Hero 616 Jumbo Review

[rochester21]

After buying more than 5 different chinese pens in the last few months, i decided to try a parker 51 clone. Now, in my country these were very common in the 90s(i learned how to write with one), but the Hero 616 jumbo is different. Read all about it in my little review

 

1. Appearance and design- 4/5.

Of course, since the 616 jumbo is a copy of the parker 51, the credit for the design goes to parker, but the chinese have done a good job in replicating the parker 51 design.

http://i50.tinypic.com/vzikiu.jpg

 

2. Construction and size- 3.5/5.

The finish is generally good, with some light spots in the plastic, suggesting that the plastic thickness is not even in some areas. The metal cap and the clip are really solid. Since i also have 2 parker 51s at home, i can compare the two, but i have to keep in mind that the Hero is extremely cheap. The plastic on the P51 is of much better quality, but the hero doesn`t feel that flimsy either- i mean, i have seen worse. The dimensions are very similar to that of the parker design(sorry, i didn`t have the 51 close for a visual comparison), but the balance is different. The body of the hero is very light, and the cap is fairly heavy; however, the pen posts very well and with the cap posted the pen is still a bit top heavy, but comfortable during use- so no problem here. The cap grips securely to the body when closed, the clip is very stiff.

 

3. Nib and writing 4/5.

Ah, my favorite part. I have tried 3 of these pens, and i have reached the following conclusions: the quality control is good, the nibs are almost the same, haven`t come across any misaligned nib, but one difference i have noticed is on the wetness department. Some pens are drier, and write like an extra fine nib; others have a normal ink flow and write like a true fine- i like these.

The nib has no tipping, but it is definitely smooth, with a specific feedback(probably because of the lack of tipping).

Usually these pens start writing right away, but in the case of the pens with a drier nib, the nib skips a little at the beginning of the word, after which performs normally. The one i`m using never skips and starts right away.

http://i47.tinypic.com/nb5jex.jpg

 

4. Filling system 4/5

The hero 616 jumbo uses a aerometric filler which is better than other similar sistems fitted on chinese pens. Also, it takes a good amount of ink, again better than average. It also has a small ink window which allows the user to see if it has any ink left. One thing that i noticed is that if you fill the pen completely, it has the tendency to spill ink, so it`s better to spill back a few drops of ink after filling it.

 

Price and final remarks 4.5/5

I have tried several chinese pens, but the one i feel most comfortable writing with is definitely the hero 616 jumbo version(aka Doctor). As i said, the pen is so good(considering the price) because it replicates the parker 51 design. The size is right, it has the classic parker design, the nib performs well and if you get one with a slightly more generous ink flow, you`il probably be pleased with it, considering these cost about 4 dollars a piece(which is amazing). These are generally reliable pens, good for everyday use- i enjoy using mine(it`s the only chinese pen about which i can say that).

Keep in mind that some of these pens are fake hero pens, i get mine from user yespen from ebay.

 

Sorry for the lousy pictures.

Edited April 15, 2013 by rochester21

[richardandtracy]

Thanks for taking the time to do your review. Very informative.

 

I have to agree with you in most areas, however I have not found them to be all that consistent. Out of a pack of 10, 3 years on only six are functional due to catastrophic failures of the connector, section or barrel. OK, my family is fairly tough on pens, but they do seem to be a little fragile.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Flounder]

Thanks for the review. They are more fragile than they need to be, there is a silly serrated area inside them at the hood lip, even in the sealed ones. Love writing with mine particularly for longer sessions, a wide and light pen with a comfortable shape.

 

In idle moments, I often think they should start doing a flighter version too, it would look cool, especially if they kept the engraved lines like on the cap!

 

edit - ps are you sure about the tipping? It looks like tipping.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Flounder

[sebastel23]

for a flighter version, try the hero 338.

it's based on the 329, so there is no ink window, and the section is a bit longer.

no engraved lines on the cap, and the cap is slimmer than the 616's (not interchangeable).

 

but everything else, it's very similar.

 

cheers,

sebastian

Edited April 18, 2013 by sebastel23

[picautomaton]

Thanks for doing a review.

 

I have four of these pens one gold trim and three chrome trim. I have inked up two and they are very good for the price, actually excellent pens and quite well made.

[roger3]

I alternate using a Hero 616(XF or F is unknown)and Lamy Safari (XF nib) for my daily class work as a professor in Hubei University and find the Hero pen works well enough compared to the Lamy, though an overall evaluation favors the Lamy.

Hero 616s, don't dent my budget at about .75cents USD ea., have caps that sometimes slip off when the pen is stashed in my pocket (unlike the secure caps of Lamys), and might be smooth writers as easily as they might be so scratchy that I want to throw the pen out the window, but are ok.

All right, most of the readers here are not in China? You're probably paying more than my price and want a pen that you know will write smoothly and be relatively trouble free; you really don't want to throw your new pen out the window? The following might be helpful but YRMV (your results may vary)though I don't think so.

I have learned that I can rehab scratchy nibs by smoothing them on glass, drawing crosshatches and circles on a glass bottle, mirror, window pane, or any piece of glass. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to make a silk purse from the nib you thought was a sow's ear! This smoothing technique can work for even the higher end pens you might have.

If you're considering the Hero 616, give it a try and see if it doesn't surprise you in a good way!

Edited April 18, 2013 by roger3

[notVirtuThe3rd]

Really informative post!!

 

Thanks for sharing this.

[Flounder]

Hero 616s, don't dent my budget at about .75cents USD ea., have caps that sometimes slip off when the pen is stashed in my pocket (unlike the secure caps of Lamys),

 

Sounds very much like your cap clutch isn't reaching the section rings.

 

[TSherbs]

I use at least two 616 Jumbos every day. I did smooth the nibs, but now the pens are reliable, wet, consistent, light, and hold a decent amount of ink for an aerometric. And wicked inexpensive. I just wish that they came in more colors!