****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I bought this pen largely because I was interested in a vacuum fill pen, but didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I would have been happy if the pen held ink and didn't leak all over my hands.However, the Wing Sung 699 was a huge surprise. Honestly, for 20 bucks I don't expect much. I own a lot of pens ranging from $400.00 Pelikan pens to Pilot Metropolitans and. I like them all for different reasons. The Wing Sung is a knock off of the $300 Pilot 823, a gold nibbed, vacuum fill pen, which I gather has a very loyal following. The Wing Sung 699 does a pretty good impersonation. The brown color looks a lot like the photos I have seen of the Amber version of the Pilot, and the shape and size are very similar.For 30 dollars you are not getting a gold nib, but you are going to get a pen that writes remarkably well. It is definitely a fine nib in line with a Japanese fine, and so far starts with no problems even after being left for 2 or 3 days without use. I also is very smooth for such a fine nib, and puts me in mind of my Pilot Prera fine point or one of my Metropolitans. There is a pleasant amount of feedback, but no sense of scratchiness, there is a bit of flexibility but it is not a flex nib and probably should not be used like one.I filled it with Rohrer and Klingner Sepia and it lays down a nice line. The reservoir holds a lot of ink, so I can see using it for long writing sessions with no worry of running out of ink. The color and finish of the pen is quite nice and the metal trim pieces don't look cheap, which I have found to be an issue on a lot of inexpensive pens. If I have to nit pick, I will admit that the "wedding band" which has the pens name and "made in China" on it, is not lined up with the clip so that the name is centered under the clip. As for size, this is a decent sized pen that can be easily used without posting. While the pen posts quite nicely, and I usually prefer to post my pens, I personally will probably use this pen without posting, since I find it a bit longI don't think you will have any trouble maintaining the pen. The section screws off and the nib and feed can be removed easily for cleaning. It also gives easy access to the ink reservoir and will make cleaning the reservoir easy with a bit of soapy water and some paper toweling.All in all, I am extremely satisfied with my purchase. The pen arrived promptly, and after a quick cleaning was filled and ready for use. (I have gotten into the habit of rinsing all my new pens before their first use, it can save a lot of aggravation) The nib might be too fine for some peoples taste, however, since it appears to be a standard #6 nib, you could easily swap it out for a broader nib. I would suggest a JoWo from Goulet Pens or any other reputable vendor if you feel the need to upgrade nib. The pen also comes in a transparent black as well as blue and a clear demonstrator. At some future point I will probably get either the black or the clear just for the heck of it. I don't really need another fountain pen, but for the price, it would be nice to have a second color option, and it won't break the bank. If you are new to fountain pens I can see this as a good jumping off point, or if you are like me and have a collection and are just curious about some of the affordable options that are becoming available I can recommend this as an inexpensive daily carry that you will enjoy, but won't break the bank if some misfortune should befall it.
