REVIEW: Hero 300

[minemap]

Hero 300

 

Initial Thoughts:

When I saw the box I realized that half of the cost of this pen was going to packaging, WAY over the top. A 60 dollar pen does not need to be covered in extravagance, simplicity will do.

However, the pen itself looks much better in person than in pictures, and I was pleasantly surprised. Under the clearcoat, there are designs of clouds and a dragon that wraps around the barrel. With the cap removed, the cloud designs extend all the way through the smooth grip portion, which I like. I ordered the pen from (no surprise) isellpens.com because of their reputation for quality Asian pens.

 

Size:

This is a heavy and long pen, measuring just over 6 inches. The cap is a little tricky to get posted well, but it balances well with or without the cap. It comes with a 14kt white gold Fine nib and a clear piston ink converter.

 

Writing:

I filled the converter with Private Reserve Black Magic Blue and tried it out. Ink flow seemed pretty good and there wasn't any nib creep. I have noticed that after sitting for a bit the first couple strokes of the pen will either be stingy or gushy on ink and it's hard to tell which. That's probably a Chinese quality control issue, you never know what you'll get. I will say that my 20 dollar Pilot 78G writes just as well as this 70 dollar Hero without the sticky starting (but the Pilot has other issues that this one doesn't have). The nib is the definition of fine point.

 

Overall:

I like my new Hero 300. If you like a heavy pen that stands out, this is a good choice. I think this one will stay in the house for studying and be a good personal pen but will not venture outside too often.

 

 

[lovemy51]

nice pen! how does it feel now that you had it for a while?

[RabbitsDragon]

Yes, I'd like to hear how you feel about this pen after using it for a while. Seriously thinking about getting a Hero 300 from Todd.

 

Karl

[jcash84]

Yes, I'd like to hear how you feel about this pen after using it for a while. Seriously thinking about getting a Hero 300 from Todd.

 

Karl

 

I purchased the simpler Black and Silver version from Todd, it's not been the most cooperative with Pelikan 4001, and I'm seeing the same issue of it stopping after a few pages, even though there is Noodler's black in the converter. According to other reviews I've seen online, it seems that your mileage may vary with Hero's fountain pens, it feels well built and I personally like a heavy pen, this is very heavy compared to some others.