wing Sung = Hero?

[KCat]

got a Wing Sung today - All the bits look basically like Hero bits (different styling on cap and barrel). The nib looks a little nicer than Hero nibs but it's my understanding that they're the same company or one owns the other or...

 

?

[Karin]

Hi KCAt,

It's my understanding that Hero manufactures Wing Sung pens. I have the pen that is like a Shaeffer triumph nib. I haven't written with it in awhile, but it's a cool pen.

 

 

How's the story writing going?

[Keith with a capital K]

I believe that Hero and Wing Sung are affiliated with each other and it might be interesting to know that Wing Sung means "good fortune".

 

I did have one of those Triumph nibbed Wing Sung pens and found it to be a very nice writing pen.

 

I likened it to what you would get if you crossed a Parker 51 with a Triumph as it had a Parker-esque look and aerometric filler and a very Sheaffer inspired nib.

[Free Citizen]

So, this is a frankenpen that turned out to be a beautiful swan?

[ednerdtheonly]

How does the Wing Sung write? What model is it? I'm very interested in Hero/duke/Genius/wing sung, however don't know anything about the level of fit and finish. do they use IPG's? What pens can they compare to (nib smoothness, fit and finish)?

 

Thanks

[KCat]

Hero/Wing Sung uses their own nibs (well, at least, they aren't IPGs) and my experience with there nibs has generally actually been better than IPGs. They are *very* fine though.

 

The Wing Sung is slightly better finished. The nib looks more substantial and is very smooth despite being an XF. I'm told this is typical of WS. Hero makes them but I guess this is there ever so slightly better make?

 

when I get a chance I'll do a close up on the nib and try to make a more careful distinction between the Hero and WS.

 

The finish in general is oh... cheap. But for a knockabout pen and if you like XF nibs, they're decent little pens. I wouldn't put them in the category of a Lamy Safari or the like. At least, not the cheaper models.

[Stefan-Ionut-Marius]

Well today we all know the answer to that question !

But it's not about that ....... This is the first topic on the '' China, Korea and Others (Far East, Asia) '' area back in time about 15 years ago .

That it's !!!

Edited July 18, 2019 by Stefan-Ionut-Marius

[Uther Pendragon]

Hello

 

I hope you don't mind if I stick my oar in here on the Wing Sung/Hero debate.

 

Here's the scoop. In the early 90's, Wing Sung and Hero were 2 separate pen factories. Actually they were no. 2 and 3 respectively, of the top Chinese pen manufacturers I their prime. In the mid-90s Hero bought Wing Sung and all rights to their designs and logo. When the purchase was complete, Hero stopped making Wing Sung pens in an attempt to capture their rivals part of the market. They didn't do as well as they thought they would. In the late 90s the Shanghai National Pen Company (SNPC) bought the Hero Company, which still owned the Wing Sung rights.

 

The SNPC continued to produce Hero pens, but also added new brands. In the mid 2000s, Hero sold the the rights and designs to the SNPC and was no longer a separate entity under SNPC. With a few of its better known brands flagging in the marketplace the SNPC decided very recently (2 or 3 years ago) to bring back the Wing Sung brand. While Wing Sung was sidelined, several small pen companies began to produce Wing Sung (Jinhao and a few others as well) counterfeit pens. You can tell by lack of proper logo or logo placement. Also, these fake pens have lasered branding in a dot matrix style.

 

The Wing Sung, Hero, Jinhao, (Duke and others) always have their logo, name, and model number STAMPED on the pen. The new "real" production pens are easily spotted as they are screen printed with the above information, taking away from these once beautiful and fine writing instruments.

 

As and aside, I have purchased a couple of the new production Wing Sung pens that were supposedly remakes of the old style pens. Quite honestly I don't remember which model number. I will post back if I can find my notes.

 

Anyway, to make a long story longer, the new pens are binnable the minute you ink them. The quality is awful. They pens are sloppy, the cloisonne runny, the enameling was poorly done, poor nibbing, bad metal plating on bands and pocket clips which makes them scratch easily, and they don't polish well.

 

The writing experience is so disappointing I don't even want to think about it. It was scratchy, the ink wouldn't flow consistently, it skipped, and to be honest was distractingly ugly. Balance wise forget it. I feel that aspect isn't even taken into account any longer. When I posted the pen I it was so top heavy, I actually, not once but twice, flipped out of my hand. Fortunately, I have excellent ink remover so I saved my carpets.

 

So that's the story of Hero and Wing Sung. Don't buy any of the new ones unless you can touch it, feel it, and test it.

 

Uther

[richardandtracy]

Uther,

 

I have a feeling you may not have tried too many of the recent 6xx series Wing Sung's or the somewhat lower quality 30xx series. The 6xx pens are reasonable quality on any scale, the 30xx series are reasonable for their price.

 

I have not bought any recent Hero pens, so cannot say from personal experience what they are like.

 

I think that with Chinese Pens, finding a trustworthy supplier is one of the most important things you can do. Having done so, you'll get the real thing and see the pens at their best. If you don't, you could well be throwing your money down the drain. There are a number of trustworthy suppliers mentioned in this forum, I have used a few of them and have never had cause to doubt the authenticity of the pen I have received.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Mech-for-i]

And for the info Hero gone through a major structure and manufacturing overhaul starting 2004 and was in effect for a decade ; so taking that old experience and apply really no longer apply .. and while all historical fact holds, todays Hero is not 2000's Hero ; and I think most people are stuck with image of the old one ; no less because they are still only seeing the limited vintage models too , like the 616 and 100 but in reality both are kept just because they are so entrenched in the market that customer just will not let it fail and no company would let go of a product that keep bringing in revenue. while I do agree many of the late 90's and early 2000's Hero do had ( with some regularity ) questionable Quality and issues regarding. Todays more main stream Hero product are totally different , and so do Wing Sung

 

While Hero group do still hold the Wing Sung Brand name , the Wing Sung pens today though are licensed production by several separate independent concern ; and in case plenty of them still do had their name stamped ..

[Uther Pendragon]

Sir.

 

With all due respect, Hero is a brand now and has not been a stand alone company for almost 20 years. They do not own the Wing Sung brand, pen designs, or other intellectual property the Shanghai National Pen Company does. Your statements to the contrary are not correct.

 

Uther

[Uther Pendragon]

Richard

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I have an extensive (with a capital E) collection of Wing Sung, Hero, Duke, and Jinhao pens.

 

I also have an excellent supplier (actually 2 a father and son) for my Chinese pen source. We've had a long professional relationship and have become friends over the years. They have had a family owned 2 generation pen shop for over 50 years. Whenever I need information about a Chinese pen I maybe interested in, I always check with them first.

 

Just as an aside, any serious pen collector would never accept a "decent", "okay", or "acceptable" pen. They may keep it in their collection for continuity purposes, but would never use it daily if at all.

 

Cheers

Uther

[richardandtracy]

When I say 'reasonable' I actually mean 'I am happy to use my Parker 51 interchangeably with the WS 601', and I do. The feel of both those pens is adequate. Neither are as good as my only 'really good' model, the Parker 61. All other pens can be 'adequate' at best if they don't meet the feel of a P61.

Just my take.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Uther Pendragon]

Richard

 

I totally understand. Everyone has a favorite they compare all other pens to.

 

I have two "favorites" a Wing Sung 380 and surprise ... A Visconti Bronze Homo Sapiens Lava.

 

I know the Visconti 'Sapiens' model has gotten a mixed review. I was very very lucky and got one of the first 200 produced, and it is a dream pen for me.

 

I've heard production runs later than mine do not perform as well, nor are they styled the same.

 

That said, my model is holding, if not exceeding my original purchase price.

That's usually a good thing.

 

Uther

[Mech-for-i]

I think you had misunderstood my point I say Hero group not Hero pen ; Hero pen had never acquire Wing Sung but Hero group holds the right to the brand and also some assets ... Hero pen had never really been independent since its naming 1964 ; before that its something else. Todays Wing Sung range is a mulriple licensed business concern and the name is licensed to multiple mfrs and concern ; Hero pen had nothing to do with any . Hero Pen of course had their iwn running from those school pen to cheap Knick-off / copies / clone and then they had their regular range which either are vintage models still being made or new one that seldom seen outside of China.

[Uther Pendragon]

I'm sorry to repeat myself, but Hero did indeed by all manufacturing, rights and privileges, and all Wing Sung intellectual property.

 

No Wing Sung branded pens were made after the purchase by Hero. None.

 

When Hero was purchased by the Shanghai National Pen Company, again NO WING SUNG pens were manufactured. When the Hero brand began to falter, the SNPC rebooted the Wing Sung brand pens.

 

The new Wing Sung pens have only been out a few years now.

There is no absolutely no comparison between the new Wing Sung pens compared to the older pens. The new pens are unworthy of the Wing Sung brand.

 

Like I said, everyone has their favorites, but a crummy pen is a crummy pen.

 

Uther

Edited August 8, 2019 by Uther Pendragon

[TSherbs]

....There is no absolutely no comparison between the new Wing Sung pens compared to the older pens. The new pens are unworthy of the Wing Sung brand.

 

Like I said, everyone has their favorites, but a crummy pen is a crummy pen.

 

Uther

Your claims are so hyperbolic and without specifics that I tend to dismiss them. We can tell that you dislike something about recent Wing Sung pens. But what precisely you are not happy with is obscured by your diatribe.

 

I find my most recent purchase, the 3013, to be my best Wing Sung to date. Reliable, balanced, efficient vacuum filler with a smooth fine nib. The cap seals well, and the pen is attractive (brown/smoke version). I don't look for anything else in a pen, except a good value for the price. Oh yeah, the 3013 goes in the US for $5-$10. Bazinga.

[TSherbs]

...Just as an aside, any serious pen collector would never accept a "decent", "okay", or "acceptable" pen. They may keep it in their collection for continuity purposes, but would never use it daily if at all.

 

Cheers

Uther

My. Just what do you mean by "serious," I wonder? I have always considered myself quite serious as a pen owner, and I use several "decent" pens. I even have "decent" pen friends!