be a lot more flexible with their options - especially with their fans in Australia- e.g. FA nibs and ebonite feeds. Lovely pens but Pilot needs to realise fountain pen folk have a wide variety of individual needs for pens. I prefer pens with heft like the Lamy steel 2000. I'd opt for the 823 as it's a piston filler that holds a large amount of ink. No converters to come loose, create an awful mess and much easier to get a clean refill.
Yeah, the Japanese offerings outside Japan are at times a bit hard to understand and get a hold of
think you may have gotten a subpar 845 nib, or an incredible 823 nib.
Every other comparison ive seen states the 845 nib is a large degree more smooth and bouncy.
I would be concerned as the nib is the shining point of the 845 model.
If my 845 comes in and writes subpar to my 743 i will be less than thrilled and probably contact pilot for a nib swap or a nib tune.
I recently got an 845 as well and mine is also very stiff and less bouncy than other Pilot nibs.
I’ve tried the Enjyu (wooden Bartel & cap version of 845) and it was also stiffer and less bouncy than all the other pilot fines I’ve tried (912, 823, 743) and I preferred it for that reason for the way I write and have just ordered a vermillion 845. Bouncy and soft doesn’t make a nib better, feel is subjective. I have a 743 SF and I initially loved it but I grew tired of it fairly quickly.
As far as writing goes both pens write just as well, so for a superb, well writing instrument at a great price you can’t go wrong with the Pilot CH823, the price difference comes from the difficulty and skill that goes into developing the urushi finish so you’re paying for the craftsmanship and years of technique that goes into finishing the 845, to where it’s almost like paying for art instead of just a pen. Could it be a daily use pen, yes it can and it will hold up nicely but overall it’s going to be desired more from a collectors perspective not just for its writing abilities. I can’t go over all the details that go into making the 845 but if you can it’s fascinating work, and these people are highly praised in Japan.
I can definitely appreciate the craft that goes into this. Thank for highlighting this!
At first: Wow, 845 is so much more compelling than the dull understated 823.
Pricing: Nevermind.
U have to improve ur hand writing first
Why? Is there a price to win?
@@Scrivelynotes 👎no
But u can improve.
@@SatyendraKumar-li8tx of course I can. Just wondering what makes you feel entitled telling me I have to. Also unclear to me why I would have to improve my handwriting in order to be able to judge a pen.
@@Scrivelynotes I'm not good in english I accept .but in ir reviews ur letters were to small that why I told u.im not criticizing ur reviews.dont take on ur ❤. Ur best.