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Hero's in China...


HenryLouis

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I bought a 10 pack of 616's and they arrived yesterday. Total was $14.87. How much do hero pens cost in China? Because $1.49 per pen is a bit cheap. I'd think the nib would cost at least $1 to manufacture.

 

 

Also, I'm not too impressed with the build quality. The clip on one has already broken right off just by clipping on my shirt... I accidently pulled off the aerometric filler on one (it went right back in). What hero models have better quality materials (other than the 100)?

 

Sigh... I should really be getting the Parker 21 I've been looking at but alas! I haven't gotten a summer job yet.

 

 

Thanks

Henry

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FWIW.

 

Another advantage of the ten pack is that you can learn how to fix fountain pens.................

 

If one were to read Economics, one could understand the pricing.............

 

OT, but Canada has Public Library systems don't they? I am never shure, our history books keep saying Ben Franklin invented it (probably not literaly true) and it is unique to our country (probably also an over statement).

 

 

YMMV

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I don't know off the top of my head what they cost in China, since I wasn't as much of a pen fiend when I visited, but things in China are extremely inexpensive- chances are good that the same pens could run for as little as fifty cents each, depending on how your haggling skills are. To give you an idea, a friend and I had a full Peking duck dinner at a nice restaurant in Beijing for ten dollars, total. A bottle of Tsing-Tao beer ran around thirty cents at my hostel (cheaper than bottled water!), and clothing was similarly inexpensive.

 

The nib on its own might run a dollar, but as they're manufacturing these in bulk, the unit price would probably be much lower, and you're getting them more directly from the seller, as well, which further lowers the price. I've got a couple of Hero pens (not 616s) on their way to me now, so I'll let you know how they turn out. I'm also looking at picking up a couple of Dukes and maybe a Jinhao next week. High art they're not, but I mostly want a few inexpensive pens to use with my various inks and for use with some of the Baystate inks, so they suit me fine.

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Yes, I took apart some and the feed looked pretty simple. I'm assuming these are made in the thousands and labour is cheap there.

 

Yes, Canada has Public libraries. I'll take a look someday but the closest 2 libraries near my house are being rennovated, so no books.

 

FWIW.

 

Another advantage of the ten pack is that you can learn how to fix fountain pens.................

 

If one were to read Economics, one could understand the pricing.............

 

OT, but Canada has Public Library systems don't they? I am never shure, our history books keep saying Ben Franklin invented it (probably not literaly true) and it is unique to our country (probably also an over statement).

 

 

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Who did you get the Hero's from? There are a bunch of fake hero's out there that aren't worth the plastic. Was your clip a parker style clip with the arrow and feathers? But yeah build quality isn't top notch but I wouldn't get a P21, it's about the same quality. If you want something with higher quality, go for a P51. You won't regret it!

 

As RLTodd suggested, you can practice taking the hood off and cleaning the insides and aligning the nib, shellacing in the sac protector etc. So you'll know what to do when you need to fine tune your P51. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! :thumbup:

Everyman, I will go with thee

and be thy guide,

In thy most need to go

by thy side.

-Knowledge

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Who did you get the Hero's from? There are a bunch of fake hero's out there that aren't worth the plastic. Was your clip a parker style clip with the arrow and feathers? But yeah build quality isn't top notch but I wouldn't get a P21, it's about the same quality. If you want something with higher quality, go for a P51. You won't regret it!

 

As RLTodd suggested, you can practice taking the hood off and cleaning the insides and aligning the nib, shellacing in the sac protector etc. So you'll know what to do when you need to fine tune your P51. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! :thumbup:

 

 

Yes.. It so happens my father has 2 P51's that are somewhere in storage. I have been looking madly for them.. Sigh. I hope he brought them to Canada.

 

My aunt has a P51 as well. I like it as well. She offered it to me but I refused. It still works and writes a nice line. It was a gift from her father when she was still in high school.

 

I bought from gotoschool888 on ebay and the pens seem authentic.

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id recommend the hero 329s, i was able to try a few and they were excellent and very good build quality people thought they were worth far more than a few $ each. the nibs were all really good too. but of course i might just have got a few of the better ones. check the review sections for the hero pens too

Wish list: Aurora Optima

Current inked Pens: Pilot Decimo - Noodlers BBH, MB Mozart - MB Lavender

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I bought a 10 pack of 616's and they arrived yesterday. Total was $14.87. How much do hero pens cost in China? Because $1.49 per pen is a bit cheap. I'd think the nib would cost at least $1 to manufacture.

 

 

Also, I'm not too impressed with the build quality. The clip on one has already broken right off just by clipping on my shirt... I accidently pulled off the aerometric filler on one (it went right back in). What hero models have better quality materials (other than the 100)?

 

Sigh... I should really be getting the Parker 21 I've been looking at but alas! I haven't gotten a summer job yet.

 

 

Thanks

Henry

 

A year or so ago there was a thread on here which stated that Hero 616s sold for the equivalent of $0.49 USD on the street in China (Shanghai, if I remember correctly).

 

Donnie

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

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OT, but Canada has Public Library systems don't they? I am never shure, our history books keep saying Ben Franklin invented it (probably not literaly true) and it is unique to our country (probably also an over statement).

 

"History" should maybe have scare quotes around it there. :)

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I don't know the model number because it's not printed on the pens but I bought some for 20-40 quai in Beijing. That's about $4-5 USD. These are gorgeous, slim, deep lapis blue pens with silver furniture.

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I've wondered the same thing. You see the 18k heros sells for several hundred dollars on ebay, I'm going to see how much I can pick them up for when I'm in China.

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But yeah build quality isn't top notch but I wouldn't get a P21, it's about the same quality. If you want something with higher quality, go for a P51. You won't regret it!

 

I have to totally disagree with this statement...

The Parker 21 is a much better made pen than the Hero 616...

The biggest problem with 21s is the brittle plastic....

But the pens write very nicely and were well made....

 

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......

 

As RLTodd suggested, you can practice taking the hood off and cleaning the insides and aligning the nib, shellacing in the sac protector etc. So you'll know what to do when you need to fine tune your P51. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! :thumbup:

 

Oh, I go farther than that.

 

If I had ten of them I would completely disasemble one to get a good understanding of what is what.

 

Then I would probably experiment with grinding the nib to something interesting.

YMMV

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......

 

As RLTodd suggested, you can practice taking the hood off and cleaning the insides and aligning the nib, shellacing in the sac protector etc. So you'll know what to do when you need to fine tune your P51. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! :thumbup:

 

Oh, I go farther than that.

 

If I had ten of them I would completely disasemble one to get a good understanding of what is what.

 

Then I would probably experiment with grinding the nib to something interesting.

 

How do you grind a nib?

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21 plastics are indeed very brittle...as can be 61 barrels...

 

But the 51 got it just about perfect!

 

616s vary widely even in the same box. Some of mine are perfect, some are scratchy, some have better matched clips and caps. Most are ok for what they are, though. I have never broken a clip...odd...that may be a bad batch. 616 plastics are not bad, overall.

 

Fillers vary too. Some are champs, but a lot of mine have to be filled by removing the "cage" and squeezing the sac more directly and vigorously to get a good fill.

<i>"Most people go through life using up half their energy trying to protect a dignity they never had."</i><br>-Marlowe, in <i>The Long Goodbye</i>

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21 plastics are indeed very brittle...as can be 61 barrels...

 

But the 51 got it just about perfect!

 

616s vary widely even in the same box. Some of mine are perfect, some are scratchy, some have better matched clips and caps. Most are ok for what they are, though. I have never broken a clip...odd...that may be a bad batch. 616 plastics are not bad, overall.

 

Fillers vary too. Some are champs, but a lot of mine have to be filled by removing the "cage" and squeezing the sac more directly and vigorously to get a good fill.

 

...and since the "51" came before all of these pens, it would seem silly to change from Lucite to some cheaper, prone to cracking, injection-molded plastic. It is a real shame...

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I'm assuming these are made in the thousands and labour is cheap there.

 

Try adding a couple zeros to that number -- I'd bet the standard production run for the Hero 616 is probably over 100,000 and they might make more than one run per year; if 1% of the Chinese domestic population own one, that would account for around thirteen million without ever exporting one...

Does not always write loving messages.

Does not always foot up columns correctly.

Does not always sign big checks.

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21 plastics are indeed very brittle...as can be 61 barrels...

 

But the 51 got it just about perfect!

 

616s vary widely even in the same box. Some of mine are perfect, some are scratchy, some have better matched clips and caps. Most are ok for what they are, though. I have never broken a clip...odd...that may be a bad batch. 616 plastics are not bad, overall.

 

Fillers vary too. Some are champs, but a lot of mine have to be filled by removing the "cage" and squeezing the sac more directly and vigorously to get a good fill.

 

...and since the "51" came before all of these pens, it would seem silly to change from Lucite to some cheaper, prone to cracking, injection-molded plastic. It is a real shame...

 

Not when you consider that Parker was trying to produce a much much less expensive pen that had the feel of the 51 only...

I doubt that Parker knew that over time the material chosen would become brittle and crack.....

 

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Hi Henry,

Try Hero 100. These are nice pens buy not in 51s class.

 

Good idea...

 

 

I want to find my dads parkers though.

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