Wing Sung 6359

[vojtahlad]

It seems there is no review of this new Chinese pen so I try my best.

 

Wing Sung 6359 is one of the new pens produced by the revived Wing Sung company - its production started in 2017. It is yet another Lamy-inspired Chinese pen and the inspiration by Lamy AL-star was fairly exhaustive in this case. The major reason why I decided to try it is the nib which seems very similar to Lamy nibs. Spoiler: they are interchangeable.

 

Appearance and Design

 

 

The design is far from original, it is essentially a Lamy AL-star. The differences are minor. Probably the most visible one is the clear transparent section (section of AL-star is smoked) which is cool.

 

The pen is available in several colours. I chose the one named coffee which is a bit tricky because it depends on the light. It is based on dark brown which leans towards purple, especially under an artificial light. So the pen colour looks a bit different in various environments.

 

Construction and Quality

 

Very satisfying, The manufacturing is close to perfect, everything fits, surfaces are smooth, no wiggling, no burrs.

 

I do not own the AL-star, so let's compare the pen against Lamy Safari. As you can see, it is very close:

 

 

Of course, some differences exist:

 

 

My only construction-related complaint is the screw of the barrel. It is fairly course and made from different materials - the section ends by a plastic screw and the barrel contains a metallic one. I would expect some wearing here. You have to be careful when you mount the barrel.

 

 

Weight and Dimensions

 

The pen is a light one. Complete pen weights 22 g, removing cap decreases the weight to 10 g.

 

Dimensions:

Closed: 139 mm

Uncapped: 129 mm

Posted: 174

 

The pen can be posted but I can not see a reason to do it. It is long enough and by posting it becomes a very long top-heavy monster.

 

Nib and Performance

 

As I said, the nib is almost identical to standard Lamy Z50 nib. Its shape is a bit different but the fitting is compatible, so Lamy nibs can be used on Wing Sung 6359. This is a great thing because the pen is available solely with the extra fine nib.

 

 

Hairline lovers will be disappointed - the nib seems to be subtle but it writes wider line than Lamy EF. For the comparison, I tried all four combinations of 6359 and Safari pens and nibs. Plus JoWo EF has been added. As you can see, the Wing Sung EF is visibly wider than the other two EF nibs:

 

 

Wing Sung nib outperforms Lamy significantly in all other disciplines. It is very smooth (Lamy has some feedback) and a bit springy. It definitely can not be called soft or even flex nib, but there is some give. Lamy is a nail.

 

I am not an ultra fine line aficionado. A smooth and springy nib is much more important for me than a needle. Wing Sung nib fits my preferences perfectly. Writing with it is a pleasant experience. Of course, it has the triangular section which may be repulsive for some of you.

 

I experienced some unsteadiness in the ink flow but splashing the pen seems to fix this. Now it writes like a dream. No skips, hard starts or other problems.

 

 

Filling System and Maintenance

 

It is a converter-filled pen, the converter is included. Even the converter is seriously inspired by Lamy:

 

 

 

Cost and Value

 

I purchased the pen on eBay for some 4 USD which is a steal. This pen is very hard to beat it the price/performance ratio.

 

Conclusion

 

It is a great pen. It looks good, its manufacturing quality is very good and it writes like a dream. If the triangular section is not a problem for you I can highly recommend it.

 

 

[Chrissy]

Thank you for your review. I agree that it's basically a copy of the Lamy Al-Star, but I don't like the idea of the brass screw thread inside the barrel screwing onto the plastic thread of the section. You're right, it will wear there.

[Seele]

vojtahlad,

 

Thanks for a great review.

 

The Wing Sung brand had fragmented somewhat: when the original firm ceased pen manufacture, Hero acquired the name in 1999 and immediately canned it until recently, where it's reactivated and produced by their Victo branch.

 

However, more than a decade prior to that, Wing Sung established a branch company called Wing Sung Educational Equipment, and I think it's not part of the Hero acquisition; this pen and other Wing Sung branded Safari-like ones are made by this firm, not Victo.

 

I have not been able to find an easy way to contact the latter firm to confirm of its status, but this is what I am certain about.

[vojtahlad]

Seele,

 

thank you for the background information. Company organisation seems to be confusing but all the new pens which Wing Sung brand introduced this year are fairly impressive.

[Gloucesterman]

Thanks for the interesting review. For $4.00 (including shipping) I am willing to test it out for myself.

 

Just ordered one on the bay. Ask me how I like two to six weeks from now when it arrives.

 

In light of the fact that LAMY is no longer making EF nibs available on thier pens in the U.S. the idea of swapping one of these nibs to a LAMY is one alternative to "going without" an EF nib.

 

The other would be switching to Wing Sung for the colors.they offer. Of course there is something of a draw given the price difference!!

[Seele]

Hero has been making AL-Star homages for quite some time called the Aurora series but prices are much higher. Perhaps I should try contacting Wing Sung Educational Equipment by snail mail to clarify their situation, but I found two different addresses in those trade directory sites, and my previous experiences of Chinese firms not bothering to answer enquiries certainly make me somewhat hesitant to do so.

[andy1m]

Thank you for this nice review. I have many Jinhao 599. But I like this better and the fact that it's nib is compatible with my Al Star F is very tempting

[mknoblauch]

Thanks for your exhaustive review! I'm going to have to pick one up

[Honeybadgers]

I wouldn't call this "heavily inspired" like the jinhao 599, I'd call this a straight ripoff in every way without trying to actually pass as a counterfeit.

 

That said, I bought one today in the same color, and am interested if mine accepts my z50 nibs as well. I've been using my CP-1 for all my ink reviews and I feel like I'm going to wear it out removing and replacing the nib 200 times.

 

What really interested me was the actual metal barrel. the jinhao 599 is simply made of too cheap a plastic.

 

For like $5 you can buy a pack of 3 F, M, or EF nibs for this pen on ebay.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Honeybadgers

[Gloucesterman]

Thanks for the interesting review. For $4.00 (including shipping) I am willing to test it out for myself.

 

Just ordered one on the bay. Ask me how I like two to six weeks from now when it arrives.

 

In light of the fact that LAMY is no longer making EF nibs available on thier pens in the U.S. the idea of swapping one of these nibs to a LAMY is one alternative to "going without" an EF nib.

 

The other would be switching to Wing Sung for the colors.they offer. Of course there is something of a draw given the price difference!!

Mine just came in today. After flushing and cleaning it I filled it with Noodler's Black Swan Ink. It writes quite smoothly. The build also seems well made. In fact, I may end up ordering several more to use myself AND to give away as gifts.

 

Oh, one thing that is a little annoying and not a deal-breaker, is the clip. This is one very tight clip! With a bit of effort you can get it onto the lip of a shirt pocket, however, it may take the shirt with it if you attempt to remove it too quickly. AND, I can not imagine getting it to go over any kind of pants pocket lip. On the other hand, once in place in a shirt pocket it will not fall out!!!

 

Thanks again for the solid review.

Edited August 9, 2017 by brgmarketing

[vojtahlad]

This is one very tight clip!

 

You are right, the clip is tighter than the Lamy original. But thanks to its shape I had no problems using it (I carry the pen clipped in my backpack). Conklin Duragraph is my "standard" for a clip stiff to the unusable level.

[Honeybadgers]

Mine just came in today. After flushing and cleaning it I filled it with Noodler's Black Swan Ink. It writes quite smoothly. The build also seems well made. In fact, I may end up ordering several more to use myself AND to give away as gifts.

 

Oh, one thing that is a little annoying and not a deal-breaker, is the clip. This is one very tight clip! With a bit of effort you can get it onto the lip of a shirt pocket, however, it may take the shirt with it if you attempt to remove it too quickly. AND, I can not imagine getting it to go over any kind of pants pocket lip. On the other hand, once in place in a shirt pocket it will not fall out!!!

 

Thanks again for the solid review.

 

I almost think the lamy al star has a uselessly tight clip too. So they're just copying it, warts and all.

[Gloucesterman]

 

I almost think the lamy al star has a uselessly tight clip too. So they're just copying it, warts and all.

Just ordered the "five pack" (not to be confused with the "six-pack" which I definitely don't have). BTW, my shipping the first time was relatively quick for a "free - from China" shipping process. It will be interesting to find out if the shipping time is quick again.

 

The quality of my first pen seems to be quite good. Will it hold up to the test of time and usage? That is yest to be determined. If it does, just think, a hundred years from now these will all be vintage pens LOL!!!!

[steve50]

Thanks for the review. I needed a cheap fine tipped pen and was considering getting a Pilot 78G but got this one instantly after I read the review. At $4...I'll be happy as long as it works.

 

On a side note, this pen is exactly the same as Al star. Wouldn't this incur legal problems with Lamy?

[Gloucesterman]

Thanks for the review. I needed a cheap fine tipped pen and was considering getting a Pilot 78G but got this one instantly after I read the review. At $4...I'll be happy as long as it works.

 

On a side note, this pen is exactly the same as Al star. Wouldn't this incur legal problems with Lamy?

As I understand it, and correct me if I am wrong, the copyright/ patent (or whatever) has expired on the LAMY design and therefore it is available for duplication/copying.

[steve50]

As I understand it, and correct me if I am wrong, the copyright/ patent (or whatever) has expired on the LAMY design and therefore it is available for duplication/copying.

I don't like Lamy milking the design for decades with ever new slightly different colour versions so I'm secretly glad that this came out.

[craigen]

I've bought three of them. The negatives: Two of three pens I bought have manufacturing flaws: the ink windows are not cleanly cut, and they do not line up with the nib. The threads on the plastic section are not well-cut or defined and their interaction with the brass threads in the body are not precise; it appears they could be easily stripped. The section materials seems to be made of the cheapest possible plastic. It cannot use standard cartridges becuase their feed diameter is too small for this pen's feed hole. The positives: The nib is VERY good---very smooth and fine. The metal of the body is light, so when it's capped it maintains pretty good balance. The colors are attractive. The price is great.

[sodul]

I just received one with he brown color for $1.52 shipped to California in 12 days. It is quite good looking but I received it with a little dent on the edge of the cap. Right on the left side, and always facing me when I open the cap.

 

I noticed that the threads on the body are plastic and pretty much a one piece with the ring between the section and body. So concerns for thread wearing should be addressed. The body is so light I suspected it was plastic, but shining a light in the barrel confirmed that it is metal. I weighted the pen, with cap at 17g and the cap at 8.4g. I measured the cap to be 0.32mm thick, about 200 times the thickness of standard household aluminum foil. For reference my baoer 801 metal cap is about 0.25mm but brushed steel so it feels heavier while much smaller.

 

While the flows seems pretty good I am not that impressed with the nib, it was scratchy the the point of ripping paper threads on a moleskin. A bit of work with my 20x loupe helped. The metal on the nib is rather soft and easily sprung. While it might be a more pleasant feedback than a harder nib I'm afraid this nib will need frequent tuning.

[sodul]

I now have doubts that the pen I received is a genuine Wing Sung pen:

• there is no logo on the cap finial
• the clip is painted black
• there is no 'Wing Sung' engraving not he body
• there is only one side of the body that is flat
• the body threads are plastic
• the feed is a traditional black, not transparent
• the EF on the nib is not as pronounced as what I have seen in reviews

[bob_hayden]

I have had one of these for a while in the same purple-brown as the OP. Mine cost $3.17 two months ago, and seems to be the real thing in contrast with the pen described by sodul. I largely agree with the original review, though the nib on mine is XF or even XXF, and still stiffer than I would like. My only complaint about the construction is that the ink windows seem to have been stamped out with a dull die.

 

Many of the current crop of pens from China seem to take what I call "big bore" cartridges, which might include Parker, Lamy, and Hero 359. The last of these is not often seen in the US, but my source in China says that they are very widely available there, more so than short international. Here I have seen the 359 cartridges in at most three colors, which is pretty limiting, so I am always interested in whether Parker or Lamy cartridges will work. Often the Parkers leak and the Lamys won't fit in the barrel. Looking at my 6359 I find first that it started writing immediately after sitting unused for a long time, and secondly that the red Parker ink cartridge inside looked empty yet only a very small amount of ink had seeped out between the cartridge and the tube it slides into on the section. I have not tried writing with a Lamy or 359 cartridge in this pen (I will soon) but a Lamy cartridge was an easy fit in the barrel.

 

Currently on eBay most of the "6359" pens on offer appear to be the half-price clones sodul described -- almost always with eBay ratings under 99%. While even 98% sounds good, I usually look for >99.6% based on years of experience on eBay. jewelrymathematics appears to have the real thing on sale for $3.80 in quantities of one, about $2.60 in quantities of seven. The photos show clear feeds and chrome clips, and I have done business with him for years and found him reliable. (No business connection other than satisfied customer.) Some of the nibs on his are marked F rather than XF.

 

I dislike the Lamy-style triangular section but find the clones useful for testing inks. For such tests I do not write long passages so comfort is not an issue. I do like to match the color of the pen to the color of the ink to help me keep track of things, and the various clones come in a wide range of colors. And failing a color match, if you add up all the vendors and variations (e.g., metal versus clear plastic versus opaque plastic) there is a huge variety of pens that are at least distinguishable from one another.