Wing Sung 601A 0.5mm / "F" Fountain Pen

A good pen can take you a long way.  Some see it as a tool, while others keep it as a constant companion.  As a means to record one's thoughts, the pen has a long and storied history.

While the pen I am reviewing today is unlikely to change history, and while it borrows a lot from a better known pen (the Parker 51), the price and the simple aesthetic meant it was destined to be a part of my collection.

Basic Details and Cost

• $15, with free shipping from China
• Purchased via eBay in "black," and, "indigo."
• Will it post?  Yes, deeply.

Pros:

• Both of the pens I received were surprisingly smooth writers, though both required a little patience to get writing for the first time (e.g. "dry" writing, shaking the pen, etc).
• To be clear, no major maintenance was required to get the pen writing.
• The vacuum filling system means getting ink into the pen is easy.
• The pen can be purchased with or without an ink window; I appreciate that this was an option.  I opted for the window in both of the pens I purchased.
• Both pens included a free cartridge converter.  I found this odd, as neither can actually use said converter, but I won't complain about a free pack-in.

Cons:

• With no easy or obvious way to disassemble the pen, servicing it will be difficult.  This includes flushing the pens and changing inks, should I ever decide to do so.  The TWSBI Vac700 avoids this problem by having a screw-off section; there is no such luck with this pen.  With that being said, the TWSBI is also 4-5 times more expensive, so it makes sense that it would have additional features.
• The pen takes obvious inspiration from the Parker 51, down to the arrow-shaped clip.  As far as I can tell, the only two things that differentiate the Wing Sung are the nib (which is wrapped around the feed instead of being hooded) and the option for an ink window. 
• I find the design on the nib to be serviceable at best; the Chinese characters are no problem, but the "MADE IN CHINA" stamp takes up more real estate on the nib than I'd like.  By comparison, the same message appears much more subtly on the pen's cap.
• (nit-pick) Though the operation of the pen is straightforward, all of the included instructions were in Chinese.  I am listing this as a nit-pick rather than a "full" con because the instructions did include pictures.
• (nit-pick) The shipping from China was slow, taking approximately 3 weeks to arrive.  This was a mild annoyance, given that I am used to snappy shipping via services like Amazon Prime.  I am listing this as a nit-pick, however, because it doesn't affect the quality of the pen.

Conclusion:
This pen has a lot going for it, including the easy filling, the ink window, and the smooth writing.  The pen is far from perfect, however, and may be difficult to maintain in the long run.  Beyond that, while I have mixed feelings about the pen's design inspiration, it doesn't bother me enough to stop using the pen (or to have avoided making the purchase in the first place).  In all, this pen works well for me as an EDC, and I am happy to have it in my collection.

Final Score:
7.5/10