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Hero Pens - Why?


Blue_Moon

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I don't understand why Hero pens exist. I confess that I don't know much about them, other than they copy legitimate companies' designs - Lamy, Parker, Mont Blanc, maybe others - I don't know. I guess because of international jurisdiction, they can't be sued - I don't really know, but I'm sure all the legitimate pen manufacturers would have sued them if they could. I don't see why people support them. It just seems to me that they are a company of knockoffs. Companies spend a lot of money in research to improve their pens, create new designs, and bring pens to market that are truly wonderful. From what I've read, Hero comes along and copies the design using inferior materials (in comparison). Now, I read that there are pens coming out that are copying the knockoffs. What is it about Hero pens? Is it just the overconsuming desire to save a buck that people buy them? Help me to understand.

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I personally do not see that the price of a pen can be justified when you start getting to $200 and above. Unless rare materials are used. I am going to get some slack here, but I have a 146 which was sold to me at $100, and in all honestly, it is nowhere near worth what the pricetag it has on it new.

 

Prof Brown has a video on YouTube about are expensive pens worth it, and I tend to agree with all his points. And this is why there are fakes, or copies of the pens. Hence the existence of Hero ;)

 

Copying the Safari though is beyond me :)

Edited by inn3rs3lf

Beware of no man more than yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us - Charles Spurgeon


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Everyone needs a 'Hero' ! :)

A wise man once said    " the best revenge is wealth "   but a wiser man answered back    " the best revenge is happiness "

 

The true definition of madness - Doing the same thing everyday and expecting different results......

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As a 'creator' I dont understand the desire to own a fake of something else. It's like it but its not. I got a weird feeling seeing reviews of 'homage' pens to the skyline, a weird way to say fake if you ask me. Its going to exist and will continue to exist as long as there is a marketplace. I definitely think it shouldn't be counted as an equal discussed alongside it's 'peers' and should be in a forum topic of it's own.

 

This whole forum would erupt in havoc if someone went by the name fibs.com or Fendleton Frown and did business as an equal. Same thing in my book we just know those fellows and not the faceless brands we esteem.

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I tend to agree with crbrown; why own a fake version of something made poorly just to save some money.

 

Hero exists because many people who like fountain pens either cannot or are not able to spend the money on an original pen. Sure, you can buy a restored Parker 51 for ~$80 but to some people that just is not worth it for a pen. So they go the the Hero equivalent which decimates the cost. In that regard I can understand if someone wants a to start using FPs but doesn't want to drop a large amount on their first pen without knowing whether or not they like it.

 

 

 

Another thing I don't get is why someone would collect Hero pens. Why bother buying 25 cheap pens and 'collecting' them? That, to me, is the equivalent of 'collecting' mass market paperbacks. They have absolutely no collectible value since they are over manufactured. With the money they spent on so many Hero pens why not just save up and buy a authentic Parker 51 or whatever else they copy?

Edited by Tylerjordan
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I personally do not see that the price of a pen can be justified when you start getting to $200 and above. Unless rare materials are used. I am going to get some slack here, but I have a 146 which was sold to me at $100, and in all honestly, it is nowhere near worth what the pricetag it has on it new.

 

Prof Brown has a video on YouTube about are expensive pens worth it, and I tend to agree with all his points. And this is why there are fakes, or copies of the pens. Hence the existence of Hero ;)

 

Copying the Safari though is beyond me :)

This reads to me somewhat along the lines of "I don't want to pay for it, therefore stealing is fine."

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Well...I do own a Hero, the model 382 which I don't beleive to a copy of anything but is Hero's own original design. For 7.75USD it has got to be one of the prime values in pendom. Build quality is excellent and the nib (a fine) is very smooth with a hint of tooth. I happen to like it very much. Also, Hero are one the older makers of pens in China and I beleive they make their nibs in house.

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I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.

 

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This reads to me somewhat along the lines of "I don't want to pay for it, therefore stealing is fine."

Then I'm afraid you read wrong.

 

I didn't advocate buying Hero pens at all, nor did I approve their existence. I am merely stating that certain people cannot justify the pricetag on premium brands, when a company such as Hero can bang out the product for $200 less. Heck, nibmeisters need to work on certain $600+ pens due to the 'craftsmanship' being sub-par.

 

TL;DR : I don't believe in counterfeits, but I can see why a person would buy them.

Beware of no man more than yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us - Charles Spurgeon


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Just a quick question here: Are Hero nibs and Lamy nibs interchangeable? :)

My Pens/Nibs (inked/active): Lamy Studio/Vista/Joy (XXF slight-flex custom | 14k EF | EF | F | 14k M | M | B | 14k 1.1 custom | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.9), TWSBI Diamond 580 (F | Pendleton BadBoy | Zebra G | F.P.R. semi-flex), Pilot Falcon EF, Penkala Vintage 14k semi-flex, Pilot Parallel (2.4 | 3.8 | 6.0)

http://www.fp-ink.info/img/button.pngI'm still looking for help/data/supporters/sponsors for my Ink Database - It already contains over 900 Inks but is still low on data about the inks except on the Inks I got myself or where I found nice data sheets. So Im looking for these: InkSamples mailed to me, Permissions to use InkReviews - preferable by people who have a lot of InkReviews online, InkReviews mailed to me so I can scan them, Sponsors that will help me to finance InkSamples, People willing to trade InkSamples (list of available Inks from me is available via PM request - please include available Inks)

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I don't understand why Hero pens exist. I confess that I don't know much about them, other than they copy legitimate companies' designs... What is it about Hero pens? Is it just the overconsuming desire to save a buck that people buy them? Help me to understand.

 

No, it's not just to save a buck.

1. Most people don't have the opportunity to try new pens in store, and have to buy them online. This goes double for vintage pens. Buying a Hero is a way to try before you buy. If Hero Safari Lamy clones had been around before I bought my Vista, I'd have had a much better idea if I could get used to the shape of the section. Same goes for Parker 51s - if you're not sure whether you will like the size, shape, and concealed nib, Hero pens are aa good way of finding out.

 

2. They give you an inexhaustible medium for practising transferable fp skills, Nib shaping, smoothing, and tine gapping Heros is way better than learning on desirable modern or vintage pens.

 

3. Same goes for iron gall enthusiasts etc. 'Problem' inks aren't a problem.

 

4. This one is pretty specific: You are far, far better prepared taking apart some 616 pens before getting your first Parker 51 than going in blind.

Latest pen related post @ flounders-mindthots.blogspot.com : vintage Pilot Elite Pocket Pen review

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Hopefully this discussion will go better than it did the last time it came up!

Proud resident of the least visited state in the nation!

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As far as I know Hero doesn't exist solely for the export market, in fact, as far as I know most of their sales are actually within China and in my experience Hero never represents their product as the real thing, they may look similar (or exactly the same), sure, but never are they represented as a true counterfeit. Yes, a lot of their designs are knockoffs (but not all are).

 

As a consumer I can say that I have bought Hero pens (as well as pens from several other Chinese manufacturers) and I bought them for a few main reasons.

1. Price. These pens are cheap and in my experience well made for the price, especially when considering other pens at and around the $10 range. You can get decent, refillable fountain pens for about the same price as a Pilot Varsity.

Low price makes having multiple pens for note taking more viable (I like a three color system, red, blue and black). If I were to use a pen like the commonly recommended Lamy Safari it would cost me about $95 to get three with converters, while if I were to get three Hero pens (not talking about Safari clones) I could probably be completely set up for about $20, thats less than the cost of a single Lamy Safari.

 

2. Low risk. Want to try your hand at nib grinding, want to see what would happen if you did x,y or z to a pen, or want to try out a homemade iron gall ink in a pen? Well with Hero/ Chinese pens I can mess around, learn and experiment in ways that I would be too afraid to try on a more expensive/ valuable pen.

 

3. Variety. You can get really fat heavy pens or really light skinny pens, you can get traditional colors, bizarre ornamentation or odd novelties. They offer a chance to play and experiment that wouldn't be viable otherwise. Am I contemplating a pen with a metal section/hooded nib/nib size or shape different from what I am used to? Am I afraid that I might not like it and don't have the ability to try the real thing out in a store? Well Hero pens let me try out that feature at much less risk than the real thing.

 

Those are just a few of the reasons that I have bought and may buy more of these types of pens in the future.

 

P.s. I do own and use Lamy Safaris for note taking and wish that I could have tried out the section for an extended period of time because after two years I can say that I am not a fan of the feeling of the section and it no longer works for me, even though the pen is very functional.

Edited by androids.conundrum
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If you were to visit to a large Chinese department store you'd likely find an aisle that contains nothing but fountain pens and ink. There may be a Japanese brand represented and you'll see Hero fountain pens but also a half dozen other inexpensive brands that you may not find familiar. There will also be ink - typically only in black, blue and red - not in "boutique" colors. Most Chinese neighborhoods have a small shop or two that sell a few fountain pen brands - none of which are Japanese, European or American - and some local inks.

Why does Hero copy western fountain pen styles? That probably started when, in 1948, Chinese pen factories operated by western countries, including Parker, were nationalized and the new Red Chinese government turned the Parker Pen factory over to the Shanghai Hero Pen Company. The factories then continued to manufacture pens in the same way they had previously, not so they could sell ersatz pens to foreign markets, but because the country needed writing instruments and there was a cold war going on that precluded buying authentic western pens - which no one could have afforded anyway.

China has only been open to world trade for thirty years or so and many in China have experienced affluence for fewer years than that. Hero and other pen manufacturers do not exist because a few tens of thousands of American's choose fountain pens as their hobby but because millions of Chinese people grew up writing with them and many people still do.

Edited by PatientType
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Some years ago I threw a couple of Hero's low end Parker 21 / 51 clones in on orders that included some higher end pens. I have to think that they were not violating any currently valid patents, not copying a pen that Parker still made, nor were they using Parker's trademark, so they could not be accused of selling an actual fake. I was simply curious about these pens which were being recommended to beginners. They were not bad, not particularly good. Obviously, some of their other models may be better, I just can't say. And I prefer my genuine vintage Parker 21, Super 21, and 51s.

 

It was later that they came out with their copy of a pen still being made, the Lamy Safari. That seemed less excusable to me, just because the Safari is a current production pen. It was a little funny, though, when Jinhao undersold Hero with their own copy. And I suspect that the similarity in appearance is not sufficient cause for a successful lawsuit.

 

It is understandable that people thinking of buying a first fountain pen get sticker shock when they look at the prices. My first fountain pen was a Parker IM costing $22, and it was really hard at that point to get myself to pay over $20 for a pen. People who get a recommendation for a Hero or Jinhao when they first come to FPN may just take it without digging any deeper.

 

At this point, well, I haven't reached $200 yet, and suspect I won't. My most expensive pen would have been $220 from most US dealers, but was considerably less from a Japanese eBayer. It's not a knockoff, though. My one Montblanc was bought used for not too much, although I did increase the price by getting the nib reground. We do these things as we learn more about fountain pens, to the extent that we think reasonable. It's perfectly understandable, though, that people start out with brands like Hero.

Edited by ISW_Kaputnik

"So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do."

 

- Benjamin Franklin

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The Chinese have used ink and pens (of various types) for a very long time plus they invented paper in about 105 AD. They have libraries containing books and documents written and printed on paper, with ink by hand and print block that are far older than anything produced by Anglo/European culture by a thousand years . Europe "discovered" and stole paper production methods from the Chinese and Muslims via trade, war and early travels to China in 1300 AD and later. The Chinese were and are still just returning the favor. So maybe we need to call a waaahbulance and be marginally humble about pen, Ink and paper "ownership".

Edited by hardyb

The Danitrio Fellowship

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I tend to agree with crbrown; why own a fake version of something made poorly just to save some money.

 

Hero exists because many people who like fountain pens either cannot or are not able to spend the money on an original pen. Sure, you can buy a restored Parker 51 for ~$80 but to some people that just is not worth it for a pen. So they go the the Hero equivalent which decimates the cost. In that regard I can understand if someone wants a to start using FPs but doesn't want to drop a large amount on their first pen without knowing whether or not they like it.

 

 

 

Another thing I don't get is why someone would collect Hero pens. Why bother buying 25 cheap pens and 'collecting' them? That, to me, is the equivalent of 'collecting' mass market paperbacks. They have absolutely no collectible value since they are over manufactured. With the money they spent on so many Hero pens why not just save up and buy a authentic Parker 51 or whatever else they copy?

 

You don't seem to be lacking money, hence, you think that way. Ask the same question to someone that has to struggle to make $10 in th enight shift of a greasy parlor and then has togo home undertjrest of been assaulted. Then the value of a HERO goes up astronomically. If you think so, you should buy them "by the dozen" and give them away to people that will use them and appreciate them. Hey, I even have a pen that cost $5 fom China. I bought two and gave away one. And it is good for drawing and doodling and writing letters. When did $5 of an American product gave you so much?

 

Collecting them is another thing. It has no value an I agree. But then, the thought of collecting something is also weird. You collect things and then look at them every day or display them, touch them, adore them... Yes, you do. Isn't that kind of weird? Makes no sense to me. Things are to be used onless they are a work of art that should be displayed and enjoyed.

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Some years ago I threw a couple of Hero's low end Parker 21 / 51 clones in on orders that included some higher end pens. I have to think that they were not violating any currently valid patents, not copying a pen that Parker still made, nor were they using Parker's trademark, so they could not be accused of selling an actual fake. I was simply curious about these pens which were being recommended to beginners. They were not bad, not particularly good. Obviously, some of their other models may be better, I just can't say. And I prefer my genuine vintage Parker 21, Super 21, and 51s.

 

It was later that they came out with their copy of a pen still being made, the Lamy Safari. That seemed less excusable to me, just because the Safari is a current production pen. It was a little funny, though, when Jinhao undersold Hero with their own copy. And I suspect that the similarity in appearance is not sufficient cause for a successful lawsuit.

 

It is understandable that people thinking of buying a first fountain pen get sticker shock when they look at the prices. My first fountain pen was a Parker IM costing $22, and it was really hard at that point to get myself to pay over $20 for a pen. People who get a recommendation for a Hero or Jinhao when they first come to FPN may just take it without digging any deeper.

 

At this point, well, I haven't reached $200 yet, and suspect I won't. My most expensive pen would have been $220 from most US dealers, but was considerably less from a Japanese eBayer. It's not a knockoff, though. My one Montblanc was bought used for not too much, although I did increase the price by getting the nib reground. We do these things as we learn more about fountain pens, to the extent that we think reasonable. It's perfectly understandable, though, that people start out with brands like Hero.

 

I think they serve a purpose for all, the buyer and the seller.$5-$10 in another country is a lot. They may even feed a family for a week. I just guess.

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