If you are shopping for a very affordable — as in sub-$30, sub-$20, or even sub-$5 — fountain pen and you want high-end features like screw-on cap, included converter, or piston-filling mechanism then you are shopping for a Chinese fountain pen. Brands like Wing Sung and Jinhao offer incredible value for the money, but they might have some shortcomings that we don’t expect from standard fountain pen purchases.
The Wing Sung 699 is a higher end Chinese fountain pen that uses a vacuum filling system. The pen was clearly inspired by Pilot’s Custom 823, a much more expensive vacuum filling fountain pen.
The Wing Sung 618 is a piston-filling Chinese fountain pen with a hooded nib.
The Wing Sung 698 is a Chinese-made fountain pen that is a close copy of the Twsbi Diamond 580 and, to a lesser extent, the Twsbi Eco. It is a transparent demonstrator made of plastic, with a piston-filling mechanism.
The Wing Sung 6359 is a popular Chinese fountain pen. It’s a direct clone of the Lamy Al-Star with a number of directly copied details.
The Wing Sung 3007 is an affordable, fountain pen that is a clear clone of the Kaweco Sport series (specifically the Skyline Sport and Classic Sport). The 3007 is a Chinese fountain pen that sells for about $3. It has a steel nib, includes a converter, and accepts both Hero and Parker cartridges.
The Wing Sung 3007 has a clear feed as many of the Wing Sung pens do, and some interesting flourishes, like a finial.
The Wing Sung 3003 is an extremely affordable (under $3) Chinese fountain pen. It’s a clear clone of the Pilot Prera, which cost about 10x as much as the 3003 and while the Wing Sung lacks much of the Pilot’s polish and extras, it remains a very good pen. The nib on the Wing Sung 3003, in particular, is quite good and more than makes up for any of the pens shortcomings.
While the 3003 resembles the Prera in a number of ways — mostly the clip, cap design, and the uses of colored plastic pieces at the ends o the pen — but it lacks the Pilot pen’s distinctive dot print on the cap as well as its prominent body sticker.
The Wing Sung 3008 is an affordable, Chinese-made fountain pen. It features styling that is very reminiscent of that of the Twsbi Diamond 580 but is much more affordable ($60 vs about $4). Like the Diamond 580, the 3008 is a demonstrator pen with a polycarbonate body and a piston filling mechanism.