I've been waiting for you to review this pen. It was very popular among collectors of Chinese pens when it was first released. There are a few versions of it out there. First one, not available anymore, there was a vesion which was a straight copy of 51 vacumatic, including a rubber diaphragm. The one reviewed here is the second release, with the sac replaced by a piston pump (still the same vacumatic principle, but way more efficient - chrisrap52 demonstrated the difference in one of his reviews). All subsequent releases use this filling mechanism. The third release is double-jeweled, like the earliest 51s with a jewel also on the blind cap - and the jewels are blue. Recently they also released a special edition with gold plated cap and gold nib (and supposedly only 601 of them were made, although I don't know whether it's true) which was way more expensive. There's also another version called "601A" with a sheaffer-triumph like nib (but still Parker arrow cap which I find weird). You can't buy a 601 with a nib other than the stock fine, but you can buy other nibs made by the same company on eBay for swapping, including an architect-like medium. As for the feel of the pen this is likely the closest thing to a Parker 51 produced nowadays. The weight is actually nearly identical if you compare them.
W.J.M., I actually prefer the 601a and its "triumph" nib. In fact, Wing Sung make a few different pens with that conical style nib. I can see where the arrow clip and the triumph nib could be a bit odd looking for a vintage pen person but I don't really mind that. I like these better than the other wise nice Wing Sung 323 because of the filling mechanism. The biggest downside to these pens, for me, is the lack of broader nibs. But they are inexpensive enough that I am thinking about possibly ruining one and seeing just how fat I could grind it.
@@robbiemer8178 Well, for me it's just seems out if of place. I know Wing Sung used those type of nibs for a long time. But the reason I like 601 so much is because it's a pretty damn good remake of the 51. Phenomenally good if you also consider the price. Giving it a sheaffer-type nib kinda ruins the impression. Still 601A may be an equally good pen, buy I just don't like the way it looks. They also recently released a 601A version with golden caps with some fancy patterns which look really nice. I wish I could buy a standard 601 with such cap.
@@w.j.m.91 , I wonder if those new caps will fit the "regular" 601? The 323 is not as good a pens as either the 601 or the 601a certainly but it was quite a lot less money when I bought the one I have. Pretty sure it was around 3 USD. The 601 has also gone up a bit since I got mine, I think they were a bit less than $10 then. But even at the current pricing, the steel nib versions are a great value, I think.
@@robbiemer8178 Tested this just recently. Swapping the caps between 601 and 601A is somewhat troublesome, while they are identical in shape outside they have different plastic inserts inside. The 601A cap can be put on 601 but it caps about 2 mm higher than it should. The solution is to dissasemble the caps and swap the plastic inserts.
Thanks for another fair review Stephen. I have a few vintage Parker 51s in my collection. For comparison sake I bought the first version of the Wing Sung 601 which was fitted with a rubber diaphragm like the Parker 51 vac. While it won't replace my special edition 51s, I'm quite satisfied with the Wing Sung functionality (particularly, as you pointed out, the ink window), fit & finish and writing experience. It's a high-value pen, suitable for both newbies and vintage pen fans like me.
The 2018 version of the pen has a piston type mechanism, and according to eBay there is a new 2020 version of the pen. Trying to figure out what's new in the 2020 version.
Great pens. Basically a Parker 51 clone with really good modernized features such as easy disassembly, a piston assembly instead of a sac and the ink windows for the solid colour options. It's a bit cheap feeling, but the plastic is decent quality.
I have one wingsun 601, it looks classic and feels comfortable in my hand, the stock nib is its shortness, I swapped a gold nib on and now it’s purely wonderful
Stephen, thanks for another interesting review. You touched on an interesting point, in that the pen for the price writes and does not skip, this is something that is kind of important when you purchase a fountain pen.
I have a burgundy one that's lovely. Unlike Stephen I had quite a bit of trouble with the nib, so much so that I eventually swapped it out for that of a Jinhao shark. Writes wonderfully now and based on what I've heard from others in my nib issues are an outlier, not the norm.
I guess that bit of "scratchiness" is due to the fact that this pen is designed for writing small strokes in characters. Jinhao pens are generally much smoother but they are far less popular in China compare to Wing Sung.
They do sell separate nibs for it but they are all architect/fude styles. I beat on one of these for six months as a paramedic. Astonishingly tough and reliable little pen, feels much more premium than the price suggests
Have the pump filler version in blue demonstrator. The nib on mine is quite smooth. Holds a ton of ink and doesn’t dry out. For a cheap Chinese pen, it’s not fragile at all. I carry it with me as my planner EDC pen, which goes everywhere I do. Gets jostled, dropped, rolled around, banged up-WILL NOT DIE. I’d had bad luck with Wing Sung Pens in the past, but my 601 is a winner.
Thanks for the review. I picked up a dirt cheap($5) pen today to compare it to a Parker 51 which belong to my dad. The Parker 51 is 50' vintage but not 'vacumatic' for filling. Due to pen's age, the nose cap(feeder barrel) has a crack in it and it is leaking ink. When I saw this Wing Sung 601, I want to find out if there are interchangeable parts that I can use to savage dad's Parker 51. Unfortunately the filler cap thread are not the same thus cannot be used as replacement. I unscrewed the Wing Sung filler barrel and want to see if I can interchange the Wing Sung steel nib with the Parker 51's gold nib. Need to wait until the ink in the Wing Sung is used up before this swap. If anyone who has replaced Wing Sung's nib using gold nib from the Parker 51, please confirm for me. UPDATE ---> the Wing Sung nib is smaller than the Parker 51 nib, thus the nibs are NOT interchangable. Comments about fine/xfine nibs on Chinese manufactured fountain pen are accurate. The nib types are good for writing Chinese characters, especially if you are writing in traditional Chinese(I do that a lot) instead of writing simplified Chinese characters. The Parker 51 14K Gold cap fits perfectly for the Wing Sung 601. The plum barrel color of the two pen match up too. Dad passed away in 2000. I just want to preserve as much of dad's Parker 51 memory as possible. Even though it will be a pen consists of a mix of original and replacement parts. Every bit counts.
Im late but i think inkquiring minds made a video restoring a parker 51. You should check it out. And also sorry for your loss and i hope you can salvage the peb
I just got one of these (“Flighter”) and really like it for the money. My only regret is that I thought the piston tool was some kind of packing (as you did) and somehow it went out with the trash. Now I’m scrambling to find something that will substitute (like a rather small wrench). Worse comes to worst, I can always get a second one in a different color!
Thanks Stephen. I have a real 51 (aerometric) and after a long time using a Hero 616, I found Parker's writting a bit too wide and too wet. Anyway, I couldn't even think of take it to the officce, so I stick with my old Hero. That said, the Hero rings are too wide, they protrude and hurts the fingers (needed to sand them). Now, I have just ordered a Wing Sung 601, the no windows model, toghether with two more Heros (a burgundy replacement and a green one with a golden cap, just for fun - and as backup)
Edit: I received the Wing Sung 601. The writting is wetter and wider than the Hero 616, more like the real "51". It's more scratchy then the Hero also, but I have been using it since 2013 so its nib surely has been "polished" by so many writting. The comparasion is not fair. The Wing Sung sucks lots of ink when loaded, and does it very fast, which is better than the old Hero.
Hey there ~ if you happen to have a Parker 51, it would be interesting to see a side by side review. I don't like buying Chinese ripoffs, but had they made this in their own unique style, I would be on Ebay right now buying one (but a different color, that gray is hideous). Thank you for your fair and thorough review Stephen!
I have one of these with another on order, as well as a pair of 601A. I agree with all your conclusions but in my case, via a random eBay seller, none of these so far came with the filler disassembly tool. Not a show stopper but I've had to order one separately for around £10. Obviously I only need one to cover all the pens, so it's no big outlay, but it is a minor inconvenience. I quite like the 601A tubular/wraparound nib but have heard it is easily sprung, so a little care would be needed if applying pressure. I imagine that nib would be complex and fairly expensive to replace compared to other nib styles. That said, it writes smoothly and consistently.
I have a 1940's Parker 51 vacumatic. The filling system requires service for about £80. I have one of these, I paid £20 for it and I'm delighted with it. What's not to like?
Agree, the nib isn't as smooth as I like. What I did was get a Jinhao 51a (a Jinhao 911 should do as well) and switch nibs. Instant performance improvement, it started writing like glass afterwards. If I were to get another Wing Sung 601 to replace this one I bought I would probably transplant the nib again.
In addition, I find that the Chinese standard of Fine corresponds to the European, from my experience. At least, mainland Chinese does, compared to Taiwan's TWSBI, which is closer to Japanese. This is probably a reflection of the difference between Simplified Chinese vs Traditional Chinese.
Mine did not come with the tool or the silicon. But I still like it. I believe they have a couple of different filling mechanisms. I also have one that has a converter.
I’ve had a few of these since they came out and they are very reliable writers. They just don’t dry out. At least mine haven’t. The nib is a little scratchy, heavy feedback. But they are definitely worth the price in my opinion. They are great for writing small in calendars and notebooks. They are not great for showing off or enjoying the characteristics of ink. Thanks for reviewing this pen. I would like to know how to swap out the nibs, and, I’d like to know if it’s possible to install a real P 51 nib on the WS pen.
I have the pen. And the WS 613 and 618. I’m actually quite fond of all these three Wing Sung pens. I have the 601 in navy blue. It is a thoroughly dependable first time every time writer. I like the filling system and it works just fine all the time. The ink window is far better than ones found in pens costing multiple times more. The 601 is very good value for money. If only these pens were readily available with nibs other than the default ‘F’. I normally prefer nothing less than a good M, and broad nibs best. That said, all my Wing Sung pens write rather more smoothly than you’d expect from a typical fine nib on any pen.
I vote with the pro-disassembly-video crowd. If you choose to go that route, I'd especially like to see you do it without the tool that came with the one you reviewed. From what I can see, many of them (e.g., the new 2019 versions on Amazon) don't include the disassembly tool.
Among Chinese fountain pen, as regard to the hooded nib, its typical that the Mfr just provide Fine and some time also EF , the common practice for the home market is that the user can source for himself / herself , if needed , the different non standard nib as the form factor is practically universal, and among them are 10K, 12K, and 14K gold nib , as well as 2 type of slight upturn tipped nib ( write like FM , M & B if writing cursive ) and 3 type of full blown calligraphy ( aka fude for western market but actually are different ). As typical for a nib designed to write Asian Language , positive feedback is again universal. Cursive writer would likely want to tune / polish / work it a little if wanting smooth gliding nib
Stephen, after all the work I had to put in to my rather pricey Pilot Vanishing Point to make it a wetter and more consistent writer that actually puts down ink on the upstroke, I am absolutely with you about what's important (seems the VP is known for this 'dry' behaviour). _But all the 8 Chinese pens I've bought recently wrote well at the first attempt._ Just luck?
Hey great vid. I had a humble request. Could you please review some pens from ASA like the ASA Maya or ASA Nauka? I've heard that they are great writers and are very economical
Getting a flighter variant. Do you think getting one with e stainless steel section would be wise? How slippery is the section compared to a Lamy Safari? I have a Parker 45 flighter and to my shock and horror, I find the section way more slippery than the brushed steel barrel. Thanks.
Thanks for the review. This is now a mere £11 sent China/UK and the wide colour choice includes a clear demonstrator. The 601A model blends a Parker-style Vacu-matic barrel to the Sheaffer-style section we saw in your model 235 review - go figure. All have default Chinese _fine_ nibs. Depending on who you read, this aids ink economy, saves on pricey tipping material, or makes forming intricate Chinese characters easier. Perhaps all three!
The last reason is most likely since 0.38mm gel/ball-point pens are common in China. I find 0.5mm pens difficult at times to use at times at school and I don't have small handwriting (Lamy EF is a constant struggle, anything broader is unusable). MUJI sells 0.25mm gel pens in China, so pens that write extremely fine lines are much more common in China. Japanese fountain pens also write rather fine lines.
Slightly disappointed you didn't start the video with one of your fabulous songs! At least I can look forward to this pen going to the disassembly line and maybe enjoy some haggis afterwards. O.K. enough nonsense. Thanks Stephen for covering the Wing Sung 601. By a strange co-incidence I've been thinking of buying one. So, the timing of this video was perfect. There was nothing in this video to sway me from purchasing one. I guess I'll just have to think about the colour. Have you seen the 601a featuring a range of nice looking gold-coloured caps? A little more expensive than the basic 601 but quite attractive.
I agree that it's a great pen for $16. But at close range it looks like a cheap copy. And probably the biggest disappointment is the missing 'spring's in the cap which makes for a super smooth capping experience.
I got one and was very disappointed compared to my p51’s. Scratchy nib and the fine nib is like a razor so my being left handed stopped the pen from writing after an a4 page as it picked up all the scraps of paper and poof it stopped.
@@robbinallan3767 Oh thanks for the information my friend. But hopefully we don't hear from another source, Lamy had intended to produce their pen packaging in China: built factories, took plans...abandoned all. The Chinese took possession and carried out the production. That would makes perfect sense to me either. Just kidding my friend but I admire that Chinese are good in copying everything and I'm glad they do some of the copies are better than the original.😅 but not always unfortunately
@@knifejack2153 Hi my friend the best one can answer your question is this gentleman Robbin Allan who replied to my comment and what I did I replied to his comment that saying that Parker were planning to start a manufacturing place in China but all that didn't happen and then the Chinese used the plans and copied everything. Because I didn't know about all that to be honest and if it's true or false.
Thnakyou Stephen, that looks to me like one fugly pen, combining my pet peeves of a metal cap and a hooded nib. Fittingly, this one's grey and unsurprisingly, it writes like a cat's claw. I'll risk heresy here by stating I'd rather write with a juicy rollerball.
Hi there... this is a nice pen I have a Parker like this it has a stub nib and was my dads, its a great pen its not a vacumatic but its a 51 I think??? The wing sung vacumatic is a very nice pen definitely on my radar for one or two. Feedback isnt a problem for myself and actually prefer it a bit. Thank you for this review which is useful as always. DrStephen your ACE thanks. Btw there is a high pitched noise on the video is it something in the house? Its there on some reviews, not on others. It must drive you up the wall 😤 Best wishes to all PenPeople. LeZc @@
What materials are used in the Parker 51? Can one bleed the remaining ink by depressing the vacumatic plunger thing, in order to fill with different ink? I will research but I figured you would have a better more refined response... Thanks dude
1.The plastic of 51 is called lucite. 2.It can be done .However you 'd better to wash the pen by filling it with water and eject it. From a pen lover in China
Where did you find this pen for $16??? I looked on Amazon and saw NOTHING close to that price. If you can add a link to the retailer in your comments, that would be VERY welcome.
JP Madden 19 bucks and free prime shipping. 2019 New Version Wing Sung 601 Steel Cap Vacumatic Double Bead Fountain Pen (Battleship Grey with ink window) www.amazon.com/dp/B07PVFFZ39/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hDFxDb87HGRVX
stephen the 601a is available with a shaeffer tube type nib and some fancy gold caps to me it looks much nicer but then i'm not a fan of hooded nibs have a look here th-cam.com/video/KYX5Qwhdp6Y/w-d-xo.html
“It has the Parker arrow” (on the clip) While I believe they’ve made a decent quality pen for a dirt cheap price to me Wing Sung is going too far to outright try and copy what Parker created. I may be in the minority but I won’t buy it because of that.
I've been waiting for you to review this pen. It was very popular among collectors of Chinese pens when it was first released. There are a few versions of it out there. First one, not available anymore, there was a vesion which was a straight copy of 51 vacumatic, including a rubber diaphragm. The one reviewed here is the second release, with the sac replaced by a piston pump (still the same vacumatic principle, but way more efficient - chrisrap52 demonstrated the difference in one of his reviews). All subsequent releases use this filling mechanism. The third release is double-jeweled, like the earliest 51s with a jewel also on the blind cap - and the jewels are blue. Recently they also released a special edition with gold plated cap and gold nib (and supposedly only 601 of them were made, although I don't know whether it's true) which was way more expensive. There's also another version called "601A" with a sheaffer-triumph like nib (but still Parker arrow cap which I find weird).
You can't buy a 601 with a nib other than the stock fine, but you can buy other nibs made by the same company on eBay for swapping, including an architect-like medium.
As for the feel of the pen this is likely the closest thing to a Parker 51 produced nowadays. The weight is actually nearly identical if you compare them.
W.J.M., I actually prefer the 601a and its "triumph" nib. In fact, Wing Sung make a few different pens with that conical style nib. I can see where the arrow clip and the triumph nib could be a bit odd looking for a vintage pen person but I don't really mind that. I like these better than the other wise nice Wing Sung 323 because of the filling mechanism. The biggest downside to these pens, for me, is the lack of broader nibs. But they are inexpensive enough that I am thinking about possibly ruining one and seeing just how fat I could grind it.
@@robbiemer8178 Well, for me it's just seems out if of place. I know Wing Sung used those type of nibs for a long time. But the reason I like 601 so much is because it's a pretty damn good remake of the 51. Phenomenally good if you also consider the price. Giving it a sheaffer-type nib kinda ruins the impression. Still 601A may be an equally good pen, buy I just don't like the way it looks.
They also recently released a 601A version with golden caps with some fancy patterns which look really nice. I wish I could buy a standard 601 with such cap.
@@w.j.m.91 , I wonder if those new caps will fit the "regular" 601?
The 323 is not as good a pens as either the 601 or the 601a certainly but it was quite a lot less money when I bought the one I have. Pretty sure it was around 3 USD. The 601 has also gone up a bit since I got mine, I think they were a bit less than $10 then. But even at the current pricing, the steel nib versions are a great value, I think.
@@robbiemer8178 Tested this just recently. Swapping the caps between 601 and 601A is somewhat troublesome, while they are identical in shape outside they have different plastic inserts inside. The 601A cap can be put on 601 but it caps about 2 mm higher than it should. The solution is to dissasemble the caps and swap the plastic inserts.
Yes, Stephen, would like to see disassembly.
second this
Especially if done full of ink!
Thanks for another fair review Stephen. I have a few vintage Parker 51s in my collection. For comparison sake I bought the first version of the Wing Sung 601 which was fitted with a rubber diaphragm like the Parker 51 vac. While it won't replace my special edition 51s, I'm quite satisfied with the Wing Sung functionality (particularly, as you pointed out, the ink window), fit & finish and writing experience. It's a high-value pen, suitable for both newbies and vintage pen fans like me.
The 2018 version of the pen has a piston type mechanism, and according to eBay there is a new 2020 version of the pen. Trying to figure out what's new in the 2020 version.
Great pens. Basically a Parker 51 clone with really good modernized features such as easy disassembly, a piston assembly instead of a sac and the ink windows for the solid colour options. It's a bit cheap feeling, but the plastic is decent quality.
I have one wingsun 601, it looks classic and feels comfortable in my hand, the stock nib is its shortness, I swapped a gold nib on and now it’s purely wonderful
Stephen, thanks for another interesting review.
You touched on an interesting point, in that the pen for the price writes and does not skip, this is something that is kind of important when you purchase a fountain pen.
Thanks for the review. I bought one of these a few months ago and actually, I prefer it to my 51...and at 10 percent of the price.
They are incredibly reliable, and being inexpensive are easy to take everywhere, making them a de facto daily driver.
I have a burgundy one that's lovely. Unlike Stephen I had quite a bit of trouble with the nib, so much so that I eventually swapped it out for that of a Jinhao shark. Writes wonderfully now and based on what I've heard from others in my nib issues are an outlier, not the norm.
totally agree with everything you said, so glad i made the choice and bought this pen
I guess that bit of "scratchiness" is due to the fact that this pen is designed for writing small strokes in characters. Jinhao pens are generally much smoother but they are far less popular in China compare to Wing Sung.
永生601and 601A(sheaffer triumph-like nib) are the epic of modern Chinese 51-like. I love 601A, its feed runs a little more than 601.
I used shellac paint on the body to give it a feel of resin
They do sell separate nibs for it but they are all architect/fude styles.
I beat on one of these for six months as a paramedic. Astonishingly tough and reliable little pen, feels much more premium than the price suggests
16$ is way cheaper than you can buy in Mainland China... it usually cost 248 CNY
ok i figure it out now , cause 16.5$ version is not gold nib
I love your honesty man, thanks for the great review!
Have the pump filler version in blue demonstrator. The nib on mine is quite smooth. Holds a ton of ink and doesn’t dry out. For a cheap Chinese pen, it’s not fragile at all. I carry it with me as my planner EDC pen, which goes everywhere I do. Gets jostled, dropped, rolled around, banged up-WILL NOT DIE.
I’d had bad luck with Wing Sung Pens in the past, but my 601 is a winner.
I forgot I sent it to you. I’m glad you liked it.
Thanks for the review. I picked up a dirt cheap($5) pen today to compare it to a Parker 51 which belong to my dad. The Parker 51 is 50' vintage but not 'vacumatic' for filling. Due to pen's age, the nose cap(feeder barrel) has a crack in it and it is leaking ink. When I saw this Wing Sung 601, I want to find out if there are interchangeable parts that I can use to savage dad's Parker 51.
Unfortunately the filler cap thread are not the same thus cannot be used as replacement. I unscrewed the Wing Sung filler barrel and want to see if I can interchange the Wing Sung steel nib with the Parker 51's gold nib. Need to wait until the ink in the Wing Sung is used up before this swap. If anyone who has replaced Wing Sung's nib using gold nib from the Parker 51, please confirm for me.
UPDATE ---> the Wing Sung nib is smaller than the Parker 51 nib, thus the nibs are NOT interchangable.
Comments about fine/xfine nibs on Chinese manufactured fountain pen are accurate. The nib types are good for writing Chinese characters, especially if you are writing in traditional Chinese(I do that a lot) instead of writing simplified Chinese characters.
The Parker 51 14K Gold cap fits perfectly for the Wing Sung 601. The plum barrel color of the two pen match up too.
Dad passed away in 2000. I just want to preserve as much of dad's Parker 51 memory as possible.
Even though it will be a pen consists of a mix of original and replacement parts. Every bit counts.
Im late but i think inkquiring minds made a video restoring a parker 51. You should check it out. And also sorry for your loss and i hope you can salvage the peb
I checked my 601 out after watching your excellent review. The nib is as smooth as silk!
Liked the close zoom of the eyeglasses and eyes. For a moment I thought I was in the middle of the Great Gatsby! Thanks for the review.
I have a clear one that I sacrificed to a bottle of Noodler's Baystate Blue. It's one of my favorites!
Thank you, Stephen. Yeah, I have one of these. Not a bad wee writer.
I just got one of these (“Flighter”) and really like it for the money. My only regret is that I thought the piston tool was some kind of packing (as you did) and somehow it went out with the trash. Now I’m scrambling to find something that will substitute (like a rather small wrench). Worse comes to worst, I can always get a second one in a different color!
Singing “Everybody Wing Sung tonight!”
Kirk Broyles haha. Every time I get a wing sung pen that song is in my head the rest of the day! Glad I’m not the only one
AJ Klos how can it not! Makes me want to buy one. :)
Kirk Broyles damn you. Now it’s in my head for the rest of the day!! Ahhhhh. Haha
The jewel is called a “Tassie”
Another vote for Hamish taking this one on in a disassembly line video.
Thanks Stephen. I have a real 51 (aerometric) and after a long time using a Hero 616, I found Parker's writting a bit too wide and too wet. Anyway, I couldn't even think of take it to the officce, so I stick with my old Hero. That said, the Hero rings are too wide, they protrude and hurts the fingers (needed to sand them). Now, I have just ordered a Wing Sung 601, the no windows model, toghether with two more Heros (a burgundy replacement and a green one with a golden cap, just for fun - and as backup)
Edit: I received the Wing Sung 601. The writting is wetter and wider than the Hero 616, more like the real "51". It's more scratchy then the Hero also, but I have been using it since 2013 so its nib surely has been "polished" by so many writting. The comparasion is not fair.
The Wing Sung sucks lots of ink when loaded, and does it very fast, which is better than the old Hero.
Hey there ~ if you happen to have a Parker 51, it would be interesting to see a side by side review. I don't like buying Chinese ripoffs, but had they made this in their own unique style, I would be on Ebay right now buying one (but a different color, that gray is hideous). Thank you for your fair and thorough review Stephen!
I have one of these with another on order, as well as a pair of 601A. I agree with all your conclusions but in my case, via a random eBay seller, none of these so far came with the filler disassembly tool. Not a show stopper but I've had to order one separately for around £10. Obviously I only need one to cover all the pens, so it's no big outlay, but it is a minor inconvenience. I quite like the 601A tubular/wraparound nib but have heard it is easily sprung, so a little care would be needed if applying pressure. I imagine that nib would be complex and fairly expensive to replace compared to other nib styles. That said, it writes smoothly and consistently.
I have a 1940's Parker 51 vacumatic. The filling system requires service for about £80. I have one of these, I paid £20 for it and I'm delighted with it. What's not to like?
Agree, the nib isn't as smooth as I like. What I did was get a Jinhao 51a (a Jinhao 911 should do as well) and switch nibs. Instant performance improvement, it started writing like glass afterwards. If I were to get another Wing Sung 601 to replace this one I bought I would probably transplant the nib again.
In addition, I find that the Chinese standard of Fine corresponds to the European, from my experience. At least, mainland Chinese does, compared to Taiwan's TWSBI, which is closer to Japanese. This is probably a reflection of the difference between Simplified Chinese vs Traditional Chinese.
Yes, would like to see a Hamish-narrated disassembly.
LOVE Hamish!!
I agree, I like a little bit of feedback in my fountain pens.
Mine did not come with the tool or the silicon. But I still like it. I believe they have a couple of different filling mechanisms. I also have one that has a converter.
Please make vid of disassembly. Tnx so much for all your reviews.
For the cheap cap ,you can try the GP cap edition or the 925silver edition
Let's get Hamish out of retirement for a disassembly video!
have the same colour but mine came without silicone grease. Quite a workhorse sturdy pen
I’ve had a few of these since they came out and they are very reliable writers. They just don’t dry out. At least mine haven’t. The nib is a little scratchy, heavy feedback. But they are definitely worth the price in my opinion. They are great for writing small in calendars and notebooks. They are not great for showing off or enjoying the characteristics of ink. Thanks for reviewing this pen.
I would like to know how to swap out the nibs, and, I’d like to know if it’s possible to install a real P 51 nib on the WS pen.
I have the pen. And the WS 613 and 618. I’m actually quite fond of all these three Wing Sung pens. I have the 601 in navy blue. It is a thoroughly dependable first time every time writer. I like the filling system and it works just fine all the time. The ink window is far better than ones found in pens costing multiple times more. The 601 is very good value for money. If only these pens were readily available with nibs other than the default ‘F’. I normally prefer nothing less than a good M, and broad nibs best. That said, all my Wing Sung pens write rather more smoothly than you’d expect from a typical fine nib on any pen.
I vote with the pro-disassembly-video crowd. If you choose to go that route, I'd especially like to see you do it without the tool that came with the one you reviewed. From what I can see, many of them (e.g., the new 2019 versions on Amazon) don't include the disassembly tool.
Micro mesh works well!
I love the wing sung 605 too
Would love to see a disassembly video of this pen if Hamish is not to busy. Looks a fun one! :)
Among Chinese fountain pen, as regard to the hooded nib, its typical that the Mfr just provide Fine and some time also EF , the common practice for the home market is that the user can source for himself / herself , if needed , the different non standard nib as the form factor is practically universal, and among them are 10K, 12K, and 14K gold nib , as well as 2 type of slight upturn tipped nib ( write like FM , M & B if writing cursive ) and 3 type of full blown calligraphy ( aka fude for western market but actually are different ). As typical for a nib designed to write Asian Language , positive feedback is again universal. Cursive writer would likely want to tune / polish / work it a little if wanting smooth gliding nib
Love this pen. Wish it was more resistant to impacts, have two, broke the first one.
Stephen, after all the work I had to put in to my rather pricey Pilot Vanishing Point to make it a wetter and more consistent writer that actually puts down ink on the upstroke, I am absolutely with you about what's important (seems the VP is known for this 'dry' behaviour). _But all the 8 Chinese pens I've bought recently wrote well at the first attempt._ Just luck?
The 12k and 14k nib is more smooth than the steel one.It cost 178rmb（25usd）for the 12k gold nib edition and 248rmb（33usd）for the 14k GP cap edition
（in china）
This pen is very good no matter gold nib or steel nib.
Hey great vid. I had a humble request. Could you please review some pens from ASA like the ASA Maya or ASA Nauka? I've heard that they are great writers and are very economical
th-cam.com/video/Nhe8yx6BMrY/w-d-xo.html
@@sbrebrown thanks a lot for the review. I think I'll get one of these.
Cheers
Getting a flighter variant. Do you think getting one with e stainless steel section would be wise? How slippery is the section compared to a Lamy Safari? I have a Parker 45 flighter and to my shock and horror, I find the section way more slippery than the brushed steel barrel.
Thanks.
Happy to send you an extra replacement nib I have if you want it. DMed you on Instagram about it.
If only it was not manufactured in China I would have bought it anyway sent you a request on FB. Thanks for the review!
The Wing Sung 3013 Vac Filler I purchased recently have doesn't arrive at my home yet, and now they launch this model? Why Wing Sung? Why?!
This has been around for quite a while already.
@@shadowmihaiu And why didn't you let me know before? Now I look like a fool.
Thanks for the review. This is now a mere £11 sent China/UK and the wide colour choice includes a clear demonstrator. The 601A model blends a Parker-style Vacu-matic barrel to the Sheaffer-style section we saw in your model 235 review - go figure. All have default Chinese _fine_ nibs. Depending on who you read, this aids ink economy, saves on pricey tipping material, or makes forming intricate Chinese characters easier. Perhaps all three!
The last reason is most likely since 0.38mm gel/ball-point pens are common in China. I find 0.5mm pens difficult at times to use at times at school and I don't have small handwriting (Lamy EF is a constant struggle, anything broader is unusable). MUJI sells 0.25mm gel pens in China, so pens that write extremely fine lines are much more common in China. Japanese fountain pens also write rather fine lines.
Slightly disappointed you didn't start the video with one of your fabulous songs! At least I can look forward to this pen going to the disassembly line and maybe enjoy some haggis afterwards. O.K. enough nonsense. Thanks Stephen for covering the Wing Sung 601. By a strange co-incidence I've been thinking of buying one. So, the timing of this video was perfect. There was nothing in this video to sway me from purchasing one. I guess I'll just have to think about the colour. Have you seen the 601a featuring a range of nice looking gold-coloured caps? A little more expensive than the basic 601 but quite attractive.
601A also has a very different nib. Not hooded 51-like but a tubular sheaffer-ish one
No more zooming, please, and then you will see me later for another of your excellent reviews
I agree that it's a great pen for $16. But at close range it looks like a cheap copy. And probably the biggest disappointment is the missing 'spring's in the cap which makes for a super smooth capping experience.
I don't really understand.The spring inside is just like 51.Maybe this type is a little tight,but the GP or 925 silver type is really smooth.
I got one and was very disappointed compared to my p51’s. Scratchy nib and the fine nib is like a razor so my being left handed stopped the pen from writing after an a4 page as it picked up all the scraps of paper and poof it stopped.
They copied Parker on style and Lamy in packaging 😂
@@robbinallan3767
Oh thanks for the information my friend.
But hopefully we don't hear from another source, Lamy had intended to produce their pen packaging in China: built factories, took plans...abandoned all. The Chinese took possession and carried out the production. That would makes perfect sense to me either.
Just kidding my friend but I admire that Chinese are good in copying everything and I'm glad they do some of the copies are better than the original.😅 but not always unfortunately
I expanded the comment section to say exactly the same :D
@@BlackPearl-bp Parker does really have factories in China
The real reason is that the601 is a remake of 102 Wingsung in 1960s and the 102 looks like this（but a little different from 51 inside the pen）
@@knifejack2153
Hi my friend the best one can answer your question is this gentleman Robbin Allan who replied to my comment and what I did I replied to his comment that saying that Parker were planning to start a manufacturing place in China but all that didn't happen and then the Chinese used the plans and copied everything.
Because I didn't know about all that to be honest and if it's true or false.
I love the 14k ws 601 best
Yes. That's too much zoom I must say..great review as usual..
Please review a wing sung 233
When is the Procyon review coming?
Thnakyou Stephen, that looks to me like one fugly pen, combining my pet peeves of a metal cap and a hooded nib. Fittingly, this one's grey and unsurprisingly, it writes like a cat's claw. I'll risk heresy here by stating I'd rather write with a juicy rollerball.
Hi there... this is a nice pen I have a Parker like this it has a stub nib and was my dads, its a great pen its not a vacumatic but its a 51
I think??? The wing sung vacumatic is a very nice pen definitely on my radar for one or two. Feedback isnt a problem for myself and actually prefer it a bit.
Thank you for this review which is useful as always.
DrStephen your ACE thanks.
Btw there is a high pitched noise on the video is it something in the house? Its there on some reviews, not on others. It must drive you up the wall 😤
Best wishes to all PenPeople.
LeZc
@@
that zoomed in on the eyeballs bit made me laugh inappropriately loud for the hour
It really shocked me
What materials are used in the Parker 51? Can one bleed the remaining ink by depressing the vacumatic plunger thing, in order to fill with different ink?
I will research but I figured you would have a better more refined response... Thanks dude
1.The plastic of 51 is called lucite.
2.It can be done .However you 'd better to wash the pen by filling it with water and eject it.
From a pen lover in China
Where did you find this pen for $16??? I looked on Amazon and saw NOTHING close to that price. If you can add a link to the retailer in your comments, that would be VERY welcome.
JP Madden 19 bucks and free prime shipping.
2019 New Version Wing Sung 601 Steel Cap Vacumatic Double Bead Fountain Pen (Battleship Grey with ink window) www.amazon.com/dp/B07PVFFZ39/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hDFxDb87HGRVX
The box is a lamy box design.
Everybody Wing Sung Tonight…
The box looks like the cheaper Lamy packaging.
stephen the 601a is available with a shaeffer tube type nib and some fancy gold caps to me it looks much nicer but then i'm not a fan of hooded nibs have a look here th-cam.com/video/KYX5Qwhdp6Y/w-d-xo.html
Finial
中国🇨🇳笔。非常不错
“It has the Parker arrow” (on the clip)
While I believe they’ve made a decent quality pen for a dirt cheap price to me Wing Sung is going too far to outright try and copy what Parker created.
I may be in the minority but I won’t buy it because of that.
#notificationsquad
Oh, Super Unuseful Video.
Sorry, but ugly pen