Hero 616 – An Investigation Of Its ‘As Delivered’ Writing Quality.

[Osmaroid]

A considerable number of posts have covered the Hero 616, a very low cost Parker 51 look-alike from China. It has gained both praise and scorn, described as both well-built and alternatively as cheaply/poorly made and, most importantly, as a good writer and also as a terrible writer. At first glance, this seems to suggest terrible quality control in manufacturing. However, a number of years ago, it was found that there were two versions sold in the U.S.A. The first, genuine Hero 616s that were manufactured by Hero, looking like a Parker 51 but clearly labelled as Hero product – a copy, but not a counterfeit of the Parker product. The second version are counterfeits – counterfeits of the Hero pen itself! These pens look pretty much identical to the Hero product, are labelled as being made by Hero, but are not. They are Chinese counterfeits of a Hero 616 made by an indeterminate number of manufacturers – something that has been disputed (why would anyone counterfeit a $2 pen?) but for which there seems to be abundant proof. I assume that if enough are sold, then it is worth-while to the counterfeiters, and we probably should look at sales in China to fully support that reasoning.

 

Recently, on that pen-collectors market-place, Ebay, I saw a listing for a 10 pack of “Real Hero 616 pens” and my interest was aroused. Clearly, the post was trying to assure potential customers that these were not fakes! Close inspection of the photos showed that Hero had modified the Parker type arrow clip and now had the word “Hero” embedded in the “feathers”. See photos of the commonly known Hero 616 clip and the new one below. I was pretty sure that it was because of said counterfeiters that Hero had changed its generic arrow clip into a distinctively unique version.

 

I decided to order a pack and see what they were like. The pens were a shorter version than the earlier 616s I have lying around – the originals were about the length of a Parker 51 with a cap length that also matched that of the Parker, the new ones were about the length of a Parker 51 Demi with a cap of the shorter length that is seen with the Demi. However, unlike the full-size Parker 51 vs the Parker 51 Demi, where the barrels are of much the same diameter, the smaller Hero 616 also has a noticeably narrower barrel (see below - in all photos except the close-up of the clip "feathers", the original 616 is above the new 616)

 

 

 

 

Dimensions of samples I own are :

 

Parker 51 Aerometric 136.3 mm capped x 11.8 mm barrel dia.

Earlier Hero 616 138.9 mm capped x 11.6 mm barrel dia.

Parker 51 Aerometric Demi 128.2 mm capped x 11.1 mm barrel dia.

“Real Hero 616” 133.4 mm capped x 10.3 mm barrel dia.

 

The aerometric type filler is also smaller in the newer version than in the older one, but does appear to be of a simple, well made design with none of the dimples/waviness I have seen in some of the pressings in counterfeits of the earlier model. Like the earlier model, the clutch ring incorporates a very narrow ink-view window.

 

 

To cut a long story short, they appeared to be pretty well made and pretty good writers. They were, in fact, just what I was looking for to enable a small project at the Boston Commonwealth Pen Show in September 2016. I wanted to provide a free pen and instructions on how to use it to any attendees aged 16 or younger, and was joined in this effort by Noodlers Ink who kindly provided a free bottle of ink to every child getting a pen. It seemed that I could buy this version of the Hero 616 and be pretty sure that I was not getting counterfeits.

 

Now we get to the purpose of this “different” review. I purchased 60 of the “Real Hero 616 pens” to give away, and wanted to ensure that every young recipient had a good writing pen. Good writing to me means a smooth writer, ideally glass smooth although a little friction is OK. It definitely means good ink flow and no catching or missing in normal writing strokes. So I embarked on what could have been a very lengthy process – dip testing each pen and, where necessary, performing nib work in order to get “good” performance. Hence, I now have a listing of the “as delivered” writing quality of a fairly large number of Hero 616 pens known to be genuine and have divided it into 3 categories:

1. A good writer – a smooth writer, ideally glass smooth, but with a small to moderate amount of friction allowed, with no catching, skipping or ink flow problems.
2. A nib requiring minor work such as tine alignment or quick tip polishing to achieve the above result.
3. A nib requiring more significant work, such as re-grinding or very significant smoothing and polishing, to achieve the above results.

The results are given in the following table

 

Pens received with Good Writing Performance 54

Pens requiring minor nib work 4

Pens requiring more significant nib work 2

 

I have to say that the results by far exceeded my expectations. To put it in perspective, many new pens I purchase – about 50% at least- require some nib work, even if only polishing the tips slightly. Indeed, one new pen I recently purchased that listed at over $400 required fairly major nib work just to get it to even place ink on the paper (the tines were so far apart)! Yet here is a pen retailing at under $2 (in 10-packs) that needed no nib work at all on 54 out of 60 pens – an astonishing 90%. Bear in mind that this is not a judgement of longevity and, because of the quantity involved, the dip test was only a couple of lines or so of writing on pens that were judged to have good writing performance, not the considerably longer dip test that I usually perform.

 

In conclusion, I believe that the Hero 616 has gained an unfair reputation for variable manufacturing quality, if this fairly large sample is representative of the admittedly much greater whole. It is certainly worth the miniscule purchase price for projects such as the one I undertook and, if care is taken to get the real item, a great introduction to the joys of using a fountain pen – and one that requires learning how to fill it from a bottle. For the buyer purchasing a pen for his/her own use, the likelihood of getting a good writer without requiring any nib work is extremely high – as long as the item is a genuine Hero. One way to ensure that, of course, is to buy from a reputable dealer, even if the price is not the lowest price out there.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Osmaroid

[visvamitra]

I think it's good fountain pen and I enjoy using it from time to time. Thank you for the review.

[Sasha Royale]

I bought the 10-pack, as well. Total cost was $8.99 . One would not distribute ink. Two pens "burped" ink onto the paper. Seven good HERO 616 pens for nine bucks ! Good deal, even with the inconvenience.

 

I recommend a soapy flush, and clean-water rinse before first ink.

[Manalto]

I recommend a soapy flush, and clean-water rinse before first ink.

 

I've seen this recommendation often enough that I automatically do it with a Chinese pen upon its arrival.

 

I concur with Osmaroid's findings, as far as reliability of the Hero 616 is concerned. Mine are all the earlier, larger one. (I'm disappointed that they've shrunk.) One has gotten heavy use for marking students' papers and has carried a variety of red inks, mostly Noodler's 'Antietam' and Skrip 'Red' and performed well. Once in a while, after sitting, it needs some encouragement to get started but only in the beginning. I can't say for sure that these are the "authentic" 616s.

 

Thank you for your excellent review and I applaud you for finding a way to introduce fountain pens to interested youth in a way they're likely to find appealing, and for the effort you put into ensuring they'd be reliable writers.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Manalto

[Mech-for-i]

Actually it was not earlier or later models, the 616 range was always having 2 version , what Hero refer to ( officially ) as Mid size and Small size, and others referring them to large/Jumbo and standard, size being referring to generic pen size. Actually its the Mid size that's the standard sizing, the Small size come later to the range. Both are still cataloged; and you can still buy from Hero the original Mid size model as well, but the Small size models proved more popular in their home market. Which give rise to the 616A and 616-2 ( both are just the same as the regular Small size 616 but 616-2 is in different color and 616A is in more contemporary colors and manufactured in Hero's other newer plant, not in their Shanghai factory , also the 616A still retain the old style clip without the legend HERO )

The 616 was around for so long , I suppose anything that need to be done on it engineering vise probably had been known and if possible, implemented. But then its still a vintage 1960's design and it reflect in the sometime odd bit problem one might encounter, mostly the nib positioning ( and its not always the nib's problem )

I can concur the review reflect the state of affair I personally encounter. over the years I have own and use plenty of 616s and they all give reasonably satisfactory result. I wouldn't expect a pen costing only a few buck to write like my $1K pen but in general I think the 616 exceed what the paper value represent.

Osmaroid , you might want to caution though that the 616 is still that vintage design with all its build in weakness, notably the pen is lightly build and would not take much beating and abuse; the build in aerometric filler can sometimes be rather a PITA to clean; the tip of the pen , notably the hood can easily be damaged simply because of its profile, rough handling is off limit here.

Edited December 24, 2016 by Mech-for-i

[Osmaroid]

Mech-for-i, thank-you for your comments. I am somewhat confused over the sizes, however. Over many years I have bought many Hero 616 pens, always what were called here the "standard" size. At the time they were by far the most common size being sold. I may also have bought a "Jumbo" or two, but cannot actually find a larger pen at the moment. The larger of the two pens I showed in my review was one of the many "standard" models I purchased. I was aware of the 616A and have quite a few of them - this was the first time I saw the "smaller" (demi) size. I thus thought there were 3 sizes - small, standard and jumbo. Maybe I am in error and had been buying "jumbo" all along!

 

As to your comments to the disadvantages of its vintage design, I agree that care is needed as it is fragile, but the same could be said of all fountain pens where the nib, if nothing else, can be easily damaged if care is not taken. One thing we instructed the children about when we gave them the pen (I say we because much of that part was handled by a friend and fellow collector, FPN member brgmarketing) was the differences between handling a fountain pen and a ballpoint! As to flushing the pen, it is indeed tedious compared to a cartridge/converter filler, but no more so than many other types including lever fillers. All in all, I hope we turned at least a few of our young customers into regular fountain pen users!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Osmaroid, thanks for the review from a 616 fan! And what a cool thing you'll be doing at the pen show. Kudos!

[WaskiSquirrel]

Thank you for this thread!

 

I own a nice 616 and I also bought the 10 pack. The ones in the 10 pack use cheaper materials, have a flimsy guard around the sac, and are very inconsistent in all ways. Also, the manufacture shows poorer attention to detail and alignment.

 

I'm satisfied with the nice 616.

[Osmaroid]

Thank you for this thread!

 

I own a nice 616 and I also bought the 10 pack. The ones in the 10 pack use cheaper materials, have a flimsy guard around the sac, and are very inconsistent in all ways. Also, the manufacture shows poorer attention to detail and alignment.

 

I'm satisfied with the nice 616.

Methinks your 10 pack were the dreaded counterfeits!

Edited December 24, 2016 by Osmaroid

[tamiya]

Do they still come individually wrapped in a Hero-printed cellophane sleeve?

 

And is it a converter or is the sac permanently attached... tried yanking it off, only the metal cover gave way.

[virgilio]

I will note that even the counterfeit the caps are very nice, and are alone worth the price of these pens. Also, the barrels are exactly 1 cm in diameter, which means that they fit a wide variety of sections. The nibs are so-so, but the barrels and caps are worth far more than the going price of these.

 

The weak point is the aerometric cover, which is very flimsy on the counterfeits. The plastic bladder is glued on. Even these bladders might be profitably cannibalized for better pens, tho they are very small.

[Mech-for-i]

Do they still come individually wrapped in a Hero-printed cellophane sleeve?

 

And is it a converter or is the sac permanently attached... tried yanking it off, only the metal cover gave way.

depend on which variant you buy, and no they have not change the permanently attached ink sac either, even new production 616 still have this same old system. if you want a new hooded nib but vintage looking alike, you might want to look at the Hero 338, which had indeed renew to a new screw in type converter but is basically just the same as all the other 3XX series

[ICantEvenDecideAMajor]

i used to buy 10-packs of the 616 back in China for around $10. Usually about 5 are okay, 3 need work, 1 is terrible, and 1 is absolutely fantastic. It's so inexpensive that I usually just keep the top 2.