The Wing Sung Gunmetal Fountain Pen 3023

[Jamerelbe]

I first came across this pen about 6 months ago, when I saw it for sale on an Australian-based website where I’d been buying a few pens (www.justwrite.com.au). An attractive looking pen, and comparatively inexpensive (AU$13.95) – so I bought one for my son for Christmas. It’s been more or less constantly in use ever since – and still seems to be more or less permanently on special at the Just Write store.

 

Kevin, the proprietor of JustWrite, recently sent me a number of pens from his product range, free in return for an impartial review – so while I familiarise myself with a few of the models I’ve not used before, I thought I’d start with this one.

 

The scores I’ve given below are purely subjective, and take into account the fact that this is not a high-end pen. If I like a pen, I tend to score it highly – and this is one of those pens, as you’ll see below.

 

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1. Appearance & Design (9/10) – A sleek, understated mid-sized pen with gunmetal finish

I can’t really think of anything I don’t like about the look of this pen. The pen body and cap are made of metal, with some kind of (anodised) gunmetal finish. The cap (which click-seals onto the pen) has a dull matte finish; the body likewise, though it’s scored with vertical and horizontal lines that have a shinier finish. The clip, band and end of the pen are likewise gunmetal grey-brown, but shiny – making for an attractive, understated appearance. A plastic inner cap helps prevent the ink from drying out in the nib. The grip section is made of black plastic, and is comfortable to hold. The ‘flashiest’ thing about the pen is the two-tone nib (see below), which I think is quite attractive-looking, and not at all out of place – though if it weren’t for the nib, you could almost get away with calling this a ‘stealth’ (or ‘semi-stealth’?) pen.

http://i.imgur.com/qovC366.jpg

2. Construction & Quality (9/10) – Surprisingly sturdy for a pen in this price range

The pen seems pretty sturdy, and has held up to six months of use (though not too much abuse!) at the hands of my 11-year-old son. The finish, likewise, shows no signs of discolouring or chipping. The overall shape reminds me a little of the Parker Jotter that used to be my one and only fountain pen – but the build quality of this Chinese made pen seems somewhat superior.

3. Weight & Dimensions (9/10) – A comfortably weighted mid-sized pen

Measuring 137mm capped, and 117mm uncapped, I’d call this a medium-sized pen. It’s possible to post the cap on the end of the barrel, but not securely – and I’d be worried about damaging the plastic inner cap, though admittedly it appears to be made of stronger plastic than the Jinhao x450. The grip section is 10mm at its widest, tapering down to 9mm; the ‘step up’ to the barrel (11mm) is graded, and I find the pen comfortable to hold either on the step or just below it. Weighing in at 30.5g (inked up), this is a substantial pen – but doesn’t feel heavy at all.

http://i.imgur.com/1agxtls.jpg

4. Nib & Performance (8/10) - Wet and smooth, but well controlled

I’m guessing the nib on this pen is around a #5 in size – as I’ve already mentioned, an attractive two-tone nib, inscribed with the brand name (Wing Sung), some kind of logo and scroll work. More importantly, the pen writes nicely – a fairly standard fine-to-medium line, pleasantly smooth across the page. With downward pressure, the pen is capable of some line variation – which I always think is pretty cool, but there’s no way you’d call this a flex pen, nor does it claim to be. I’m really pleased with how this pen writes – especially for the price.

http://i.imgur.com/W1dfT1k.jpg

5. Filling System & Maintenance (8.5/10) – Standard cartridge converter

The Wing Sung 3023 comes with a standard international converter – which is fine by me, I like swapping the inks in my pens, so am not overly concerned with massive ink capacity. The Wing Sung converter is of a higher quality, though, than the converters you’ll often find in these cheaper Chinese pens – and seems to work well in the pen. I haven’t tried to verify this, but it looks to me to have a slightly larger capacity than the all-plastic converters I’m more accustomed to.

http://i.imgur.com/toQfnqu.jpg

6. Cost & Value (9.5/10) – A good pen for a great price

If I didn’t know this pen was made in China, I wouldn’t guess it – this is a well-made, attractive-looking pen that writes well. For the price, I don’t think you can ask anything more than that!

http://i.imgur.com/meuRHGf.jpg

7. Conclusion (Final score [sUM/6]: 8.8333/10)

This is a really nice pen, that I’m more than happy to recommend. For the price, I had no qualms giving it to my 11-year-old son and taking the risk that he might lose it –it’s a classy-looking pen, and a real pleasure to write with.

[Scootz]

Thanks for the review. That's a nice looking pen. The matte metal finish and simple lines are a nice contrast with the flashier Jinhaos I'm familiar with. A quick search didn't turn any up for sale in the States, which is a pity.

[Jamerelbe]

Yeah, I don't recall seeing it for sale elsewhere either - not that I've looked too hard! - but it's a great pen, especially for the price!

[KBeezie]

I had one of these, nice feel and all, but was a little too easy to dry up after a couple of days that you'd have to force the ink from the converter (and yes, I always pre-clean my new pens before using them). But it was smooth and easy flowing.

 

It ended up being PIF'd as I had/have way too many pens.

 

http://th06.deviantart.net/fs70/200H/f/2014/082/2/9/wingsung_3203_marble_by_kbeezie-d7be79c.jpg

[Jamerelbe]

I had one of these, nice feel and all, but was a little too easy to dry up after a couple of days that you'd have to force the ink from the converter (and yes, I always pre-clean my new pens before using them). But it was smooth and easy flowing.

 

It ended up being PIF'd as I had/have way too many pens.

 

http://th06.deviantart.net/fs70/200H/f/2014/082/2/9/wingsung_3203_marble_by_kbeezie-d7be79c.jpg

I haven't had trouble with the nib drying out - or rather, my son hasn't, I only got this particular pen fairly recently - but I'm not altogether surprised:the inner caps are supposed to prevent dry-out, but can be a little hit-or-miss in these Chinese brands... Edited May 18, 2014 by Jamerelbe

[h.farmawi]

Thanks for the review, nice looking pen!

[KBeezie]

I haven't had trouble with the nib drying out - or rather, my son hasn't, I only got this particular pen fairly recently - but I'm not altogether surprised:the inner caps are supposed to prevent dry-out, but can be a little hit-or-miss in these Chinese brands...

 

Most of the inner-caps on the chinese brands appear to be for clicking the cap onto the ring around the nib on the section, and not so much for drying out (though they may be there for that purpose, and if so , they don't work that well on a lot of the Jinhao, Hero, Wingsung, etc pens). Without it they would have to machine the caps and section a bit more specifically and consistently to stay on, where as they currently just slip in a inner cap, adjust it til it snaps on right and tighten it down with a screw.

 

It's not as bad as some of the pens, but you leave it alone for a day and it becomes somewhat difficult to get it writing with good flow until you force some ink thru.

Edited May 18, 2014 by KBeezie

[Jamerelbe]

Most of the inner-caps on the chinese brands appear to be for clicking the cap onto the ring around the nib on the section, and not so much for drying out (though they may be there for that purpose, and if so , they don't work that well on a lot of the Jinhao, Hero, Wingsung, etc pens). Without it they would have to machine the caps and section a bit more specifically and consistently to stay on, where as they currently just slip in a inner cap, adjust it til it snaps on right and tighten it down with a screw.

 

It's not as bad as some of the pens, but you leave it alone for a day and it becomes somewhat difficult to get it writing with good flow until you force some ink thru.

 

Interesting you say that:you may well be right about the inner caps, but they're the very reason I'm reluctant to post some of these pens:the inner caps in the x450 pens, especially, are very flies and prone to crank if you post too forcibly!

[KBeezie]

Interesting you say that:you may well be right about the inner caps, but they're the very reason I'm reluctant to post some of these pens:the inner caps in the x450 pens, especially, are very flies and prone to crank if you post too forcibly!

 

I don't like posting the X450, it just slips off unless you press hard enough to keep it, and doing so as you said can create a problem. The X750 is much nicer than the X450 in this aspect, and has a nicer grip. (X750 is easier to uncap, easier to post, and better on my fingers with the section so I'm not getting irritated by the ridges on the x450's grip)

Edited May 18, 2014 by KBeezie

[MontPelikan]

Hello,

a quick video review of the Wing Sung 3203 could be found here:

 

 

Thank you for watching and sharing!

 

MontPelikan