Pen Pit Stop : Yard-o-Led Viceroy Standard Victorian

[namrehsnoom]

Pen Pit Stop : Yard-o-Led Viceroy Standard Victorian

 

Welcome to the Pen Pit Stop. Here you will find reviews of pens that already have some mileage on them. More specifically, these reviews are of pens that are in my personal collection, and that have been in use for at least a year. I thought it would be fun to do it this way – no new & shiny pens here, but battered vehicles that have been put to work for at least a year. Let’s find out how they have withstood the ravages of time.

 

The fountain pen entering the pit stop today is the “Yard-o-Led Viceroy Standard Victorian”, my personal grail pen. I had my eye on this pen for many years, and finally bought it as a birthday present. I got me the Standard version with its slender lines, which I find more aesthetically pleasing than the girthier Grande version. This Sterling Silver pen is a great writer with an excellent nib that wrote smoothly right out of the box.

 

I bought this pen in June 2019, and it has been in use for almost 3 years now. This pen is in my regular rotation – it would be a shame to let such a beauty sit unused for too long in its pen case. Let’s have a closer look at it.

Pen Look & Feel
The Yard-o-Led company was founded in 1934, and they have been hand-crafting pens since that time. Their Sterling Silver fountain pens are hand-crafted by in-house artisans: the craftsmanship and love for their work are clearly visible in the products they create. Their flagship product are the Sterling Silver pens in Victorian finish – these are just stunning, and worthy of the title “grail pen.”

 

My pen is the standard version – a slender, vintage-style fountain pen that is roughly the same size and diameter as a Lamy CP1 or Kaweco Special. I can understand that such slender pens are not for everyone: if you prefer more girth, there is also the bigger “Viceroy Grande.”

 

The pen body is elegant and simple in style with a beautiful engraving: the Victorian pattern is manually hammered into the pen body by the Yard-o-Led artist – this also means that no two pens are the same. The complete pen is constructed from 925-proof Sterling Silver, with both body and cap showing the corresponding hallmarks from the Birmingham Assay Office. The marks present are: a 925-mark that signifies the silver content (925 parts in a thousand – which makes it sterling silver), the anchor symbol of the Birmingham Assay Office, the letter “u” which represents the year of manufacture (2019), the producer’s stamp (YOL for Yard-o-Led), and a lion which signifies sterling silver.

 

The click-on cap has a sturdy clip, that is mostly useful as a roll-stop. The clip is bolted on, and has the “Yard-o-Led” name engraved on it. At the top of the clip you’ll find the pen’s unique identification number (mine mentions number 612). Overall a very minimalistic pen. Which is a good thing, because it really allows the Victorian-style engraving to steal the show. It’s not a ring, but just looking at the pen makes you go drooling, and whispering “my precious…”

 

 

The Viceroy is a cartridge converter pen, that takes standard international cartridges or converters.  The pen is completed with an 18kt nickel-plated nib with some decoration and engravings: the YARD-O-LED name, 18ct-750 and the nib size (a fine in my case). The nib on my pen writes very smooth and leaves a well-saturated line: in my opinion it’s closer to M-size, and not what I would call an F. 

 

Being made of silver, the pen body will tarnish over time and lose it’s shine. Yard-o-Led thoughtfully added a silver polishing cloth with the pen. I typically use this cloth one or two times a year to re-polish the pen to its original shiny glory. 

 

 

 

The pictures above illustrate the size of the Yard-o-Led Viceroy Standard in comparison with a Lamy Safari. The Yard-o-Led pen is about the same size as the Safari (capped, uncapped as well as posted), but is off course a much more slender pen. I typically use the pen without posting.

Pen Characteristics

• Build Quality :  the pen is extremely well build, and still looks as new after almost 3 years of use. And Yard-o-Led are also convinced of the quality: they give life-time warranty on every pen they produce. My pen is a working instrument, so it has acquired some scratches – which I don’t mind at all, they show that this is a living instrument, and not a museum piece. Mind you – I treat my pens with respect, and always use a pen pouch when carrying them around. Overall, the pen has aged very gracefully.
• Weight & Dimensions : the pen is fairly long but really slender. Being made of metal, it has some weight to it. For me, the pen is most comfortable to use unposted (where it is a little bit smaller than an unposted Lamy Safari). If you have larger hands, the Viceroy Standard will not be for you because of its small body diameter. In that case the Viceroy Grande will probably be a better fit. 
• Filling System : this is a cartridge-converter pen, that uses standard international cartridges. 
• Nib & Performance : the silver-coloured 18ct gold nib is well-proportioned for the size of this pen. The F-nib on my unit writes like a dream, and produces a wet and well-saturated line (more like an M-size in my opinion).
• Price : As expected, this is an expensive pen! I paid 932 EUR for the new pen (that makes it by far the most expensive pen I own). You pay the price for the craftsmanship involved, the sterling silver material, and of course the gorgeous looks of this pen. What can I say… it’s my grail pen… and I feel that I got very good value for money.

 

Conclusion
The Yard-o-Led Viceroy Standard Victiorian is my grail pen: stunningly beautiful, slender and elegant… truly my precious. There’s nothing I don’t love about this pen: it looks gorgeous, it writes like a dream, and it is an instrument of heirloom quality. I am really glad I made the decision to buy it – even though it costs an arm and a leg.

 

[Paul-in-SF]

Thank you very much for this practical and real-world review. 

 

Whenever I think of the words "grail pen" the Grande version of this pen has come to mind. But there has always been a niggling doubt: Will I really use it a lot, or will it sit in the drawer and only come out once or twice a year? Will I like writing with it? Is the smooth metal section going to be a problem (if you have a moment, could you address this point as well?)? I mean, I could probably scrape together the shekels to buy one, but will it be (in the classically solipsistic phrase) worth it? 

 

Your regard and appreciation of your pen helps me to answer these questions at least mostly in the positive. I appreciate it (although my bank balance may not). 

[como]

@namrehsnoom Thank you for your review of the YOL Standard Victorian, easily one of the most beautiful sterling silver pens ever made.

@Paul-in-SF I have this pen in Barley. The silver section is not a problem for me. It doesn’t feel slippery. I had the Grand size and found it too heavy to write for long.

@inkstainedruth You’ve got to come and look at the photos here!! 😀

 

PS: Though the prices of YOL pens have gone up substantially, I don’t find it too expensive, taking into consideration of the craftsmanship and in comparison with other sterling silver handmade pens. Truly an heirloom piece.

[lionelc]

appreciate your review - it was a choice between yol vs a local maker here called curtis - settled for the curtis brighton harvest.  have been using it to see if it stands up to wear and tear.

[inkstainedruth]

A Viceroy Victorian Standard is my grail pen.  But is also the "when I win the lottery" pen because I can't afford one.
Thank you for posting the photos comparing it to the size of a Safari.  But I'm wondering about the weight (especially posted) because I saw somewhere that the capped weight is 32 grams -- and it took me a while to get used to the 28 grams capped/posted TWSBIs I own).  

Of course, if I could ever afford one, I might have to get used to NOT posting it....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Toll]

@namrehsnoom I so much enjoyed your review and photos on the heels of my brief posting about my recent experience with the YOL Pocket Pen. Your obvious delight in the larger pen matches mine for the more diminutive offering. Thank you. 

[amberleadavis]

What a great review of a stunning pen. Thank you so much for the great pictures.

[jchch1950]

Thank you for the review. I will prefer the larger model, but maybe it is too heavy for long writing sessions.

[mhphoto]

Gorgeous! I have a Grand Viceroy in the Victorian (finish? design?). I was on the YOL website last night and was bummed to see that they have apparently changed the Victorian design to be more simplistic than what mine it. I also noticed the Pocket Viceroy isn’t on the site anymore. Those are great little pens. 
 

——EDIT——

 

I went and looked at the website again and perhaps I was just tired when I looked at it and thought it looked simpler than mine. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Frank C]

I just came across this review and the great photographs. I have long wanted one of these pens. I recently ordered a couple of Watermans and a few other items; the total was over $900 USD. I thought that for that much money, I could have purchased a Yard-O-Led. After reading through this topic, I am even more convinced. I also like the fact that you review pens you've had for a while. That is the real test of a pen. We've all had pens we were excited about for a time, put aside, and never used again. The really good pens end up in rotation.