Bought the transparent version a few years ago and it is still one of my go-to pens (even though I own a few far more expensive pens). It's such a reliable writer
I'm very appreciative of a review of a well-used pen. I have "loved" the gilding of a Cross I got in 1994; but it writes as smoothly as ever. Only time can tell what we'll keep by us -- thanks for this glimpse of what you routinely use.
My 698 has the 14k gold F nib. Extremely smooth. I have had it for about 3 months. I usually use EF nibs (small handwriting) but there is no Gold EF nib, I think. If there is I would swap the nib.
Just cleaned my recently inked 698. Mine has a Pilot stub nib on it. Had it inked with Dryden Designs Decadent Purple. I often feel this pen is underrated. Have had mine since 2017 (purchased back then based on your review).
I'm very glad to see this video. Wingsung's gold nib products have very reasonable price and high quality nibs in China. But unfortunately it cames very expensive when these products go abroad.
One of my 698s developed a strange glitch; the nib and feed shook loose and now the assembly falls out under gravity, meaning that pen is a write-off. I've not had that issue with my other 698s. One trick by the way; with the piston knob latched down, you can unscrew the piston assembly using the knob itself, rather than having to grasp that metal portion. I think it relies on the locking ears to do this and I'm not sure how well that would stand up to repeated screwing and unscrewing with this method as it could shear off the latch ears, particularly if over-tightened. However it can be disassembled this way if you're inclined.
Actually, I have seen some Pilot Metropolitan nib units for sale in some Canadian pen shops for $8 Cdn, so they are sort of sold separately now. I have no idea if it's easy to get the nib out. I bought Pilot Plumix for my nibs. I have the gray 698 with a bold italic Pilot nib and it's one of my favorite pens. Bobby Pens sells some beautiful Medium Wingsung nibs. He calls them soft and they are just beautiful to write with. I also use Bobby's feeds with the Mediums and my Pilot nibs. All this nib swapping started from Chris putting a nib from a 78G onto a cheap $2 Wingsung and listen to me now. I learned some stuff!
I remember watching your first video on this pen and ordering one straight away. Great reliable pen which as you say is always a first time writer, I bought the black one as I felt it was made to be used with the Noodler's Eel Black ink!
Thanks for the video. Thanks to you, I came across this pen a couple of years ago and have a couple and have enjoyed them a lot. I would like to correct one thing. Both Wonderpens and Stylo in Canada that sell the complete nib/feed of the pilot metropolitan pen for around $10.00 CAD. It also includes the squeeze converter. And comes in EF, F, M, and CM. I’ve also noted that the Wing Sung 698 also uses the same feed as the Metropolitan. Some of their other WS models are similar but have a thinner “end” (the part that inserts into the body of the pen) but this does not and can also replace the feed as well. Hope this helps!!!!
I bought a 698 with a 14k gold nib. The second time I wrote with the pen, the tipping from the left tine broke off. Under magnification, the tipping had lots of porosity at the gold / tipping junction. Support from China was a joke. I put a bold Twisbi nib in it and it gets use on occasion. 🖖😄
Thank you for your very informative video as usual. The "quadruple thread" on the section of a FP is nice as we can take off the cap in less than one turn. On the TH-cam, if you watch a video titled "Nakaya Fountain Pens - Iguana Sell" you can see the thread of Nakaya fountain pens totally hand made by a craftsman. The guy started making fountain pens when he was 19 years old. At the time of the broadcasting of the TV program, he was 79... And he saw happy users overseas (SF Bay Area, more precisely, the Pen Posse at Peter's Cafe (PPPC)) for the first time in his life, said "I am glad I continued....
Thanks for the review. I had a baoer that just after little use got the plastic grip section kinda rough, got some jinhao with the body after a while cracking its finish and got a wing sung 3008 that cracked in the middle on its own, without any serious incident to cause it. Got so unluckynwith chinese fps that i preffer avoiding them and buy a traditional brand like pilot or faber castell. 👍🖖
Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experiences. In my experience most pens survive well. There will be an occasional issue but I enjoy most of my pens.
That was fun! It brought back my first days with Chinese pens. I was exploring the way Asian culture uses the symbol of a dragon versus the way Western culture typically does, when I came across those heavy Jinhao dragon fountain pens. Most were very heavy and did not write well. Then, i just happened to see Wing Sung‘s least expensive 618, (now around $14; even less expensive then) the first Wing Sung I purchased. It actually rekindled my interest in fountain pens and led me to TH-cam reviews. (The rest has been an ever-increasingly expensive journeyW!). But I wrote and wrote with that Wing Sung 618. I eventually bought a 699 Vac Filler, but I kept trying to compare it to the Pilot Custom 823 (a very unfair comparison). Last, I too bought a Wing Sung 698, and, once again, experienced the beauty of their simple piston filler (just a higher quality than the 618). Anyway, thank you for reminding me. I have not been smart enough to keep it going as an everyday writer. Maybe you nudged me in that direction, but at least you have me thinking about it. Always a pleasure watching your reviews! (Oh, I get the hand strength issue. It is one of the less enjoyable aspects of aging.). KW
Some mixed views here in the comments. I don't own one so cannot give a personal view. You seem pretty happy with the examples in your own collection. I think I liked the Fine nib a bit more than the Medium. Thanks for the Revisit of this old favourite.
These wingsung pens have 14k golden versions.I notice that the chinese pens which you made reviews of are assembled with steel nips.Do you have intention to review some gold versions？
Bought the transparent version a few years ago and it is still one of my go-to pens (even though I own a few far more expensive pens). It's such a reliable writer
I'm very appreciative of a review of a well-used pen. I have "loved" the gilding of a Cross I got in 1994; but it writes as smoothly as ever. Only time can tell what we'll keep by us -- thanks for this glimpse of what you routinely use.
Thanks for atching. Stay safe & healthy.
Great re-visit!
Thanks.
I remember having to unlock the piston cap for this pen to write consistently.
Not needed. I don't unlock to write.
I got the clear one. Sometimes the dry starts but it’s very wet and super smooth!
I bought mine last year. Medium nib. Xmooth writer. Like the piston fill mechanism. Doesn't look fancy but good for everyday use.
I bought mine in 2017 and it was constantly inked with Pilot Namiki Blue up until late 2021 when I changed inks. I’ve never had an issue with it.
Thank you Chris.
Very welcome
My 698 has the 14k gold F nib. Extremely smooth. I have had it for about 3 months. I usually use EF nibs (small handwriting) but there is no Gold EF nib, I think. If there is I would swap the nib.
Wow, another nice wing sung I haven't seen before. Great revisit review!
Just cleaned my recently inked 698. Mine has a Pilot stub nib on it. Had it inked with Dryden Designs
Decadent Purple. I often feel this pen is underrated. Have had mine since 2017 (purchased back then
based on your review).
Thanks for sharing! Glad your 698 also doing well.
I'm very glad to see this video.
Wingsung's gold nib products have very reasonable price and high quality nibs in China.
But unfortunately it cames very expensive when these products go abroad.
One of my 698s developed a strange glitch; the nib and feed shook loose and now the assembly falls out under gravity, meaning that pen is a write-off. I've not had that issue with my other 698s. One trick by the way; with the piston knob latched down, you can unscrew the piston assembly using the knob itself, rather than having to grasp that metal portion. I think it relies on the locking ears to do this and I'm not sure how well that would stand up to repeated screwing and unscrewing with this method as it could shear off the latch ears, particularly if over-tightened. However it can be disassembled this way if you're inclined.
Thanks for sharing.
Actually, I have seen some Pilot Metropolitan nib units for sale in some Canadian pen shops for $8 Cdn, so they are sort of sold separately now. I have no idea if it's easy to get the nib out. I bought Pilot Plumix for my nibs. I have the gray 698 with a bold italic Pilot nib and it's one of my favorite pens. Bobby Pens sells some beautiful Medium Wingsung nibs. He calls them soft and they are just beautiful to write with. I also use Bobby's feeds with the Mediums and my Pilot nibs.
All this nib swapping started from Chris putting a nib from a 78G onto a cheap $2 Wingsung and listen to me now. I learned some stuff!
Thanks. The fruits of my labors.
I remember watching your first video on this pen and ordering one straight away. Great reliable pen which as you say is always a first time writer, I bought the black one as I felt it was made to be used with the Noodler's Eel Black ink!
Thanks for the video. Thanks to you, I came across this pen a couple of years ago and have a couple and have enjoyed them a lot. I would like to correct one thing. Both Wonderpens and Stylo in Canada that sell the complete nib/feed of the pilot metropolitan pen for around $10.00 CAD. It also includes the squeeze converter. And comes in EF, F, M, and CM. I’ve also noted that the Wing Sung 698 also uses the same feed as the Metropolitan. Some of their other WS models are similar but have a thinner “end” (the part that inserts into the body of the pen) but this does not and can also replace the feed as well. Hope this helps!!!!
Thanks for the info, appreciated.
I bought a 698 with a 14k gold nib. The second time I wrote with the pen, the tipping from the left tine broke off. Under magnification, the tipping had lots of porosity at the gold / tipping junction. Support from China was a joke. I put a bold Twisbi nib in it and it gets use on occasion. 🖖😄
Maybe get it to a nibmeister. Let him cut of the tipping and use it as a stub?
Sorry to hear.
Thank you for your very informative video as usual. The "quadruple thread" on the section of a FP is nice as we can take off the cap in less than one turn. On the TH-cam, if you watch a video titled "Nakaya Fountain Pens - Iguana Sell" you can see the thread of Nakaya fountain pens totally hand made by a craftsman. The guy started making fountain pens when he was 19 years old. At the time of the broadcasting of the TV program, he was 79... And he saw happy users overseas (SF Bay Area, more precisely, the Pen Posse at Peter's Cafe (PPPC)) for the first time in his life, said "I am glad I continued....
Great story. Craftsman are a rare breed.
I love Wing Sung.
Thanks for the review. I had a baoer that just after little use got the plastic grip section kinda rough, got some jinhao with the body after a while cracking its finish and got a wing sung 3008 that cracked in the middle on its own, without any serious incident to cause it. Got so unluckynwith chinese fps that i preffer avoiding them and buy a traditional brand like pilot or faber castell. 👍🖖
Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experiences. In my experience most pens survive well. There will be an occasional issue but I enjoy most of my pens.
Very good videos
My friend,Mr zhang made this 698 around 2016.
You can tell me if you have any suggestions about wingsung 6 series pens.
Good to know. I will reach out to you with any questions.
Thank you for the review. I've got mine recently. It writes well but I don't succeed to lock the piston! Is it therefore that the pen does not post?
Glad you like the pen. My 698 posts on the barrel, not the piston cap. And it is used daily.
That was fun! It brought back my first days with Chinese pens. I was exploring the way Asian culture uses the symbol of a dragon versus the way Western culture typically does, when I came across those heavy Jinhao dragon fountain pens. Most were very heavy and did not write well. Then, i just happened to see Wing Sung‘s least expensive 618, (now around $14; even less expensive then) the first Wing Sung I purchased. It actually rekindled my interest in fountain pens and led me to TH-cam reviews. (The rest has been an ever-increasingly expensive journeyW!). But I wrote and wrote with that Wing Sung 618. I eventually bought a 699 Vac Filler, but I kept trying to compare it to the Pilot Custom 823 (a very unfair comparison). Last, I too bought a Wing Sung 698, and, once again, experienced the beauty of their simple piston filler (just a higher quality than the 618). Anyway, thank you for reminding me. I have not been smart enough to keep it going as an everyday writer. Maybe you nudged me in that direction, but at least you have me thinking about it. Always a pleasure watching your reviews! (Oh, I get the hand strength issue. It is one of the less enjoyable aspects of aging.). KW
Good to revisit the past, rekindle memories.
I use a few of the 699s as everyday writers for a few years now, and they are all still writing great.
Some mixed views here in the comments. I don't own one so cannot give a personal view. You seem pretty happy with the examples in your own collection. I think I liked the Fine nib a bit more than the Medium. Thanks for the Revisit of this old favourite.
This pen. My workhorse. Combined with a pilot nib, it is a flat out beast.
These wingsung pens have 14k golden versions.I notice that the chinese pens which you made reviews of are assembled with steel nips.Do you have intention to review some gold versions？
No gold nibs. I watched other review. I enjoy the steel nibs. I have many gold nib pens that are very good. Thanks for watching.
Mine didn't come with an extra nib.
5 years ago they did.
@@chrisrap52 Guess you didn't review that one.
You are correct. My memory was faulty. Got confused with another pen.