Wing Sung 3008

[bob_hayden]

I received a second of these. I ordered it because it was being sold for $0.99US. I guessed it was an off-brand clone and I wanted to evaluate it for my "Best Pens Under $1" thread, but it appears to be the real thing. I am guessing the low price was an error as it later went to $1.99 and now is not listed by that seller. Apparently "random" means "green";-) This one has the click lock on the piston. Though advertised as a F it came marked EF and is indeed finer than the first -- I think. I filled it with PR Copper Burst and got a thin tan line with the nib writing on the dry side. I think of CB as a fairly loud ink so I am not sure if my (very old) bottle has gone bad or if it just does not go well with this pen. In any event it is a reasonably smooth nib.

 

This one did have some mechanical challenges. Posting seemed more secure than on the old model -- until the cap unscrewed the top of the pen which then came apart. I am guessing it was just not tightened at the factory as I have had no further mishaps of that sort. But when I tried to flush the nib and section, the nib fell out. I put it back in, but it did not feel tight -- more like it was just resting on the feed. Nonetheless, it has continued to rest there peacefully.

 

I think the click is a big improvement but the pens still seems a bit flaky. This is a good option if you want an inexpensive piston filler, but I have no such preference so for me there are better options for less money.

 

I should report that the old 3008 did not start immediately and required considerable piston travel to prime (so presumably a fair amount of ink had evaporated). However, when I came back to this thread I noted that I bought that pen nearly four months ago. So that is not a bad performance, though no match for a Pelikan;-)

[bobje]

Bob, wow! What pens do better for less than $1.00?

[bob_hayden]

Well, the Jinhao 991 does not wobble or fall apart;-)

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/332160-best-fountain-pens-under-1-us/

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

Bob, I haven't had your issues with the stock nibs, mine were pretty secure, I had to yank firmly to dislodge them.

 

Anyway, I came to report that I emptied and put away one of my four WS 3008 because the ink kept slipping past the piston seal. I cleaned and re-grased the piston three times (or four? I can't recall precisely), and the last time I slathered the piston seal with grease. Still, the ink (Diamine "Kelly Green) got past the seal. At that point I assumed that the piston was somehow deformed and put the pen to rest.

 

My other 3 Wing Sung 3008 are doing well. The blind caps still wobble like crazy, but they haven't come out or cracked. One WS 3008 leaked today, so I "heat set" the nib and feed again. Please note I use Lamy nibs on my WS 3008s, so my case in this regard is the exception, not the rule.

[NPatil]

Bob, I haven't had your issues with the stock nibs, mine were pretty secure, I had to yank firmly to dislodge them.

 

Anyway, I came to report that I emptied and put away one of my four WS 3008 because the ink kept slipping past the piston seal. I cleaned and re-grased the piston three times (or four? I can't recall precisely), and the last time I slathered the piston seal with grease. Still, the ink (Diamine "Kelly Green) got past the seal. At that point I assumed that the piston was somehow deformed and put the pen to rest.

This is the reason I've put my WS3008 to rest long ago. Pilot blue, a pretty tame ink, passed past the piston seal. This pen was my second Chinese piston filler after the WS698 and on purchasing it, I instantly regretted having spent five times as much on the WS698, but the far better build quality on the 698 has made it last more than five times longer than my 3008.

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

This is the reason I've put my WS3008 to rest long ago. Pilot blue, a pretty tame ink, passed past the piston seal. This pen was my second Chinese piston filler after the WS698 and on purchasing it, I instantly regretted having spent five times as much on the WS698, but the far better build quality on the 698 has made it last more than five times longer than my 3008.

I agree. I purchased the 698 after the 3008 after much debating with myself because it cost like a mid-to-high end ink that I was eyeing, but the build quality absolutely made it worth it. The build quality of my 3008 is not that great, even for the price.

 

I forgot to report that a screw inside the cap has completely rusted away. It started to rust immediately after I got it, though I must note that it travelled for two whole months before reaching my address from the shipping date. I've had this pen for two months. Another 3008's cap screw is also starting to rust. If only they used stainless steel screws.

 

 

Excuse me for the poor pictures. Anyway. Yeah, the tolerances in the cap and piston are not great, I can't talk about the nibs because I don't use stock nibs, and the materials need some upgrades. But I do use my 3008s almost every day because I love the Lamy Z50 without the Lamy grip.

Just don't expect great build quality from these pens and you're fine.

[IndigoBOB]

Yan, the 3008 doesn't match the 698's tolerances, but I'm still impressed with how well they work OOTB.

 

I have a fresh one with the lock mechanism of the piston. I loaded it with Noodler's Black and it's a great writer.

 

My biggest complaint is that the Cap takes more effort than I'd like to secure it to its final capped position.

[bob_hayden]

My second extra fine and extra dry pen had a lot of trouble with flow so eventually I emptied it and refilled it with Waterman Brown which I think has a reputation for flowing freely. What a difference! That pen now writes quite reasonably. So then I tried the Copper Burst that came out tan in the 3008 in a Parker Beta and it looked just like the scans here at FPN -- a medium brown with some gold highlights.

 

The screws inside the caps on mine are both the style that fits two types of screwdrivers. One still looks brand new. The other shows slight discoloration but I cannot tell if it is dirt, rust, or ink.

 

More recently I bought this:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-transparent-apple-green-Plastic-High-capacity-piston-Fountain-Pen/142672145864?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

I think I got the make and model I ordered but the green parts on mine are transparent rather than opaque. Unlike the photo, but like the 3008, there is a green sleeve over the piston drive mechanism though in this case it does not have a metallic finish (nor does any other part of the pen), The body has a trim ring at the blind end that does not bulge out so much AND this one has a more positive click than the 3008. So posting is safer than with either 3008. Nib, section and feed are very similar but the feed is clear plastic and there is no trim ring on the nib end. The cap is quite different with a Safari-style clip and no trim band at the open end. So it rather looks like the economy model, and it is at US$1.60. There are no markings on it but the XF on the nib. I am actually liking it better than the average of my two 3008s.

 

The nib looks and writes very much like the Wing Sung 6359 clone discussed in this thread.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-transparent-apple-green-Plastic-High-capacity-piston-Fountain-Pen/142672145864?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&afsrc=1&rmvSB=true

Edited March 6, 2018 by bob_hayden

[IndigoBOB]

I swapped a Safari EF nib nibthat was writing dry in my Safari's/Vista/Al star onto my 3008 and it writes like a charm with just Noodler's Black.

 

The wetter flow of these pens compared to the compatible and drier Lamy's takes the Nail-like feeling and scratch out of my Finer Lamy nibs. My Medium Lamy nib writes great with Noodler's Black, but when requiring a Finer line, these 3008's are impressive.

 

But I'm still not the biggest fan of the twist caps on my 3008's since they have a difficult resistance 1/3 of the way along the end of the capping, and I do prefer a faceted section for longer writing sessions, so I ordered a Blue Wing Sung B698. I'm curious to see how that works.

[Jamerelbe]

I swapped a Safari EF nib nibthat was writing dry in my Safari's/Vista/Al star onto my 3008 and it writes like a charm with just Noodler's Black.

 

The wetter flow of these pens compared to the compatible and drier Lamy's takes the Nail-like feeling and scratch out of my Finer Lamy nibs. My Medium Lamy nib writes great with Noodler's Black, but when requiring a Finer line, these 3008's are impressive.

 

But I'm still not the biggest fan of the twist caps on my 3008's since they have a difficult resistance 1/3 of the way along the end of the capping, and I do prefer a faceted section for longer writing sessions, so I ordered a Blue Wing Sung B698. I'm curious to see how that works.

 

I swapped a 1.5mm stub into one of my 3008's, and it still lays down a beautifully wet line - the feed on these pens seems to have no difficulty keeping up with very broad nibs!

[IndigoBOB]

That is impressive!

 

I might heed those words in the future and try the Broad Oblique since stubs don't like the way I rotate my pen.

 

One thing I was a little disappointed about with my Lamy's was how even the 1.1 didn't lay down that beautiful wet line. I will say that the drier Safari lines benefit me for very cheap paper, and that's where my Safari's shine among my pens. My main/best EDC right now is a Lamy Al Star-F-Kiwa Guro, which does work well on all papers.

 

But for that pleasurable writing, creative writing, and so on, which I do in my Seven Seas Tomoe River notebooks, the dry line always brings out the anemic side of a large majority of my inks unless they are extremely dark like Heart of Darkness or Kiwa-Guro. And I usually have a Seven Seas Cafe on me since it so light and portable, yet large enough to write comfortably in as long as I use a finer nib. But finding a good enough Fine or EF pen to use with my SS Cafe, has been hard to find, and right now, this 3008-Lamy EF-N.Black combo does the job very well and in case I get caught in the rain or something happens, the N.Black will archive my writing. Plus I like to use N.Black because of the affordability and because I honestly just like it so much...

 

...and this is where the 3008 has impressed me compared to more expensive, even $100+ pens, especially with the Lamy nibs that tend to be scratchy on my Lamy pens.

[penzel_washinkton]

After scouring feebay lately I noticed there are new colors for these pens, might worth checking out if you're planning on buying them :

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-0-5mm-9-Color-Pick-WING-SUNG-3008-Fountain-Pen/123281317177?hash=item1cb4239d39%3Am%3Am3GXYJnQgmXdSySBREKqaSw&var=423684117664&_sop=10&_nkw=wing+sung+fountain+pen&rt=nc

[Nyanzilla]

My first 3008 is over one year old now. I haven't been using it for several months. When I took it out yesterday I noticed that hardly any ink has evaporated and it immediately startet writing with a normal ink flow and without smearing. That's really impressing considering that this pen hasn't got any inner cap.

The screw in the cap still shows no trace of rust. So I'm very glad I boght a couple of those pens last year.

[MuddyWaters]

the 698 is better built for sure, but I prefer the feel of the 3008 in the hand. It's less round and slippery

[penzel_washinkton]

I personally don't like the nib and feed on the WS 3008, it seems to be prone to skipping a lot of time

[Mech-for-i]

I've found that the black feed almost always having a beter, more consistent flow than the transparent feed and that's what I finalize on my hacked 3008/3009 OEM variant work well for me , so not skip but also do not get over wet a flow which is not bad for my EF nib ..

[penzel_washinkton]

Black feed? Could you point out an feebay seller selling those variants? All I see is the transparent feed version

[Mech-for-i]

Can't really offer any advice as I do not shop there , best answer would be keep asking ...

[Seanchai]

I love my 3008s - I've got four of them. Three have the lock, one doesn't... all from the same seller, so as a long time buyer of vape gear, I've chalked that up to what we affectionately term around my house, "oh, China..." (iow, "it's worth hunting for inexpensive gems, but be prepared to do your own QC/modifications...")

 

I took the cap screws out the day they arrived and replaced them with SS screws... better a 50 cent fix now than problems down the road. Two have the included "F" nibs, and I replaced two with 1.1 Lamy stubs. After a little smoothing, all write beautifully now. For how long? Who knows (I've had two for about three months and two for about a month.)... but for $2.30 each when I got them, that's a decent amount of bang for the buck... and I can leave them on my desk and not have a heart attack if family/friends grab them for a quick note.

 

I did at one time have a fifth 3008, but it arrived with some major QC issues - the tipping had only been welded to one tine and there was something oily in the feed. When I went to pull the feed to clean it (there was no getting it clean otherwise - if pen flush and a few rounds in the ultrasonic don't do it, time to pull that sucker), the feed pretty much crumbled in my hands. I successfully stubbed the nib and broke the rest down for parts should anything fail on my other 3008s... again, for the price, I'm not upset.

[ursus-kirk]

This week my Wing Sung 3008 arrived. I had some high hopes after seeing positive reviews for it. I am sadly disappointed. It came apart in my hands and I had to re-attach top-nut, all attached parts inside, and the shiny band at the tip. When I started to use it it was VERY wet. Never saw such a wet medium nib. Ket alone an eastern-one. Within 5 minutes my hands were stained with ink. It leaks like an old bathtub. I cleaned it out and found the feed and nib to fit extremely loosly into the body. I can take apart by almost just looking at it. I don't know if I can fix that. (some teflon???) otherwise I will have to chuck it.