Hi Garry. I have the same pen but with a steel nib. It's good for sketching with Noodler's Lexington Grey. As you have probably discovered, the piston knob has a locking mechanism, so it's a case of pulling it away from the barrel before turning. Obviously, it's the reverse procedure to secure it afterwards. Thanks for an interesting look at how the gold nib performs.
Thanks. I don't know why I struggled with the piston mechanism - I have other pens with a similar one. I'll have to try more coffee before recording in the future😁
I just received this pen with the fine nib. Aside from the unique filling procedure, Thai is a comfortable pen. The nib is extremely smooth. Although it is a Fine nib, it seems to be more like a medium. Overall, I am pleased with the pen.
Hi Garry, great video! I have a couple of steel nibbed 698's and I enjoy using them! They are fairly easy and comfortable to hold in the hand and quite sooth to write with. In my humble opinion, one of the best sub $AUD30 pens you can get. I've been toying with the idea of buying a gold nib version for the longest time, but alas every review I see does not inspire me to take the plunge!
Looking forward to your comparison review. I like the idea of a nice gold nib in a cheap plastic pen, so that I only pay a premium for the only part I care to, in this case the nib. I have no doubt Wing Sung can produce such a pen, but I kind of doubt the market in general desires it as much as I do.
In a future video I am going to compare against some other gold nibs pens. I'm just trying to work out the format I want to use as I have 4 Japanese gold nibs to compare against. I may do it over a number of videos where I compare 2 pens in each and knock one out, rolling the "winner" into a finals round. I'm still thinking through how best to do it.
Garry you can test the gold content at home by using a magnet. Any magnet will do. If it attracts to it then it is fake (or steel) as real gold won't attract the magnet
The 698 has a locking mechanism, a small notch on the tail part, that prevents the piston knob to be turned by accident. All you have to do is to pull the grey knob out. That will extend the piston knob slightly and engage the clutch, then by twisting the knob the piston will operate smoothly. When you are finished, push back the knob inside its notch. By unscrewing the gold ring, you are disassembling the piston. On both of your 698, we can see you haven't reengaged the knobs securely inside their notches. This why there are gaps around the gold rings and the piston knobs feel loose and flimsy. All of this information is provided on the instruction sheet.
Thanks. it took me a few goes but I eventually got the hang of the piston mechanism. Not sure why I struggled. I think it's about time I started paying more attention to the instruction sheets, I need to stop just glancing at it and then putting it away
Hi Garry. I like your 698. I even like the colour. That flat grey colour is quite popular in cars at the moment and I really like it. I don't think they would have sent you a fake gold nib but it is easy to test with a magnet. Again, the piston turning knob is probably fine and you just need to get the hang of the locking mechanism. I have yet to try a Chinese pen with a gold nib but I would be interested in your comparison review later.
Thanks for the tip about trying a magnet. I'll give that a go at some time. I'm currently doing my testing to prepare the comparison video. I'm enjoying writing with both pens.
Hi Garry! I have three 698s - all steel nibs, gold in color. I love these pens and would so enjoy putting a 14k gold nib in one of them. I typically need to do some nib work on the 698 steel nibs to smooth them and increase ink flow, however. I’d love to know more about your experiences with the 698 and gold nib with respect to consistent ink flow, e.g. skipping and hard starts. Also, do you think it’s worth the $70 price? Not sure if you’re aware, but the piston knob has a specific position it needs to be in order to click into place and lock. If you look closely, there are tiny protrusions on opposing sides that snap into corresponding cutouts on the metal band just below the piston knob.
Thanks. The piston cap was definitely a case of me having a senior moment. I've since learnt to properly position it. I have just filmed a video comparing the steel nib and the gold nib. It is currently scheduled to be released on 21 Dec. TLDR; for me I think the extra cost s worth it for the gold nib.
@@GarryEves lol...I know all about those senior moments! I, too, struggled with the piston locking mechanism when I bought my first 698 almost a year ago for around $3.00. The quality of the pen remains virtually unchanged, but the Chinese are now charging between $24 and $30 for the same pen. I refuse to buy anymore at those prices. They need to improve the ink flow issues and nib smoothness to justify the price increase IMO. I’ll be sure to look for your video on the 21st. Thank you!
Hey Garry love the videos, just would like to ask that when you do your comparison video can you show us that your engaging and disengaging the piston lock mechanism. By pulling the piston back, I'm sure that's the issue your having. Edit-after looking at mine yours is opaque and you can't see the tabs on the inside of the turning knob however it should still just click in with a slight rotation while pressing down.
Thanks. For some reason I just complete brain dumped about the piston mechanism. Not long after filming I realised what I did. I'll make sure to correct it in the comparison video.
