Wing Sung 3003

[vojtahlad]

I purchased another of the new models introduced by the resuscitated Wing Sung brand. The 3003 type in a nutshell: Pilot-like nib, converter filling, slip-on cap, ridiculous price. I wrote in my previous review that the new models of Wing Sung are pretty impressive. This one is not so much.

Appearance and Design

Do not expect any revolution in this department. Wing Sung 3003 is a commonly designed flat-top pen without any extravagant features. There are various versions available - transparent ones with coloured finials and opaque ones in crazy highlighter-like colours.

Construction and quality

Fair. I purchased the transparent version which reveals various imperfections. But frankly speaking there is not much to reveal. I did not notice imperfections or problems worth noting. Regarding the price (about 1 USD), I bought a very nice product.

Weight and Dimensions

Wing Sung 3003 is a smaller pen. This applies especially to its length, the girth is average and very comfortable to hold at least for my hands which are a bit on the smaller side. Here you can see some comparison, left to right: Jinhao 992 (which has very similar dimensions and very different nib), Wing Sung 3003 a Pilot 78G (with the same nib):

It is clear that there is not much difference in lengths. The Pilot is markedly slimmer than both Chinese pens, especially its section. Both Chinese pens are more comfortable to hold for me than the slim Pilot 78G.

Dimensions:

Capped: 135 mm

Uncapped: 120 mm

Posted: 152 mm.

Weight:

Capped: 18 g

Uncapped: 10 g

Cap: 8 g

The cap can be posted securely but its weight is comparable to the pen so posting changes balance significantly.

Nib and performance

The only nib available is EF. I did not try it but the nib should be interchangeable with the Pilot 78G and some more Pilot pens.

Here you can see a comparison with the original Pilot 78G M nib (right), Lamy EF nib (top), and Jinhao 992 nib (left) which is declared to be F but behaves more like M:

The nib was a bit misaligned which is visible in this photo:

When I tried to fix this, I realized that the nib material is very soft and easy to bend. After some tweaking, I was able to align the nib which decreased the nib feedback. I am afraid that the nib will be unstable due to the softness of its material and will require re-aligning.

The writing experience is OK. When aligned, its smoothness is on the average of my EF nibs. The same can be said regarding the line width. As you can see in the photo, it is a bit thinner than Wing Sung 6359 EF and a bit thicker than Lamy EF. Jinhao 992 F is much wider (but the writing is very smooth).

I wrote several pages and did not experience any remarkable problems. No hard starts, no drying, the ink flow is fair and stable. I have no complaints regarding its behaviour.

Filling system and maintenance

It is a converter-filled pen. The converter was included and it seems to be quite specific. On first glance, it looks similar to the Pilot CON-50. But the lip has a much smaller diameter so the converter is not compatible with Pilot pens.

Cost and Value

The prices start around 1 USD. Do I need to write more?

Conclusion

This is not a pen which beauty stuns you. It works well and its price is really low. It may serve as a workhorse for people loving the finer lines. And if you lose or break it, it is easy to replace.

The most important weak point is the nib. I have a bad feeling from its soft material and I expect that it will require some care when used. I am thinking about mounting the original Pilot nib to this pen. I like the design much more than the Pilot 78G and swapping the nib would remove the main weakness of 3003.

[visvamitra]

Thanks for the review.

[bobje]

Vojtahlad,

Well-written review backed up by photographs, facts and experience, and your review taught me about the nib performance of a pen I already own. For a pen under $5 shipped, the piston-filler Wing Sung 3008 is an amazing feat. This one, maybe not so much.

[alfredop]

I have one, and I agree that it is a good pen (also taking into account the very low price), its style is very similar to the one of the Pilot Prera.

 

Alfredo

[Honeybadgers]

Looks to me like it's a prera emulator.

[Feanaaro]

It is a prera emulator, but it is slightly longer than the Prera, which makes it much more usable. It has been one of my most used pens in the past months (with a pilot F nib though, the original nib was ok but nothing special and a touch too feedback-y).

[rockydoggy]

I have a few of these as well and have been pleased overall with their performance. Mine have very fine but smooth nibs and they feel more solidly built that I'd anticipated. However, what's really struck me the most was how similar the Wing Sung and the Pilot Prera are when capping them. For me, one of the most distinctive characteristics of the Prera is the smooth resistance that you encounter as you put on the cap until it's seated in place. The Wing Sung has that same action. In addition, it now comes in several bright solid colors, again apparently modeled after the Prera.

[Gloucesterman]

Got five (solid color ones) coming in the mail in a few weeks. Based on your review it will be interesting to experience them for myself.

 

Meanwhile I just have to settle in and enjoy the blizzard coming in the early morning ahead.

 

Gee, I wonder if the mail really will get through tomorrow???

[dcwaites]

I got one to replace my Prera as my shopping pen (i.e., it goes with me when I go shopping to mark off shopping lists). It is a Prera clone, with, for me, the advantage of being a bit longer. The slip off/on cap is a plus when juggling shopping cart with one hand, uncapping pen with the other hand, and holding the shopping list in my mouth. Also it's cheap enough that if it gets lost/damaged, I won't be upset.

 

It appears to me to be as well made as the Prera, out of similar materials, at a much cheaper cost. I am delighted with it.

Edited January 4, 2018 by dcwaites

[TSherbs]

Got five (solid color ones) coming in the mail in a few weeks. Based on your review it will be interesting to experience them for myself.

 

Meanwhile I just have to settle in and enjoy the blizzard coming in the early morning ahead.

 

Gee, I wonder if the mail really will get through tomorrow???

I'm in coastal Maine. Good day for writing pen pals with my 3003. Shoveling tomorrow.

[acorpcop]

It is a prera emulator, but it is slightly longer than the Prera, which makes it much more usable. It has been one of my most used pens in the past months (with a pilot F nib though, the original nib was ok but nothing special and a touch too feedback-y).

Is that a metropolitan/plumix nib? What fits in there?

[Feanaaro]

Is that a metropolitan/plumix nib? What fits in there?

 

Yes, that's the style of nib that fits in this pen (and other Wing Sung pens as well)

[dcwaites]

 

Yes, that's the style of nib that fits in this pen (and other Wing Sung pens as well)

 

But not the WS 3008, which takes a Lamy Safari style nib.

[acorpcop]

 

Yes, that's the style of nib that fits in this pen (and other Wing Sung pens as well)

 

Hmmmm.

 

"My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention."

[hankosaurus]

Hello FPN Members.

 

I have several of the 3003's, and like them. I need to find replacement converters for the 3003.

 

I have one failed converter in which the black collar at the mouth of the converter has a split in its side. So, it cannot pull a vacuum to draw in into it and it leaks from the converter into the barrel. It's as if it stretched too much when pressed into the connecting tube stub at the back of the section that holds the nib.

 

The 3003 converter has a much wider mouth than that of a Jinhao converter. I cannot seem to find replacement converters for the Wing Sung 3003. Is there another product description by which they can be obtained?

 

Of course, at such a low price for the pen, I could probably just regard the rest of the pen as "parts," and not bother with it.

[hankosaurus]

P.S. Re defective 3003 converter:

 

For whatever it's worth, I just put a Parker Quink cartridge onto the 3003 and it is working. Perhaps a Parker converter will work. The search is on at my house to find one that I have someplace.

[hankosaurus]

P.S. 2 Re defective 3003 converter

 

I found that Parker converter in my pen stash of stuff. It works in the 3003. A little tight in its fit to the 3003's plastic nipple. It's the sort of converter that has a rubber bladder. So, the whole point of having a demonstrator is lost, but hey -- it works. I guess a Parker converter would cost about as much as three or four 3003's. Ha.

[Bibliophage]

Resurrecting this because I'm trying to disassemble the section and feed of one.

 

Anyway - converter. It looks like a Hero size 'big bore' converter. I'll try to dig one out tomorrow to try (I bought five of each 'Chinese' size converter a while back)

 

Same sizes that the Zebra and various Indian pens use.

[Bibliophage]

Just checked - yes the 'big bore' size (largest size) like Hero does fit the Wing Sung 3003. Still haven't figured out how to disassemble it.

[Pen Engineer]

Ahm, what size, volume, does a bladder converter usually have?