Wing Sung 698, First Impression Review

[melodiousb]

There are actually many more colors and there's even a 14k gold nib version so take your time.

 

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TB2a2TcciGO.eBjSZFpXXb3tFXa_!!2031129595.jpg_480x480.jpg

 

Oh no, how do I choose? (I want them ALL)

[mehandiratta]

Definitely taobao.com. But I think if you ask the sellers selling the demonstrators on Ebay, they can get you some other colors you like.

 

Taobao doesn't ship internationally

[woleizihan]

 

Taobao doesn't ship internationally

Of course it does.

[bebna]

Lets see how good tabao works. I ordered a set of 14k ones (demo, cream/white, black all with golden bands) and demo - silver band in F. But it was a pain to get through there process, when you don't know simplified Chinese and have to solve captchas or put set new passwords while your are in the payment step. Sending international seems to be different from shop to shop, like it is on ebay, too. The only shipping option I got was "free express", lets see if that means 3 months express by boat shipping or not.

 

I already got a set of 659s and already familiar with their feeds and nibs, which are the same as 698 as far I could see. (Yes some of them do need work, but even German pens need work out of the box.) Lets see if I can get hold of original Pilot nibs for comparision, like the EF from a penmanship, an F from a Prera and an some italics with the plumix, together with the Flex nibs from FPR and create a very interesting Review/Guide for beginners, who still haven't set on their favorite nib or pen styles. Cheap pens, but usable pens, with wide variety of nibs and cheap to acquire replacement feed and nibs (just buy a 659 again and get 2 feeds and 2 nibs), just ask for tinkering.

 

And before someone says: But plastic feeds, you can't form them! I got a 659 with a Pelikan M205 BB nib, as a medium/wet writer at home. You have to bend the feed significantly upwards to achieve that. It isn't as easy and forgiving as the same process with an ebonite feed, but it is possible if you got a alu mug with lid, something to boil water, chopsticks, a hard clean and flat surface to work on and patience.

[woleizihan]

There is an official taobao international shipping and you can buy from any shop you like, asking them to send to the warehouse. The warehouse will automatically group everything under your name, weight them and you can pay for the postage. As I mentioned, price is $12 USD for first kg and $3 for each 500g after that.

It's a very smooth transaction and in fact everything can be done within the single taobao app with just a few clicks. Of course, you need to know Chinese. Normally it takes a week from China to US and this includes normal custom clearance time. So, if you want to buy from taobao, just go find someone know Chinese.

 

The 659 and 698 have nibs looking the same and the story I heard is that they improved the quality and solved the QC problem because a lot of people complained about getting a 659 which didn't write well. And I believe it is true because both 698 I got, write well right out of box, no tinkering at all.

[bebna]

Did they fix their plating to? If you use a IG ink with the gold plated ones, the IG ink will eat the plating away and store it in the feed permanently.

 

I don't know if there sending it to the warehouse or not. I selected international - others on the article page and the same goes for shipping address, too. It didn't allow me for example to buy some inks of the shop, because of laws. So I hope I did everything right.

[woleizihan]

Did they fix their plating to? If you use a IG ink with the gold plated ones, the IG ink will eat the plating away and store it in the feed permanently.

 

I don't know if there sending it to the warehouse or not. I selected international - others on the article page and the same goes for shipping address, too. It didn't allow me for example to buy some inks of the shop, because of laws. So I hope I did everything right.

Does IG ink always eat away steel nib? In my understanding that's why people used gold nibs in the first place. However, I don't have any IG ink and I don't know a lot about it.

I think there are some things forbidden from import/export. I don't know which restriction applys to the ink. But in general, stuffs like animal products, precious wood/ minerals, food are restricted from exporting and even if they send it to you, it's very likely to get intercepted by the custom. I believe that's why they don't allow you to buy it in the first place. If the package gets intercepted, it will be a pain to deal with. There are some other imported things restricted for export because the brand may have different retail prices in different countries. After all, if you buy from taobao, you should not worry because the package is normally insured and it's much easier to get your money back than say, from Ebay. The good thing about official shipping is that you can buy things from multiple sellers and just pay one shipping as long as all items reach the warehouse within 20 days. The shipment is totally trackable. You have one tracking number for the Chinese domestic shipping and one for the international part, USPS, FEDEX......

[bebna]

Not always. All of my plated and unplated western nibs are fine. In china there are currently new years currently anyways and until it wont be shipped anyway (as I expected). And Chinese was on my list after Japanese, which would be next, but I currently think about switching them around and go with Chinese first. Atleast the simplified "official" one. Buddy of mine is often in China but currently not at hand.

 

But we are going off topic here.

 

What me first got my eye was the design. It doesn't really try to copy anything. Yes there are some parts here and there which can be found on other pens. But this is normal these days, even for western ones. Nice to see, that they think there design will be better than the copy of a successful one. Is it to spite the Taiwanese? Perhaps there just feel more confident, because of the good acceptance of there other Products.

[jekostas]

My Wing Sung 698 has held up better than any of the actual TWSBIs I've owned.

Edited January 30, 2017 by jekostas

[DJNW]

So, according to an ebay listing, there's a version of these out there that need you to pull out the piston knob before you turn it - if that actually works, that's a nice little feature.

[woleizihan]

So, according to an ebay listing, there's a version of these out there that need you to pull out the piston knob before you turn it - if that actually works, that's a nice little feature.

It is indeed working and I quite like the design because it allows the piston to move all the way back and forth. On many other piston fillers, how much you can move forward/backward actually depends on how you install the piston.

[Flounder]

Just ordered my 565, thanks for the helpful comparisons

[woleizihan]

Just ordered my 565, thanks for the helpful comparisons

I can tell you 565 is a good pen because I have it inked since I got it.

[Feanaaro]

I got mine yesterday (extrafine, demonstrator version) and it is a nice pen indeed, especially considering the price. It is not "beautiful" to my eye (the piston knob part could have been better looking without the big chrome ring and more flush with the barrel width-wise), but it is roughly on par with the TWSBI Eco, with the advantage of having a grip that works better for me both aesthetically and functionally. The nib is very nice, quite the same as an actual Pilot nib. The extra-fine corresponds to a Pilot F, it is very fine indeed, but also relatively wet for its width (as opposed to most Bock-Jowo nibs which seem to get finer only by being drier), just like a good Pilot nib would be.

All in all, I'm quite happy with this. Thanks again for bringing it to my attention.

[basterma]

The WS 765 looks like its a similar nib and feed as a JinRong pen that I have. How does it write?

[bebna]

Just got my set in from tabao, and all of them started to write without any modifications after flushing them out with soapy water. Will post a full review in a week or so.

[Flounder]

 

The [565] thickness is between Parker 51 and Sheaffer legacy and it's a plastic barrel. I really think it's a comfortable size and the lightweight is also good for long-time use.

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUe5uyHFFyUVXdCZC1ISkROVUk

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzUe5uyHFFyUbEdiTW4tQnZMTFE

 

However, as far as I know, it's not a "true" hooded nib and is actually similar to Parker 21 with a slim regular nib under the hood. Hero 565 is the modern copy of the Golden Star 565 and is easier/cheaper to get. I heard some good things about it but I don't have one myself so I really don't know how it's compared with the vintage Golden Star.

 

Hi Woleizhn,

My Hero 565 arrived today! The nib was very far off-centre, so I set about correcting this - luckily, it is the same kind of tubular nib found in most Chinese hooded nib pens, and released easily with a push-pull action for realignment without disturbing the hood.

 

Unfortunately mine has come with a big dent in the section plastic. I've contacted the seller to see if they are willing to send a replacement.

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Hero%20565/Hero%20565%20plastic%20crater.jpg

[woleizihan]

 

Hi Woleizhn,

My Hero 565 arrived today! The nib was very far off-centre, so I set about correcting this - luckily, it is the same kind of tubular nib found in most Chinese hooded nib pens, and released easily with a push-pull action for realignment without disturbing the hood.

 

Unfortunately mine has come with a big dent in the section plastic. I've contacted the seller to see if they are willing to send a replacement.

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Hero%20565/Hero%20565%20plastic%20crater.jpg

Sorry to know this and it's just unfortunate. Getting a flawed new pen is very disappointing to me. I have no idea when and where the 565 was produced but I suppose it's produced in the near past. Hero is pretty much dead now and it's not really surprising to see "QC" issue because Hero itself as a company defines the word "issue". I would suggest check out some new old stock next time.

[Flounder]

Yep, disappointing but at about 5gbp it's not the end of the world! I must say the form factor is very comfortable.

[dan in montreal]

Based on this thread, I just ordered a 698 demo - the new version with the modified piston knob. I'll let you know how it turns out.