Wing Sung Balance

[truthpil]

PenBBS is IMHO is a place good for news but simply too much prejudice and too little real discussion, not to mention any of the Chinese based media site are likely to have pretty heavy handed censorship.

 

Yep, you said it.

When I scanned through the PenBBS pages, I was shocked at how little real discussion goes on there. It's nothing at all like FPN.

I'm just thankful they make good pens and inks!

[truthpil]

Victo on Taobao has a sale going on the 626 for the next couple days, bringing the cost of the 14k nibbed version down to 43USD.

 

For those who have this pen or one of the other Wing Sung pens with the NOS Lucky 14k nib, what do you think? Is it worth it?

I know there have been mixed reviews about the nib.

[Mech-for-i]

So long you are not looking for flex but could be satisfied with a somewhat cushioned feel for the ( still ) FINE nib then the 14K is worth it. Yes the difference is very much in the tactile feedback when the nib touch the paper. where steel nib is positively so, the Lucky / Wing Sung 14K is sort of a soft cushioned one, line variation, not much of a difference you can possibly coax a tiny teeny bit more from the gold nib but just do not expect much.

 

Needless to say the 14K nib were then offered for luxury and for the fact that 14K work fine for what the material originally intent were ( corrosion resistance to inks )

[truthpil]

So long you are not looking for flex but could be satisfied with a somewhat cushioned feel for the ( still ) FINE nib then the 14K is worth it. Yes the difference is very much in the tactile feedback when the nib touch the paper. where steel nib is positively so, the Lucky / Wing Sung 14K is sort of a soft cushioned one, line variation, not much of a difference you can possibly coax a tiny teeny bit more from the gold nib but just do not expect much.

 

Needless to say the 14K nib were then offered for luxury and for the fact that 14K work fine for what the material originally intent were ( corrosion resistance to inks )

 

Thanks for the info. I'm gradually starting to appreciate the feel of Chinese nib feedback and the softness of the 10k nib on the Hero H703 is quite pleasant. It does slow down writing a little but also results in better penmanship. Now I'm debating whether to go for the 14k 626 or the 12k 601, since they probably have a similar softness but the 601 is a lot cheaper (31USD on sale now).

 

Today I let one of my freshmen FP fans try the H703 and it was her first time trying a gold nib. Since she's used to nothing but Lamy Safari nibs, she was quite impressed.

Edited June 8, 2018 by TruthPil

[WJM]

What standard is the c/c in these pens? Is this international or is it another one of those weird wide Pilot like things like in Wing Sung 613 and 659? Or perhaps they copied Sheaffer's standard?

Edited June 8, 2018 by WJM

[Mech-for-i]

 

Thanks for the info. I'm gradually starting to appreciate the feel of Chinese nib feedback and the softness of the 10k nib on the Hero H703 is quite pleasant. It does slow down writing a little but also results in better penmanship. Now I'm debating whether to go for the 14k 626 or the 12k 601, since they probably have a similar softness but the 601 is a lot cheaper (31USD on sale now).

 

Today I let one of my freshmen FP fans try the H703 and it was her first time trying a gold nib. Since she's used to nothing but Lamy Safari nibs, she was quite impressed.

 

go for the 626 if you like softness better, its not that the 601's 12K are harder, its just that by the mechanical design the hooded nib is inherently more stout than an open nib. That stated , the 601 obviously got the ink volume and the more integral and interesting filling mechanism. Personally I just can't find the urge to got the 626, if Vikto would have do the styling better ( say not copying everything straight )

[truthpil]

 

go for the 626 if you like softness better, its not that the 601's 12K are harder, its just that by the mechanical design the hooded nib is inherently more stout than an open nib. That stated , the 601 obviously got the ink volume and the more integral and interesting filling mechanism. Personally I just can't find the urge to got the 626, if Vikto would have do the styling better ( say not copying everything straight )

 

That makes sense about the nibs. I'm still on the fence over whether or not to upgrade to the 14k nib since reviewers keep raving about how wet and smooth the stock nib is. If the gold nib isn't as wet, I guess I could just open the tines a little.

 

I got a nice honorarium for giving a guest lecture this week...hoping to convince the wife to let me use part of it to get one of these hehehe.

Since I don't like Sheaffer nibs, I'm sure I'll never buy a real Balance anyway but this is a nice way to get that same great shape.

[WJM]

What the hell... Just pulled the trigger on the green one.

 

You know, as for the gold nib... personally I don't really care for gold nibs. Certainly not enough to pay 3 times as much for the same model I could have much cheaper with a steel nib.

 

But what struck me with those is that those Lucky gold nibs on 626s I've seen on ebay offers are just... not good-looking. The steel ones have a pretty nice design but the gold ones look rather cheap and boring.

Edited June 9, 2018 by WJM

[truthpil]

What the hell... Just pulled the trigger on the green one.

 

You know, as for the gold nib... personally I don't really care for gold nibs. Certainly not enough to pay 3 times as much for the same model I could have much cheaper with a steel nib.

 

But what struck me with those is that those Lucky gold nibs on 626s I've seen on ebay offers are just... not good-looking. The steel ones have a pretty nice design but the gold ones look rather cheap and boring.

I know what you mean, the 14k nibs are just NOS Wing Sung nibs from the 90s that can be found on a lot of their pens, including the 698. I would just grab a steel nib version but there are only white ones left and I really want the blue (I'd got the exact same green in the Penbbs 308). Maybe patience will won out... It seems like Vikto will be making these for the foreseeable future.

[WJM]

Only white ones? They surely are going fast but there still were other colors available on eBay this morning.

[sciumbasci]

Can confirm, eBay vendors have it, price is still around 25 euro though. Is it premium priced in China as well? It surprises me how a C/C pen costs more than the very interesting and excellent 601

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

Can confirm, eBay vendors have it, price is still around 25 euro though. Is it premium priced in China as well? It surprises me how a C/C pen costs more than the very interesting and excellent 601

The filling mechanism isn't the only factor that is included in the price though. The material used, and the design should also be considered.

Apparently, the resin and the design of the 626 warrants a higher cost than the manufacturing process of the 601.

 

Or it could be also that people were hype for a Balance remodel much more than a 51 vac remodel, and Wing Sung raised the price accordingly for maximum profit.

[WJM]

Well, Chinese Parker 51's... remakes (let's call them that) have been around forever, Chinese Sheaffer Balance is something new.

Edited June 9, 2018 by WJM

[truthpil]

Can confirm, eBay vendors have it, price is still around 25 euro though. Is it premium priced in China as well? It surprises me how a C/C pen costs more than the very interesting and excellent 601

 

The price is quite nice in China. The steel nib versions usually go for around 18USD with free shipping. They cost about twice as much as the 601, but that's probably because of the 626's "celluloid" material.

[truthpil]

But what struck me with those is that those Lucky gold nibs on 626s I've seen on ebay offers are just... not good-looking. The steel ones have a pretty nice design but the gold ones look rather cheap and boring.

After staring at the pictures for quite some time, I decided against getting the 14k 626 because the gold nib just doesn't look right with the pen. Unlike the steel nib, it totally kills the resemblance to a real Shaeffer Balance and thus that nostalgic feel is lost. I'll just keep holding out till the medium nib option is finally released.

 

Treated myself to a 12k 601 in army green and a whole array of nibs for it instead. Now that is a great pen.

[Stefan-Ionut-Marius]

I got one in red for about 2 weeks and it is pretty ok , until now that is .

 

 

 

[WJM]

You really do like Pelikan Royal Blue, don't you?

[Ron Z]

You really do like Pelikan Royal Blue, don't you?

 

I do too, and buy it by the liter.

 

I bought one of the 626 pens just for the heck of it. The nib is nice, converter is good, trim plating seems to be good too. The barrel threads were not cut deep enough though, so the cap was quite a tight fit. I ended up chasing them to get them a bit deeper, which took care of the problem. The clip wiggles a bit and the opening for the clip flairs out a bit, but all in all its a nice pen for the price. Feed is the same size as a Jowo.

[Stefan-Ionut-Marius]

 

I do too, and buy it by the liter.

 

I bought one of the 626 pens just for the heck of it. The nib is nice, converter is good, trim plating seems to be good too. The barrel threads were not cut deep enough though, so the cap was quite a tight fit. I ended up chasing them to get them a bit deeper, which took care of the problem. The clip wiggles a bit and the opening for the clip flairs out a bit, but all in all its a nice pen for the price. Feed is the same size as a Jowo.

 

Yes i do love Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue , i think i burn true about half a litter in 2 years .

[ErrantSmudge]

 

Feed is the same size as a Jowo.

 

Does this mean I can buy nibs, like the Goulet nibs, and install them in this pen?

 

I have a real Sheaffer Balance Lifetime 875 but the barrel is just a bit too narrow for my taste. I'd love a clone of the regular-sized Balance but with a modern CC filling mechanism. I suppose I could look for a used/NOS genuine Sheaffer Balance II but this sounds easy to obtain, the Wing Sung colors are pretty, and the potential for nib swapouts make the Wing Sung a compelling choice.

Edited June 14, 2018 by ErrantSmudge