Hero 100:

[duanshuncn]

I like Hero 100 very much. I have 16 pens of this model.

 

You'd better not fill carbon ink into Hero 100. The Parker Super Quink is a great choice.

 

Duan

Edited February 15, 2007 by duanshuncn

[ericthered2004]

QUOTE (duanshuncn @ Feb 15 2007, 03:22 AM)

I like Hero 100 very much. I have 16 pens of this model. You'd better not fill carbon ink into Hero 100. The Parker Super Quink is a great choice. Duan

Which inks are carbon inks?

[duanshuncn]

QUOTE (ericthered2004 @ Feb 15 2007, 03:29 AM)

QUOTE (duanshuncn @ Feb 15 2007, 03:22 AM) I like Hero 100 very much. I have 16 pens of this model. You'd better not fill carbon ink into Hero 100. The Parker Super Quink is a great choice. Duan Which inks are carbon inks? The basis of the carbon ink is not the black dye but the microparticles of carbon. They are very common in China. But if this kind of ink is filled into Hero 100, it often cause the flow problems.

[Green Maned Lion]

Generally, all the inks reviewed on FPN, save for the Iron Gall inks (Lamy/Mont Blanc Blue-Black among others), are good for fountain pens. The India inks and such are bad for fountain pens. Lamy/MBs blue black is an iron gall. Its supposed to be good for fountain pens, but my experiance with it in my Pelikan Future has convinced me to stick to using it in dip pens only.

[ximhot]

To answer the question why Hero 100s made today have so much quality variance, you have to understand the demographics and economies of China. There is a huge population, more than USA and Europe combined, in China that would pay attention to a few cents (in US dollar) when purchasing a pen. There are a great number of smaller pen manufacturers that would do anything to put their products on the market to compete with the giants like Hero. Their tactics include making fakes. The "supermarket price" for Hero 616 is USD$0.60-0.80. You might scratch your head how this price can make a profit, but it does. There are a lot of reasons why Hero fails to control the quality better. Sometimes it is out of their control because these are NOT their products! In the good old days when Hero 100 made great pens, they enjoyed the state-granted monopoly and they had the access to the materials and capital that other pen makers didn't. Nowadays, the private pen makers are a lot more aggressive than Hero.

 

I have to say now it seems like the best way to buy lower end Hero, is to buy from a reputable dealer, or buy a few dozens then pick the best. I just lost all of my confidence from ebay sellers in China. I just had bad luck. On the quality of 329, I don't feel daunted at all because I can modify the pen if I want. I am sad to say I would put the Hero 100 to the lower product line now because Hero didn't treat the product quality of 100 as they did when they sworn to compete with Parker in the 50s. I love 100 but the one I have, made in 80s, compares so favorably with the ones made today, that I hesitate to recommend it to my friends before I really try it out.

 

I wondered about this myself, because Heros are inexpensive pens and there's not a lot of profit margin. I guess it's because so many Hero pens are sold in China. Someone could make money even if there were only a smallish profit on each fake pen, if he or she sold a lot of them.

 

[ximhot]

Just FYI, in some areas in China, e.g., Xinjiang and Heilongjiang, over 95% of Hero pens sold are fake. Hero itself estimated that in Chinese market, in every 7 Hero pens sold there is only one genuine Hero.

[Jerome Tarshis]

It is a great relief to read these posts by someone who is, at least to judge by his (or her) screen name, Chinese, and is also old enough to have experience of the Hero 100 as it was a few decades ago. After much ardent revolutionary struggle and the help of a friend who repairs pens, I have gotten my recent Hero 100 to where it writes fairly smoothly. It is not, however, an object of high manufacturing quality.

 

Nor am I the only person who thinks it isn't. A fair number of other users have posted messages reporting unhappy experiences, and Norman Haase, who was presumably not selling forgeries, has stopped selling the pen.

 

I am happy for those who have bought a Hero 100 in recent years and got what they thought was a really well-made pen and a satisfactory writer. My mileage differed. From my viewpoint there seems to be a great desire among pen users, some of them, to get a terrific bargain. But I've bought good English-made Parker pens (45 TX, 17 Duofold) for only a few dollars more than my Hero 100 cost me.

 

My pen-repairing friend reports that his Hero 616 cost less than my 100 and writes better, even though it isn't exemplary in fit and finish. Neither of them is anything like my Parker 51s. But I'm willing to believe Chinese users who say the earlier ones were. Too bad that Hero, like so many Occidental manufacturers, chose to let quality go. It isn't easy to resist those pressures, and it's unrealistic to expect Asian manufacturers always to do the right thing merely because their costs are, for the moment, lower than those in the West.

[His Nibs]

"Nor am I the only person who thinks it isn't. A fair number of other users have posted messages reporting unhappy experiences, and Norman Haase, who was presumably not selling forgeries, has stopped selling the pen."

 

I'll let the word "presumably" pass by. :roflmho:

 

Here's what I posted back in 2004, and haven't imported them since:

 

The Hero 100 story

 

Posted by Norman Haase on September 22, 2004, 3:41 pm, in reply to "What QC

issue"

 

The QC problem that Richard mentioned was a hairline crack that developed in

the hood, with subsequent leakage, upon first use of the pen. This occurred

in perhaps 20-25% of the last two batches of the 100 I imported.

 

The pen comes with a warranty, enabling the end-user to return the pen to

Hero for repair/exchange, but I of course opted to replace these pens

directly from my stock to obviate my customers having to go through the

hassle. When I returned the defective pens to Shanghai for replacement, they

elected to 'repair' the cracks instead. Obviously, this did not allow me to

replenish my mint stock.

 

Having imported pens from Hero for more than 7 years, this is only one of

many frustrations that I've experienced dealing with them (old-timers will

recall that I had to stop importing the great Doctor Black ink, which Greg

Clark rated #1, as Hero was incapable of ever tightening all of the caps

sufficiently -- resulting in a 78-80% loss of each shipment due to

spillage).

 

Basically, Hero has such a huge market in Asia for their pens, they really

couldn't care less about the western or U.S. market. My myriad suggestions

over the years (most frequently that they offer nib variations), has fallen

on deaf ears. Their business structure and psychology are quite alien, to

say the least (even my wife, who is Chinese -- although from Hong Kong --

thinks they're idiots ).

 

I am considering placing another order however, as I continue to be

inundated with requests (one person ordered a dozen yesterday). If I do, I

will have to either raise my prices to cover any defects, or specify that

problems *must* be addressed directly through their warranty...customer to

manufacturer. Becoming their 'authorized' dealer for the U.S. is not an

option. Their minimums for such an 'exhalted' position border on the realm

of fantasy , not only for a small dealer such as myself, but for the large

distributors that have approached them in the past.

 

Hopefully this will clarify some of the mystery as to why I felt compelled

to stop carrying a terrific -- and terrifically popular -- pen.

Edited July 13, 2007 by His Nibs

[jackzhao]

I have noticed that there isn't as much snobbery in the pen collecting world as in the watch collecting world. Back about 5 years ago, a small revolution started there. I was one of the revolutionaries, perhaps the most adamant of them. At that time, Russian watch maker Poljot (pronounced Pol-yoat) started to achieve its 1996 decision to enter the luxury watch market. Based on an amazingly good watch I bought from them, I started fighting to help Poljot get the recognition I felt it deserved.

Others helped me but I was called, at the time, "The Poljot Kid" because of my leanings and 18 years of age. 5 years later, the brand has launched itself fully into the luxury market. The cheapest alarm watch is going for $200, the chronographs using their own movement going for up to $1000 in stainless steel. The "Made In Russia" tag, once laughed at, is, as always, worn with pride and now means, among collectors, high quality. No longer viewed as a cheap watch, it is now seen in the same light as entry-level swiss brands. Others helped them, but I was probably the biggest supporter.

 

Here we are now. This is relevant, perhaps. I am reviewing the Hero 100. As I said above, the snobbery connected to the hobby of Pen collecting is not quite the ridiculous joke it is with watch collecting. In that hobby, if it ain't expensive, it ain't worth owning, for some at-least. But still, is Made In China not frowned upon, to an extent? I traded one of my surplust Rotring 600s for a Hero 100 and I have been pleasantly surprised.

 

Is this on a level with a really expensive pen? Uh.. no. There are some rough edges and such. Lets go over what it has here.

 

First Impressions: 4/10

Ok, my first impression when I pulled it out of its package wrapping was sorta my girlfriends when I show her a watch, a pen, or a car: "Its a [pen/watch/car]". Nothing exceptionally bad, nothing to catch my eye. Sleek and attractive, but dull, like a Honda Accord. Inking it with Parker quink through its aerometric filling system, which is not removable, it was a very scratchy, slightly dry writer. It felt solid, but... I didn't like the way it wrote. Things changed when I started running it over the cardboard core of a paper town roll a bunch of times. It smoothed out. But my first impression was negative, admittedly.

 

Appearance and Finish: 7/10

I personally find the shape a little boring. That is totally a matter of opinion. Some say sleek and space-age, I say boring. Regardless, the metal is well finish and presentible. The external engravings are nicely executed, and look so even under the 14x magnification of my hand held microscope. The ones on the converter are a bit spottier, but still well done. The clips point is a bit sharp. The whole thing feels very solid, especially the clip.

 

Design/Size/Weight: 9/10

This pen is well designed, of average size, and fairly heavy. The cap closes securely, if not solidly, and the clip works well. The shape is quite ergonomic, and it feels good in the hand. The pen is a flighter, all metal and classy.

 

Nib Design & Performance: 8/10

Hard for me to rate. Its a 14k solid gold nib. It originally was as scratchy as sand paper, but when I ran it over a paper towel roll for a while, it smoothed out. When I switched to Noodler's bullet-proof black from the Quink i was using, it laid down the wet and dark line I like. It is a fine nib. My issues are: it is a nail, and the line variation is zip. Normally, I don't like this in a pen. But I need something for scrawling quick notes and the like, and for that this is well suited. Not all of my pens can be the thick, wet, flexible type. Sometimes one simply doesn't have the time to carefully form letters. This one will let you do so presentably and consistently.

 

The Filling System 10/10

I love it. Simple, clean, easy, and fool proof. This is my second favourite to the Pelikan piston. It works well and it seems to hold a ton of ink.

 

Cost/Value: 10/10

Ok, solid gold nib? Check. All metal body? Check. Built in filling system? Check. Good, consistent nib? Well not out of the box, but still: check. Good clip? Check. Good finish? Pretty much. $55 retail, available on ebay new for a lot less? If you can find this stuff in a new pen for less, buy it.

 

Conclusion: 7/10

 

The score shows the average. I really like this pen. I use it for writing notes, and other things where I need consistency and speed over the enjoyment of writing with my Rotring, Sheaffer, or Pelikan. I guess you could say, this is my "ball point"? Its a good pen for those times that you need speed. And that made in china? Dangit, this is a good pen. If you are overlooking this because it is made by Hero in China, rest your fears.

 

Pictures to follow.

Hero 100 is a good pen, the best hero100s are made before 2003.

[Getsurin]

 

I have a Hero 100 in blue plastic box (instead of the gleaming blue paper box). It looks dated (but pen is new). I wonder if this is an earlier model.

 

[adallak]

I have noticed that there isn't as much snobbery in the pen collecting world as in the watch collecting world. Back about 5 years ago, a small revolution started there. I was one of the revolutionaries, perhaps the most adamant of them. At that time, Russian watch maker Poljot (pronounced Pol-yoat) started to achieve its 1996 decision to enter the luxury watch market. Based on an amazingly good watch I bought from them, I started fighting to help Poljot get the recognition I felt it deserved.

Slightly off topic but since you mention Russian watches...

 

I had a Russian pocket watch a number of years back that I bought while travelling there. It was quite nice and served me well for a number of years until I gave it away to a friend who fell in love with it.

 

Makes me wish I could find a replacement for the watch...

 

More or less on topic now...

 

So I guess I would be in agreement with you. For me function and quality can come from a non-famous brand. I have not tried Hero pens yet but they are definitely on my list to buy.

 

Thank you for the thoughtful review and related discussion.

I had a Russian Poljot automatic. An ugly watch, but... INCREDIBLY accurate! Plus 1 sec every day, no more no less for two years... Never ever had an automatic watch that accurate! Probably it is against the rules to post the picture of that exceptional watch, but I'll dare to do that. Moderator, pleasel remove if necessary...

[edbollix]

I have 2 #100's at the moment and one on the way from the Classifieds here. I purchased a stainless new from I Sell Pens months ago and picked up a older red model a few weeks ago from the classifieds. The stainless has performed perfectly for months as well as the red body. I have no complaint about the fit and finish of these pens. I use the stainless as the pen I keep in my planner and the fine butter smooth nib is just the ticket. I use one of the PR dark blues in both pens.

 

These are not the pens in my pocket but they do receive daily use. i am happy with Hero.

[jmkeuning]

Thanks for the great review. I really enjoyed reading it.

[isellpens]

The Hero 100 & 800 are going on sale this weekend at www.isellpens.com .

[pl4free]

Hi,

really enjoyed you review. i want to get ahold of a hero 100 fountain pen, but i live in germany and i can`t seem to find one here. do you perhaps know of a european sotre, as the american stores charge more than the price of the pen for the shipping?

Thanks.

[HermanvC]

Hi,

 

Try this one: http://www.pw-akkerman.nl/merken/Hero/alles.htm

I got mine from there too.

 

Herman

 

Hi,

really enjoyed you review. i want to get ahold of a hero 100 fountain pen, but i live in germany and i can`t seem to find one here. do you perhaps know of a european sotre, as the american stores charge more than the price of the pen for the shipping?

Thanks.

[dcande01]

Just ordered another Hero 100. I misplaced the one that I had and used for several months. I'm much more careful with my Pelikans, and I still have all of them. BUT, the Hero was the one that I used most. It's just a great pen, and I hope that it works as well out of the box as the first one that I had.

[dcande01]

The only person who gets to edit my work is me.

Edited May 19, 2010 by dcande01

[dcande01]

PS: Thanks, Todd!

[machlo]

Hello.

It's my first post here.

Does anybody know if buytheone or gotoschool888 is a reliable seller of a genuine Hero 100 fountain pen? I'd like to get one but I'm afraid of buying a fake. I would get from isellpens, but shipping cost to Poland is too high.