The Pilot "Custom" Series: An Overview of Some of My Favorite Fountain Pens

March 14, 2026

I think of Pilot’s “Custom” series as containing the brand’s signature pens - effectively their standard lineup. While there are regular models that don’t bear the “Custom” designation (i.e. E95s, Capless Vanishing Point and Decimo), the Custom pens present a broad example of what the company can do, and it’s long past time I photographed them alongside each other. In both the T.G.S. Shop and my own personal collection, Pilot outnumbers any other mainstream brand due to their solid build quality and exceptional nibs, which in my experience rarely need tuning or modification out of the box. I will give a brief overview of each pen, and highlight a few key aspects of each one. Where applicable I have linked to a more in-depth T.G.S. review of each pen, and of course I’ll share my favorites at the end!

Pilot Custom 74

The entry point to Pilot's Custom line, the Custom 74 features a classic streamlined torpedo shape and Pilot's No. 5 14kt nib. The pen ships with the CON-70 pump converter (Pilot's largest) so you can write with bottled ink out of the box. At $216, I still consider the Custom 74 one of the best value propositions on the Japanese pen market, notwithstanding the recent price increases. Going forward, it will be uncommon to find gold-nib pens at the sub-$300 price point, and the Custom 74 remains priced below many "boutique" brands that feature standard JoWo or Bock steel options. (Priced at $216 standard, $240 for the Lavender Fog Special Edition - TGS Shop)

Pilot No. 5 vs. No. 10 Nib Comparison — Pilot’s No. 5 Nib (Custom 74 and Custom Heritage 92, left) next to the Pilot No. 10 Nib (Custom 912).

Pilot Custom 912

For a long time, the Custom 912 remained largely unavailable to the U.S. market and had to be purchased directly from Japan. Featuring a No. 10 14kt nib, which is slightly larger than the No. 5 on the Custom 74 and Custom Heritage 92, the Custom 912 features a flat top design and a sword-style clip. Still relatively accessible price-wise, the Custom 912 opens the door to Pilot's specialty nib line, including the PO (Posting), WA (Waverly), and FA (Falcon) nibs, as well as the "Soft" series. (Priced at $296 for Standard - TGS Shop)

Custom Heritage 92 Demonstrator on Galen Pen Stand — The crystal clear Custom Heritage 92.

Pilot Custom Heritage 92

The lone piston filler on this list, the Pilot Custom Heritage 92 features a flat-top design and clip similar to the Custom 912 but has the same smaller No. 5 nib as the Custom 74. Sometimes overlooked due to the fact that color options are limited, the Custom Heritage 92 is a spectacular pen that I regret having sold off from my personal collection back when the transparent orange demonstrator was still available. (I wanted a broader nib and wrongly assumed I would be able to get another one.) The piston mechanism is exceptionally smooth and the polishing work on the transparent resin top notch. If you're looking for a demonstrator that will showcase your ink collection this one should be on your list. (Priced at $264 standard - TGS Shop)

Pilot Custom 743

The Custom 743 features an even larger No. 15 nib (also 14kt), and the same longer streamlined body style as the more-expensive Custom 823, though with a CON-70 converter instead of the vacuum-filling mechanism. Like the Custom Heritage 912, Pilot makes the Custom 743 available with their range of specialty nibs, though the pen only comes with gold trim so those who prefer chrome or Rhodium are stuck with the 912. (Priced at $392 - TGS Shop)

Pilot Custom Pens in Nagasawa Kip Leather — Shown here in a Nagasawa 5-Pen Kip Leather Zippered case from left, the Custom 823, Custom Urushi, Custom 743, Custom 74, and Custom 912.

Pilot Custom 823

It's truly a toss-up as to whether the Custom 823 or the Custom 74 is the more popular pen, but we sell a lot of Custom 823 fountain pens simply because many people - especially those who write a lot and don't want to refill frequently - absolutely love the high-capacity vacuum-filling system. You can watch a demonstration of how it works here. The Custom 823 comes in three different transparent demonstrator finishes (Clear, Smoke, and Amber), with a 14kt No. 15 nib. Gold trim only - sorry Rhodium fans! (Priced at $416 - TGS Shop)

Pilot Custom Series Larger Nibs — The larger nibs from the Custom Series, from left: No. 15 FA (Custom 745); No. 15 Medium (Custom 823), and No. 30 Medium (Custom Urushi).

Pilot Custom 845

Here is where things start getting really "Fancy" (capital “F”). The Custom 845 represents an entry point into the Pilot Urushi line, with Black, Vermillion, and Prussian Blue lacquer finishes. While the nib is the same No. 15 size as the Custom 823 and Custom 743, it's 18kt instead of 14kt, and features a two-toned gold/rhodium finish. Currently the Custom 845 is the only Pilot Custom Series pen not represented in my own collection, as I'm holding out for a Prussian Blue in the nib size that I want. (Priced at $1000 - Vanness Pens)

Custom Urushi compared against Pilot Custom 823 — Many thanks to Lisa Vanness for the photograph of the coveted Pilot Prussian Blue Custom Urushi, shown here compared against the Custom 823 for scale.

Pilot Custom Urushi

By far the most expensive pen in my own personal collection, the Custom Urushi is relatively massive but the No. 30 nib is sublime with a softness/springiness akin to the Pelikan M1000 - in my opinion, better. The key consideration here for those considering a Custom Urushi is size - both of the pen itself and the price tag. Larger gold nibs like these are always expensive, and when you combine gold with Urushi lacquerwork, it's simply going to be a higher-priced item. That said, a Custom 845 or Custom Urushi is often the capstone of many users' collections. (Priced at $1700 - Vanness Pens)

Custom 912 Custom 74 Custom 823 Comparison — From left: Custom 912, Custom 74, and Custom 823.

Ranking My Three Personal Favorites Here

We can end this little overview with a personal reflection. I'm going to confess that I'm personally very biased towards Pilot because I love their nibs - their medium nibs especially. They write how I like a gold medium nib to write, with the perfect amount of ink flow. A Pilot medium remains my default when the coveted fine-medium is unavailable. As mentioned above, Pilot is the most-represented mainstream pen brand in my personal collection, and these "top three" appear more than once with me owning multiple colors and nib sizes. That said, the ranking below is driven purely by personal preference, not which pens from the Custom series I feel are objectively better:

Pilot Custom 74. Because of the excellent size for everyday carry, and overall value. I think of the Custom 74 as a workhorse in the same way I think of the Lamy 2000.
Pilot Custom 912. Waverly Nib. All I need to say. Look for a review of this pen/nib combination coming soon.
Pilot Custom 823. I own two: A medium Amber that I had ground to a Kodachi and a fine Smoke. When I want to travel with a few pens that won't need refilling, these are top options since they're effectively ink tanks with a shutoff valve that makes them great for air travel.
On my list: I will eventually add a Custom Heritage 92 and Pilot Custom 845, because I want to round out the collection and a Prussian Blue Urushi pen calls to me.

Bonus feature: We toured Pilot North American HQ in a recent episode of the On The Paper Trail Podcast!

Pilot Kakuno Madoromi Restock on the Table — The Pilot Kakuno is a $15-20 pen that has exploded in popularity, as evidenced by the size of our recent Kakuno Madoromi restock.

A Note on Pricing

I fully understand that whether pricing on these pens is "accessible" is relative. This article addresses a specific line of gold-nib fountain pens which, regardless of what they cost 10 years ago, are expensive luxury purchases that going forward will likely be even more expensive due to rising material costs, tariffs, geopolitical considerations and myriad other factors that are well beyond the scope of this article. The purpose here is not to debate how much things "should" cost, but rather to provide an overview of a popular line of pens that I personally enjoy and believe remain mostly competitively priced in today's current market environment, especially where companies already have pushed some steel nib pens north of $250. For the record, Pilot makes excellent pens at all price points, with the Pilot Kakuno (from $15), Pilot Explorer ($26), and Pilot Prera ($67.50) all warranting serious consideration as both pens for beginners as well as everyday workhorse writers for experienced users.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee.

Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black Lineup

New Arrivals: Workhorse Pens from Pilot! Vanishing Points and Explorers are Here!

January 9, 2024

The idea of a “workhorse pen” - a reliable, often unassuming daily driver that can offer years of reliable service - is one of the key ideas around which I’ve built both the site and our Curated Shop. As we’ve expanded our retail selection over the years, we continue to introduce new pens from brands both new and established that fall into this category, including a growing number of pens from Japanese company Pilot. Last week we received our initial shipment of select models of the Pilot Vanishing Point (Pilot’s classic retractable capless fountain pen), as well as the lower-priced ($25) Pilot Explorer fountain pen. We also stock additional Vanishing Point nib units, which are easily interchangeable.

Pilot Explorer Matte Black Fountain Pen — As someone who was initially skeptical of the Explorer when it was first announced, I’ve come to love this lightweight, well-balanced fountain pen that also fits fairly well into planner and notebook loops, making it a good “planner pen”.

Pilot fountain pens feature some of the best-writing nibs out there, and while Pilot refuses to play the special and limited edition release game to the same extent as some other companies, what they do put out is highly reliable. I’m headed into a heavy month of two-job work that includes a lot of travel, and my personal carry for the new year includes not just a Vanishing Point and Explorer but also a Custom 74 and Custom 823.

Pilot Custom 74 in Blue Stone — Don’t sleep on the Custom 74 - it’s one of my favorite nibs.

In addition to our lineup of Pilot Pens, be sure to check out our selection of Pilot ink, including a refreshed Iroshizuku lineup. Many thanks for your support, and if you’re going to be attending the Philadelphia Pen Show this weekend, I’ll be visiting as well so look for me with our friends at Hinze Pens!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

Workhorse Pens: The Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pen

April 29, 2023

The Pilot Vanishing Point might be the most popular, and the Custom Urushi and Custom 845 the media darlings that receive a lot of attention, but the pen that I would identify as the true “workhorse” of Pilot’s lineup, and which - if I were in charge - I would personally consider the flagship, is the Pilot Custom 823. Frankly, I’m somewhat embarrassed to have not given the Custom 823 the formal “Workhorse Pen” review treatment at this point in my career, so here we go!

Pilot Custom 823 Amber and Smoke — A flashy pen it is not: The Pilot 823 in Amber (left) and Smoke (right). These two transparent demonstrators are different colors, but when inked it can be somewhat difficult to tell the difference.

The Custom 823 Follows The Workhorse Pen Blueprint

When designing the Custom 823, Pilot seems to have followed my “workhorse pen” blueprint to the letter: (1) an excellent nib; (2) a well-build, balanced pen body that can be used either posted or unposted; (3) an understated design that, while of course lets anyone know you are using a fountain pen, can’t be described as flashy; and (4) a reliable, high-capacity filling system. Over the years, Pilot has taken some flack for not “updating” the design on the Custom 823, and it remains available in the U.S. in exactly two colors: transparent “Smoke” and transparent “Amber,” both with gold trim. There have been no limited or special editions that I’m aware of other than one or two Japan-only exclusives, both of which sold out quickly and now command steep premiums on the secondary market.

Pilot Custom 823 Nibs — The Pilot Custom 823 features a 14k No. 15 nib, which is roughly the same size as a JoWo No. 6.

Why Do I Still Like This Pen So Much, Nearly 7 Years Later?

I first reviewed the Pilot Custom 823 nearly 7 years ago, in August of 2016, after purchasing the Amber pen at the Atlanta Pen Show that same year. While the design of this pen has grown on me over time, the real reason this pen is a regular in my rotation is the overall writing experience. Specifically, the combination of the nib and the weight/balance of this pen is nearly perfect for me, and while I haven’t yet tried the Custom 743 (the newly released cartridge-converter version of the 823), I have a hard time imagining that any pen will supplant the Custom 823 as a go-to recommendation for a high-ink-capacity everyday writer.

Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pen Posted In-Hand — The Custom 823 posts deeply, allowing you to write with the cap posted without sacrificing balance.

Nib. As I discussed in my initial review, the Pilot Custom 823 features a larger No. 15 14kt yellow gold nib, with the prototypical Pilot engraving and feed. Between the multiple Custom 823s and Custom 74s that I’ve owned over the years, I can honestly say that I’ve never had a bad Pilot gold nib (outside of one finicky Vanishing Point that I bought secondhand…). I don’t like to throw the term “guarantee” around when you’re talking about pens, because so much about the writing experience is subjective, but with Pilot, you’re probably as close as you can get to a “guaranteed” out-of-the-box good writing experience from a major pen company. Quality control is top notch, and in the event there is an issue, they stand behind the product. Currently, I have two Custom 823s in my collection: a stock fine nib that is an excellent pen for annotation, and a medium that I had ground into a blade-style nib by Mark Bacas that might be my favorite.
Size and Balance. Each one of us has a “Goldilocks” size when it comes to writing instruments - neither too big nor too small - and for me the Pilot Custom 823 falls squarely into that role, along with the Lamy 2000 and the Montblanc 146. I may even have to give the Custom 823 the slight nod here because I do find the Lamy 2000 slightly too short to use unposted and for whatever reason the 146 less comfortable. Here, the Custom 823 posts deeply and securely, even with the blind cap slightly open to release the safety valve. (More on that below).
Filling System. What originally drew me to the Custom 823 years ago was the then-unique vacuum filling system, which has since become far more common and widely available at multiple price points. (See the TWSBI Vac700R and the Nahvalur (Narwhal) Original Plus.) Even if vacuum fillers can be more difficult to clean, I still appreciate the MASSIVE ink capacity, and tend to deal with any cleaning issues by picking a specific ink (or ink color) for each pen and sticking to it. Note that if you’re a serial ink changer, vacuum fillers may not be the best choice, because flushing and cleaning these pens too regularly over time can stress the gaskets and lead to leakage/sticking. (This is really hard to do, and I’ve had my pens for 3-7 years without incident, but I’ve heard isolated reports of it happening with people who overwork the filling system by changing inks frequently - i.e., every other day.)

Pilot Custom 823 Unposted with Valve Open — For longer writing sessions with a vacuum-filler like the Pilot Custom 823, you’ll want to slightly open the blind cap to release the safety valve and allow ink to flow continuously.

Reflections on the Pilot Custom 823 as an Everyday Writer

You can go for a long time without refilling a Custom 823, especially with a fine nib, making it the perfect companion for long trips and extremely long writing sessions where you don’t want to worry about running out of ink. A key benefit of a vacuum filler fountain pen is the shut-off valve, which when closed seals the ink into the barrel of the pen to help prevent leakage. If you plan on writing more than a page or two, all you need to do is unscrew the blind cap to slightly open the valve and allow the ink to flow freely. What this does is offers you the ability to carry this fountain pen on an airplane, in a car, in your bag without having to be overly terrified of a serious ink spill. But at the end of the day, beyond these pragmatic considerations, the reason I love the Pilot Custom 823 so much is that it’s one of those pens that easily “disappears” while you’re writing. The nib isn’t finicky. It’s not distracting. You don’t have to refill it often. It just works.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

When I decided to make a fairly significant investment by bringing Pilot into my shop earlier this year, I could have chosen to start with less expensive lines, or trendier models available in “catch-’em all” colors. But given how I make my selections, the decision to start with the Custom 823 and the Custom 74 was really a no-brainer. While I might add more models in the future, these are the two that I’m comfortable recommending across the board and standing behind.

To be clear, the Pilot Custom 823 is not an impulse buy pen. At $336, it’s a long-term investment in an everyday writer and should be approached as such. However, this is a fountain pen that can last you a long time with proper care, as my own experience attests. We currently stock the Custom 823 in both colors and all nib sizes, and if you want something slightly smaller, with cartridge/converter capabilities and, yes, different color/trim options, consider the Custom 74. I expect that I’ll add the Custom 743 in the near future, but I’d like to get my hands on one first.

Pilot Pens Family Portrait — A “family portrait” of all the Pilot pens currently in my personal collection, from left: Pilot Custom 74 in “Blue Stone”; Pilot Custom 823 in Smoke; Pilot Custom 823 in Amber, Pilot Custom Urushi, Pilot Custom Heritage 912; Pilot Decimo in Harvest Gold; Pilot Vanishing Point in Blue Carbonesque.

Introducing T.G.S. "Currently Inked!" Let's Start Off with the Pilot Custom 823 and Parker 51

April 3, 2023

I’ve been wanting to introduce some additional video content to the site and related channels for some time now, so this morning I filmed a short video in which I ink up two new pens for the week: My Amber Pilot Custom 823, and my newly acquired Parker 51 that I picked up at the Arkansas Pen Show a couple of weeks ago. Both of these pens have interesting filling systems, and I actually get a lot of questions about how the Custom 823’s vacuum-filling system works. Check out the video here over at the T.G.S. Youtube Channel. (Yes, we have one!)

This particular video contains bonus content in which I spill ink on myself. Yes, it still happens, even after all these years!

Disclaimer: The Gentleman Stationer is now an authorized retailer of Pilot Pens and Inks.