Hero... So many to choose! Speerbob?

[HenryLouis]

I agree. Should I go for a $45 NOS parker 21 instead? Because I Want to use this pen with baystate blue since it is dirt cheap.

 

However, Hero pens give you what you pay for with little exceptions.

Edited June 7, 2009 by HenryLouis

[Jimmy James]

If you are hoping to use the pen with Baystate, you should be aware that I had a 616 fail due to the ink. The inner part of the cap appears to be made of plastic that reacts (thermally?) with the ink. It did so and crumbled in my hand. I'll note that others successfully use the ink in their 616s, though. It may be that a relatively large amount of the ink got into my cap -- I believe I was carrying it in a bag at the time.

 

If this is of concern to you, I don't think the 329 cap is made the same way. I'll probably eventually put more Baystate in a Hero because it worked quite well, but it will probably be a 366 or a 329. Neither one of those caps appear to have a plastic inner part that would have this sort of problem.

[HenryLouis]

If you are hoping to use the pen with Baystate, you should be aware that I had a 616 fail due to the ink. The inner part of the cap appears to be made of plastic that reacts (thermally?) with the ink. It did so and crumbled in my hand. I'll note that others successfully use the ink in their 616s, though. It may be that a relatively large amount of the ink got into my cap -- I believe I was carrying it in a bag at the time.

 

If this is of concern to you, I don't think the 329 cap is made the same way. I'll probably eventually put more Baystate in a Hero because it worked quite well, but it will probably be a 366 or a 329. Neither one of those caps appear to have a plastic inner part that would have this sort of problem.

 

 

So what cheapo should I use with baystate? A 78G?

 

[burmeseboyz]

I agree. Should I go for a $45 NOS parker 21 instead? Because I Want to use this pen with baystate blue since it is dirt cheap.

 

However, Hero pens give you what you pay for with little exceptions.

 

 

Hero 616 pens are decent. I don't think they're much lower in quality than a P21. Compared to a P51, yeah big quality difference, but not compared with a P21. You can get a 10 pack of Hero 616's for less than $45 and you don't have to worry if you lose or break them.

 

And yes, stick with speerbob. His prices are decent and his service is good. There are plenty of fake hero's out there and it's not worth the risk to get a slightly better deal.

 

And Jimmy James, your inner cap crumbled?? Wow, that's pretty cool. I wonder what's in Baystate blue.

[Jimmy James]

Whatever it is, we know it has thermal reactions with some things and is reactive with some plastics. It's still a darn cool ink.

 

I run it in a Levenger TrueWriter bought from the Levenger Outlet on eBay, a Platinum Preppy, and have used it before in the 616 with only the inner cap trouble. In fact, I loved the way it wrote in that 616. The only thing that keeps the ink out of more of my pens is my concern that if I put it in a pen that isn't brand new, I have to meticulously clean that pen. I've heard it takes something like 10 times as long to completely flush a pen of all traces of ink as it does for the water to come out clear. I therefore limit Baystate to brand new pens that will be dedicated to the ink.

[dickens]

How about getting a Parker 51? You can find a P51 Special for not lots of money. The ink Parker made and recommended for use with the pens in that era, as I understand it, was much harsher than anything on the market now. While I still have serious doubts that your pen failure had anything to do with the Baystate Blue, I certainly understand wanting to be safe. So if you get a 51, you'll have a great pen that you could use with any ink, and that will probably be around long enough for you to get really sick of using it!

[HenryLouis]

My dad has a Parker 51 signet set somewhere within the drawers. I hope he'll find it.

 

How about getting a Parker 51? You can find a P51 Special for not lots of money. The ink Parker made and recommended for use with the pens in that era, as I understand it, was much harsher than anything on the market now. While I still have serious doubts that your pen failure had anything to do with the Baystate Blue, I certainly understand wanting to be safe. So if you get a 51, you'll have a great pen that you could use with any ink, and that will probably be around long enough for you to get really sick of using it!

 

[ZeissIkon]

I'll concur here that speerbob is a good seller -- when I ordered a pen from him, on Memorial Day weekend, it shipped on Tuesday and arrived here (North Carolina) on Thursday.

 

I can also recommend ghostshow; you'll wait longer, because it takes a while for stuff to get here from Hong Kong (which is apparently where he ships from, despite his auctions showing the product as located in Shanghai), but you'll pay less -- be a little patient, look for short-time auctions with no bids and free shipping, and you can get some of the pens he sells for under a dollar including shipping. That said, he doesn't carry the 616, 329, or 322, but rather the chrome and "lacquer" (or powder coat/silkscreen) models of Hero and other brands. I'm not certain he ships to Canada, but it costs nothing to ask a question on one of his auctions to find out.

 

The pens I've gotten from speerbob and ghostshow write every bit as well as my much more costly ($15) pens, look good, feel good in the hand (well, one is a little skinny for my arthritis, but that's nothing to do with either the manufacurer or the seller), and you could get several of them for you $45 outlay.

[Ghost Plane]

I've bought LEs off Speerbob - excellent vendor. Don't know anything about the cheapo brands.

[HenryLouis]

I have exactly $35.6 CAD in my paypal account after buying the 78G.

 

What should I get? gotoschool is selling a 10 pack of 616's for about $5 + $10 shipping. I might get one of those, and an order from speerbob possibly, since it is faster.

 

What should I do with the $35 allotted for Hero pens?

 

Thanks

Henry

[ZeissIkon]

Hard to argue with a ten pack of 616s for fifteen bucks shipped. That'll leave you $20 -- which will get you a couple nice low end pens from speerbob or isellpens, or it'll buy you a couple bottles of ink (you'll need ink for all those pens, right?).

[Jimmy James]

Hard to argue with a ten pack of 616s for fifteen bucks shipped. That'll leave you $20 -- which will get you a couple nice low end pens from speerbob or isellpens, or it'll buy you a couple bottles of ink (you'll need ink for all those pens, right?).

 

I agree, just for the record. You fill one with Baystate. The inner cap either cracks and you're out $1.50 or it works perfectly for you like has been the case for others. Worst case scenario, you then have nine other pens for knockabout work or giving to friends.

[HenryLouis]

Hard to argue with a ten pack of 616s for fifteen bucks shipped. That'll leave you $20 -- which will get you a couple nice low end pens from speerbob or isellpens, or it'll buy you a couple bottles of ink (you'll need ink for all those pens, right?).

 

Yes, I think I want to get some ink as well. Here is my current lineup... I was thinking of some Diamine or some Noodler's. Maybe another bottle of PR american blue, as my current bottle is half empty already! I might have to consider shipping times as well. 2-3 weeks is quite a while.

 

 

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u18/Henrylouis16/IMG_2270.jpg

 

 

[HenryLouis]

Yeah, I think i'm going to give the crappy pens to my friends!

 

Hard to argue with a ten pack of 616s for fifteen bucks shipped. That'll leave you $20 -- which will get you a couple nice low end pens from speerbob or isellpens, or it'll buy you a couple bottles of ink (you'll need ink for all those pens, right?).

 

I agree, just for the record. You fill one with Baystate. The inner cap either cracks and you're out $1.50 or it works perfectly for you like has been the case for others. Worst case scenario, you then have nine other pens for knockabout work or giving to friends.

 

[rwilsonedn]

I have had transactions with Sperbob and gotoschool and both are OK.

 

However, Hero pens give you what you pay for with little exceptions.

+1 on both Speerbob and gotoschool, as I've had great transactions with both of them.

But I really don't understand this prejudice about Hero pens. I have several that, far from being "worth what I paid" are among the best writers in my drawer. They are also well-built and attractive. Admittedly the 616 is getting toward the bottom of the Hero line, but there is a very interesting review in the Reviews section here comparing the 616 to the Parker 21 Special, a better pen than the 21 in the reviewer's opinion. The review, from a much more knowledgable source than I, does not suggest that the 616 is an inferior pen to either of the Parkers.

ron

[HenryLouis]

I just bidded on a 10 pack of 616's.

 

 

I have had transactions with Sperbob and gotoschool and both are OK.

 

However, Hero pens give you what you pay for with little exceptions.

+1 on both Speerbob and gotoschool, as I've had great transactions with both of them.

But I really don't understand this prejudice about Hero pens. I have several that, far from being "worth what I paid" are among the best writers in my drawer. They are also well-built and attractive. Admittedly the 616 is getting toward the bottom of the Hero line, but there is a very interesting review in the Reviews section here comparing the 616 to the Parker 21 Special, a better pen than the 21 in the reviewer's opinion. The review, from a much more knowledgable source than I, does not suggest that the 616 is an inferior pen to either of the Parkers.

ron

 

[grimakis]

I would go with a simple "51", as they will handle your BSB ink without reaction. Even if you do find the signet, it would make a terrible pen to use at school. That is unless you want everyone in the room staring at your big hunk of golden metal.

 

Just my 2¢

Edited June 8, 2009 by grimakis

[Glenn-SC]

A pack of 3 Hero 366's, a 3 Pack of 616's, and a 3 pack of 332's.

 

I've been informed of some "fakes" on ebay.

I just think that this is hilarious that you are worried about fake Heros.

[HenryLouis]

I guess, they may be cheap pens but nobody wants to get a fake... anything. I mean, I'm getting the 10 pack just to sift through the crappy ones, and hopefully get one GOOD one.

 

A pack of 3 Hero 366's, a 3 Pack of 616's, and a 3 pack of 332's.

 

I've been informed of some "fakes" on ebay.

I just think that this is hilarious that you are worried about fake Heros.

 

[ZeissIkon]

A pack of 3 Hero 366's, a 3 Pack of 616's, and a 3 pack of 332's.

 

I've been informed of some "fakes" on ebay.

I just think that this is hilarious that you are worried about fake Heros.

 

Well...

 

A real 616 is generally a good writer (typical seems to run 8+ per pack of 10); the fakes are reportedly genuine junk.