Wing Sung 840

Wing Sung was the second major producer of pens in Shanghai, until their acquisition by the number one, Hero in the mid 90's.  Several of their pens have become popular with collectors, and such was the size of their production that unused stock from that time is still available.  Commonly known as new old stock "NOS", they are generally as good as new but may need a little polish and clean to remove tarnish and other signs of aging.  It's also worth thoroughly flushing any NOS pen before it's first used, as it's probably been sitting in a warehouse for twenty years with the residue of whatever chemicals were used in its manufacturer coating its inside.

The Wing Sung 840 appears to be an imitation of the Sheaffer Crest.  It's a very slim and quite light pen, with an attractive wrap around conical nib.  The nib is two toned gold plated steel, the two Chinese characters printed on it represent the manufacturer, Wing Sung , The barrel is finished in a deep red lacquer which I love.  The gold cap slips up flush against this and goes on with a very positive feel.

Normally this pen is supplied with an aeromatic filler, which unlike those used on the slightly cheaper Hero pens is detachable.  The interface is an international standard size, so disposable ink cartridges can be used.  However a UK seller (listed at the bottom) offers another option, which is a screw style piston converter.  Personally I prefer these,  they're simple to use and the amount of ink that has been drawn up can be easily seen.  The only disadvantage compared to the aeromatic (I received that as well) is that the clearance between the converter and the barrel is minimal.  When you unscrew the barrel, remove it carefully.

The nib is very fine.  In general Chinese nibs are narrow compared to Western brands, but this is to the narrow end of the narrow!  The problem with narrow nibs is that it's easy for them to feel scratchy or skip.  I found these wrote far better than I expected, surprisingly smooth.  I've bought two, one wrote perfectly immediately, the second felt scratchy at first but loosened up with use.  After thoroughly flushing it and a bit more writing it matched the quality of the first pen.  For such a narrow nib, it is naturally very frugal with ink.

I like this pen a lot, and it's one I use regularly.  It's not a pen you would use to write a beautiful letter, but if you're looking for a fountain pen to use day to day for work or as a student, it's a very good option.  It looks stylish rather than showy, and the option of using ink cartridges make it quite a practical choice for the office.

Buy from:

• ebay UK