I already had THIS pen (love it) but not the 308 nor the 618-so I just ordered them! You’re such a bad/good influence! We’re happy to give you any encouragement you need ‘cuz we love your videos!!!
I had bough a variety of Jinhao, Wing Sung, and other Chinese pens before finding this channel last year, but my purchases of many Moonman, and PenBBS fountain pens over the last year and half are entirely on Chris. :) Also just got my first shipment from Bobby (chinesepen on Etsy) last week, whose Etsy store I wouldn't know about without watching this channel. Watching pen channels is dangerous. I mean you see a review of a bespoke pen in mid three digits, or even four, and at least I am not in a position to immediately order one, but you see a desirable pen in the $20 to $40 range, and that is a different matter entirely. And before you know it you cross the line from user of fountain pens to collector of them.
Thanks, glad you enjoy the videos. Thanks for the support. I remember the saying "an educated consumer is the best customer". I try to educate. Stay safe & healthy.
Thank you, Chris, for the review, thorough & most of all enjoyable. Your reviews are unique and if you feel none motivated please know that your videos are enjoyed by many people. Almost 9k subscribers wow great work my friend.
Thank you for the review Chris! Good to know they make this pen in a piston filler version! I don't like vacuum fillers as much because I feel I have less control over my ink flow. My favorite has always been and most likely will be for a long time is the 698. I use them with pilot nibs tho. But this review of yours made me wanna get a 699. Thanks again!
Great video Chris. Loved the nib and pen comparisons. I have the vacuum filler 699s and put a Kaigelu nib in one which I enjoy and is 32mm but difficult to find these days. Glad to see these WS medium nibs in action -will definitely try and get some in the two tone. Stay safe and well
Outstanding video (and I've watched EVERY one of yours!). Must be karma today as my WS 699 Piston-filler is my pen for today and then I see this video. PS: If you're wondering "who posts their PenBBS 500" look no further, I do! Stay well!
I really like and enjoy the 699. It’s one of a trio of my favorite inexpensive Chinese pens, along with the 601 and 618. Clearly my three best WS pens. I only have the clear demonstrator 699 with black finials, an M nib. The nib initially seemed a bit too stiff and dry and felt like a real let-down. It also occasionally skipped when writing quickly. It’s a bit better now, but not 100% to my satisfaction. But I still like the pen, all round. Top build quality, fit & finish, weight, feel in the hand, a Vac filler mechanism that has given me not a single moment of trouble form the day I got the pen. And since no wrench or tool was provided, I found that the ones I got with my pair of Caliarts Ego pens get the job done on my 699. I must have the piston filling 699. All I wish is that I could have B nibs for my 601 & 618 and a stub for my 699. It would be transformative for such already cool pens. Thanks for the reviews, as always, Chris!
VERY helpful review; I immediately played it over again to be certain to absorb everything. Thanks for taking care of us in the audience. I hope that you are getting to play some tennis despite the heat.
I’ve just caught up and reviewed (not yet published) my own Wing Sung 699 vacuum filler video. I wasn’t aware that there was a piston filling version. Thanks for sharing, Chris.
I, for one, don’t find maintenance of Vac-filler pens necessarily ‘very complex’; just rather tedious, certainly. As are piston fillers. But both mechanisms are really cool and well worth the trouble of upkeep. I rarely if ever change inks in my pens of these two types.
Thanks for the fine video and review. I gather you prefer the 699 piston filler to the vac filler. The blue is really a beautifully colored resin. I recently received the blue 699 with the vac fill system and it definitely has become one of my favorites. Keep the journey going!
I love the hue of the resin colors on these, but for the blue and smoke/charcoal I wish they were a bit lighter so you could see the in more. Still it is fun with seeing the shimmer in that barrel, as you can see it settle over time, and disperse when shaken, if you are willing to live with the chore of cleaning it when switching colors.
Very good review... as usual! I have both vac fillers: brown F and blue M. I have not yet checked the blue, but I will soon. They are excellent pens for the money, though the F nib on the brown one is a bit wet. We will see how the M one behaves. And yes! By all means, most Moonman #6 F nibs are closer to an M. I daily use a swapped two-tone nib in my Moonman C1 and, though it is marked F, it does write thicker!
Mine finally arrived today (well considering the circumstances 3 three weeks shipping from China is quite good, but you know how it is). Really nice pen. I got it in blue aswell and it's a striking colour. Perfect size without posting, and the threads are unnoticable with no step down. Nib is just like yours: Smooth, consistent, maybe a bit on the dry side though. Only criticism I have are some minor fit & finish issues. The edges between the barrel and endcap are fairly sharp. Not a big deal but something you don't see on similarly priced PenBBS pens. What I appreciate is that the section simply unscrews, which should make cleaning a breeze. As an aside What I ink has done a full disassemble of his, turns out tools are optional for this one.
Great comparison as always. I have four of the vac filling 699s, and I love them all. I have one in each of the four colors, so clear, original brown, smoke, and blue. Love the sloshing of ink in those, and the shut off valve that keeps the ink available for a long time. I though about the piston filler version since it appeared mid winter, but haven't pulled the trigger yet, as I would like some safety on the blind cap knob, which on the vac filler you have. I love vac fillers, but obviously for some finicky inks piston filler is better. I like this ergonomics of this design's smooth transition from section to barrel, which let's you easily hold it anywhere. Would love the Pilot original, but $300 just seems too much for injection molded pen, even with a gold nib. The Wing Sung 699 has the same ergonomics, but at a much more palatable 10% of the cost. Glad to see you back on the train.
@@chrisrap52 I do the best I can staying healthy, so outside of grocery and essentials shopping I am stuck at home. I work from home, so it makes for monotonous days. The one silver lining to being stuck at home is having more time to fiddle with one's pens.
Loved the nib comparison. Just looking at them the 699 nibs struck me as number six sized, but I never put them side by side with other number six nibs, so it was nice to see the difference. I think the 699's cap has room for number six, as the pen it was inspired by has a nice sized nib, but now I might have to try to swap one in and see.
@@chrisrap52 I will. Haven't done so before now as I am generally happy with default Wing Sung nibs. I have couple with fine and a couple with medium nibs. And they all work pretty well. I even have shimmer ink in a couple of them, and so far no issues, besides the usual of having to shake up the in before writing, and remembering to open the shut off valve, as the shimmer inks dry up faster in the feed, but it gets going each time. And unlike other vac filler design, this is easy to take apart for cleaning, which might be must if switching inks. (So far I refill with the same ink, so that avoided it for now.) I mean I had those since last year, and refilled them a couple times, and they keep writing as nice as when they were new.
I kind of wish you had shown the feed a little better and inside the grip section I am always so curious to know if I can switch feeds cause I got me a fpnibs superflow feeder and oh man I want like all my #6 size pens to have that super flow feed now
Wing Sung hasn't updated their instructions for the piston fillers since the 698 huh. I think the only other instructions booklets they have are for the 601 vacumatic version and the draw filler version.
It sort of harks back to that duofold color scheme. Especially on the clear barrel and cap one that comes with black section, cap finial, and blind cap.
I must be buying my Wing Sung pens from the wrong vendors. I've never received one in that box or with an accompanying tube of silicone grease. And I do have some Wing Sung piston fillers (two Wing Sung 3008s) and a vac filler (Wing Sung 3013/Paili 013). I had one arrive (a 3003) in that soft envelope that looked almost like the end had been crushed while it was partly melted. The pen barrel was whole, but just deformed, but the end cap and the converter were shattered. I do have two 698s I got through eBay, but again, no box or silicone grease. I don't really mind. I don't have a 699 yet, but it's on my list just because it's a Wing Sung, but I don't really care for the overall style of the 699. I just want it to have as part of my collection. I will use it, of course. I use all my pens.
The 4 digit models did not come in a box or with grease, they are low end. Years ago my 698s came in a plastic box with grease. Most of my 601s but not all were in a box with grease.
Thank you for your continuous high quality content. It truly is a pleasure to spend this time with you. That said this pen is an exquisite value, though I do prefer the VAC filler. Are you aware of the 14k nib version of this pen? It uses a new custom nib, not the NOS lucky 14k found on other gold nib wing sungs.
@@chrisrap52 I remember you mentioning that in your original 699 review. I though about it, and if they had broad gold nib, then I might have risked it, but for the extra fine it fine, that likely isn't that bouncy, and likely as stiff as the steel ones, as that is what is more prized in their local market I didn't talk myself into it. Got three more in different colors with steel nibs instead. :)
I also managed to use it in FPR Himalaya, due to the nib it came with having issues that couldn't be overcome. Although eventually went with 1.5 mm Nemosine stub in that pen. The Wing Sung nib and Jinhao nib worked fine in it, but wanted something with a wider line, as I have plenty F and M nibbed pens.
@@davidmcguigan5497 Celluloid has become a marketing term for a colorful plastic pen. Not a technical description of the plastic. For me, I do not react to the name used but how the pen looks. When celluloid comes a precious material & is traded on commodity markets, I may take an interest.
The black Wing Sung box is a copy of the retail Lamy box for their lower cost Lamy pens. Of Course it is funny that what comes in it is a copy of Parker Vacumatic, or Pilot Custom 823. The Wing Sung 699 vac filler is a very faithfull copy of the Pilot Custom sans the Pilot gold nib and the premium price. The Wing Sung 699 comes in the brown and clear as the Pilot Custom 823, but adds blue and charcoal/smoke that are unique to it. Wing Sung makes a version with gold plated, or silver hardware, as well as opaque, black, or translucent section, finial, and blind cap, unlike the pen it is inspired by, so there is a great variety of combinations possible. Love all four of my 699s in each of the four colors.
@@chrisrap52 It has great balance, posts well, and transitions smoothly from section to barrel with no step. What isn't to love about those ergonomics. Most of my favorite pens have no step between section or barrel, or very minimal one. My Visconti Opera has one, but the squared circle design of the barrel makes it very low in four spots, so it is very small, and much farther up the barrel than other pens. It was my Noodler's black signature pen, and now has Noodler's Heart of Darkness. With the old pre palladium gold nib it is super juicy, and despite being a medium it writes like broad to double broad. So I fill it often. :) Wrote without cleaning for 13 years, before it started to have issues. Spent an hour cleaning and flushing, and it has been writing through many more fills just like new. Over the decade plus of use only the gold plating has suffered. Rides my shirt pocket every day, while others rotate in and out. :) Of course need other pens, as this one is too juicy for some papers.
I already had THIS pen (love it) but not the 308 nor the 618-so I just ordered them! You’re such a bad/good influence! We’re happy to give you any encouragement you need ‘cuz we love your videos!!!
I had bough a variety of Jinhao, Wing Sung, and other Chinese pens before finding this channel last year, but my purchases of many Moonman, and PenBBS fountain pens over the last year and half are entirely on Chris. :) Also just got my first shipment from Bobby (chinesepen on Etsy) last week, whose Etsy store I wouldn't know about without watching this channel. Watching pen channels is dangerous. I mean you see a review of a bespoke pen in mid three digits, or even four, and at least I am not in a position to immediately order one, but you see a desirable pen in the $20 to $40 range, and that is a different matter entirely. And before you know it you cross the line from user of fountain pens to collector of them.
Thanks, glad you enjoy the videos. Thanks for the support. I remember the saying "an educated consumer is the best customer". I try to educate. Stay safe & healthy.
Thank you, Chris, for the review, thorough & most of all enjoyable. Your reviews are unique and if you feel none motivated please know that your videos are enjoyed by many people. Almost 9k subscribers wow great work my friend.
Chris, you've inspired many purchases over the years. My collection is bigger than I imagined it would become. Thank you for the inspiration.
My pleasure! My collection has grown well beyond my imagination. Thanks for watching.
Excellent review as always. Also it's a great relaxing video to fall asleep to. Thanks Chris!
Thank you for the review Chris! Good to know they make this pen in a piston filler version! I don't like vacuum fillers as much because I feel I have less control over my ink flow. My favorite has always been and most likely will be for a long time is the 698. I use them with pilot nibs tho. But this review of yours made me wanna get a 699. Thanks again!
Thanks for watching! I too like the 698. I've had one inked up since i first got it, great consistent EF writer.
One of your best videos yet... Always a pleasure to watch. CHEERS!!!!!
Wow, thanks! Glad you enjoy my videos. I enjoyed making this one. Be safe & healthy.
Another nice pen. I always enjoy your reviews Chris. Very informative and thoughtful. Thank you...
Glad you like them! Thanks or watching.
Great video Chris. Loved the nib and pen comparisons. I have the vacuum filler 699s and put a Kaigelu nib in one which I enjoy and is 32mm but difficult to find these days. Glad to see these WS medium nibs in action -will definitely try and get some in the two tone. Stay safe and well
Kaigelu makes some great M nibs. Have some but haven't done a swap. Nice to know it works well. Thanks for sharing, stay safe & healthy.
Outstanding video (and I've watched EVERY one of yours!). Must be karma today as my WS 699 Piston-filler is my pen for today and then I see this video.
PS: If you're wondering "who posts their PenBBS 500" look no further, I do!
Stay well!
I thought of you when I said that.
I really like and enjoy the 699. It’s one of a trio of my favorite inexpensive Chinese pens, along with the 601 and 618. Clearly my three best WS pens.
I only have the clear demonstrator 699 with black finials, an M nib. The nib initially seemed a bit too stiff and dry and felt like a real let-down. It also occasionally skipped when writing quickly. It’s a bit better now, but not 100% to my satisfaction. But I still like the pen, all round. Top build quality, fit & finish, weight, feel in the hand, a Vac filler mechanism that has given me not a single moment of trouble form the day I got the pen. And since no wrench or tool was provided, I found that the ones I got with my pair of Caliarts Ego pens get the job done on my 699. I must have the piston filling 699. All I wish is that I could have B nibs for my 601 & 618 and a stub for my 699. It would be transformative for such already cool pens.
Thanks for the reviews, as always, Chris!
VERY helpful review; I immediately played it over again to be certain to absorb everything. Thanks for taking care of us in the audience. I hope that you are getting to play some tennis despite the heat.
Yes, we play in the heat. I'm getting to play a lot. Thanks for your support.
Excellent review as ever. I should have mine in a few days God willing, so looking forward to using it.
I’ve just caught up and reviewed (not yet published) my own Wing Sung 699 vacuum filler video. I wasn’t aware that there was a piston filling version. Thanks for sharing, Chris.
Glad it was helpful! I also didn't know about this pen. Occasionally I just search eBay to see what's new. Stay safe & healthy.
chrisrap52 thanks Chris, you too.
Thank you, Chris. Vac fillers are fun. But very complex to clean compared to piston.
Glad to see you back. Glad you enjoyed this look. If I could only have one pen, it would not be a vac-filler.
@@chrisrap52 I cannot conceive of a world where you only have one pen. :) That is plainly impossible.
I have a vivid imagination. Thankfully we can have more than one.
I, for one, don’t find maintenance of Vac-filler pens necessarily ‘very complex’; just rather tedious, certainly. As are piston fillers. But both mechanisms are really cool and well worth the trouble of upkeep. I rarely if ever change inks in my pens of these two types.
@@sajjadhusain4146 Agreed. If you change inks a lot, go C/C.
Thanks for the fine video and review. I gather you prefer the 699 piston filler to the vac filler. The blue is really a beautifully colored resin. I recently received the blue 699 with the vac fill system and it definitely has become one of my favorites. Keep the journey going!
I agree 100% Thanks for watching. Be safe & healthy.
I love the hue of the resin colors on these, but for the blue and smoke/charcoal I wish they were a bit lighter so you could see the in more. Still it is fun with seeing the shimmer in that barrel, as you can see it settle over time, and disperse when shaken, if you are willing to live with the chore of cleaning it when switching colors.
Very good review... as usual! I have both vac fillers: brown F and blue M. I have not yet checked the blue, but I will soon. They are excellent pens for the money, though the F nib on the brown one is a bit wet. We will see how the M one behaves.
And yes! By all means, most Moonman #6 F nibs are closer to an M. I daily use a swapped two-tone nib in my Moonman C1 and, though it is marked F, it does write thicker!
Another great review, It looks like a nice nib, I have a vac filler but i think will definitely need to order one with the piston fill.
Mine finally arrived today (well considering the circumstances 3 three weeks shipping from China is quite good, but you know how it is).
Really nice pen. I got it in blue aswell and it's a striking colour. Perfect size without posting, and the threads are unnoticable with no step down. Nib is just like yours: Smooth, consistent, maybe a bit on the dry side though. Only criticism I have are some minor fit & finish issues. The edges between the barrel and endcap are fairly sharp. Not a big deal but something you don't see on similarly priced PenBBS pens.
What I appreciate is that the section simply unscrews, which should make cleaning a breeze.
As an aside What I ink has done a full disassemble of his, turns out tools are optional for this one.
Thanks. I rewatched. Now I know how to disassemble without tools.
Excellent review as per usual,just waiting for the exact same pen hopefully any day now.
Fingers crossed! Thanks for watching.
Great comparison as always. I have four of the vac filling 699s, and I love them all. I have one in each of the four colors, so clear, original brown, smoke, and blue. Love the sloshing of ink in those, and the shut off valve that keeps the ink available for a long time.
I though about the piston filler version since it appeared mid winter, but haven't pulled the trigger yet, as I would like some safety on the blind cap knob, which on the vac filler you have. I love vac fillers, but obviously for some finicky inks piston filler is better.
I like this ergonomics of this design's smooth transition from section to barrel, which let's you easily hold it anywhere. Would love the Pilot original, but $300 just seems too much for injection molded pen, even with a gold nib. The Wing Sung 699 has the same ergonomics, but at a much more palatable 10% of the cost.
Glad to see you back on the train.
Thanks, not up to full speed but moving down the track. Stay safe & healthy.
@@chrisrap52 I do the best I can staying healthy, so outside of grocery and essentials shopping I am stuck at home. I work from home, so it makes for monotonous days. The one silver lining to being stuck at home is having more time to fiddle with one's pens.
Loved the nib comparison. Just looking at them the 699 nibs struck me as number six sized, but I never put them side by side with other number six nibs, so it was nice to see the difference. I think the 699's cap has room for number six, as the pen it was inspired by has a nice sized nib, but now I might have to try to swap one in and see.
If you do, let us know how the nib works.
@@chrisrap52 I will. Haven't done so before now as I am generally happy with default Wing Sung nibs. I have couple with fine and a couple with medium nibs. And they all work pretty well. I even have shimmer ink in a couple of them, and so far no issues, besides the usual of having to shake up the in before writing, and remembering to open the shut off valve, as the shimmer inks dry up faster in the feed, but it gets going each time. And unlike other vac filler design, this is easy to take apart for cleaning, which might be must if switching inks. (So far I refill with the same ink, so that avoided it for now.) I mean I had those since last year, and refilled them a couple times, and they keep writing as nice as when they were new.
I kind of wish you had shown the feed a little better and inside the grip section I am always so curious to know if I can switch feeds cause I got me a fpnibs superflow feeder and oh man I want like all my #6 size pens to have that super flow feed now
Watch this video - th-cam.com/video/y9odEvKDvfA/w-d-xo.html
Wing Sung hasn't updated their instructions for the piston fillers since the 698 huh. I think the only other instructions booklets they have are for the 601 vacumatic version and the draw filler version.
Thank you for the review. I must admit I prefer the matching section of the VAC filler, but it is a fine looking pen.
Both vac-filler & piston have opaque ends. I agree, it is a good look.
It sort of harks back to that duofold color scheme. Especially on the clear barrel and cap one that comes with black section, cap finial, and blind cap.
Best review ever.
I love love love them thank you for sharing
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching. I enjoy making the videos. Thanks for watching.
Good review as always. I need a 699 or two now ;)
Go for it! Thanks for watching.
picked up the 618 based on your other vid, now i need this one too
Yes you do.
@@chrisrap52 LOL - Who does not?
I must be buying my Wing Sung pens from the wrong vendors. I've never received one in that box or with an accompanying tube of silicone grease. And I do have some Wing Sung piston fillers (two Wing Sung 3008s) and a vac filler (Wing Sung 3013/Paili 013). I had one arrive (a 3003) in that soft envelope that looked almost like the end had been crushed while it was partly melted. The pen barrel was whole, but just deformed, but the end cap and the converter were shattered.
I do have two 698s I got through eBay, but again, no box or silicone grease. I don't really mind. I don't have a 699 yet, but it's on my list just because it's a Wing Sung, but I don't really care for the overall style of the 699. I just want it to have as part of my collection. I will use it, of course. I use all my pens.
The 4 digit models did not come in a box or with grease, they are low end. Years ago my 698s came in a plastic box with grease. Most of my 601s but not all were in a box with grease.
Which 699 do you prefer, the Piston or the Vac Filler? I'm leaning towards the Piston. Does it hold less ink?
I prefer piston. Easier to get a full fill. Ink capacity similar.
@@chrisrap52 Thanks. Btw you do a great job.
Thanks. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for your continuous high quality content. It truly is a pleasure to spend this time with you.
That said this pen is an exquisite value, though I do prefer the VAC filler.
Are you aware of the 14k nib version of this pen? It uses a new custom nib, not the NOS lucky 14k found on other gold nib wing sungs.
Thank you. I have been hesitant to invest in Chinese gold nibs. Price puts them against Pilot & Platinum when bought from Japan.
@@chrisrap52 I remember you mentioning that in your original 699 review. I though about it, and if they had broad gold nib, then I might have risked it, but for the extra fine it fine, that likely isn't that bouncy, and likely as stiff as the steel ones, as that is what is more prized in their local market I didn't talk myself into it. Got three more in different colors with steel nibs instead. :)
Thanks for the review. I wonder whether the Wing Sung nib can fit into the PenBBS housing.
It will fit. Need to adjust nib placement as WS nib shorter than PenBBS nib.
I also managed to use it in FPR Himalaya, due to the nib it came with having issues that couldn't be overcome. Although eventually went with 1.5 mm Nemosine stub in that pen. The Wing Sung nib and Jinhao nib worked fine in it, but wanted something with a wider line, as I have plenty F and M nibbed pens.
chrisrap52 Thank you for the confirmation. I was trying to find a nib that can fit into my 355.
You have a Wing Sung 626 in your lineup. I see that pen described by various sellers as a celluloid pen. True of yours? Thanks!
Yes, first review - th-cam.com/video/Ihkk6EEtaow/w-d-xo.html
Latest review - th-cam.com/video/VTvHb829VB8/w-d-xo.html shows many colors.
@@chrisrap52 Acrylic pens. Wonder why the sellers say celluloid? Oh well. Appreciate those reviews.
@@davidmcguigan5497 Celluloid has become a marketing term for a colorful plastic pen. Not a technical description of the plastic. For me, I do not react to the name used but how the pen looks. When celluloid comes a precious material & is traded on commodity markets, I may take an interest.
Doesn't the lamy safari come in a similar box?
Yes.
The black Wing Sung box is a copy of the retail Lamy box for their lower cost Lamy pens. Of Course it is funny that what comes in it is a copy of Parker Vacumatic, or Pilot Custom 823. The Wing Sung 699 vac filler is a very faithfull copy of the Pilot Custom sans the Pilot gold nib and the premium price. The Wing Sung 699 comes in the brown and clear as the Pilot Custom 823, but adds blue and charcoal/smoke that are unique to it. Wing Sung makes a version with gold plated, or silver hardware, as well as opaque, black, or translucent section, finial, and blind cap, unlike the pen it is inspired by, so there is a great variety of combinations possible. Love all four of my 699s in each of the four colors.
For me these pens are a great writer. I also love mine.
@@chrisrap52 It has great balance, posts well, and transitions smoothly from section to barrel with no step. What isn't to love about those ergonomics. Most of my favorite pens have no step between section or barrel, or very minimal one. My Visconti Opera has one, but the squared circle design of the barrel makes it very low in four spots, so it is very small, and much farther up the barrel than other pens. It was my Noodler's black signature pen, and now has Noodler's Heart of Darkness. With the old pre palladium gold nib it is super juicy, and despite being a medium it writes like broad to double broad. So I fill it often. :) Wrote without cleaning for 13 years, before it started to have issues. Spent an hour cleaning and flushing, and it has been writing through many more fills just like new. Over the decade plus of use only the gold plating has suffered. Rides my shirt pocket every day, while others rotate in and out. :) Of course need other pens, as this one is too juicy for some papers.
Thanks for the review! The packaging is a knockoff of Lamy pens.
Just a copy, not a knockoff.
Talking about the wetness of their nib "F" : too much wet to my taste.
Chinese products are discouraged in india
Not discouraged in America. Some do not like pens from some countries. Many of us enjoy pens from China.