Wing Sung 3008 Piston Fountain Pen Set Review

Quick Overview

Traditional ballpoint pens are good enough tools for taking notes or even for drawing simple diagrams. They’re cheap, disposable, and get the job done. However, they’re not beautiful or elegant.

Fountain pens make beautiful, organic lines and curves that are ideal for doing calligraphy or writing in cursive. They’re also an excellent choice for individuals who do a lot of writing. While ballpoint pens require you to press down and cause writer’s cramp over time, fountain pens need only a light touch to get the ink flowing and glide effortlessly over the paper if you have the right grip.

Wing Sung 3008 Piston Fountain Pen Set

This pen set is manufactured by Wing Sung, which is a subsidiary of the Shanghai Hero Pen Company. Originally called the Wolff Pen Company, Hero was founded in 1931.

As the Hero line of pens quickly became their most famous brand, the company rebranded itself as Hero in 1966. Since then, it has become the largest pen manufacturer in China.

The Wing Sung line is Hero’s replica line. Basically, these pens are modeled after other successful pens, and in this case, the Twsbi 580. Other Hero pen lines include the discount Lanxivi line, as well as the Lucky, Huafu, Xinming, Guanleming, Xinhua and Gentleman brands.

Who Is This Product For?

The Wing Sung 3008 Piston Fountain Pen Set is an ideal choice for anyone who wants to use a fountain pen for everyday writing. The reason for this is the large ink reservoir, which will last a lot longer than most reservoirs or cartridges. It’s also a good choice for calligraphers, although these users will need to buy some extra tips to flesh out their pen fully.

The only people who should not use the Wing Sung 3008 are artists. The oversized reservoir doesn’t take cartridges, so you’ll be stuck draining the reservoir and cleaning your pen every time you want to switch colors. Nonetheless, the price is very reasonable compared to what you’ll pay for some other brands, and you get four pens in a single pack.

What’s Included?

These pens come in a hard plastic case with separate sections for each pen. It’s only a few inches wide, so you can fit the entire set in your back pocket. For safety reasons, they ship empty, so you’ll need to provide your own ink.

Overview of Features

The Wing Sung 3008 is extremely versatile because it accepts Lamy nibs. With the high quality and wide availability of these nibs, this pen is as good as you want it to be. The stock nibs have a light touch and good ink flow, but they’re only available in straight fine or straight extra fine, which won’t be enough for serious calligraphers.

The piston is easy to use and can be operated by twisting the back of the pen. The reservoir is truly massive, almost as wide as the pen itself. This gives it more capacity than most standard fountain pens, but it comes at a cost—the 3008 doesn’t accept standard cartridges, so you’ll need to use bottled ink.

That said, the transparent body gives you a clear view of the reservoir. Hence, you’ll always know how much ink you have left. One minor complaint, though, is that the cap doesn’t snap onto the back of the pen. This isn’t a big deal, but pen caps are easy to lose, and there’s no reason for this feature to be missing.

How to Get The Most Out of It

To go over basic operation of the Wing Sung 3008, we found an excellent video from a Taiwanese fountain pen fanatic named Mr. Chen. Let’s see what he has to say:

Mr. Chen’s Fountain Pen Disassembly:

Since you’ll be refilling the reservoir from a bottle, one of the most important things to do with this pen is to clean it regularly. This is true for all fountain pens, but even more so whenever you’re using bottled ink.

That is because you’re physically sucking ink up through the pen, which can introduce small contaminants. Even a tiny piece of dust can obstruct ink flow, and force you to stop what you’re doing when all you want to do is write.

Alternatives

If you’re looking for an alternative to the Wing Sung 3008, consider the pen it’s based on. The Twsbi 580 is significantly more expensive, but it’s far more durable.

Most importantly, the piston, grip, and connector are all made from aluminum instead of shiny plastic. You’ll pay about four times as much for a Twsbi 580 as you will for the four-pack of 3008s, but you’ll have a premium pen that lasts for years.

Conclusion

The Wing Sung 3008 Piston Fountain Pen Set is a fantastic choice for people who do a lot of writing. With the large reservoir and wide selection of tips, calligraphers will also find it easy to use. Artists may balk at the inability to use cartridges, but everyone else will love the pen.