Pilot CUSTOM 845 | Urushi on Ebonite on an old flagship

Higher-end aka. more expensive fountain pens have to bring something to the table that's different from mid-tier pens, or else, what's the point?

Performance-wise, the Pilot 743 (a resin pen that is about half the price) is probably the equal to the 845. What the 845 brings to the table is urushi on top of ebonite + an 18k nib. Is urushi + ebonite that much of a difference compared to a standard resin pen? Well, it does feel more luxurious but to be honest, the difference isn't that obvious. I am not an expert on urushi by any means but the Roiro urushi lacquering technique that Pilot uses for their urushi pens is achieved by applying a layer of oil-free urushi lacquer over the uppermost coat. After that, it is polished with special charcoal and raw lacquer is rubbed in on top of the coat. Then it is left to dry and burnished. The process is repeated several times to create a beautiful and unique luster.

Regarding the #15 2-tone 18k nib the Pilot 845 comes with, it's nice but I wouldn't say it's a great deal different from the 743's already impressive 14k nib.

For me, the reason why I bought this pen was clearly for the purpose of adding it to the collection. Not rational but then, we are in the luxury band of pens and rationality goes out the window a little bit in this case :)

If you are interested, my previous 743 video -    • Unboxing: Pilot Custom 743 (FA) Fountain Pen