Clone Parker 51

[chadden42]

I have seen different Hero model nos. cited as the Parker 51 clone. Which is it?

Can somebody help me out here?

 

Thanks.

[JonSzanto]

Hero 616 is the most common of these.

[ancalagon]

There are several Hero models that are more-or-less close in shape to the Parker 51. The Hero 616 is cheap and easy to find; the Hero 329 is similarly cheap and a bit more different from the 51 than the 616 is. The Hero 100 is more expensive and similar looking to the 51; the Hero 1000 is similarly expensive but resembles the 51 less. Those are the ones I'm familiar with, but there are others.

 

http://hero.sproctor.com/ has some more info, and if you look under the review index thread of the fountain pen review forum here, you can find specific information/reviews/pictures of any you might be interested in.

[KBeezie]

I have the Hero 616... it writes but it's no where as 'smooth' as an Actual Parker 51. If the 'clone' factor wasn't an issue, I much prefer my Jinhao pens as they write much better and feel of better quality. (That being said, the 616 is the only Hero I own, so some discretion there).

[JonSzanto]

There is also a huge variance in quality (I hesitate to use the word "control") in the manufacture of the ultra-low end Hero pens, the 616 being among them. I originally thought I could use them for ink testing or to get new people hooked on fountain pens, but I'd order a pack of 6 and get one or two that were just decent writers, the rest suitable for carving initials on park benches or something.

 

The most amazing thing was finding out that people were cloning Hero 616s! http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/EnvoyC/emotes/rolleyes.gif

Edited March 17, 2014 by JonSzanto

[KBeezie]

There is also a huge variance in quality (I hesitate to use the word "control") in the manufacture of the ultra-low end Hero pens, the 616 being among them. I originally thought I could use them for ink testing or to get new people hooked on fountain pens, but I'd order a pack of 6 and get one or two that were just decent writers, the rest suitable for carving initials on park benches or something.

 

The most amazing thing was finding out that people were cloning Hero 616s! http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/EnvoyC/emotes/rolleyes.gif

 

lol, far as ink 'testing', I'm not a huge fan of the permanent squeeze-style sac in there, seems like a pain to get all the ink back out (such as in the case for a sample), let alone clean it. Much prefer the ones where you have the option of popping in a cartridge or like-wise compatible converter. I only have two pens that have a permanently set squeeze sac like that being the Hero 616 and the Huashilai 2111. For 'thin' and hooded (but metallic) I prefer the Jinhao 611, but at the price of one 611 (~6 to 7 USD) it's possible to get 2 or 3 Hero 616s.

 

But like you said, when it gets to such low cost options, it's simply possible it can be a quality control issue.

 

I just know that whenever I do write samples on paper the Hero 616 is either skipping, won't flow, or just seems like the meek child hiding in the back of the class amongst the rest of the samples.

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/reviews/paper/rhodia5x5dotpad_front_small.jpg

In regards to Quality Control, I'm wondering if it might be worthwhile to spend something like $10 for a multi-colored pack of 616s just to see if there's a hidden gem in there. I just know that with the Jinhao/Baoer brands, other than one of my three Baoer 507s, they have for the most part been consistent and good.

Edited March 17, 2014 by KBeezie

[JonSzanto]

Bear in mind, this was about 4 years ago when I was brand new to FPs. I was trying those, and also Platinum Preppies. I now have a dedicated ink sampling setup that revolves around three individual Esterbrook Dip-Less pens, each with a different size nib (EF, M, and . One dip holds enough for a few lines of writing onto the sample page, and they clean out really easily. I can go through a number of ink samples in one evening with no cross-contamination.

[KBeezie]

PS: replacing the ink in the Hero 616 with noodler's black eel instead seems to work wonders in terms of flow and scratchiness.

[KBeezie]

Bear in mind, this was about 4 years ago when I was brand new to FPs. I was trying those, and also Platinum Preppies. I now have a dedicated ink sampling setup that revolves around three individual Esterbrook Dip-Less pens, each with a different size nib (EF, M, and . One dip holds enough for a few lines of writing onto the sample page, and they clean out really easily. I can go through a number of ink samples in one evening with no cross-contamination.

cool.

[KBeezie]

Wrote more on the end of that rhodia dotpad with the noodler's black eel... that made a hell of a difference, not to mention I was surprised by how fast it dried on the paper with the 616's extra fine nib. Dried so quickly that the only smudge on the 5 second mark is because the end of the scribble is a little fresher than 5 seconds. Any other pen (even my 'extra fine' Goulet nib) would be wetter to the point that it would take well over 30 seconds not to smudge at all (most likely a minute) on the rhodia paper.

 

The re-scan with the additional written lines by the Hero 616:

http://static.karlblessing.com/reviews/paper/rhodia5x5dotpad_front_rescan_s.jpg

 

the 616 on a regular old notepad it's instantly dry, smooth writing, can't smudge it if I tried now.

Edited March 17, 2014 by KBeezie

[lahlahlaw]

A word of caution when comparing the 616 to the real deal. I bought a Hero as one of my first fountain pens and, although it worked well enough, it don't impress me much. When I finally got around to buying a Parker 51, I realized that the hype is well-deserved. It truly is built like a tank. It is reliable, smooth, doesn't dry out as fast, the cap is so well made, I could go on...

 

The 616 is exactly what it appears to be, a $2.00 copy of one of the best pens in history. It is no substitute for it.

[JonSzanto]

A word of caution when comparing the 616 to the real deal. I bought a Hero as one of my first fountain pens and, although it worked well enough, it don't impress me much. When I finally got around to buying a Parker 51, I realized that the hype is well-deserved. It truly is built like a tank. It is reliable, smooth, doesn't dry out as fast, the cap is so well made, I could go on...

 

The 616 is exactly what it appears to be, a $2.00 copy of one of the best pens in history. It is no substitute for it.

 

Annnddd... you've ended up "comparing the 616 to the real deal".

[lahlahlaw]

Annnddd... you've ended up "comparing the 616 to the real deal".

Edit: replace first sentence with "something to keep in mind when comparing the 616 with the real deal."

[KBeezie]

Hrm it now actually seems quite acceptable on the Cambridge "limited" notebook I have, which I've always considered to be 'feather hell' for fountain pens. Still feathers but it's so minute even with slow writing on the Hero 616 w/ Black Eel that it's "acceptable" (bit smoother now). http://static.karlblessing.com/reviews/paper/cambridge_front_hero_crop_small.jpg

 

Though I did drop the the 616 while cleaning out the nemosine ink, that bouncing around on the linoleum floor could have maybe "fixed" the feed. lol...

[Seele]

This subject has been covered comprehensively:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/260171-pens-similar-to-parker-51-hero/

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/252948-chinese-alternatives-to-a-parker-51/

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/257218-chinese-pens-too-many-look-like-counterfeits/

 

And the problems with 616 is that there are too many counterfeits.

[JonSzanto]

Edit: replace first sentence with "something to keep in mind when comparing the 616 with the real deal."

 

Yeah, I was just having fun - it's late out here!

[KBeezie]

And the problems with 616 is that there are too many counterfeits.

 

Counterfeits of Counterfeits-ish ... it's a funny thought when someone would counterfeit a $2 pen that copies a much more expensive one, but when they're flying off the shelf I guess it seems worthwhile.

[lahlahlaw]

Yeah, I was just having fun - it's late out here!

No offense taken:)

[Seele]

I have stated repeatedly that the Hero 100, 616 etc are not counterfeits.

[KBeezie]

I have stated repeatedly that the Hero 100, 616 etc are not counterfeits.

I think the earlier postings means that there are other chinese companies copying the 100s and 616s and selling them AS 'Hero 100' and 'Hero 616'. Meaning that if you were to intentionally buy a Hero 616, you might not get the original "Hero 616" but rather a copy of it.

 

And yes a Hero 616 is not a counterfeit unless they removed "Hero 616" from the cap and replaced it with "Parker", outside of china however, the arrow clip does violate trademark laws in certain countries, but it's not a counterfeit because it correctly identifies itself as a Hero 616.

Edited March 17, 2014 by KBeezie