Wing Sung 698, First Impression Review

[woleizihan]

Long story short. I got a big pen mail from China today and here's a frist impression review of the most interesting one, Wing Sung 698.

 

 

1. Packaging

The pen comes in this soft plastic box sealed by a sticker. Nothing fancy and the box feels a little flimsy but everything inside sits nicely in slots. So I think they should be well protected. This is a piston filler and the "converter" is actually the included lubricant in a converter-like container. It's very thoughtful and practical for obvious reason. You don't have to buy the silicon grease separately, which costs extra and is just needed once in a while.

 

2. Design, Build Quality

I like the black one much better than the demonstrator. Like the packaging, there's nothing fancy about the design. Medium size, medium length and well balanced. I think the cap has several metal parts which add weight to the pen and can be a little back-heavy when posted. I think the plastic body is also well built and should be durable but the extra weight makes the pen feel more solid in hand when capped. The pen can be disassembled without a tool and the nib/feed is also friction fit so very easy to service/clean. In general, nothing fancy but everything works well.

 

 

3. Nib Performance

It's commonly known that many Chinese pens need some adjustment out of box but both of the 698s write super well right out of the box. Very pleasing smooth nib with a tiny little bit of feedback. Very surprisingly pleasing and no complaint at all. Is it perfect for everyone? No, it's on the smooth side of the nib so if you prefer more feedback, this may not be the perfect nib for you. However, I believe this will be a good writer for many people. Nib comes in two sizes, the "soft" F nib and the "rigid" EF nib. The sizes are between western and Japanese sizes and are definitely on the Japanese side. Unfortunately, for those who like broader nibs, this may not be a good choice for you.

I really like the "soft" F nib because it's really soft. It writes smoothly with or without pressure and I can really feel the softness when writing without pressure. It's nothing like the "flex" Noodler's nibs and is very pleasing. The nib also has some line variation and you can refer to the writing sample. It's definitely not flex or even semi-flex compared to the vintage pens but it does have the similar springiness and softness and also produces nice variations considering it's more or less a western EF. It also requires much less pressure to produce the variation compared to a Noodler's nib.

 

4. Size

As said in the design part. This is a medium sized pen and is very similar to the Platinum 3776 so it should be good for many people.

 

5. Cost and Value

Retail for $10 in China, can be get for $20 on Ebay. Pison filler, smooth soft nib right out of the box, solid build quality, practical and thoughful packaging. There's nothing fancy but it has almost everything to be a perfect workhorse, including the lubricant. IMHO, it's unlikely something in the sub $30 range will beat this pen. If it has a threaded nib unit with more choices of nib sizes, I will compare it to a Pelikan M200 because 698 is actually larger than the Pelikan and feels better in my hands.

 

6. Final Conclusion

It works.

 

Here's a picture of rest of the pen mail and I'll review some of them if I have time.

[Flounder]

Thaks for your insights on the 698 - I didn't realise there was a non-demonstrator version too, looks good esp. with that ink window. Is that an O ring I think I can see at the top of the section-barrel threads btw?

 

You've certainly been on a buying spree! I recognise the big 590 in the rest of your haul, but what are the two PFM-looking pens 2nd and 3rd from the right?

Edited January 19, 2017 by Flounder

[woleizihan]

Thaks for your insights on the 698 - I didn't realise there was a non-demonstrator version too, looks good esp. with that ink window. Is that an O ring I think I can see at the top of the section-barrel threads btw?

 

You've certainly been on a buying spree! I recognise the big 590 in the rest of your haul, but what are the two PFM-looking pens 2nd and 3rd from the right?

There is a rubber O ring and I guess it helps to seal the thread.

I definitely bought more than I need but the shipping rate is $12 flat for the first 1kg so what you see is basically "1kg" of pens. Those PFM-looking pens are Golden Star 565 and they actually look more like fat Parker 51 instead of PFM.

[EricTheRed]

Excellent review Woleizihan! Thanks.

[EricTheRed]

Excellent review Woleizihan! Thanks.

[dan in montreal]

There is a rubber O ring and I guess it helps to seal the thread.

I definitely bought more than I need but the shipping rate is $12 flat for the first 1kg so what you see is basically "1kg" of pens. Those PFM-looking pens are Golden Star 565 and they actually look more like fat Parker 51 instead of PFM.

How do you like the 565? I have one and prefer it to the Hero 616 and even to the Hero 100.

[mehandiratta]

Nice.. Thank you for the review

[woleizihan]

I haven't used the 565 extensively but the pen feels pretty good and writes nicely, smooth and wet. I like the design and the pen has a good size and weight.

[Feanaaro]

I really like this... I read online (here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2017-Model-Wing-Sung-698-Transparent-Piston-Fountain-Pen-Extra-Fine-Nib-/331980662333) that it may swap nib with Pilot pens. That would be very interesting (though probably illegal from Pilot's perspective...), could you confirm that?

Also, the nib you refer at as "soft F" is advertised as such, or is it just that you found it to be softer in your experience?

 

Thanks for the review, I wouldn't have been aware of this little nice thing otherwise.

[basterma]

What is the nail-head style pen in the middle?

[woleizihan]

I really like this... I read online (here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2017-Model-Wing-Sung-698-Transparent-Piston-Fountain-Pen-Extra-Fine-Nib-/331980662333) that it may swap nib with Pilot pens. That would be very interesting (though probably illegal from Pilot's perspective...), could you confirm that?

Also, the nib you refer at as "soft F" is advertised as such, or is it just that you found it to be softer in your experience?

 

Thanks for the review, I wouldn't have been aware of this little nice thing otherwise.

I think you can swap the nib with 78g. And the nib is actually advertised as "soft".

[Flounder]

How do you like the 565? I have one and prefer it to the Hero 616 and even to the Hero 100.

 

Is the 565 any thicker than a hero 616 Doctor/Jumbo, or Parker 51? I'd quite like to try something the same shape but a bit thicker.

[k3eax]

Yes, the Hero 565 is thicker and feels "better" in the hand

[woleizihan]

What is the nail-head style pen in the middle?

It's WS 765 and it has a very interesting nib design,

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUe5uyHFFyUQkk5Ukh6cXBWb1k

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUe5uyHFFyUZEo5VXlKWkt6TlU

 

 

 

Is the 565 any thicker than a hero 616 Doctor/Jumbo, or Parker 51? I'd quite like to try something the same shape but a bit thicker.

The thickness is between Parker 51 and Sheaffer legacy and it's a plastic barrel. I really think it's a comfortable size and the lightweight is also good for long-time use.

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUe5uyHFFyUVXdCZC1ISkROVUk

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUe5uyHFFyUbEdiTW4tQnZMTFE

 

However, as far as I know, it's not a "true" hooded nib and is actually similar to Parker 21 with a slim regular nib under the hood. Hero 565 is the modern copy of the Golden Star 565 and is easier/cheaper to get. I heard some good things about it but I don't have one myself so I really don't know how it's compared with the vintage Golden Star.

Edited January 21, 2017 by woleizihan

[Candleinthewilderness]

Good looking pen! your review makes me consider hunting one down. May order one tonight.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Candleinthewilderness

[melodiousb]

I'm loving my 698--I have the demonstrator and I've been using it with a Pilot Plumix nib--and I didn't realize there was a black version. I guess this is my excuse to get another one.

[woleizihan]

I'm loving my 698--I have the demonstrator and I've been using it with a Pilot Plumix nib--and I didn't realize there was a black version. I guess this is my excuse to get another one.

There are actually many more colors and there's even a 14k gold nib version so take your time.

 

[rafapa]

There are actually many more colors and there's even a 14k gold nib version so take your time.

 

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Where can you get them?

Edited January 23, 2017 by rafapa

[woleizihan]

Where can you get them?

Definitely taobao.com. But I think if you ask the sellers selling the demonstrators on Ebay, they can get you some other colors you like.

[Flounder]

It's WS 765 and it has a very interesting nib design,

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUe5uyHFFyUQkk5Ukh6cXBWb1k

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUe5uyHFFyUZEo5VXlKWkt6TlU

 

 

The thickness is between Parker 51 and Sheaffer legacy and it's a plastic barrel. I really think it's a comfortable size and the lightweight is also good for long-time use.

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUe5uyHFFyUVXdCZC1ISkROVUk

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUe5uyHFFyUbEdiTW4tQnZMTFE

 

However, as far as I know, it's not a "true" hooded nib and is actually similar to Parker 21 with a slim regular nib under the hood. Hero 565 is the modern copy of the Golden Star 565 and is easier/cheaper to get. I heard some good things about it but I don't have one myself so I really don't know how it's compared with the vintage Golden Star.

 

Great, helpful comparison photos, thanks a lot. I'll definitely be picking one of these up (maybe the cheap hero)!