Review: @PensByLyleRoss Pompey 3 Custom Fountain Pen - Gold Stardust

This seriously beautiful fountain pen was custom made by Lyle Ross, after I won his Fountain Pen Day giveaway (miraculously!). Lyle, please accept my great big thank you!!

ABOUT

Body Material: Resin
Trim: None
Length (capped): 150 mm
Length (uncapped nib-end): 134 mm
Length (posted): N/A
Barrel Diameter: 16.3 mm
Section Diameter: 14 mm
Nib material: Steel
Weight: 25 g
Fill type: Cartridge/converter (and eyedropperable)
Price: ~$170.00USD
Where to buy: Pens By Lyle Ross

PACKAGING

In email communications, Lyle told me the pen would arrive in not pretty packaging, but that it would be very safe and sound. Well, he was right. It was wrapped in a pen sleeve, safely inside some PVC pipe. Honestly, I don't care much for packaging. I don't want to have to keep a bunch of boxes, and I don't want to pay extra for pretty packaging either. I also kept the pipe because it's great for shipping a pen to other friends. Perfect.

APPEARANCE

Oh... the appearance. Where do I even begin? I was able to pick the design of this fountain pen, and the options were pretty much endless, but I already knew what I wanted. I selected a large cigar shaped fountain pen that was not postable, without a clip. Since I did not select a clip, it came with a pen pillow.

The resin I wanted was what Lyle refers to as Gold Stardust resin, which he pours himself. I also selected a two-tone broad nib.

This is precisely what I received: a cigar shaped fountain pen in this spectacular Gold Stardust resin without a clip. Need I describe more? I was intrigued when I uncapped it and found the threads halfway up the section. The step from the section to the barrel is not large, which I like.

The resin... I must mention the resin again. The Gold Stardust is perfectly named. The dusty gold swirls on black are spectacular. The rich, deep warmth is hard to capture in images, but in person, it's beyond gorgeous to look at. It's like looking into the unpolluted night sky, sprinkled with broken star bits. Thank you, Lyle, for creating this resin.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The broad two-tone JoWo stainless steel was tuned for smoothness by Lyle before he sent it. Upon arrival, it needed a bit of realignment, which was easy to do. Just a nudge with a fingernail is all. Flow was set to normal but I like juicy pens, so after it was made a little wetter, I was perfectly content with its flow set up.

The nib offered a little bit of line variation, but is a wet and smooth writer anyway, so that's quite pleasant as it is. After the nib was adjusted for flow, it was nice and wet which really brought out the shading of the ink I put in it: Montblanc Toffee Brown. Also, the barrel is pretty large. Way better as an eyedropper.

IN HAND

The pen is a lovely size to hold, and it's very comfortable. I love the feeling of resin fountain pens in hand, and this one is no exception. They have a very warm quality that I find very appealing. I like the placement of the threads on the section - they are not sharp, and I also like how the step from the section to the barrel is not very steep or sharp. In addition, the size of the pen is such that it doesn't need posting.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL 

This stunning pen takes my breath away. I love the idea of having something that looks like the night sky. And it was custom made for me. That is just really special! Considering the price I would pay for a machine-made pen, Lyle's prices are quite reasonable. The man pours his own resin! I have no idea what is involved in that but you can basically pick your own colours! Amazing. Talk to Lyle. You could have a dream pen. A dream pen.

I received this pen free of charge as a prize from a giveaway I won. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.