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Wing Sung 3013 Vacuum Filler Review


mixink

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Hello,

 

I have been a long-time follower here, but this is going to be my first post. So, I would appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Recently Wing Sung came up with 3013, a new vacuum filler pen. I purchased mine from Bobby’s store on AliExpress. First, I want to thank Bobby for his good quality packaging and service. When I got the pen I briefly cleaned it using dish soap (and probably removed the silicone grease) and inked it with Monteverde Horizon Blue. Here is my review:

 

 

Appearance & Design (8/10)


Contrary to some comments I have seen about the pen, I liked the bulbous design around the belly. I got mine in purple, which kind of imitates the Pelikan M205 Amethyst in color. Sadly, I don’t have it to post comparison pictures. There are two things I don’t like very much. First, the cap and the filler knob have diamond faceted designs. I think it does not suit the round shape and the belly of the pen. I would really prefer a classic design in these two areas. The other thing which may bother some, but does not affect me is the step from the barrel to the feed. It is quite sharp. As I said it does not bother me but might affect you more based on your grip.

The material does not feel great but I believe it feels much better than the 3008. I like the plain design on the nib of my 698 better but the nib design of my medium nib is also not bad.

Construction & Quality (6/10)


The pen has medium quality. As I said the material does not feel great but it is acceptable. The bigger problem for me is the construction quality. When I wanted to operate the filler, I accidently disassembled the whole mechanism. It allowed me to clean the pen but it really was not my intention. It works better now but you could see the shady quality especially on the threads. I don’t expect to pass this pen to my grand children so you should just beware. My 3008 has some stains from my limited use. I think I filled it three times and I can see each color in separate parts of the pen. The color of the 3013 will at least not show any staining if it happens. The barrel has an o-ring and it feels very solid when capping or uncapping the pen. I like it much better than Wing Sung 3008 or 698.

 

Weight & Dimensions (8/10)


The pen is hefty. It feels big in hand and has some weight. It has the size of a Lamy Safari when capped or uncapped so it is not a huge pen but the diameter and the weight make it feel quite big. For me it was a nice change as I do not have such pens in my small collection. The cap does not post but I prefer to use my pens unposted, so no issues there.

fpn_1563651104__size2.jpg

 

 

Nib & Performance (8/10)


I chose the M nib from Bobby’s store. I also have a 698 in Fine. The fine nib is smooth for its size but it also feels a bit scratchy and writes like a nail, especially if I do not use pressure. The medium nib was a nice change. I like the smoothness of it. I did not have to adjust the nib. This is a great relief as I don’t know how to do it. I am definitely happy with my choice here. I should say that the Fine nib on my 3008 feels smoother than the Medium on my 3013 but I don’t have big complaints.

I had a drying issue when I first started using it. I left the pen with the nib facing down and went to have a coffee. It was writing well when I got back. The issue may be a result of insufficient cleaning. I had the same problem a couple of times. I think it might be related to cleaning but we are going to see. If it happens frequently than I would give the performance a 6. The problem that I have is that the ink pools at the two ends of the feed (as in the picture). I think there is a problem with the flow, may be due to production debris.

fpn_1563651077__pool2.jpg

 

 

Filling System & Maintenance (10/10)


As many people will do, I purchased this pen because it is a vacuum filler. I should say that I probably would have bought one if it was a piston filler because I really liked the color. I might even consider to purchase a Paili in Pelikan Aquamarine. It was my first experience with a vacuum filler. I am happy with the ink capacity and ease of use (Except for the little problem I had with disassembling the whole mechanism). I used some paper towel to clean the inside of the barrel, probably I will continue to do so because it will dry much faster this way. The ink does not go all the way to the top. There is a 2 cm gap on top of the barrel, but this capacity is enough for me. I usually do not fill my piston fillers all the way to the top.

 

Cost & Value (8/10)


I purchased the pen from Bobby’s store on AliExpress. It is now available with lower prices but I am happy with the service an especially the Medium nib option, except for the looks where I prefer the plain nibs on my 698. The good quality nib and the vacuum filling makes this pen worthwhile. I am happy with my purchase even though I have no idea about how long it will last me

 

Conclusion (Final score, 49/60)


I really liked the pen and the novelty of the vacuum filling. The color is nice, it feels better than its price. I would recommend it to someone who wants to try vacuum filling. For serious people it might be better to wait for Wing Sung 699.

 

 

fpn_1563651140__writing2.jpg

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Thanks for the review! I'm developing an unhealthy fascination with the 3xxx series. . .

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Thanks for the review! I'm developing an unhealthy fascination with the 3xxx series. . .

I also have an 3008 and I was amazed by the quality of the nib for the price. I installed an architect nib on it that I purchased from Bobby to satisfy my curiosity :)

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Thanks for the good review.

Recently purchased a "three pack", with fine nibs, on the bay for $18.00. Waiting for its arrival... any week now!

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you do it today and like it, you can do again tomorrow!”

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Thanks a lot! I may pull the trigger on a 3-pack, but then again, waiting on the 699 is also a good idea...

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Thanks for the good review.

Recently purchased a "three pack", with fine nibs, on the bay for $18.00. Waiting for its arrival... any week now!

Very pleasant surprise yesterday... both packages (I ended up ordering three more with two additional colors and another demonstrator) arrived safely and well packaged.

 

I did fill one of the demonstrators with Monteverde "Horizon Blue" ink. Wrote fairly wet for an <EF> nib. Quite smooth as well. Based on a very short period of use I am impressed with the pen AND the quick shipping time.

 

To the reviewer again, thank you for the insightful comments.

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you do it today and like it, you can do again tomorrow!”

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I got all 3 colors of this and the 3 colors of the other "brand" they're being sold under.

 

It seems to be completely hit or miss as to whether or not you'll get one with an ink shutoff that seals. So if you want one of these SPECIFICALLY because of that, go get the PenBBS model instead, which does seal.

 

And I wish it posted.

 

Other than that, they're freaking amazing. a 3 pack for $16 or so means this is my new "you like my pen? want one?" giveaway. As one filled to the brim with ink likely has enough to write on an EF nib for a year.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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Hi, thank you for the review. Question: what's the ink volume capacity on this Wing Sung vacuum filler?

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Probably nearly identical to the VAC700R. A boatload. It's hard to get a complete fill on, but 2mL is not out of the question. And with the EF, F and M nib sizes available (you can also spend $45 on a 698 with a 14k gold semiflex nib that fits this, or buy a pilot plumix stub) you're writing for a good long time.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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  • 1 month later...

Thank you for your detailed review.

 

I have several 3008s and have given them as gifts to friends -- I think that they are fantastic pens for the money and I always have one inked. I was impressed by the 698 as well but not so sure about its build quality. Your review has convinced me to order a 3013 in purple with an F (0.5mm) nib -- the F nibs on my 3008s and 698 write very smoothly but I guess there's always a chance that the one I get with the 3013 won't be so smooth.

 

I've also ordered a 699 (don't know if that makes me serious!) and will be interested to compare them to each other and to the 698 and 3008.

 

thanks

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  • 3 weeks later...

My 3013 arrived. My experience matches that of Troy LaPlante:

 

The only significant difference is that he had a medium nib and I have a fine one. Horrible. I'll dip my hand in the lucky bag again and see what I get...

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  • 2 years later...
On 7/20/2019 at 3:33 PM, mixink said:

I have been a long-time follower here, but this is going to be my first post. So, I would appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Recently Wing Sun

I've been reading about these recently, is there a preferred place to buy them? (I'm in the US)

 

Also, is there something you'd recommend instead? Maybe a Penbbs or another Wing Sung?

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I bought mine from Aliexpress but they should also be available on Ebay.
 

After WS 3013 I also bought WS 699 and Penbbs 456. I can say that both of them feel nicer than the WS 3013. I like the Penbbs 456 more, especially after switching the regular fine nib to Penbbs Medium and Jowo Medium. Penbbs feels a bit more sturdy and is better built and you should have more options for nib swapping.  


I would recommend buying WS 3013 if you would like to experience a vacuum filler to see if you will like it. Otherwise you can get a WS 698 (a piston filler with the same nib options) or directly jump to WS 699 or Penbbs 456. You can find more info on the post below (where I mentioned that I like WS 699 more contrary to shat I think now)
 

 

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  • 8 months later...

I hope it isn't bad form to reopen an old thread, but I recently got one of these from Aliexpress with a Fine nib, and I have modified it to suit my own predilection for a wet writer.

 

The pen is as others have said a fairly sturdy and interesting device. I like the vacuum filling mechanism and the quite large ink capacity. I see that others say you can get it with a medium nib, but when  I was looking about a month ago in early October 2022, all I could spot were F nib variants. 

 

Now - I like a wet writer and the only real complaint I had was that it wrote with a very fine line. Yes - it is an F nib. What did I expect?

 

So - started messing with it. I slid a shim between the tines and got it a bit wetter, but not much and of course the feedback increased quite a lot. I pulled the nib and started looking at it and noted that it had the same gauge at the end which slides into the section as the Jinhao nibs that I bought on the same order - only it was very much shorter than the Jinhao nibs. No problem - I have a Dremel tool don't I.....

 

I cut down one of the bigger Jinhao nibs to length comparing with with the Win Sung nib, and after very slightly narrowing the cross section where I had cut the nib to length, slid it into the section.....  The narrowing was only very slight, and was needed because just at the point of the cut I'd made, the nib was very slightly flared. I just carefully gripped in with some pliers and squeezed very gently to remove the flare so I cold enter it into the section. It slid in easily once the flare had been taken out. Do this carefully. Too much force and you could radically change the shape. At first there was a problem in matching the feed to the nib. It didn't write straight away.

 

I looked at it with my jeweller's loupe and immediately realised why. The tip of the feed was bending down and there was a gap for most of the tines of about forty thousandths of an inch between the bottom of the nib and the feed. It wasn't the same all the way, but it was far too big for any capillary action to take place. So I pulled the nib and used an old hair dryer to gently warm the feed, so as not to overheat it and I took away the heat often to let it gently pass into the feed. The plastic probably isn't a great conductor so I thought it would take time to soak right through. After a while when the feed felt pretty warm, I gently bent it up in the nibward direction and held it there until it cooled. Then when the cut off Jinhao nib was slid back into the section, it sat snug against the feed.

 

Now it writes well. I also noted that it is far easier to start the pen with a nice wet line if I pull the vacuum piston back about five of six mm and then pointing the nib down, depress it again. This primes the pen giving an instant wet start. I can see no problem with any of this modification. It was hard to remove the Wing Sung nib in the first place. I very gently gripped the tip of the nib with some nail clippers, pulled, and it came out quite easily then. If I want to undo the modification it would be easy to do so. It is easily reversible. In any case, the pen cost about £2.80 with a moderate postal charge, so no big deal. It works exactly as I want it to now; silky smooth and wet. Much better for me than with the Wingsung Fine nib.

 

image.thumb.png.117684e46f42d03857a57b680c316102.png

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