Wing Sung 699 - Victo Green Stationery Vacuum Filler Coming

[bryanhaas]

Anybody tried any other feeds in the 699?

 

Mine wasn't writing well, so I used my Swiss Army to enlarge the feed slit, then dug out a 316 nib left over from a swap. It's better, but I had to bend the nib by pressing on the reverse side to try and get it to better conform to the feed in order to get decent flow (there was a huge gap) and it just looks odd.

 

Pilot feeds from both a 742 and 912 both FA nibs plus the ebonite feed from felxible nib warehouse both the 2 and 3 channel versions. In both cases a #10 Pilot FA nib. The FPR ultra flex does not fit nor will the Conklin flex however using the conklin feed you can kind of shoehorn the nib in there but in messing with it I broke a section. Good thing it was a spare. I have my FA in my daily writer 699. What I want now is to see if a TWSBI section fits it and if so swap in a Conklin flex and then awesome. The FA obviously flexes better but that Conklin in rose gold just looks beautiful. The threads from a FPR Himalaya fit but the back end sticks out too far.

[drathbun]

I held off purchasing one of these because I didn't like any of the colour combinations. That is, until the beautiful blue with gold trim. I had quite a few issues with mine when it arrived. I took it to pieces (I blame ChrisRap52 for this habit), cleaned it and put it back together again. Unfortunately, I didn't notice I had swapped the finial ring for the blind cap ring and the piston rod assembly never screwed down properly ruining the vacuum seal. I didn't know this of course and couldn't figure out why it was so poor at sucking up ink. I only discovered my error after reviewing my YouTube video (before I uploaded it fortunately) and corrected it. The vacuum is still not as strong as my PenBBS 456 however but after two or three plunges I get a pretty good fill. The wrong ring on the blind cap end also caused the pen to not post at all and once I put it back correctly, the pen posts very securely although it is very long and slightly back weighted.

 

The pen looks marvelous and feels very nice in the hand even being plastic rather than acrylic. It must be the extra weight of the rod that gives it that heft. However, the BIG problem I had with it was the fine nib. It barely wrote out of the box. I adjusted the tine alignment and micromeshed the hell out of it and it improved slightly. After writing with it for several hours, I re-examined the alignment and made further adjustments as it was still ever so slightly off. After about 30 minutes of tinkering with it, I've got it to the point it is very smooth and very wet.

 

Now that I've written with the pen for a while, it is growing on me. It is nowhere close to being the EDC that my PenBBS 456 is - the 456 is nearly perfect IMO. But, for almost half the price of the 456, the 699 is pretty cool if you have the wherewithal to make changes to the OEM nib.

 

One of my viewers suggested a nib swap with my Kaigelu 316 and I read here that the 699 and 316 are interchangeable. However, I can't see any way to get the Kaigelu 316 nib and feed out of the section.

 

 

My YouTube Review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l79Zgjvy0m0

[taike]

I held off purchasing one of these because I didn't like any of the colour combinations. That is, until the beautiful blue with gold trim. I had quite a few issues with mine when it arrived. I took it to pieces (I blame ChrisRap52 for this habit), cleaned it and put it back together again. Unfortunately, I didn't notice I had swapped the finial ring for the blind cap ring and the piston rod assembly never screwed down properly ruining the vacuum seal. I didn't know this of course and couldn't figure out why it was so poor at sucking up ink. I only discovered my error after reviewing my YouTube video (before I uploaded it fortunately) and corrected it. The vacuum is still not as strong as my PenBBS 456 however but after two or three plunges I get a pretty good fill. The wrong ring on the blind cap end also caused the pen to not post at all and once I put it back correctly, the pen posts very securely although it is very long and slightly back weighted.

 

The pen looks marvelous and feels very nice in the hand even being plastic rather than acrylic. It must be the extra weight of the rod that gives it that heft. However, the BIG problem I had with it was the fine nib. It barely wrote out of the box. I adjusted the tine alignment and micromeshed the hell out of it and it improved slightly. After writing with it for several hours, I re-examined the alignment and made further adjustments as it was still ever so slightly off. After about 30 minutes of tinkering with it, I've got it to the point it is very smooth and very wet.

 

Now that I've written with the pen for a while, it is growing on me. It is nowhere close to being the EDC that my PenBBS 456 is - the 456 is nearly perfect IMO. But, for almost half the price of the 456, the 699 is pretty cool if you have the wherewithal to make changes to the OEM nib.

 

One of my viewers suggested a nib swap with my Kaigelu 316 and I read here that the 699 and 316 are interchangeable. However, I can't see any way to get the Kaigelu 316 nib and feed out of the section.

 

 

My YouTube Review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l79Zgjvy0m0

 

 

I picked up the piston-filler version of this colorway with a steel two-tone EF nib. Aside from the piston-filler being a couple of grams lighter than the vac, I'm impressed. The EF nib writes flawlessly - much better than I expected.

[mixink]

You can also find original nib being sold separately at Aliexpress. Just search for Wing Sung 699 nib.

[Honeybadgers]

I picked up an EF one as well and learned very quickly that the pen is not super shock proof. Dropped it from a sitting position onto hard linoleum and the barrel spider cracked to hell and back. I didn't notice until today, so it's been that way for a week, writing fine the whole time.

 

Bummer, but I already have a 699 in the same finish with an F nib I don't like, and the EF writes perfectly. So this one's nib will go into the old pen and the cap, section and piston will just be kept for spare parts.

 

Still think it's an amazing pen for the money. 80% of the quality of an 823 (I'd say 90% if the engraving on the cap band wasn't just awkward looking) for the price of a TWSBI ECO. Just be careful not to drop it onto hard surfaces!

Edited November 30, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[YFS]

 

1. WS 699 pen is great, OEM nib not so great IMHO.
2. Feed is 6mm in diameter.
3. #6 Jowo or Bock (titanium or other) or similar Jinhao nibs do not fit.
4. #6 nib, even if cut shorter by 4-6 mm, does not fit without risk of breaking section.
5. Kaigelu 5.5 nib is perfectly interchangeable with OEM nib, but I mostly prefer XF size nibs.
6. FPR 5.5 nibs I have no experience if they also fit.
7. OEM nib, if sharpened to XF size, is awesome!!
8. Totally worth it, if you are willing to sharpen OEM nib yourself or send pen to accomodating nibmeister.
9. Curious if F nibs recommended by OCArt above (post #18) work as well.
10. This is not a wet pen if existing feed is not tempered with, more so if top cap is kept firmly closed.
11. No issues with pen drying whatsoever.
12. Overall great pen, especially for its price.

 

 

So Frank, I understand that the Kaigelu 316 nib fits perfectly in the Wing Sung 699

I would like to believe that the opposite is also true. But let me ask the question anyway:

 

Does the Wing Sung 699 nib fit into the Kaigelu 316 (with the original Kaigelu feed) without any modifications?

I would love to buy some Wing Sung 699 Fs and EFs and stick them in the Kaigelu 316s without having to do the Bock modification.

Edited December 4, 2019 by YFS

[YFS]

I've really enjoyed using the WS699 and found another nib that fits. I installed a Nemosine number 6 stub nib using the stock WS feed and it works great. Nemosine is closing out everything and still has a few nibs left--- do look around the site carefully as it may be just as cheap to buy a complete pen to get the nib you want.

 

OCArt: Since the WS 699 nib is interchangeable with the Kaigelu 316, does this also mean that the Nemosine #6 nib fits in the Kaigelu 316 unmodified?

 

I find that hard to believe but I have been wrong before.

[OCArt]

Sorry, I haven't tried that.

 

OCArt: Since the WS 699 nib is interchangeable with the Kaigelu 316, does this also mean that the Nemosine #6 nib fits in the Kaigelu 316 unmodified?

 

I find that hard to believe but I have been wrong before.

[Frank66]

 

So Frank, I understand that the Kaigelu 316 nib fits perfectly in the Wing Sung 699

I would like to believe that the opposite is also true. But let me ask the question anyway:

 

Does the Wing Sung 699 nib fit into the Kaigelu 316 (with the original Kaigelu feed) without any modifications?

I would love to buy some Wing Sung 699 Fs and EFs and stick them in the Kaigelu 316s without having to do the Bock modification.

 

Seems like Wing Sung 699 nib is fully compatible with the Kaigelu pen. Lengthwise, the two nibs appear to have the same length, the WS 699 nib is a little wider at its wings. My WS 699 came with a Fine size nib, the Kaigelu 316 nib appears to be a Medium size nib.

 

Although the K316 pen seems to perfectly accommodate the WS 699 nib, I still think that the Bock modification is something that is worth consider doing. This is especially true is someone wants to use the Titanium Bock nib, which adds the advantage of flexy writing to the pen. Nevertheless, my Bock steel nib appears slightly smoother compared with my WS nib, but this could be just my personal experience. Overall the WS 699 is a great pen, mine still has the shortened Jowo EF nib in it.

 

YFS many thanks for your posting. Thanks to you, from now on, I will keep my spare WS 699 nib in my third unmodified K316 pen. It seems to me that WS 699 nib writes much better than the OEM K316 nib.

 

CONCLUSION: Wing Sung 699 nib, original Kaigelu 316 nib and #6 Jowo nib shortened by 2mm can all be used interchangeably in the above pens.

 

Regards,

Frank66

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by Frank66

[YFS]

Awesome!

 

I did the Bock modification on one Kaigelu and finally put a Goulet black nib in it. I am happy with how it looks and how it writes. Of course i still have the Bock nib as well as other #6 nibs that I might put in it.

 

But the ability to stick a WS 699 nib in other unmodified Kaigelu 316's without any hassle is priceless. Especially, as you said, now you don't have to stick to M that the Kaigelu comes with.

 

Thanks for the confirmation Frank!

[Mech-for-i]

I believe the 699 nib is just what its commonly referred to as the type 28 nib in and among Chinese fountain pen Mfr, that form factor goes back , way back , made almost de facto by Gold Star in the 1950's with their Gold Star 28 , the nib is a narrow wing 6mm ( +/- ) feed with a overall length of 32/33 mm where typical modern No.6 is 35/36mm and had a wider wing

[AidenMark]

The Achilles heel of this pen is the insecure piston housing at the blind cap end.

 

Putting the 699 in flow-mode by unscrewing the piston blind cap a turn or 2 can result in the whole piston housing loosening and the ink spurting out. I considered gluing the part into the barrel but that would make cleaning a problem. A compromise with silicon greasing the threads means it's more secure now - but I would be nervous about travelling with it.

 

Second, despite being a dry writer, the 699 feed is prone to blotting. I wrote 20 pages with it this morning and on page 19, without warning, a mighty splash of ink rolled onto the paper. It's done this twice in two days.

[FountainClogger]

The Achilles heel of this pen is the insecure piston housing at the blind cap end.

 

Putting the 699 in flow-mode by unscrewing the piston blind cap a turn or 2 can result in the whole piston housing loosening and the ink spurting out. I considered gluing the part into the barrel but that would make cleaning a problem. A compromise with silicon greasing the threads means it's more secure now - but I would be nervous about travelling with it.

 

Second, despite being a dry writer, the 699 feed is prone to blotting. I wrote 20 pages with it this morning and on page 19, without warning, a mighty splash of ink rolled onto the paper. It's done this twice in two days.

Maybe you have a faulty pen. I have two 699 and neither has a loose plunger assembly. As for the burping problem: keep in mind that a vacuum filler pen is basically an eyedropper with a more convenient filling system, so it is subject to all the problems eyedroppers suffer from; and one of them is notoriously burping. For that reason they're equipped with a shut-off valve. It might even be, in your case, that a loose plunger assembly is letting air in, causing an increase in pressure in the barrel thus exacerbating the burping issue.

[Maccabeus]

The Achilles heel of this pen is the insecure piston housing at the blind cap end.

 

Putting the 699 in flow-mode by unscrewing the piston blind cap a turn or 2 can result in the whole piston housing loosening and the ink spurting out. I considered gluing the part into the barrel but that would make cleaning a problem. A compromise with silicon greasing the threads means it's more secure now - but I would be nervous about travelling with it.

 

Second, despite being a dry writer, the 699 feed is prone to blotting. I wrote 20 pages with it this morning and on page 19, without warning, a mighty splash of ink rolled onto the paper. It's done this twice in two days.

 

Oh, no! I'm sorry to hear you're having troubles with yours. Thus far, I've experienced none of the issues endemic to eyedroppers (or any other issues, apart from a nib that needed a bit of micro-mesh time). Having said that, I've only been using mine as an EDC/daily writer for about 6 weeks. I did effect a complete disassembly/reassembly and put a bit of silicone grease everywhere that made sense a couple weeks back. As FountainClogger said, perhaps the one you received is faulty. I'd be curious to hear how long you've owned the pen, how long it has been in rotation, and what ink(s) you've put in it.

 

As an aside, every time I see your signature line, I can't help but think of Grace Jones who said, "Too much is never enough."

[AidenMark]

Maybe you have a faulty pen. I have two 699 and neither has a loose plunger assembly. As for the burping problem: keep in mind that a vacuum filler pen is basically an eyedropper with a more convenient filling system, so it is subject to all the problems eyedroppers suffer from; and one of them is notoriously burping. For that reason they're equipped with a shut-off valve. It might even be, in your case, that a loose plunger assembly is letting air in, causing an increase in pressure in the barrel thus exacerbating the burping issue.

 

 

Good observations. I hadn't thought of it as an eyedropper but, of course, you are correct.

 

Well, should anyone has a similar issue, a drop of Silicon grease and screwing it in tightly seems to have fixed the loose piston flange and made it air tight. From the design point of view the flange only has 3 thread turns to screw it to the body. Since that is the only barrier between barrel and trousers it seems a little bit underspecified.

 

On the down side, the burping is still happening once or twice a day. I am getting quite good at predicting when it is about to occur and cleaning the ink inlet with a sheet of blotting paper.

 

The thing that makes me persevere with the pen is the nib. A lot of people seem to want to exchange it but I am really liking its slightly italic nature.

[Frank66]

 

... On the down side, the burping is still happening once or twice a day. I am getting quite good at predicting when it is about to occur and cleaning the ink inlet with a sheet of blotting paper. ...

Have you checked the section under magnification for any micro-cracks? The resin surrounding the nib appears quite thin and fragile and could potentially be the reason for your ink leakage, especially if you tried-in different size of nibs. I did not have any ink burping issues with my pen, even when I used it almost empty of ink. I attribute this to the extremely well made feed, actually I like the feed much better than the nib in this pen. Hope this somewhat helps solving your pen problem... Edited December 18, 2019 by Frank66

[AidenMark]

Have you checked the section under magnification for any micro-cracks? The resin surrounding the nib appears quite thin and fragile and could potentially be the reason for your ink leakage, especially if you tried-in different size of nibs. I did not have any ink burping issues with my pen, even when I used it almost empty of ink. I attribute this to the extremely well made feed, actually I like the feed much better than the nib in this pen. Hope this somewhat helps solving your pen problem...

 

 

Following up on your helpful suggestion I checked for cracks but there are none. In fact it's burping from the filler hole in the feed rather than the feed/section sides.

 

Maybe the problem is the piston position in writing. I tighten the piston cap after a writing session. At the start I loosen the piston cap until the threads disengage, but I don't pull the piston back. With this configuration, holding he pen to the light, I can just see the top of the piston but not the whole piston nipple.

 

So this ||||||||||:|>----

but not this |||||||||| =|>---

 

Is that what I should be doing?

Edited December 19, 2019 by AidenMark

[Karmachanic]

Jinhao nibs fit. Inexpensive and therefore perfect for grinding experiments.

[Karmachanic]

 

 

Following up on your helpful suggestion I checked for cracks but there are none. In fact it's burping from the filler hole in the feed rather than the feed/section sides.

 

Maybe the problem is the piston position in writing. I tighten the piston cap after a writing session. At the start I loosen the piston cap until the threads disengage, but I don't pull the piston back. With this configuration, holding he pen to the light, I can just see the top of the piston but not the whoe piston nipple.

 

So this ||||||||||:|>----

but not this |||||||||| =|>---

 

Is that what I should be doing?

No need to disengage the cap.

Try this. With an empty/less than full pen close the cap fully. Hold the pen nib up to the light, and look at the piston stopper. Unscrew the cap, maybe three turns, and you will see the stopper move enough to open the ink flow, but the cap is still engaged. Write.

Should work.

[vtgt]

A little warning about Kaigelu nibs: current Kaigelu 316 nibs do not have the notch at the bottom and are interchangeable with Jinhao & Moonman number 6 nibs. Information here is now out of date about the 316.

The Kaigelu 316 I got in 2020 uses the new number 6 type nib even though the pen looks the same as the first version. The new all-acrylic Kaigelus you can bet also use the number 6 nibs.

I see Wing Sung nibs on sale separately for the 699 with the notch in the bottom like the old 316 nibs and wonder what the relationship between Wing Sung and Kaigelu is.