Hero 650

[bardharlock]

First Impressions (5)

This pen came from Speerbob. It arrived in a fairly plain and flimsy stiff blue cardboard box. Inside resided a matte stainless steel pen with gold furniture in 22k gold plate. The nib itself is in 12k gold. The pen is rather thin, but I like that in a pen and see it so seldom in a fountain pen.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb163/Bard_Harlock/100_2097.jpg

 

 

Appearance (6)

This pen looks just okay to me. It is pretty, but the plating looks thin. The semi-hooded nibs looks sort of silly, like Pac Man mid-chomp. The matte stainless steel looks great though!

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb163/Bard_Harlock/100_2101.jpg

 

 

Design/Size/Weight (5)

It is a thin diameter pen. The furnishings look cheap. The cap rattles when it is on. The pen is too light and short to use un-posted. It has a nice balance and hand-feel. I wish I could fill the entire bladder with ink.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb163/Bard_Harlock/100_2098.jpg

 

 

Nib (9)

This is where this pen shines! The nib is smooth. The only smoother nib I own is on my Parker "51" which writes about twice as wide. This nib writes and extra-fine line, an Eastern extra-fine at that. It can be a little dry and skip at times, so it isn't a ten.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb163/Bard_Harlock/100_2099.jpg

 

 

Filling System (7)

This is an "Aero-metric" knock off. I guess the breather tube is a bit short, because the bladder does not fill more than halfway full. The cage and press bar are solid.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb163/Bard_Harlock/100_2100.jpg

 

 

Cost and Value (9)

At $18.00 this pen is cheaper than a Lamy Safari. For this meager sum you get a nib that is solid gold and writes like a dream. The pen is well-balanced, looks decent from a distance and does everything a fountain pen should and does it well. Sure, it's a cheap pen, and you can tell when you pick it up. But, I don't expect an under $20 pen to feel like a $300 pen. That said, this pen writes a lot better than some I paid a lot more for.

 

Conclusion (41)

68% out of 100%. As I write that number it seems unfair. This pen writes like a great pen, but only suffers because it is a cheap pen made in China. That said, if anyone was looking for a thin, well balanced pen that writes like a high dollar pen, I would not hesitate to recommend this fabulous pen.

 

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb163/Bard_Harlock/hero650revpic0001.jpg

[MidnightBlue]

You would give 65/100 for a Hero. I would give an MB Chopin 60/100. The Hero does not come close.

: and that's because you get what you pay for.

Thanks

[bardharlock]

You would give 65/100 for a Hero. I would give an MB Chopin 60/100. The Hero does not come close.

: and that's because you get what you pay for.

Thanks

 

Then by all means, post your review of your own 650 and the MB Chopin. If you'd like to pay for postage both ways, I'd be glad to let you write with the pen and you can see for yourself how nice and smooth this nib is. Sometimes you get far more than you pay for and that is the case with this nib. I'd like to thank you for your kind words but...

Edited July 13, 2009 by bardharlock

[Carlitoes]

You would give 65/100 for a Hero. I would give an MB Chopin 60/100. The Hero does not come close.

: and that's because you get what you pay for.

Thanks

 

One gives a Hero 65/100. Someone else rates an MB 60/100 and insists that the Hero does not come close.

 

I think we all realize these reviews are subjective to the author's unique experiences, no?

 

[RLTodd]

Sure it is not a cartridge/coverter model?

 

It kind of looks more like one than the breather tube mechanism.

 

The Hero breather tube fixed squeeze pumps tend to have long breather tubes and fill about halfway up.

[bardharlock]

Sure it is not a cartridge/coverter model?

 

It kind of looks more like one than the breather tube mechanism.

 

The Hero breather tube fixed squeeze pumps tend to have long breather tubes and fill about halfway up.

 

Speerbob has it listed as "Aerometric" and if it is a converter, it doesn't come out very easily...

[MYU]

Nice to hear that the nib is superb... most of the ones I've encountered on cheap Chinese pens are super stiff, although usually with reasonable smoothness and tooth. Never heard of the 650 before... We now have 33 Hero reviews for pen models that come with just a number (2, 3, or 4 digit). Who knows where it will end... maybe every digit from 1 to 2000?

Edited July 15, 2009 by MYU