Wing Sung 698 14K Gold Nib. Worth It?

[Honeybadgers]

Yes. Yes it is. the 14k nib is about what you'd expect from a japanese fine, it's fairly wet, a little toothy but not scratchy, and it's relatively soft, able to go from a western EF to about a B with modest pressure. it's a hair firmer than pilot's #5 SF 14k nib, and a hair softer than the platinum 3776 SF. it's also a beautiful little piece with a lot of scrollwork and "LUCKY 14k" inscribed onto it. likely these are old stock nibs, but the coolest part is that they fit both pilot's standard steel nib feed, so this is a legitimate 14k upgrade nib for a prera, metropolitan, 78g, or penmanship, and it also fits quite a few #5's as well, since it doesn't have the specific wings that lock the pilot steel nib in place and make it proprietary. So a versatile little nib.

 

 

The rest is standard wing sung 698. a cap that looks like it should post but doesn't, a smooth and reliable piston filler, it doesn't dry out, and an otherwise simple and inoffensive pen.

 

If you're a big fan of the metro or prera and think they'd be cooler with a 14k nib, a 14k wing sung 698 can be had for under $50.

 

 

I'm going to buy a couple more just for these nibs, which are a great deal for a relatively soft little everyday writer of a nib that can swap into innumerable chinese pens and any steel nib pilot.

 

The only caveat is that these nibs need to be dried well before use when they're on the pilot style feed. I don't know why, but this problem is endemic to many pilot style feeds, where they can hold on to a big drop of ink just after filling that slowly works its way out. So make sure you dry it very well after filling, and it shouldn't be an issue. I've had this same problem with my metros as well.

 

Overall, this nib alone is worth the $50. I've tested it in a penmanship and a metro, and the fit is like factory, no tuning or tweaking required.

 

Also be forewarned that the standard pilot feed isn't the heaviest flowing thing out there, so go slow to avoid railroading when you're flexing it out. under normal writing conditions, it's a medium-wet writer that doesn't skip or hard start. But if you run it dry, you do need to give it a second to catch up. It's obviously not a flex pen, but it is soft and bouncy under normal writing and able to add a flourish here and there, and definitely a gold nib.

 

 

 

 

 

[sundragon]

Nice review. Is the writing sample with the WS feed or the Pilot feed? Also which ink are you using?

[Honeybadgers]

that sample was with the WS feed, which is identical in cut to the pilot feed. The feed will keep up with modest shades on downstrokes.

 

In is sailor yama-dori.

 

I currently have the nib (which fits almost every standard #5 I've tried) in a faber castell loom and it is fabulous.

 

Still love this nib to death.

[sundragon]

Nice, That's a great deal for the money.