Wing Sung 601 Auto Draw Filler

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4.33K   5   2  
·
2018/06/12
·
4 mins read


I’ve waited some time before writing this review. This has been my go-to pen for about a month now, making lists, jotting notes and annotating life as it goes by. The regular stuff.

The long and short of it is: this is a high-quality writing instrument. If you’re looking for some of the best that the modern pen industry has to offer, get yourself one. I don’t think you’ll regret it one bit.

My first impressions of the pen were not actually all that positive. The pen is rather unassuming.

  • Compared to the Wing Sung 618, this pen doesn’t offer much bling.
  • It’s not unique like the Moonman M1 or PenBBS 308. Let alone anything from TWSBI.
  • It’s not particularly big or chunky, so no check there.
  • The design is clearly a throwback to the Parker 51 via the Hero 616. Been there done that. I have more than one 616 in pen storage (along with a lonely stricken 51 with a busted nib).
  • It’s another hooded nib pen, which to my mind puts it on the tame side of the street. For me, hooded nib pens don’t invite tinkering the way regular nibs do. I’m always concerned I won’t be able to get them back together again correctly.

So where’s the interest? It’s the filling mechanism!

I’ve never been that much of a fan of aerometric/squeeze converters. They seem a low-budget and inelegant solution. If I’m going to invest my time in a pen, I want it at least to embody some engineering savvy. Give me a nice piston filler any day. It even took me a long while to accept that cartridge converters were OK.

In this case, it’s a piston draw filler, based on the idea of the original Parker Vacumatic. It has a blind cap and everything.

So Wing Sung has taken it upon themselves to resurrect a filling mechanism made famous by an American legend of the pen business. And they’ve improved the design. And they sell the pen for under US$10.

I like the idea that Wing Sung actually made two generations of this filling mechanism. The first used a rubber diaphragm which, while close to the original Parker design, was less efficient and potentially less durable.

The revised design uses a piston à la Edison's Draw Filler which performs better and should last longer. Wing Sung moves beyond the Edison design by included a spring in the mechanism, making it possible to fill the pen with one hand.

Image Taobao

Along with the improved filling mechanism, the second generation updates the collector, feed, cap, ink windows and blind cap finish. Frank Underwater's April 2018 post has the story behind the filling mechanism and other enhancements. I like the name "Auto Draw Filler" name that Frank coins.

Chrisrap52's excellent video on this pen goes through the differences between the two generations of the pen, including a spiffy demonstration of how much more efficient the piston-based filling system really is (at the 6:00 minute mark).

This long Fountain Pen Network thread has a great deal of information about the pen and experiences using it.

In summary:

Gen 1

  • Diaphragm filler
  • Rounded ink windows
  • Metal cap jewel

Gen 2

  • (Piston-based) Auto Draw Filler
  • Square ink windows
  • Plastic cap jewel

 

The pen is very similar in length to the Wing Sung 618 but a bit slimmer because the cap isn't threaded.

Left to Right: Wing Sung 601, Hero 616 Jumbo, Wing Sung 618, Hero 338, Hero 565
  • Length: 138mm
  • Uncapped: 128mm
  • Posted: 152mm
  • Section diameter: 11.2mm
  • Weight inked: 20g capped / 12.9 uncapped

Upon closer inspection, it looks as if the 601 may share the same section as the Wing Sung 618. The two pens already share common nib and feed. Perhaps the collector assembly is also shared. It would make sense.

Wing Sung sharing parts? 618 Left/Black - 601 Right/Gray

My writing experience with this pen has been outstanding.

The pen is reliable and fits well in the hand. I prefer writing with the pen unposted, but the cap is light enough and posts deeply so that writing with the cap posted is certainly doable.

The 601 is comfortable for quick notes or extended writing. It’s not particular about writing angle and offers a solid sweet spot with just a bit of feedback. The nib is hard so there’s no line variation to speak of, but that’s to be expected.  It does reverse writing pretty well.

The nib and feed write moderately wet and put down a fine line. The nib feels finer that than the nib on my Wing Sung 618 but that is likely the ink. Or just me. I’d expect the 618 to write more boldly than the 601 on looks alone.

At the end of the day, the pen is on the conservative side of the spectrum.  One might even say boring.  Not sexy at all.

Maybe I didn’t help things by getting it in gray.

But I love the idea of this pen.

A thing that is very good at its intended purpose that advances the art in ways that aficionados can appreciate but regular users just find useful.

And maybe Wing Sung is looking to spice this pen up a bit. In addition to the demonstrators they have available, they've just released a sparkly blue edition to juice up the pizzazz. No doubt there's more on the way.

Image Taobao
 
 
 

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Published: 2018/06/12 - Updated: 2020/01/24
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Long time fountain pen user, sci-fi reader & tennis player
2018/06/13
1  

Very well done.  I agree on the advantages of a hooded nib.  My 601 & 618 are great EDC pens.  Write first time every time & consistent.  I prefer them to my 51's.  I am not in love with Vacumatic design (cleaning out to change inks is challenging). The draw fill piston is better in all regards.  Just got some loose 601/618 bent nibs from Booby & a tool to fit the nut for removing piston.  Haven't been able to unscrew, takes more effort than I'm willing to use on a new pen.   Hope to review nibs in a few weeks.

EDC
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Mostly pens
2018/06/13
1  

Thank you. I've been eyeing alternate nibs but haven't found a convenient source for them yet. It would be nice to try out a mildly bent nib like the Delike art nib. I'm not so sure about working with full fude nibs. Just removing the section on my 618 with the big fude nib was frustrating to say the least. I still don't really know the secret to that maneuver but I'd love to learn.

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Long time fountain pen user, sci-fi reader & tennis player
2018/06/30

Just got some bent style & fude nibs for 601/618.  Certainly changes the writing.  Working on a video review.

EDC
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Mostly pens
2018/07/02

Over in my article on the Wing Sung 618 I have the results of my first nib swap. Good deal.

However, I found the new nib was picky about ink. The Diamine Kensington Blue that worked well with the big fude nib did not cooperate with the No. bent nib. I flushed and refit to no avail. Switching to Diamine Majestic Blue did the trick. The nib writes famously every time.

I'm still not convinced it wasn't operator error, but it's nice to be learning.

Neat Mahogany Business
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2020/01/09

Great pen, and the review is interesting. Just recently read another - https://wowpencils.com/wing-sung-601-review/

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