I Need A Hero . . . To Explain The Difference Between Hero Ink Cartridges & Bottled Ink

[AndWhoDisguisedAs]

I’ve recently purchased some cheap Hero fountain pens that came with Hero ink cartridges. I like the Hero ink mainly because it’s fast drying and well behaved across different pens (Hero, Jin Hao, Plantinum Preppie) so I want to buy a bottle of blue, black, and blue-black, if they offer it.

 

Can anyone explain the differences between the Hero Carbon Blue and the Hero Classic Blue and Hero Carbon Classic Blue? Then do the same between Hero Carbon Black and Hero Classic Black and Hero Classic Carbon Black? Are there just three colors packaged under different and confusing names? Or is there more to it?

 

If there are differences, which Hero ink brand comes in their ink cartridges? I’ve tried asking sellers on eBay but the best response I have received is “the color is blue.”

 

Also, regarding said Hero ink cartridges, can anyone explain their model numbering?

 

I see 352, 0028, and 359. I have seen all three listed as Blue, Black, and Blue Black. Does anyone know which model is what color (I’m assuming one is black, one is blue, and one is blue-black) and whether these inks are “Carbon” or “Classic” or “Carbon Classic”?

 

Oh, and as long as you’re explaining stuff, why don’t these ink cartridges universally fit Hero fountain pens? Some do, others don’t. What’s more, some Hero Ink Cartridges fit my Jin Hao 599’s (their Lamy rip-off) perfectly but the Jin Hao ink cartridges do not fit any Hero writers. (C’mon!)

 

Right now, my go to every day, fast drying inks include:

 

• Parker Quink and Kon Peki (from the bottle)
• Lamy blue, black, and turquoise ink cartridges
• Waterman Black and Mysterious Blue ink cartridges.
• Platinum Blue, Black and Blue Black ink cartridges.

Would, of course, love to hear your fast dry/well behaved bottle ink suggestions. I’m currently leaning towards blue and blue-black.

 

Thank you fountain penners!

[amberleadavis]

If you don't get an answer here, you might want to add this to the Chinese pen forum. Hero aficionados may have more information.

[Mech-for-i]

AFAIK , Hero bottled ink is not formulated the same a their cartridge ink. Hero made a wide variety of ink in bottled form. Except for their recently released color ink series which comprise of 12 different colors, all their other ink series have the 4 or less basic colors : Red ( which always end in 1 in the numbering ) Blue-Black ( which have 2 ending in the numbering ) Blue ( which number ended in 3 ) and Black ( 4 in the end numbering ) So say for their typical school ( read economical range ) / office use 20X range; 201 is red, 202 is blue-black, 203 is blue and 204 is black. The only exception is their specialty ink and their Gift Package ink. although lately they deviate from this naming norm somewhat ( see below ).

 

The number 352, 0028, 359 are all cartridges. Hero ink cartridge is marketed by Hero Pens but the Hero ( bottled ) ink is produced and marketed by Hero Chemical under a different company where they both share parent to Hero the bigger industrial conglomerate. Hero Pens instead market their ( still manufactured by Hero Ink ) own bottled ink branded Dux and Doctor ( 401, 402, 403, and 404, and guess it red, blue black, blue and black respectively and a scented black 304 ) If I recall it right, the 359 Cartridge just mean its mean for the pen model 359 and the color is listed on their packaging ( in Chines ), the 028 is a blue black , and 0028 is blue for used in Hero's other pen ( aka compatible with their Hero converter )

 

I do know Hero Ink never claim any of their ink as being specifically for fast drying ( except for one ). Right now the Hero Ink basically comprise of the 20X series , the 23X series ( vintage formula , and black is true high carbon black ), the 200 and 400 are their mid range ink, then there's their specialty and high end inks, and 2 type of ink cartridge Hero Ink do made, the 2103 and 2104, well its blue and black respectively. And here's a list of known Hero ink in current catalog

 

201 Red

202 Blue Black

203 Blue

204 Black

 

231 Red

232 Blue Black ( reported by some suing it to be iron Gail but Hero never mention that .. so ?? )

233 Blue

234 Carbon Black ( very high carbon content, and vintage formulated using organic resin )

 

214 Carbon Black ( modern formula )

 

252 Accountants ink, permanent Blue Black

254 Accountants ink permanent Black

 

440 Pigment Black ( this is the only ink Hero say being fast drying and water resistant )

 

200 Blue Black

400 Black

 

86 Carbon Black drafting ink ( for steno )

 

7101-7112 Hero's new color ink ( 12 variety in total, Dye ink )

 

8801, 8802, 8808 Very late new formulated dye based black, in variety of gift package and volume ( known to be blacker than other dye based black )

 

8104 Black, another different formula, supposed to be lubricating

 

9001,9003 Black, a very new ink released last year Hero claim it to be their blackest black in dye form

[Mech-for-i]

To add to that, actually on any of Hero Ink or Hero Pen's bottled ink or cartridge, the Chinese only read the Color as Red, Blue Black, Blue and Black, the only exception is the Carbon Black which the text just say Carbon Black. I suppose the English naming is somewhat over zealous translation instead

 

And for my recommendation I would go with the vintage 232 Blue Black and the 233 Blue. Been using them for decades and never give me trouble, love that vintage style bottle too. I think recently there is these 2 reviewed over at the ink review forum section.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Mech-for-i

[AndWhoDisguisedAs]

Wow. Thank you. (And no wonder I was having trouble figuring this out!)

Yes, I do think the 359 ink cartridges might have come with a Hero 359 pen I purchased a while back (and have been unable to get to write and open to suggestions).

 

Whether Hero advertises it or not, these three models of ink catridges - for me at least - dry quickly and perfectly on the journals and Levenger's legal pads I'm using.

 

I'll jump on eBay and look for the vintage 232 blue-black and 233 Blue. If you have a link to a store that ships to the US, please send. Otherwise, Mech-for-i, thank you SO much for your help!

[WJM]

Hero inks which are commonly available in stores in Poland are numbered 61 (washable blue) and 64 (black). Any information about those? Are they the same as those 200-something or is this something else?

[Mech-for-i]

Although I have no concrete answer to the question ; I would still go off and wager that's the case. Hero ink really had only 1 range of nominal mass market ink, their 200 series and any other variant are based on that, either its different packaging or simply market specific model names. Even Hero Pen's own version of that are basically just the same ( with a different bottle ). The Term washable blue is used AFAIK on their 21 series cartridge and the only difference that being against the 200 series is that Hero say they add some lubricant / cleaning agent ( sort of ) in there as they've found cartridge user are not so frugal in their cleaning out the pen for every change of cartridge. I would wagre the 61/64 either are just bootled version of that or simpler yet, just re batched 200 series.

 

After all, all the other Black are quite unique and marketed for those specific niche, and the only other blue the 233, is a very vibrant but saturated vintage formula and one can smell it ( yeah the 23 series is well known for their not so pleasant smell when having the bottle open up but curiously not a issue when actually using them )

 

But I may be all wrong. Hero Ink might be fulfillinf export order with specific batches still

[WJM]

Here's a picture of what it looks like - Hero Ink Black No 64. Note about the characteristic smell definitely applies, those inks are famous of it

 

http://i67.tinypic.com/10d8jfc.jpg

 

 

[OCArt]

A strong +1, very good inks at a bargain price.

 

And for my recommendation I would go with the vintage 232 Blue Black and the 233 Blue. Been using them for decades and never give me trouble, love that vintage style bottle too. I think recently there is these 2 reviewed over at the ink review forum section.

[Mech-for-i]

Here's a picture of what it looks like - Hero Ink Black No 64. Note about the characteristic smell definitely applies, those inks are famous of it

 

http://i67.tinypic.com/10d8jfc.jpg

 

 

 

That's exactly looking like the 204 except for the number shown , that also is the old packaging , they switch the graphics to something more modern lately but still plenty of these old packaging around

[AndWhoDisguisedAs]

I just ordered the Classic 232 Blue-Black and Classic 232 Blue from eBay seller in Japan for $10 total, for both, including shipping.

 

Um, what smell? (Or is it just the Hero black.) I've been very happy with Aurora Black.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

The Hero 359 fountain pen I got came with Hero cartridges, which are different from international cartridges in terms of form factor.

 

I have used Hero Blue/Black and it was an iron gall ink. Unfortunately, the cap wasn't so great and in fairly short order all of the water evaporated from the ink bottle. While it lasted it was okay.

 

I once bought some Hero Carbon Black ink. I opened a bottle and the stench was very off-putting . The odor just screamed "This ink is toxic!" It smelled as if I'd just opened up a bottle of burning tires. It was really bad. I sent it back. I didn't want to breathe in the same room with that ink, much less put it in a fountain pen.

 

hth.

[Mr.Rene]

Hero inks use to smell phenol but I like it...

[apvm]

I just ordered the Classic 232 Blue-Black and Classic 232 Blue from eBay seller in Japan for $10 total, for both, including shipping.

 

Um, what smell? (Or is it just the Hero black.) I've been very happy with Aurora Black.

 

Can you point me to the ebay seller, can't find it, looking for red too. Thanks in advance.

[bob_hayden]

Here is a US/eBay perspective. First, re form factor, all the Hero ink cartridges I have seen have a length between short and long international. They are less tapered than the shorts so that the widest part is narrower than a short. I have several (mostly Hero) pens with barrels these will slip into but shorts will not. In some cases this looks like an intentional effort to boost the sale of Hero cartridges;-) Jinhao also makes cartridges of this shape, but they also make long and short internationals (if eBay sellers are to be trusted;-) There are also no-name cartridges with this shape as well as cartridges from India (though I do not know if they are actually made in India). All of these mid-lengh cartidges that I have ever seen have a thick (quarter inch or 6mm) plug at the closed end.

 

AFAIK all these used to fit pens that took short international cartridges except for some rare cases when they were too long for the barrel. Then Hero released its 359 Safari clone which also cloned more or less the type of cartridge used by Lamy. To fit the 359 pen, they issued the 359 cartridges. (The older ones usually are marked 028 or 0028.) The only visible difference is that these have a larger hole to let the ink out. It is similar to the holes in Parker and Lamy cartridges. Some say Parker and Lamy are not exactly the same in terms of specs, but most people find they are interchangeable unless the shapes catch on the inside of a pen's barrel. I can say from experience that many of the Chinese pens that take larger bore cartridges make a poor seal with Parker cartridges and ink will leak out between cartridge and section. The Hero 359 pens seem to work with all three cartridges but that is the exception rather than the rule. AFAIK Jinhao does not make large bore pens nor cartridges for them. In China the 359 pen was a big hit and now the 359 cartridges are more common there than internationals so many recent pens from Yiren and Wing Sung take the large bore cartridges.

 

I have no idea how the inks in the various cartridges compare to each other or to the bottled inks. The bottled 23x inks have been around forever and seem to be classic mixes. I think the 20x series are modern formulae that are intended as cheap utility inks in China where they are marketed to school children and businesses that use lots of ink. However, here in the US, the 20x series inks cost more -- perhaps because they are the new model, or come in prettier boxes. The 400 series inks are cheaper in the US. Some say they are fancier than the 2xx inks while others say they are just the 20x inks in different packaging.

 

Search "hero bottled ink" on eBay to see sellers of the three lines I've mentioned. Prices are quite variable so shop around. I should warn that there is a non-negligible chance of leakage or breakage during shipping but even allowing for that these inks can be quite cheap. In my exper8ience that has been their only virtue, but YMMV.

[Mech-for-i]

I am actually kind of amazed that the 20 series actually being selling at a higher price than the 23 series. But as stated the 23 are just classic formula, and as such the 234 Carbon Black ad the 232 Blue Black are probably true steals. Especially if you take note at how much comparative Carbon ink and Iron Gall ink are asking for. However they are high maintenance ink and certainly not for everyone.

[IMP1959]

I’m curious to try Hero inks but a little confused by the somewhat contradictory information I’ve seen online. For example, one poster says he’s been using Hero inks for decades without problems while another says they’re high maintenance. Furthermore, a current eBay listing for 233 ink states that “...Do not contain impurities and will not block pen nib.”

 

Please can anyone offer clarification for a relative newbie like me? TIA.

[tamiya]

I’m curious to try Hero inks but a little confused by the somewhat contradictory information I’ve seen online. For example, one poster says he’s been using Hero inks for decades without problems while another says they’re high maintenance. Furthermore, a current eBay listing for 233 ink states that “...Do not contain impurities and will not block pen nib.”

 

Please can anyone offer clarification for a relative newbie like me? TIA.

Hero ink has been around for decades. Assuming you get a genuine bottle of correct type and its uncontaminated with unnatural growth etc etc it'll do its job fine as fountain pen ink.

 

Used to be all the rage in SEAsia in the 70s & 80s because it was cheap was the cheapest FP bottle around, could buy 3-5 Hero for price of 1 Quink it got used for writing and got wasted on kiddy pen fights (school wore white shirts) and other kiddy experiments.

 

Heh

[Mech-for-i]

Just as any brand Hero ink is not one ink there are their high maintainence ink ; iron gall and carbon ; then therr is their normal use ink which just function as fountain pen ink ; as other brand too you can only say something about individual specific ink and not too generalized

[bob_hayden]

Mech-for-I has some good info in posts 3 and 4 and later. A major point is that you can't just say "Hero ink" because their ink is marketed under different numbers (and names if you count "Doctor"). Below is a picture from one eBay seller that has six different Hero black inks, none of which appear to be from the common 20x or 23x lines. In the 23x line, the blue-black is reputed to be an iron gall ink and the black a carbon ink. Those two types are typically high maintenance. AFAIK most of the others are innocuous dye-based inks. The 23x "red" is an odd shade of pink. What is actually in the various Hero inks, and whether in some cases two numbers get you the same ink, is mostly speculation. I do not see any Doctor ink on eBay right now but the bottle I have that looks dark blue to me does not resemble the blue or the blue-black in the 23x line. Ebay descriptions for all these inks seem to suffer from advertising hype, an shaky grasp of English, and general confusion. I have seen the 23x blue and even the red described as "carbon" inks, though I have not seen much red or blue carbon in the real world.

 

The line with 12 colors used to be available on eBay in the US of A but I could not find it this morning.

 

As for cartridges, confusion comes from the fact that some Jinhao cartridges and all Hero cartridges I know of have a similar form factor that is not like any Western cartridge. The Jinhaos have an opening like a short international cartridge, but their different shape means they cannot always be interchanged. The opening in the Hero 359 (only) cartridges is similar to Parker or Lamy, but in my experience not exactly the same. Now other Chinese sources are supplying 359-like cartridges and this now seems to be the de facto "standard" for China, though it is rare for eBay sellers of ink cartridges to say just what their cartridges fit. The 359-like cartridges seem to copy Hero, not the Parker/Lamy original, and generally do not interchange with Parker/Lamy. I have some black and some 12-color assortments of such cartridges that I like but both are no longer available in eBay and in general things have been in flux for some time now.

 

In my book the 23x blue-black is worth a look if you want a classic blue-black. The others have only their price to recommend them.