Does anybody have one of these yet and if so, how do they perform?
It looks like an interesting take on the bulb filler concept, but with a piston in place of the usual diaphragm.
Does anybody have one of these yet and if so, how do they perform?
It looks like an interesting take on the bulb filler concept, but with a piston in place of the usual diaphragm.
David-
So many restoration projects...
azkid (August 1st, 2019)
It's not a bulb-filler, it's an implementation of what Parker called "Vacumatic" filling system.
I have one, style and dimension-wise, it's a copy of Parker 51, even the heft and fit (it doesn't feel "cheaply made").
The non-diaphragm design is interesting, time will tell if it held up equally or better than Parker's plunger with diaphragm.
I have two! And always keep both loaded (the gray one with Quink Blue, the buff-ish one with Monteverde Moonstone). I love them.
Don't tell anyone, but they write better than my couple of real Parkers.
There's also a 601-A. These have conical nibs, and are nowhere near as nice; they already leak around the section where the nib is fit.
My other pen is a Montblanc.
And my other blog is a tumblr!
And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD
Is Wing Sung 601 barrel filling with a sort of pump action to the plunger? It looks intersting, but not exactly like the old Parkers I had, which as far as I know had ink sacks and were either button fillers, or you pressed on a spring to flatted the sack. It's been a while, but I think to fill the 51 I had to unscrew the barrel, and under there I just pressed a metal bit, and I could see the rubber sack under there. With the old Heros and newer Wing Sung you can find both types very close to Parker models. I may have to get one of the old Parkers with pearly stripes and gold nib too.
The 51 you are describing is an Aerometric filler, not a Vac, which the 601 emulates reasonably closely.
Thanks Deb, I even found a wiki on it when I did a search. I think I have been thinking of all the rubber sack pens as vacuum fillers, even piston, since vacuum is involved. All this talk makes me want to order a Wing Sung.
Parker vacumatics are really just bulb fillers with a button to actuate the sac/diaphragm, there are definitely differences in the implementation, when compared to a basic version, but the mechanism of function is pure bulb filler. This is no slander, as I love bulb fillers! The ability to easily self fill from a bottle and use most of the pen's barrel for ink capacity without relying on any gaskets to keep the ink in is a tremendous advantage... heck even my tiny Wahl Bantams hold more than any cartridge system.
Thanks for the reviews, I guess I need to order one of these and try it out!
David-
So many restoration projects...
azkid (August 1st, 2019)
I disagree.
Bulb-filler relies on the bulb sac being squeezed to push air through the barrel.
Vacumatic plunger filler relies on the diaphragm being stretched to push the air through the barrel.
It's the complete opposite mechanism.
Sure, if we just consider the "pushing air through the barrel" part, a lot of filler can be said to be the same.
For instance piston filler also pushes air through the barrel, so are we going to say that Piston filler is essentially the same as bulb-filler?
By the way I love bulb-fillers as well. I converted a Sheaffer Tuckaway into a bulb filler and it works even better than the original fiddly vac-filler.
Sailor Kenshin (August 1st, 2019)
My other pen is a Montblanc.
And my other blog is a tumblr!
And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD
In the sense that Parker's exact implementation is unique (coupling a plunger rod to a clamped diaphragm) I'll agree with you, but the essence of this type of filler is that you expel air from the barrel via the breather tube, allowing ink to remain in the barrel while air easily vacates, this allows repeated/incremental filling with each expulsion of remaining air ...so the mechanism of filling is essentially the same (as is the piston/pump in the Wing Sung, or the Waterman system that was used on some ladies' and vest pocket models in the 30s).
Aerometrics with a breather tube experience some of the same benefits, obviously Parker chose to pay attention to that lesson even when they simplified their filler systems.
I'm fascinated to hear about your vac conversion! do you have pictures of it? Piston vacs are great when they have good seals, but that's a tenuous state for many of them
IIRC, the first gen 61s used a tube packed with very fine filaments to draw ink in by capillary action, I have one, but the nib hood is badly distorted so it doesn't get much use, plus the ink chamber is a bear to fully flush.
Last edited by awa54; August 1st, 2019 at 04:48 PM.
David-
So many restoration projects...
Here is the thread: https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread...way-Conversion
My Wing Sung 601A works fine so far, and does not leak at all. Maybe I just got lucky? Or some other folks got unlucky? It came from seller czxwyst on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PVDW57W, in case that makes any difference.
I have read in a couple of places that the 601A nibs are scratchy at first and need to be broken in. That turned out to be true for my pen, but the nib became fairly smooth after writing with it for a week. It was surprising what a difference it made. The nib is not butter smooth like my Parker 51, Hero 100 or Pelikan M215, but sometimes a little feedback is a good thing. The button activated piston mechanism is great, and the pen holds a lot of ink. The quality is very good, the ink capacity large, and the ink windows very handy. Not bad for a $20 pen.
Having not checked the forums much for several years, it is surprising to see how expensive fountain pens are now. Thank goodness there are still some affordable options around.
The Wing Sung 601 has been on my buy list for a while but the PENBBS 268 caught my attention so the 601 will have to wait a while longer.
Fountain Pen Sith Lord | Daakusaido | Everything in one spot
I've just got a Wing Sung 601 Demonstrator. The picture may help confirm the filling mechanism. Unscrew the blind cap, press the plunger which expells a bit of air, then release it to draw up ink through the little tube. Repeat the pressing, which continues to bring ink in and virtually fills the barrel up to the piston.
I think it's the same as the Edison "Draw Filler" system.
I have filled it with water to wash it out, but not inked it yet so can't comment on the writing quality yet.
Mine came with detailed instructions on how to disassemble, and a little container of grease for the piston. The only problem is that the instructions are in Chinese, but the accompanying diagrams are clear enough.
DSCN4195[1].JPG
The wing sung 601 is, in my opinion, worth every penny
I have 4, two demonstrators and two of the double jewel models
They are like Parker 51s that you dont need to feel bad about if you abuse them.
They dont write quite as nicely as a well tuned 51 and the nib size selection leaves something to be desired, but they ARE nice to write with. I have no complaints.
You can also buy fude-esque nibs for them. I have. They write sort of like an architect grind and are a nice upgrade for cheap.
As a bonus, they disassemble easily so cleaning them is easier than a real 51. (Bulb syringe in the back is very quick to flush one out)
If you like parker 51s but want one you can abuse without remorse, or if you are curious about 51s but the entry cost gives you pause, then you should get a wing sung 601.
Last edited by INeedAFinancialAdvisor; August 30th, 2019 at 02:48 PM.
Mine arrived and my take is that they are cheaply assembled, but with decent materials (cap clip excepted) and mine both writes and generally functions flawlessly... the cap on the other hand is total junk! I swapped a Hero 100 cap on to mine and it seals better, as well as having a useful clip.
Definitely worth $15 and three weeks' wait for delivery!
David-
So many restoration projects...
One difference is the 601 filling mechanism has a spring-loaded return, allowing for one-handed filling. When it was introduced, the Edison draw filler had a manual return, a two-handed operation.
Wing Sung 601 filling demo starts around 7:30.
Edison draw filler filling demo starts around 9:30.
Pendragon (September 3rd, 2019)
So Wing Sung came out with an improved Edison draw filler mechanism. I wonder if Edison will copy the improved Wing Sung design.
A Parker 51 with an improved filling mechanism and ink windows or a clear body, all for $15. A pretty good combination on Wing Sung's part, and with the 601A we get a Sheaffer Triumph nib added to the mix.
I'm seriously thinking about picking up one of these. However the last Hero I had, a 616 I think, had something wrong with it. It was really drippy and wrote way too wet. But that was when I first started and I didn't bother to do much troubleshooting. Hopefully it was a fluke and/or not an issue with the 601.
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