Favorite Wing Sung?

[A Smug Dill]

Wing Sung 3008. I liked many aspects of that pen so much, that I eventually bought 26 (or was that 27?) of them. 23 of them are in service currently, housing 22 shimmer inks and an 'invisible' fluorescent ink, and they have all been decent and even enjoyable to use. Even the (only) one that had a cracked plastic piston collar continues to deliver faithful service.

 

For that, I was prepared to go to the trouble to acquire and proactively replace the cap finial screws on all of them (OK, not all proactively; two did rust before suitable replacement screws arrived from China) in the name of good maintenance.

 

In comparison, I have three Wing Sung 3013, and I'd say they're just OK. On par with the Wing Sung 699, which I bought just to see what the fuss is all about. I also have a Wing Sung 698, bought primarily because it could house a Pilot nib donated from a Penmanship, Plumix or the garden-variety MR (of which the MR Metropolitan is just one subset), but it never appealed enough to me, once it got here, for me to even break the seal on its retail package.

 

I have 698 and 699 and like them very much, but my vote would be for the humble 308 (sic) - inexpensive, reliable and resistant to drying out even if left inked for months - over time I acquired one of each of the four colours they make.

 

 

Well, they come in both gold and silver trims, and also transparent and opaque caps, so that makes at least 4×4=16 variants. I have more than that, so I disassembled them completely, then did a whole lot of mixing-and-matching so that I have 26 distinctly different ones. (Yes, that means one may have a green cap and a blue piston collar, and so on.)

 

Since I use the Wing Sung 3008 primarily to house shimmer inks — so that I can see when the shimmer particles have settled on one side of the barrel and need agitating, and have room enough in the reservoir for movement to occur upon shaking the pen — I try to match the colour of the piston collar (and sometimes the cap) with the ink colour and the trim with the shimmer.

[linkoiram]

Wing Sung 3008. I liked many aspects of that pen so much, that I eventually bought 26 (or was that 27?) of them. 23 of them are in service currently, housing 22 shimmer inks and an 'invisible' fluorescent ink, and they have all been decent and even enjoyable to use. Even the (only) one that had a cracked plastic piston collar continues to deliver faithful service.

 

For that, I was prepared to go to the trouble to acquire and proactively replace the cap finial screws on all of them (OK, not all proactively; two did rust before suitable replacement screws arrived from China) in the name of good maintenance.

 

In comparison, I have three Wing Sung 3013, and I'd say they're just OK. On par with the Wing Sung 699, which I bought just to see what the fuss is all about. I also have a Wing Sung 698, bought primarily because it could house a Pilot nib donated from a Penmanship, Plumix or the garden-variety MR (of which the MR Metropolitan is just one subset), but it never appealed enough to me, once it got here, for me to even break the seal on its retail package.

 

 

 

Well, they come in both gold and silver trims, and also transparent and opaque caps, so that makes at least 4×4=16 variants. I have more than that, so I disassembled them completely, then did a whole lot of mixing-and-matching so that I have 26 distinctly different ones. (Yes, that means one may have a green cap and a blue piston collar, and so on.)

 

Since I use the Wing Sung 3008 primarily to house shimmer inks so that I can see when the shimmer particles have settled on one side of the barrel and need agitating, and have room enough in the reservoir for movement to occur upon shaking the pen I try to match the colour of the piston collar (and sometimes the cap) with the ink colour and the trim with the shimmer.

I'm glad you responded, because 8 was just thinking about this a few days ago seeing you mention how you had so many 3008 pens. Do you ever replace the nibs on those pens or do you just replace the pens entirely? One of mine had a bent nib and I bought a pack of generic Lamy nibs and had no luck with those, they were far too loose. Buying wing sung branded nibs were also too loose.

 

I see it recommended around here to bend the nib to tighten the way the nib fits but there is a very fine line between bending it too much and not enough and I find I just end up destroying the replacement nibs because the metal is very soft. I generally find if you get a good 3008, it writes very well, but one that is too dry is difficult to fix because the metal just tends to bend instead of widening outward during tine adjustment.

 

I suppose these are inexpensive pens so if you get a dud, it is simple enough to just order a few more, it is just a shame that replacement nibs aren't as drop in compatible as my experiences go with other Chinese made pens. That being said, I did receive some acrylic screws compatible with the pen so I might give buying a couple more of them a go, although receiving them will likely be a longer wait than usual.

Edited July 25, 2020 by linkoiram

[AmandaW]

Wing Sung 3008... For that, I was prepared to go to the trouble to acquire and proactively replace the cap finial screws on all of them (OK, not all proactively; two did rust before suitable replacement screws arrived from China) in the name of good maintenance.

 

 

The screws in several of mine rusted too so all were replaced with locally-purchased replacements which were the correct thread, but required altering for length. I'm not sure if my long-suffering husband cut or ground them down to suit. (I can ask if anyone needs details.)

 

 

 

Well, they come in both gold and silver trims, and also transparent and opaque caps, so that makes at least 4×4=16 variants. .

I didn't know of the additional colours or gold trim variants. The gold doesn't interest me, but opaque caps certainly do. As luck would have it, when my husband returned the four I have all repaired, he also handed me a tiny bag with spare screws. 'Just in case,' he said. I asked if he thought they would rust again. He said he thought the screws would now outlast the pens, and the extras were in case I ordered any more. I just counted: I have six.

 

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

Do you ever replace the nibs on those pens or do you just replace the pens entirely? One of mine had a bent nib and I bought a pack of generic Lamy nibs and had no luck with those, they were far too loose. Buying wing sung branded nibs were also too loose.

 

I bought a pack of five EF nibs listed as being for the Wing Sung 3008 online, but if I recall correctly, they didn't have the Wing Sung logo laser engraved on the metal. I may have used one or two of them, on account of having bent or deformed the nibs that came originally on the pens; it's been a while, so I can't really remember. However, I didn't use (genuine) Lamy nibs as replacements.

 

I fixed a couple of the bent original nibs just by bending them in the opposite direction back into shape; the metal is rather soft (too soft for proper nibs?), and so it's possible to do.

 

The screws in several of mine rusted too so all were replaced with locally-purchased replacements which were the correct thread, but required altering for length. I'm not sure if my long-suffering husband cut or ground them down to suit. (I can ask if anyone needs details.)

 

I have the details right here:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/327646-wing-sung-3008/?p=4250077

 

The thing is, the screws don't invariably rust; by the time the (nylon? acrylic?) replacement screws I ordered arrived in the mail (and there was a fail attempt, in that I got screw of the wrong size, based on misinformation I found online), five of the pens have been inked for weeks, but only two of them developed the rusty cap finial screw issue.

 

... a tiny bag with spare screws. 'Just in case,' he said. I asked if he thought they would rust again. He said he thought the screws would now outlast the pens, and the extras were in case I ordered any more. I just counted: I have six.

 

I had to order a bag of 60, if I recall correctly. I ruined a few by either shortening them by too much, or shredding the plastic thread when over-tightening them while the stem was marginally too long; and I also used a handful to proactively replace the cap finial screws in my Delike New Moon 3 pens. After all that, I think I still have two dozen or so left. It was only after I saw your post that I though someone else may (or may not) have a use for some spare screws down the line, but by that stage I've already sealed the pass-around box and the mailing bag around it, so I didn't end up adding any to the box.

 

p.s. You can see some of the WS3008 pens with opaque caps in the left third of the photo here, sitting next to the two (red and black) Pilot desk pens that are still sealed in the retail packaging.

Edited July 25, 2020 by A Smug Dill

[AmandaW]

p.s. You can see some of the WS3008 pens with opaque caps in the left third of the photo here, sitting next to the two (red and black) Pilot desk pens that are still sealed in the retail packaging.

Thankyou. Do you know if the opaque caps are metal or painted plastic or something else? I generally prefer plastic pens because they seem less likely to evaporate. I find the transparent 3008 very reliable at not drying out which makes them a favourite. The 698 is also very good. The 699 does hard start, but good after that if it has plenty of ink in it.

[A Smug Dill]

Do you know if the opaque caps are metal or painted plastic or something else?

I'm not 100% certain, and I don't have a voltmeter or some such to test the resistance/conductance of the cap's shell material, but it looks to me like a long plastic inner cap housed inside a metal shell.

 

 

I generally prefer plastic pens because they seem less likely to evaporate. I find the transparent 3008 very reliable at not drying out which makes them a favourite.

Effectiveness in sealing the nib and feed against ink evaporation is always a priority to me, although I've found a number of pens with metal caps to be excellent in that regard thanks to their plastic inner caps. Rotring 400 is one such pen; select models Aurora Ipsilon with metal caps, too. (Emphatically, my Parker Sonnet Gold Cascade pens are completely useless when it comes to that.)

 

My numerous Wing Sung 3008 pens also excel in that regard, corroborating your observation.

[AmandaW]

 

Effectiveness in sealing the nib and feed against ink evaporation is always a priority to me... My numerous Wing Sung 3008 pens also excel in that regard...

Thankyou. Your photos are very good, unexpected and appreciated. A silver-trim green one with opaque cap and an EF nib has been ordered.

[NumberSix]

I was just browsing Bobby's site on Etsy, and he has a clear demonstrator 601A vacumatic with a triumph-looking nib. (presumably Fine nib?)

 

Anyone have this one? I really like the looks of it.

[NumberSix]

I still have not tried the 698 or 699. But this hooded nib 601 is amazing. It's solid, with some weight in the hand. The button/draw filler works well. The blind cap blends in - I almost didn't notice it. I am very impressed.

 

I have the teal one. The fine nib is nothing fancy, but it writes well enough. In fact, it feels like an octanium Parker nib from one of my 21s or 51 Specials.

 

Now I am wishing I had ordered the demonstrator one.