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 699 is a far cry from what’s generally considered to be a “Chinese fountain pen” thanks to its $20-$30 price tag, well-built vacuum filling mechanism, and nice size. For this reason it was one of the most sought-after Chinese fountain pens of 2019.
The 699 uses a large-ish #6 Wing Sung nib that is sold in Extra Fine, Fine, and Medium. The nib is replaceable/swappable with replacement nibs selling for under $10. The nib is a full size larger than that of a similarly priced fountain pen from a more mainstream maker at the same price, like the Tswbi Eco or Pilot Prera.
The pen is usually sold in a clear demonstrator or a translucent brown, which is just like the brown of the Custom 823. The pen’s hardware is sold in both silver- and gold-colored finishes. The pen is sold with either a solid black grip section or a translucent matching one.
Writing Experience
The Wing Sung 699 is a good writer, but it does suffer a bit out of the gate. Like many Chinese fountain pens it ships running dry, even in the medium. This means the pen needs either a good cleaning or some nib refinement (likely both) if you want the best possible writing experience. The good news is that with some very simple adjustments you can have this pen be a solid, consistent writer.
The steel nib is large and good looking, with a little bit of give. The steel nib certainly isn’t in the league of a 14K Pilot nib, but the medium is wet enough to have some line variation and do your inks justice. The EF nib is rather dry but not scratchy and still delivers a nice writing experience. The medium is a bit wetter than expected, and not too far off from a Pilot of Twsbi medium.
This being a vac-filling you’ll have to unscrew the top of the pen a bit in order to open the seal of the vac piston and let some ink through. But then if you are flying, you’ll want to go ahead and tighten down the seal so the air pressure increase won’t cause your pen to leak. It’s a useful security feature, but don’t forgot to unscrew the top a bit if the pen (or any vac-filler) is feeling dry!
Wing Sung 699 Fountain Pen Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Wing Sung |
| Pen Type | Fountain Pen | Vacuum (built-in) |
| Rating | |
| Barrel Color | Translucent Brown, Translucent White, Clear, Translucent Blue |
| Barrel Material | Plastic |
| Body Diameter (mm) | 12.7 |
| Grip Color | Black, Translucent Brown, Translucent White, Clear, Translucent Blue |
| Grip Material | Plastic |
| Grip Diameter (mm) | 10.9 |
| Country of Origin | China |
| MSRP | $30 |
| Still Sold | Yes |
| Release Year | 2019 |
| Similar To | |
| Refills | |
| Capped? Retractable? | Capped - Screw On |
| Clip? | Metal |
| Length Capped / Retracted (cm) | 15.1 |
| Length Posted (cm) | 15.9 |
| Length Uncapped (cm) | 13.4 |
| Weight (g) | 29.0 |
| Refillable | Yes |
| Nib Material | Stainless Steel |
| Nib Color | Gold Bi-color, Silver |
| Nib Sizes | Extra-Fine, Fine, Medium |
| Writing Sizes | 0.38 mm |