Wing Sung 3013 - A Four-Buck Vac Filler

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7.02K   4   2  
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2019/07/04
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5 mins read


Make that closer to US$3.75. And this pen ain't no slouch.

Just when we were getting used to US$20 pens, Wing Sung reminds us that they do cost-down production as well as anybody.

So what do you get for four bucks? And, more importantly, what don't you get?

What You Get

A Brand New Design

The 3013 is unlike any other Wing Sung pen I've seen. It seems they worked from a clean sheet of paper.  It has echos of the TWSBI Vac 700 but clearly isn't that pen. Other than its size, the 3013 bears little relation to the PenBBS 456.

An Advanced Filling System

The 3013 is a true vac filler or, as literally translated from the Chinese 负压, a negative pressure pen. The filling mechanism is unique and functions well. It's not a copy of PenBBS or TWSBI.

Pretty Cool Colors

At least for now, there are five color choices: Clear, Brown and Purple as Wing Sung's own colors. ChinesePen (aka Bobby Pen) has Blue and Green versions on Etsy sold under the Paili brand. As a range, the colors aren't bad. I like them.

Quality Manufacturing

Everything on my pens is nicely made. I haven't detected any  flaws or rough edges. I assume that Wing Sung knows how to make good pens and QC their work.

Quality Materials (fingers crossed)

I also assume that Wing Sung knows how to pick materials.  But only time will tell if the pen has cracking or other problems related to materials (or manufacturing).  It's noteworthy that the section has a metal insert that may be there to forestall cracking.

What You Don't Get

Too Much Style

The design is functional and conservative. The pen looks fine but it's tough to call the design inspired. Diamond facets on the cap and blind cap are about as fancy as this pen gets.

The Lightest Pen

There's enough metal in the construction so that even uncapped the pen is on the heavy side. Just a little bit. With the cap, more so.

A Nº 6 Nib

The pen uses a standard Pilot 78g-style #5 nib found in other Wing Sung models. EF and F options. (M nib from Bobby Pen model.) Friction fit. Nothing new here. Wing Sung is not following in the footsteps of Moonman and making their own #6 nib. The good news is that there are plenty of after-market nib options.

Packaging (???)

My pens came in bubble wrap. That's it. No box. No plastic sleeve. No nothing. It could be Wing Sung wholesales the pen without packaging at lower cost. Or isn't making packaging at all. It was a bit of a shock but I'm over it.

By the Numbers

This is a good sized pen that brings some heft. Partly by design. Partly, I think by the need to keep costs to a minimum.

Inked Weight
  • Uncapped: 22.94g
  • Capped: 33.36g
Size
  • Capped: 142mm
  • Uncapped: 132mm
  • Section diameter: 10.5-11mm
  • Barrel diameter 14mm (behind threads) 11.9mm (before endcap)
L-R: TWSBI Vac 700, Wing Sung 3013, PenBBS 456, PenBBS 268

Capped, the Wing Sung 3013 is smaller than the TWSBI Vac 700 and the PenBBS 456. Uncapped, it's just a shade larger than the 456.

The 3013 doesn't post. The cap doesn't grip the end of the barrel at all. It just sits there and rattles.

At almost 23g uncapped, the 3013 is a bit heavier than the PenBBS 456 (19.65g uncapped). That's slightly disappointing and, to be honest, I'm not sure why.

But I'm happy to speculate. Perhaps the metal bits in the filling mechanism added enough weight to the tail to throw off the balance of the pen so they added more weight to front in the form of the metal section sleeve. All that metal adds up.

The cap comes off in two turns. There's no cap liner, but an o-ring on the barrel threads serves to cushion the final turn and seal the cap. The threads are smooth and fairly coarse. On three pens I've had no issues with cross-threading. I've tried.

The cap band is laser engraved with Wing Sung in Chinese (永生) and 3013 on opposite sides. The cap and blind cap are molded with a diamond facet pattern that add visual interest and a bit more grip. Neither keeps the pen from rolling on flat surfaces.

Take that TWSBI (and PenBBS)
Fingers are all you need.

The 3013 disassembles easily. No tools required. To remove the filling mechanism, unscrew the ring at the base of the barrel and pull the mechanism out. It's that simple. Wow.

The base of the rod mechanism has a pair of o-rings to seal the bottom of the pen. There are flat spots on the base and inside the barrel so it just fits in one way.

Unlike TWSBI and PenBBS vac fillers, the 3013 doesn't have a seal in front of the plunger that acts as a shutoff valve to close the barrel from the feed. Once the pen is full, close the blind cap and write. There's no need to back off the cap for longer writing sessions.

Filling the pen is simple. Pull the rod out, stick the nib in the ink and push the rod in a single motion. The pen fills a little more than half way. Repeating the process doesn't seem to help the fill more. You can always unscrew the section and add more ink directly to fill the pen to the brim.

Tried and Tested Nibs

The 3013 uses Wing Sung standard #5 78g-type nibs that friction fit in the section. A pair of notches at the base of the nib mate with slots in the feed so the nib fits just one way. The clear feed is a nice touch.

The Wing Sung model pens come with either fine or extra-fine nibs. The Bobby Pen versions come with M nibs. The nibs are smooth and offer some springiness. I got two pens with F nibs and one with an EF and successfully swapped one of the fine nibs for a medium from my parts box.

The nibs wrote well from the start with no tinkering necessary. The 3013 nib system may not be flashy but the nibs do the job more than competently.

In the Hand

The Wing Sung 3013 feels like a smaller TWSBI Vac 700, mainly because the relatively large step after the threads and the swell at the top of the barrel.

TWSBI and Wing Sung - similar in the hand.

The section is long enough so you're not forced into gripping the pen in any particular way. I find the pen plenty comfortable for jotting notes or longer writing sessions. The pen is correctly balanced but the extra weight may make the pen tiring to use for extended periods for some folks.

Conclusions

The big news remains that a new vac-filling pen of this quality from a known brand sells on Taobao for under US$4 (plus shipping). The Bobby Pen Paili brand versions are US$9.90 (plus shipping) - still a remarkable price.

In that context, the launch of the Wing Sung 3013 represents a red-letter day for pen lovers everywhere. It's a wonderful kick-about pen. A pen to take to work or school and not worry too much about loaning out. An cool gift for someone you want to introduce to fountain pens.

I can't wait to see what Wing Sung has in store next.


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Published: 2019/07/04 - Updated: 2020/05/28
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cr
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Long time fountain pen user, sci-fi reader & tennis player
2019/07/05

Enjoyed the review.  My 3013s in a few versions on their way to me. Ordered some from Bobby on Etsy along with a Natami & one from eBay.  I don't have a Vac-700 to compare just a vac-mini.  In general, I have not been a fan of the Pilot style nib that Wing Sung uses.  Maybe these are better.

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2019/07/05

Thank you!

cr, on 2019/07/05, said:
In general, I have not been a fan of the Pilot style nib that Wing Sung uses.  Maybe these are better.

I find the different flavors of Wing Sung (Victo / Green Stationary) vs. Wing Sung Education (WSE) vs ??? confusing. I guess it applies to nibs as well, with nibs from different suppliers all marked Wing Sung.

But I don't know if there are grades of pilot-style nibs. The nibs that came with the pens are marked with the circle/propeller logo and Wing Sung. My loose ones are all no logo "Wing S / Super Quality". Some with scroll work, some without.

At the end of the day, they all wrote well so it's kind of a distinction w/o a difference. IMHO, it's hard to point at the nibs as a huge weakness with this pen.

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2019/07/06

Thank you!

pugoman, on 2019/07/06, said:
...the cap of the 3013 seems to have a resemblance with the body of the Diamond 580 as to the facets.

Spot on! I was thinking about Vac 700 and never considered the 580.

pugoman, on 2019/07/06, said:
I wished Wing Sung should have made a cap lining like in their 698.

Another good point. The 698 cap liner works very well. I used that pen for over a year in my walk-around notebook. I really liked that I could count on it writing every time - something I chalked up to (at least in part) the well-designed cap liner.

So functionally it would be an improvement here. I think it would muddy up the look of the pen, however. Being able to clearly see the nib in the cap is pleasing so they may have left it for aesthetic reasons.

Ink does get around the metal sleeve in the section. I don't think it comes out so cleaning may be hard or maybe impossible.  That's an open issue with this pen.

EDC
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2019/07/07
pugoman, on 2019/07/06, said:
Currently, I am thinking of some modifications on the cap and the screw.

Replacing the screw with something rust-resistant sounds like an option. Otherwise, getting a dab of clear nail polish (or similar) on the head of the current screw would seem like a way to go.

I lean toward leaving well enough alone and giving the cap a rinse if the nib leaks. So far I no leakage on my pens. They are also writing consistently but haven't been left alone long enough to dry out yet!

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