Wingsung 601 Vacumatic Filler

[Rotring600user]

So sorry, I worded it wrong. The hood screws on and off, but the feed assembly is friction fit. Sorry I called it "section."

Haha, I made the same mistake in my post - I thought that TruthPil was referring to a feed assembly...

[surprise123]

How weird, I've never heard of a hooded nib pen with a friction fit section.

All Parker 51 Vacs had them friction fit... oh wait... you're talking about the hood. No, that's threaded.

Edited May 10, 2018 by surprise123

[surprise123]

My Wing Sung 601 in Grey (the actual grey not the light brown/sand/beige colour) arrived a couple of days ago.

 

I ordered the grey first of all because I liked the colour, but also because the grey seemed to be introduced only very recently. I figured that eliminated having to be concerned about getting a pen left over from the buggy prototype runs. My pen has the square cornered ink windows and the chamfered cap lip so it does seem to be the latest and greatest.

 

I filled it with Diamine Sapphire Blue. This is my first experience with a vac filler. I didn't have any problems with the plunger sticking down but it did seem to arbitrarily decide beween popping up and oozing up. Also it would sometimes not depress all the way and would apparently bottom out at about halfway. I'm not quite sure what was going on there. Perhaps I wasn't pressing perfectly straight down on the plunger? Between oozing up, getting stuck halfway down, and me not being sure whether to plunge rapidly or slowly, it probably took me about 12 pumps to fill. I figure if each pump was good it would only take half that many to fill. I *did* get a good full fill though.

 

I like the P51 hooded nib look of the pen. As expected I find it comfortable in the hand. It's clearly a step up in quality from the likes of the Hero 616 in terms of material and fit'n'finish. Assuming I don't encounter any long term dry out issues I'm particularly impressed by the ease of capping/uncapping. It doesn't require much force yet there is a positive feel of clutch/declutch. It's not quite the click of the Lamy 2000 but it's not the just jam it down cap of the Hero 616.

 

My issue with hooded nib pens is they have (for me) a very real intrinsic usability flaw in that you can't see the nib to keep the tines aligned on the page. And that brings me to what I don't like about the 601 (my instance anyway). Wow, this nib has a microscopic, unforgiving sweetspot. Roll off the sweetspot at all, and it's not a question of getting scratchy but rather the ink flow just dies and you're skipping and dry writing. Examining the nib head on under magnification I can see the tipping is quite rounded. While this makes the nib smooth (but bland), it also means you don't get any tactile feedback if you roll off the sweetspot. Basically there's no visual or tactile feedback for keeping the pen in the sweetspot other than the binary question: is ink going down on the page or not.

 

In an effort to ensure both tines are on the page I find myself holding the pen more vertically than I otherwise would (that reduces the consequences of roll around the longitudinal axis of the pen). A more vertical orientation adds to the already ballpoint like experience of the round tipped rigid nib. Nibs have been known to grow on me with use, so I'll give it a couple of weeks. There is so much to like about this pen (looks, comfort, great slip cap, ink capacity) but I fear the bland nib is going to prove a deal breaker for me.

I found this nib to be a good handwriting trainer, a bit like my old English teacher. She'd sneak up behind us and us a ruler to poke out hands. Bland nib? Use some micromesh and smooth it to a nice medium. Or go even further, like I did with some of the Pilot copies made by Wing sung and create uber wet lines.

[surprise123]

How to tell in ebay listing between the diaphragm version and the double o-ring version if I plan to buy a non demonstrator 601? And how sure can we be if the image on the listing reflects the reality? Very conflicted about pulling the trigger on this because of this. Or just give up on this and just go with 698. My main goal is to get a extra fine(0.38) nib and I had good luck with a 698.

All the nibs are ultra thin. If you want the better PUMP version with the O-ring, look for a PEARLY CAP JEWEL. This signifies the newer, improved pump version.

[surprise123]

I ordered the vacumatic about two weeks ago. It arrived yesterday and I filled it with water to check for leaks. It seemed to fill just fine but it's hard to tell how much ink is inside because I got the solid colored one (and filled it with just water). Taking it out for a spin today, just chucked in my bag, to see if it'll leak (I hope it doesn't ).

 

If, in the future, the diaphragm fails, would it be possible to convert to eyedropper (add silicone grease to the threads of the pump cover)? I mean, if I remove the pump mechanism, there wouldn't be metal parts left, right? (Haven't tried disassembling yet)

 

*edited for typo

It would be more worth your money to buy a new one.

[truthpil]

So sorry, I worded it wrong. The hood screws on and off, but the feed assembly is friction fit. Sorry I called it "section."

 

Thanks for the picture...it does indeed speak a thousand words. That is an ingenious mechanism, I'm thoroughly impressed...it's even a major improvement on the hallowed Parker 51 system. An O-ring and everything...wow....really impressed. I keep impatiently checking my Taobao app that has a little map showing the truck containing this precious cargo slowly moving toward my home haha.

[truthpil]

I found this nib to be a good handwriting trainer, a bit like my old English teacher. She'd sneak up behind us and us a ruler to poke out hands. Bland nib? Use some micromesh and smooth it to a nice medium. Or go even further, like I did with some of the Pilot copies made by Wing sung and create uber wet lines.

 

Better yet, order a 18.5mm size fude nib and swap the nib for some nice fat and interesting lines. I ordered 2 with varying degrees of "fude-ness" to try out with this pen.

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

Thanks for the picture...it does indeed speak a thousand words. That is an ingenious mechanism, I'm thoroughly impressed...it's even a major improvement on the hallowed Parker 51 system. An O-ring and everything...wow....really impressed. I keep impatiently checking my Taobao app that has a little map showing the truck containing this precious cargo slowly moving toward my home haha.

Yeah the improvements over the Parker 51, as far as I've seen around since I don't own one, are impressive.

I just wish the bolt of the vac pump was made of metal instead of plastic, since I almost destroyed mine disassembling the pen.

Eyedropper experiment begins!

[Tasmith]

 

Better yet, order a 18.5mm size fude nib and swap the nib for some nice fat and interesting lines. I ordered 2 with varying degrees of "fude-ness" to try out with this pen.

 

18.5mm!

[truthpil]

 

18.5mm!

 

That's the length of the nib from back to tip. 18.5mm nibs will fit the 601. 19.5mm nibs fit the Hero 616.

[truthpil]

Mine arrived today and I was really impressed. I was surprised at how large the pen is...It's about 2mm longer than my Parker 51s which feel just a little big for me. The construction is really solid and it feels great in the hand. I would recommend against getting the demonstrator model like I did, because you can see all the seams in the plastic and any other marks made from the manufacturing process.

 

Regarding disassembly, included in the box was a little black plastic socket used for unscrewing the piston mechanism from the bag. The box also had a plugged converter full of silicone grease! All in all, this pen is a great design that allows for easy maintenance and customization.

 

Unfortunately, the stock nib on mine seems quite scratchy. To be fair, I haven't filled the pen yet, but even just brushing it along the paper un-inked gave a very scratchy feeling, so scratchy as to be unusable even. I'm glad I ordered two different fude nibs with it.

Edited May 12, 2018 by TruthPil

[displacermoose]

I have one of the newer ones with the plastic jewel and non-diaphragm filler in true grey (not beige). I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and it has blown me away. I'm sorry to hear your nib is scratchy, TruthPil; mine is a dream. I was concerned when I tried the filling mechanism for the first time and the breather tube pushed the feed out of the top, but once I got everything put back together and lined up it works great. I've had it in my back-and-forth-to-work pen case since I got it and have had no leaking or other misbehavior. The plastic feels solid (unlike the 616 Jumbos that have been my mainstay low-end beaters for years), and the cap seals well enough that I've never had a hard start even after letting it sit for several days.

 

My overall assessment of this pen is that it goes on my "fantastic value" list.

[truthpil]

My overall assessment of this pen is that it goes on my "fantastic value" list.

Agreed. I swapped the nib with a fude nib I had bought along with the pen, filled it up, and it writes wonderfully. I got two different types of fude and the one I installed is of the less extreme type. It writes a wonderful western broad line with some characteristics of an architect nib. I could easily use it as a daily writer because it's so smooth and has just the right amount of wetness.

 

These pens are fanatics workhorse pens that hold a lot of ink, are really easy to fill, and can write amazingly if you get the right nib. I just wish there were more nib options that fit western tastes.

[Tasmith]

 

That's the length of the nib from back to tip. 18.5mm nibs will fit the 601. 19.5mm nibs fit the Hero 616.

 

Thank you for the clarification! Thought it was a typo for the nib width.

[truthpil]

 

Thank you for the clarification! Thought it was a typo for the nib width.

But wouldn't a 1.8cm nib be fun to write with? Like a stiff paint brush! =P

[ppateel]

My burgundy Wing Sung 601 (double o ring version) arrived today. Initially I thought that I will flush the new pen to get rid of possible factory oils and gunk and let it dry and then ink it up. But the temptation got better of me and I inked it straight up andstarted using it. I am impressed. It is a really smooth writer for an extra fine nib. I wrote couple of pages and there are no issues, leaks or skipping. I set it aside for couple of hours and it started right up. Overall for about $15, it is a really really nice pen and very smooth for an Extra fine nib.

[truthpil]

My burgundy Wing Sung 601 (double o ring version) arrived today. Initially I thought that I will flush the new pen to get rid of possible factory oils and gunk and let it dry and then ink it up. But the temptation got better of me and I inked it straight up andstarted using it. I am impressed. It is a really smooth writer for an extra fine nib. I wrote couple of pages and there are no issues, leaks or skipping. I set it aside for couple of hours and it started right up. Overall for about $15, it is a really really nice pen and very smooth for an Extra fine nib.

I'm glad yours came with a good nib; it seems to be a gamble as to what kind of nib you get but that's kind of par for the course with Chinese pens.

 

I did the same thing you did and just filled it right away. Mine also wrote perfectly the first time and I agree that the cap seems to seal well so there are never any hard starts. Now my toddler keeps pestering me to empty and refill it because he likes to watch the ink sucking up.

[Osmaroid]

^{I have now bought quite a few of both versions of the 601. I have to say that many of the nibs were first class, glass smooth writers - something I don't see on many much more expensive new pens! The ones that are not perfectly smooth are trivial to correct - a little bit of smoothing with appropriate abrasive film is often all that is needed. However, before trying that there is something else I have not seen mentioned in this stream. Nib tip alignment should be checked with a loupe. I have had two or three where a slight tweak to align the tips was all that was needed to change the "catching" nib to the usual glass smooth writer. A clue as to whether this is a factor can be found by checking resistance to lateral writing strokes - if there is more resistance or a catch in one direction only (say to the left) then there is a good chance that tip alignment is needed.}

[truthpil]

^{I have now bought quite a few of both versions of the 601. I have to say that many of the nibs were first class, glass smooth writers - something I don't see on many much more expensive new pens! The ones that are not perfectly smooth are trivial to correct - a little bit of smoothing with appropriate abrasive film is often all that is needed. However, before trying that there is something else I have not seen mentioned in this stream. Nib tip alignment should be checked with a loupe. I have had two or three where a slight tweak to align the tips was all that was needed to change the "catching" nib to the usual glass smooth writer. A clue as to whether this is a factor can be found by checking resistance to lateral writing strokes - if there is more resistance or a catch in one direction only (say to the left) then there is a good chance that tip alignment is needed.}

Great point! Misalignment of tines is a common issue with inexpensive Chinese pens and I'm sure that's the case with the scratchy stock nib on my 601. I just got a Hero 666 with the same issue: scratchy lateral strokes.

 

When adjusting the tines on these curved little nibs, is a different method needed than what usually works with open nibs? Did you have to remove the nib in order to adjust it?

[Osmaroid]

I did not remove the nib - I used precision, smooth surface, tiny pointed nose pliers very carefully. One note, if you are used to aligning gold nibs, steel nibs such as those on the 601 need a gentler hand as in my experience steel nibs are not as springy as gold.