Vintage Wing Sung Yes Or No

[PenPaper52]

Hi Rita,

China Post is pretty reliable they should turn up! (anything from 10 days to a month though)

Thanks Matteob...I know...I am not a very patient person.

Am also waiting for 14 ink samples, two Baoer, a Jinhao 500 and a Lamy Safari demonstrator.

 

I wonder if it's really a Safari. I asked the vendor if it was a Safari and not a Vista. She said it's a Safari.

 

I am not holding my breath...

 

Stay safe!

 

 

Rita

[lovemy51]

I went back to the Bay and am now considering the WS322k, WS233 or a 2016 WS659 with two nibs. EF and F.

 

There a few others from another seller but I will stick with jewelrymathematics for the timebeing.

 

Any recommendations?

 

Thanks in advance for your input. Highly appreciated.

 

Stay safe!

 

Rita

hi, Rita. that WS 322 looks nice. hope the finish of the body is good. i went thru all my chinese pens and found a WS234, which i hadn't used for a while and the finish on the body looked tarnished. also, when i post the cap to write it scratches the barrel. the finish is quite poor.

 

OTOH, i found my 841, gold body... boy, that is a beauty and the nib is just right, not too smooth, nor too scratchy; has character.

 

 

congrats on your purchase!

[Mech-for-i]

Oh the Wing Sung 841, that's a beauty , I had 4 of them, 2 in Gold, 2 in Silver lacquered over, really nice one, I am still trying to find a replacement piston/screw type converter that I can fit in there though. Which version of the 234 do you have, lovemy51, cause mine is the all steel version and it seems to just stay put, and the rolled ( drawn ) steel barrel is still shining the same as the day I got it ( which is quite more than 10 years ).

[bob_hayden]

I have purchased a variety of Wing Sungs over the years and a variety of pens from jewelrymathematics during that time. I have never had to sign for anything and can recommend jewelrymathematics. There is one particular model of the old Wing Sungs that is known for smelling bad and the photo posted more or less matches my vague memory of that model. None of mine smell.

 

My favorite Wing Sungs are the 333 and 500. jewelrymathematics still has some of the 500. Both these models have very fine nibs that are a bit toothy but not scratchy. They also can be used with cartridges which many of the old WSs cannot. I want that as an option so I look to see if the listing has a picture with a converter separated from the section. The 500 eats Parker cartridges and the 333 diets exclusively on standard international.

 

Many Wing Sungs use a nib modeled after the Sheaffer Triumph nib. I have never encountered one of these that I like. They are real nails and generally have a very rough writing feel to them. They also tarnish and usually arrive that way.

 

Today most of the "Wing Sungs" you see on eBay are unrelated pens made by Hero. Some of those are just fine but they are not family. Many of the old WSs are a bit crude by comparison but mine are real workhorses.

[Mech-for-i]

Interesting point, bob_hayden. I too like the 500, do not have the 333 but guess I should give it a look. My triumph nob equipped Wing Sung do not seems to age or tarnish as yours despite being decades old. I do agree that the large sized one in the 23X series do usually act like nail but the mid sized one on the 8XX and 3XX series allows quite a bit of line variation. At least mine do. They generally write toothy like ythe 500s, have not found them to be rough or scratchy. Both type of nib had calligraphy aka fude nib option so I suppose that's not much an issue for Wing Sung. I have on two of my 841 the whats called droplet nib or hawk bill nib , basically the tipping part of the nib is curved down in reverse to the calligraphy sort of like Pilot PO but the tipping is more a FM writing.

[bob_hayden]

The 333 is defijnitely a school pen -- elementary school! They are decorated with loud color patterns, some abstract, some pictures of flowers or fruit. They seem really cheap and tacky. The patterns all have a seam as if they were applied like wallpaper that did not get matched up at the edge. The clip looks like plastic because of a heavy coat of black paint but I think it is steel. It is very thin and none have broken on me yet. You can find pictures of a box of ten if you go here

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/210683-your-best-cheap-pen/page-21

 

and scroll about 3/4 of the way down the page. I have not experienced any of the problems described there. Alas, I ahve not seen these on eBay for some years now. They may be hard to identify. I have about a dozen of which only one has "333" marked on it.

[PenPaper52]

hi, Rita. that WS 322 looks nice. hope the finish of the body is good. i went thru all my chinese pens and found a WS234, which i hadn't used for a while and the finish on the body looked tarnished. also, when i post the cap to write it scratches the barrel. the finish is quite poor.

 

OTOH, i found my 841, gold body... boy, that is a beauty and the nib is just right, not too smooth, nor too scratchy; has character.

 

 

congrats on your purchase!

Thank you lovemy51.

Sorry to hear that the WS234 looked tarnished.

Haven't received word yet that my pens have been shipped.

 

Stay safe!

 

Rita

[PenPaper52]

The 333 is defijnitely a school pen -- elementary school! They are decorated with loud color patterns, some abstract, some pictures of flowers or fruit. They seem really cheap and tacky. The patterns all have a seam as if they were applied like wallpaper that did not get matched up at the edge. The clip looks like plastic because of a heavy coat of black paint but I think it is steel. It is very thin and none have broken on me yet. You can find pictures of a box of ten if you go here

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/210683-your-best-cheap-pen/page-21

 

and scroll about 3/4 of the way down the page. I have not experienced any of the problems described there. Alas, I ahve not seen these on eBay for some years now. They may be hard to identify. I have about a dozen of which only one has "333" marked on it.

 

bob_hayden, thank you for elaborating on the subject. I did take a look at that box of multi-coloured pens in the cheap pens thread. Don't think I would buy any of those, even though I own several NOS school pens. A few Papermate, Waterman, Reynolds and rOtring.

 

Stay safe!

 

Rita

[lovemy51]

Which version of the 234 do you have, lovemy51, cause mine is the all steel version and it seems to just stay put, and the rolled ( drawn ) steel barrel is still shining the same as the day I got it ( which is quite more than 10 years ).

mine is a grey-ish pearl finish. a very light coat of paint that scratches very easily. i think i will sand the finish down with a fine grit sand paper and see how that goes.

[Guardy]

Chiming in a bit late, but I have a WS 233 and 322 (both from jewelrymathematics*) and they're both excellent pens. The 322 is very comfortable to write with and has an extremely fine but very good nib. It also seems to be actual - albeit very cheap, rolled - celluloid, not acrylic like usual. Same stuff they use to make guitar picks. In fact, I should really get my hands on a red 322, then I'd have a pen to match my favorite picks.

The 233 does suffer from some start-up problems - partially my fault, Pelikan blbk, even watered down, doesn't work for every pen - but it writes great once it gets going.

The filling system is a bit tricky for both pens, though, but there are ways to get a really good fill nonetheless. Still less annoying than the plunger filler of the Noodler's Ahab.

 

Can't totally confirm bob_hayden's observation about the Triumph-style nibs, by the way - they may start out very toothy, but mellow down quite a bit after a few pages of writing. Also, mine are still very much untarnished. They are nails, though. I personally don't mind; if I want flex, I grab a dip pen.

 

*no affiliation, et cetera

[bob_hayden]

I am not very tolerant of nails so I may never have done enough writing with the Triumph-like nibs to give them a chance to smooth out. The tarnishing issue may just be a matter of how and where the pens were stored in the 20+ years since they were manufactured. With the extreme air pollution in some parts of China now there could be large differences in what might have been in the atmosphere.

[PenPaper52]

 

Update...pens arrived today!

 

Have only inked the blue Kaigelu. Love it!

[Pichak]

I have 2 Wing Sung fountain pens are Wing Sung 590 and Wing Sung 659.

 

 

"The Giant" 590 is an old model. It is very big, larger than most oversize fountain pen. Its nib is smooth and wet but it is too fragile.

 

I used to do a VDO review on Wing Sung 590. I know you can not understand Thai but may be you can take a look the images and also writing sample.

 

 

Wing Sung 659 is a fountain pen set come with 2 nib EF and F. Its look very like the Pilot 78G and it also use Pilot cartridge and converter. Its nib can replace with the 78G too. It is a beautiful pen but not so good writer. The nibs are dry and some scratchy.

[bob_hayden]

Thanks! This was very useful even on a computer with no sound. There is a thread on the 590 here.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/266388-wing-sung-590/

 

Did you experience the bad smell many there complained about?

[Pichak]

Thanks! This was very useful even on a computer with no sound. There is a thread on the 590 here.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/266388-wing-sung-590/

 

Did you experience the bad smell many there complained about?

 

My pen has not any bad smell since I got it. However the smell will be almost gone after 2 or 3 weeks.

[sanyalsoumitra]

Jewellymathematics or ycguo is one of the best vendors with Wingsung pens. As I am crazy about this brand I think I have almost all models and most are bought from this vendor. Confirm he or they are the best for Wingsung.

[rochester21]

Well Jewellymathematics is a reliable seller, however i`ve noticed that the quality of his pens varies quite a bit. I`ve bought a number of wing sung pens and other brands from him and some were ok, some were less so. Depending on the exact model, you can find pens in better condition from other sellers, like for instance jiangkq2009.

 

Concerning the moldy smell of the 590, i`m amazed that people happily pay hundreds of dollars for a moldy and wrecked vintage german-made pen and then express their delight, even though they have to spend double the amount just to get it fixed. A few years back i`ve bought a whole box of mouldy smelling Reform 1745 fps from Germany, and yet i never heard people complain about them.

 

But if they buy a 7 dollar chinese pen(with free shipping from China) all of a sudden they discover all these flaws and they seem so disappointed even though they make 20-30k a year, which is a lot more than the people who assembled and sell these very pretty fountain pens online.

Edited February 16, 2017 by rochester21

[garyc]

I just received a Wing Sung 842 which I bought from a local UK seller - this is a nice slimline model, reminds me a lot of a lacquer Parker 75 in proportions, except with a Sheaffer Triumph style nib. It is a very fine nib, bit of a nail but not unpleasant to use. I found it to be preferable as a nib to a WS 698 (the new piston filler) extra fine, but not as smooth and soft as the 698 fine (which is one of my favourite fine nibs ever). The outside finish looks pretty good to me, the section screw thread and aeromatic filler less so.

I have made an offer for 2 more from jewelrymathematics and another 2 in other colours locally.

 

edit: and almost 2 minutes after saying the finish was good, I was just adjusting the clip to be better aligned with the cap and moving it gouged a millimetre scratch in the shiny finish. I suspect it may not endure heavy use.

Edited February 17, 2017 by garyc

[Trom]

I don't know the pens you're considering, but as an eBay seller, jewelrymathematics is extremely reliable.

 

Yes, he gave me part of my money back when the pen he sent had colour flaws. I kind of regret it as I don't like pens with flaws.

[bigkahuna]

I have 2 Wing Sung fountain pens are Wing Sung 590 and Wing Sung 659.

 

...

 

"The Giant" 590 is an old model. It is very big, larger than most oversize fountain pen. Its nib is smooth and wet but it is too fragile.

 

I used to do a VDO review on Wing Sung 590. I know you can not understand Thai but may be you can take a look the images and also writing sample.

 

...

Thank you for making that video and sharing your experiences. I have ordered a couple of Wing Sung 590s (NOS on the bay, about $3 USD each seems like a great price) and look forward to trying them out. Even though it is a "very large" pen, I'm hopeful that this will not be a problem. I hope my 590s write as well as yours!