Jump to content

Hero Makes Their Own Proprietary Cartridges?


Ink Stained Wretch

Recommended Posts

Looking for confirmation here. Last year I bought a Hero 359 fountain pen in a blister pack, one pen with three nib/feed/section parts, in different nib widths I suppose.

 

Along with the pen came eight cartridges. At first I assumed they were short international cartridges. I only gave them a cursory glance, and they looked like short international cartridges.

 

Looking at them more closely, however, they appear to not be short international cartridges at all. And I think they are cartridges proprietary to Hero. They are a little longer, and maybe fatter, than short international cartridges. Can anyone confirm for me that these would be hero proprietary cartridges?

 

Also, can anyone who has experience with these cartridges and the hero 359 tell me if the pen will take short international cartridges?

 

I suppose that I could live with refilling these cartridges over and over again after I empty them, but eventually they'll wear out, and I do not think I'll feel like investing in yet another type of cartridge.

On a sacred quest for the perfect blue ink mixture!

ink stained wretch filling inkwell

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • Replies 14
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Ink Stained Wretch

    5

  • Sailor Kenshin

    4

  • bob_hayden

    1

  • Jamerelbe

    1

I think you'll find the 'mouth' on these cartridges is similar (if not identical) to Parker's proprietary cartridges - the opening has a larger diameter. That also means the 'nipple' they insert onto will be larger than the standard international - but my experience has been that as long as the plastic of your international cartridges is flexible enough to not split, you *should* be able to get them to form a tight seal with the pen and work just fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you'll find the 'mouth' on these cartridges is similar (if not identical) to Parker's proprietary cartridges - the opening has a larger diameter. That also means the 'nipple' they insert onto will be larger than the standard international - but my experience has been that as long as the plastic of your international cartridges is flexible enough to not split, you *should* be able to get them to form a tight seal with the pen and work just fine.

 

So it sounds like you're confirming that the Hero cartridge is indeed proprietary. Thanks for the tip about the Parker cartridge. I have some of those around, although they may be too long for that pen.

 

I suppose that I'll mess around with an international cartridge and see how badly it might get mangled by the Hero 359.

 

But at least I have eight of the Hero cartridges that I can use and then refill. That might be enough for my entire lifetime. I might not even like any of the nibs that came with the Hero 359, and that would moot the entire question.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience on this.

On a sacred quest for the perfect blue ink mixture!

ink stained wretch filling inkwell

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Chinese manufacturers often seem not to know the whole point of a C/C pen!

 

There was a webpage ran by a fountain pen user who found that few ostensibly C/C pens from China were as such: he measured the converter socket size and found that no two were alike, so the converter was almost seen as a detachable filling unit where no pre-filled cartridges had ever been made to suit pretty much any of them.

 

That said, since Hero has inherited the rights to produce the Parker 45, it's reasonable to assume that the Parker socket standard remains as a Hero de facto standard, but whether subsequent pens - especially a much later one like the 359 - can accommodate the rather long Parker cartridge is still to be proven. It would be interesting to find out, of course.

No, I am not going to list my pens here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking for confirmation here. Last year I bought a Hero 359 fountain pen in a blister pack, one pen with three nib/feed/section parts, in different nib widths I suppose.

 

Along with the pen came eight cartridges. At first I assumed they were short international cartridges. I only gave them a cursory glance, and they looked like short international cartridges.

 

Looking at them more closely, however, they appear to not be short international cartridges at all. And I think they are cartridges proprietary to Hero. They are a little longer, and maybe fatter, than short international cartridges. Can anyone confirm for me that these would be hero proprietary cartridges?

 

Also, can anyone who has experience with these cartridges and the hero 359 tell me if the pen will take short international cartridges?

 

I suppose that I could live with refilling these cartridges over and over again after I empty them, but eventually they'll wear out, and I do not think I'll feel like investing in yet another type of cartridge.

 

I bought a few 359s after being misinformed that they take standard international carts. They do not. The Hero carts that come with the 359 are proprietary, and their ink is a very nice somber blue-black.

 

Though I have at least a few Hero pens that do take standard internationals, the 359 is not one of them.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Chinese manufacturers often seem not to know the whole point of a C/C pen!

 

I think their point is to collect as much hard currency as possible :o .

 

... since Hero has inherited the rights to produce the Parker 45 ....

 

Do they have an actual contract with Parker for that?

 

I bought a few 359s after being misinformed that they take standard international carts. They do not.

 

Yeah, I know. I had made an assumption that the pen took an international cartridge of some sort. I must not have looked at the picture closely enough. The vendor didn't say that the Hero 359 only took a proprietary cartridge :angry: .

 

The Hero carts that come with the 359 are proprietary, and their ink is a very nice somber blue-black.

 

Is it an iron gall ink?

 

Though I have at least a few Hero pens that do take standard internationals, the 359 is not one of them.

 

As I found out on an examination of them after I had gotten the pen. I'm glad the pen was really inexpensive.

 

But if the pen is good enough after I get around to testing it I may be all right with refilling the cartridges. There are eight of them, and, unless they are quite delicate, I can probably get years of use out of eight cartridges :thumbup: .

On a sacred quest for the perfect blue ink mixture!

ink stained wretch filling inkwell

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The handful of 359s I have were all good enough writers. One or two needed some smoothing, not a big deal. I wish I could tell you whether the blue-black ink is iron gall or not, but it does seem to work well in the pen. I have so many of the things I haven't refilled one yet.

 

Oh...and I THINK the ones I bought came with converters, too. My vendors were isellpens and a couple of ebay sellers, jewelrymathematics, maybe. I also got the 'Kakuno' version of the 359, with a translucent section, candy-color cap, and genuinely F and XF nibbage.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a similar experience with the blister pack w/3 nibs and 8 carts. I bought a package of Diamine Imperial Purple carts, had to jam one in and found a leaking mess in a short while.

 

I like the pen, I like that it is such a blatant knock off of the Lamy. But now I use it with a convertor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The handful of 359s I have were all good enough writers. One or two needed some smoothing, not a big deal. I wish I could tell you whether the blue-black ink is iron gall or not, but it does seem to work well in the pen. I have so many of the things I haven't refilled one yet.

 

Oh...and I THINK the ones I bought came with converters, too. My vendors were isellpens and a couple of ebay sellers, jewelrymathematics, maybe. I also got the 'Kakuno' version of the 359, with a translucent section, candy-color cap, and genuinely F and XF nibbage.

 

I didn't get a converter with my hero 359, just those eight cartridges.

 

What's the Kakuno version of the 359? I've not seen that.

On a sacred quest for the perfect blue ink mixture!

ink stained wretch filling inkwell

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here.

 

I bought all the colors.

 

 

Maybe some of these come with converters, too.

 

I see! I paid significantly less for my black Hero 359 than the selling price on that Flea-Bay offer. Maybe the converter is the big difference.

 

I'm hoping to get to testing my Hero 359 before the end of the year. Mine came with three section/nib/feed assemblies.

 

Have you tried fitting any of the section/nib/feed assemblies from any of the Hero 369s you have to a Jinhao 599? Or maybe just swapping nibs between the two? There is quite a resemblance between the Hero 369 and the Jinhao 599, as least from my superficial look.

 

Anyway, it looks like I'll be refilling those eight Hero cartridges, if I find the pen useful.

 

I suppose that if I really end up liking one or more of the three section/nib/feed assemblies I could just bite the bullet, open the old wallet, letting the moths fly out, and buy some Hero proprietary cartrides, as I've recently done with Cross and Platinum cartridges. I do dislike having to buy proprietary cartridges though :( , especially since my major use for them will be for refilling.

On a sacred quest for the perfect blue ink mixture!

ink stained wretch filling inkwell

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see! I paid significantly less for my black Hero 359 than the selling price on that Flea-Bay offer. Maybe the converter is the big difference.

 

I'm hoping to get to testing my Hero 359 before the end of the year. Mine came with three section/nib/feed assemblies.

 

Have you tried fitting any of the section/nib/feed assemblies from any of the Hero 369s you have to a Jinhao 599? Or maybe just swapping nibs between the two? There is quite a resemblance between the Hero 369 and the Jinhao 599, as least from my superficial look.

 

Anyway, it looks like I'll be refilling those eight Hero cartridges, if I find the pen useful.

 

I suppose that if I really end up liking one or more of the three section/nib/feed assemblies I could just bite the bullet, open the old wallet, letting the moths fly out, and buy some Hero proprietary cartrides, as I've recently done with Cross and Platinum cartridges. I do dislike having to buy proprietary cartridges though :( , especially since my major use for them will be for refilling.

Well, I just fell for the pastel colors and translucent sections. I think mine came out to be the same price each.

 

If I recall, I tried swapouts, and parts are not interchangeable. Nor can they be swapped out with Safari parts.

 

Want a converter? I'll see if I still have extras.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just took a quick look at EBay. Hero cartridges -- 60 for $8.99 including shipping from China. That should hold you for a while... and give you lots of options for refilling with ink of your choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I want to add some observations since I have been in China for three years now.

The Hero cartridges are the standard in China with most available new pens using the cartridges. Deli, M&G and other companies seem to use them. They are also the same as the Indian company Flair's cartridges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

And many recent Wing Sung and Yiren pens use these cartridges as well. I have purchased them on eBay in the past but could only find two sellers this morning. I think that blue, black, and blue-black have been available. There are some sources of confusion.

 

Both Jinhao and Hero sell cartridges in this odd size with length between short and long internationals.that fit many pens that take short internationals. AFAIK only Hero also makes cartridges in the same shape but the larger bore. The latter are marked 359 while the Hero cartridges compatible with standard internationals are marked 0028, Otherwise the packaging is labeled only in Chinese, and in particular the color of the ink is not show in English. I have ordered what I thought was one color and got another. Today the best deal is an odd one: 359 cartridges that come in shades of green and orange with blue-black ink inside. the eBay heading is

 

6pcs Blue and black ink only fit for 359 HERO fountain pen ink cartridges

and they are a very reasonable US dollar for six cartridges postpaid. You can also find black ink in normal color cartridges but from that seller you will pay $7 US including shipping for six cartridges. Comparing these to memory I think the color code in the package trim is that blue=blue, gold=blue-black, and white=black (how intuitive!-)

 

It is true that the opening in the cartridge through which ink flows is closer to Parker than to international, but my experience with a side variety of recent Chinese pens that take large bore cartridges is that Parker cartridges will develop a slow leak between the cartridge and section. It can vary from just a hint of dried ink in that area by the time you run out of ink to a real mess a couple days after inserting the Parker cartridge. Lamy cartridges are much more likely to work, but often will not fit in the barrel. In the specific case of the Hero 359 pen, all three large bore cartridge types have worked well for me.

 

My experience has been mostly with cartridges. The only converters I see on eBay for the 359 cost more than a 359 so one might as well just buy another 359 that comes with a converter (the norm in my experience). Alternatively you could buy generic converters for big bore pens in general. Here is the title of one eBay listing for those

 

5pcs NEW OFFICE red new 3.4mm Big hole Fountain Pen Ink Converters

 


  • (Yeah, the red twister is the norm for Safari-clone converters.YThese are $1.35 for five postpaid to US of A.)
Edited by bob_hayden
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...