Yard-O-Led Standard Smythson

January 12, 2012

Those of you that drive on the wrong side of the road (as well as those who live in New York City and so don't even know how to drive) may be familiar with the firm Smythson of Bond Street and it is there that this journey starts.

I guess Smythson can be called a stationery store just as Sotheby's which is a few doors up the street could be called an antique store.

Now Smythson does not provide (it seems they are purveyors, not marketeers) just stationery, it also offers leather binders and "Panama" diaries that come with a "cedar pencil" and "Technology cases". Of course they also offer fountain pens for those who perhaps know that what they write in their diary requires greater moment than can be provided by a cedar pencil. For those select few they offer two Smythson edition Yard-o-Led fountain pens a Standard size and the Grand.

While the pen being reviewed began life in Birmingham and came to the City to pause in its journey there on Bond Street, like other Son's of the Realm since Victoria, it made the trip to the Jewel in the Crown that is India. By means unmentioned it came into the possession of a member here who's name is similar to one of my favorite characters, Hurree Chunder Mookherjee but is not likely a Bengali Babu. When I received word from Mahbub Ali that a certain pen of impeccable pedigree could be purchased for a trifle, I could not resist and immediately forwarded three sick pearls, one ruby of less impeccable pedigree as FOB on the next British India Steam Navigation Company steamer leaving the port.

In due time after a voyage PO and SH the pen arrived at my door.

I've covered several of the Yard-o-Led pens recently and I mentioned that I did not have an example of the Standard size Viceroy and this pen fills that slot. Since it is a Smythson, it is also in the lined Sterling Silver, another design not currently available except through Smythson.

The biggest differences are that this pen has Smythson engraved on the clip and only a three digit serial number.

http://www.fototime.com/898C0317FFA4B81/orig.jpg

As expected, it is considerably slimmer and shorter than the Grands I reviewed earlier and about the same length as the Yard-o-Led Corinthian.

http://www.fototime.com/25E2AAFAA4D3FC4/orig.jpg

It has the classic Yard-o-Led 18k engraved nib with a rhodium or palladium coating set in the traditional Sterling Silver section.

http://www.fototime.com/852CB7F9597932D/standard.jpg

On the body you will find the normal hallmarks (Birmingham Assay Office), Maker's Mark (YOL) as well as the Date Stamp (2003) with only the Hall Marks on the cap.

http://www.fototime.com/332E2A2E648B3F7/standard.jpg

It is another really nice example of the Yard-o-Led pens, a responsive, smooth medium nib with just a hint of feedback, moderately wet and so far happy with any ink I have tried. It is really slim and in hand feels slimmer than the Corinthian and much slimmer than the Viceroy Pocket Victorian although it is simply too small a difference for me to get an accurate measurement unless I get out one of my micrometers.

http://www.fototime.com/67DD380B3A7AB3D/standard.jpg

This will be another keeper and I'm quite sure it will see lots of pocket time, in fact may compete with the Viceroy Pocket for my attention.

http://www.fototime.com/C3EEBF3E5F57B32/standard.jpg

Edited January 12, 2012 by jar

January 12, 2012

What a beautiful pen, I will have to try a Yard-O-Led some day.

Do you find that the slimness paired with the weight of being an all-metal pen makes it difficult to use for long-term writing, or is it balanced enough to keep your hands happy?

January 12, 2012

excellent review Jar

Are all YOL's non screw caps. What system do they employ to secure the cap?

Grail pens!

enjoy (I'm sure)

January 12, 2012

They're snap-on caps. I find them perfection for long writing marathons [Grands, which I do not post]. The nibs have a unique and lovely feel all their own and are the least finicky about ink that I've ever used. Filling is c/c.

January 12, 2012

What a beautiful pen, I will have to try a Yard-O-Led some day.

Do you find that the slimness paired with the weight of being an all-metal pen makes it difficult to use for long-term writing, or is it balanced enough to keep your hands happy?

Remember that for hundreds if not thousands of years we wrote with quills and reeds that are far slimmer than even the YoL Standard.

January 12, 2012

Aye, but quills are a fair bit lighter than metal

I will take this to mean that the pen is comfortable though, enjoy it!

January 12, 2012

Aye, but quills are a fair bit lighter than metal

I will take this to mean that the pen is comfortable though, enjoy it!

I find it comfortable even though I tend towards wider body pens. But comfort is so subjective and individual that I hesitate to make sweeping pronouncements.

Weight seems to be far less important in comfort than other factors like balance and materials and in this case the pen works well for me. Sterling Silver does not get as slick as sections made from other materials which is why Sterling Silver was long the preferred material for tableware. The Standard sized Yard-o-Led also balances well in my hand both posted and unposted. Those two factors as well as the reliability, good ink flow, the fact that it seems to work well with every ink I've tried so far, the smooth but responsive nib all combine to make it a pleasant pen to write with; but that is all based on my hand.