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Hero: To 616, Or Not To 616?


KingRoach

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I don't know where people are getting this idea that all of the Hero 616s sold in 10 packs are counterfeits.

 

My experience has actually been just the opposite. I've bought four Hero 616s from a USA vendor, and all four were either counterfeits or they were the worst samples of a production lot. On the other hand, the first 10 pack of Hero 616s I bought had a 70% good rate. I haven't gone through the entire second pack of Hero 6161s, but the first three all worked.

 

I think that there are some legends being brought up in this thread.

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I don't know where people are getting this idea that all of the Hero 616s sold in 10 packs are counterfeits.

 

My experience has actually been just the opposite. I've bought four Hero 616s from a USA vendor, and all four were either counterfeits or they were the worst samples of a production lot. On the other hand, the first 10 pack of Hero 616s I bought had a 70% good rate. I haven't gone through the entire second pack of Hero 6161s, but the first three all worked.

 

I think that there are some legends being brought up in this thread.

 

Thank you for this posting! I'm getting rather annoyed with what I suspect are uninformed, specious, or poorly researched and and vetted comments on the 616.

 

I invite all those who recently commented on the origin of the 616's various iterations to return to this forum and share the source of information upon which they made their pronouncement.

Edited by k3eax
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I have the 616, the 329 and the 007 and I have been thoroughly impressed with all of them. They are all made of plastic, all hooded nibs with steel caps, all fine points. They all have a very nice flow and write very well. One thing about them, when compared with other Chinese pens these are just about weightless so you do have to actually apply them to the paper. Though I am not a fan of the aerometric filling system as represented by these pens I don't mind it, I like the ritual of inking up. For what they want for these pens it is an absolutely outstanding value. So even if you get the occasional stinker it doesn't take many good ones to make the meager investment worthwhile. It is just my opinion, but I do enjoy the daylights out them.

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I have the 616, the 329 and the 007 and I have been thoroughly impressed with all of them. They are all made of plastic, all hooded nibs with steel caps, all fine points. They all have a very nice flow and write very well. One thing about them, when compared with other Chinese pens these are just about weightless so you do have to actually apply them to the paper. Though I am not a fan of the aerometric filling system as represented by these pens I don't mind it, I like the ritual of inking up. For what they want for these pens it is an absolutely outstanding value. So even if you get the occasional stinker it doesn't take many good ones to make the meager investment worthwhile. It is just my opinion, but I do enjoy the daylights out them.

Thanks a lot for the positive and encouraging opinion. Do you have any others that you would also recommend, or that you could share your impressions of? Also, a photo that has them all together lined up for comparison?

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Thanks a lot for the positive and encouraging opinion. Do you have any others that you would also recommend, or that you could share your impressions of? Also, a photo that has them all together lined up for comparison?

Don't have the photo thing down pat just yet but even old dogs learn how to do things. As far as comparisons go, all of these pens are quite similar. The 007 is smaller and slimmer but it is quite functional. The 329 is a fine writer and according to some of the posts here I may be of the majority opinion. With the 616, take that for what its worth. Since we aren't talking about Montblanc's or Faber-Castell Pen of the Year we can do some experimenting and have some fun in the bargain. I think the whole pen, paper, ink thing is one great big rush and it should be enjoyed. It is always worth remembering that a good part of the journey is the trip itself. Looking at it as an adventure in itself, why not have some fun while you are at it. Check out the Ebay listings and give it a shot.

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LOL K3eax; I suppose the confusion sterm from simply lack of communication on mostly the community's part. What I have stated need no reference as they are open and common knowledge in and among long time Hero pen users ;in their home market; of course it would help if one could speak and read Chinese which is the medium where majority of info are recorded.

 

As for identifying export version. Thats not so easy a task. The 616 been on the market for decades and there are quite a number of variation in packaging and I would not claim to be expert on that. But generally export version do come in their own box with both Chinese and English legends and sometime instructions too

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LOL K3eax; I suppose the confusion sterm from simply lack of communication on mostly the community's part. What I have stated need no reference as they are open and common knowledge in and among long time Hero pen users ;in their home market; of course it would help if one could speak and read Chinese which is the medium where majority of info are recorded.

 

 

 

 

Speakers of a Chinese language who repeat here-say are certainly not to be seen as a reliable source. I should like to hear from someone immediately connected to the Chinese pen trade or read comments in a trade publication.

Edited by k3eax
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I should have said, Chengyida Hero 616 10pcs.

I just ordered the 10-pack of these off of Amazon. Will probably take a while for them to arrive... Once I have them in hand, I plan to share my impressions. More to follow.

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well, buy it from a reputable seller is the only option. you cannot examine the stock before hitting that buy button after all , when shopping online. And on that, you will not find the 616 standard size in blister pack of 10 since it was never packaged that way. The Blister pack of 10 is used for the small sized 616 , 616-2, and 6161A ( all are engineering vise the same, different color and trim only ). The Doctor sub brand is just Hero's specific brand targeted towards academic / school supply market. Read, certainly does not mean quality either. the best quality 616 is the very rare gold nibbed version ( long out of production ) and the export version ( usually those that are packaged individually in their own box ).

 

Reputation comes with good transactioning not necessarily from opinion about pens. We all understand that pen-reviewing is a subjective process and has everything to do with the level of expectations of the buyer. For example, if I see someone with a few hundred satisfied buyers who keep on saying "good pens, good seller, happy with what I bought" does not really answer the questions that are being posed here.

 

Also, what do you do when the so-called export options, sold in their individual boxes, actually have boxes that say "iridium tipped nib" and has no reference to the nib being of any caliber of goldness? How does that set it apart form what is being sold in bulk and much cheaper?

 

And how/why would you trust anyone who uses the word "genuine", if that means anything anymore", when the word is being thrown all over the place in listing titles and there is no measure of testing the genuinity of it?

 

And what do we make of reputable sellers who sell the "genuine" pens for what we consider to be reasonable prices for the "rare export" items (say, £5 a piece, as opposed to £1 a piece), when the same seller sells for example Jinhao's £1 pens for £7? Is that also a better make of the same pen from a better factory/batch?

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I also like the HERO 266. 50¢ each is excellent. How many do you have to buy ?

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I also like the HERO 266. 50¢ each is excellent. How many do you have to buy ?

 

Sounds like a reasonable option just to test the Hero nibs, but I was after the 616's for the aesthetic as well.

 

That said, I've hit buy-now on the 10x 616's and will now have to wait some time for them to make it here before I can start abusing them.

 

Though, I seem to have narrowed down my preference to the 329-2 (classic appearance with arrow head. Some good reviews and maybe a more consistent build quality). I've also ordered a Jinhao 911 (Hero 338 equivalent but with a cartridge/converter instead of a fixed bladder). However the last order was from a seller on Aliexpress so in two month, I will find out if Ive been scammed out of my pennies or not.

 

I'm also eyeballing the Hero 211. Why is it £5? I want one for 50p. :P Or in fact, two for 50p. lol

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The whole reason for that hooded nib is to keep the ink supply from drying out. If you don't like the look of a hood then buy a Jinhao x450 or 750 for the girth, but don't cut the hood.

 

I think it would be fun to see the nib at work, a little exposed. Maybe I can create a different section and re-dress the feed leaving a lot more nib out. Dunno, will have to wait and see.

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I think it would be fun to see the nib at work, a little exposed. Maybe I can create a different section and re-dress the feed leaving a lot more nib out. Dunno, will have to wait and see.

If you have the material and machine skills, it might be fun to make a translucent hood and get the same effect.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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If you have the material and machine skills, it might be fun to make a translucent hood and get the same effect.

 

That would be absolutely fantastic. I was thinking of 3D printing one as I already do that kind of stuff. It won`t be "clear" but foggy/clear/etched/-y kind of thing. Would need to get myself some clear filament for that though. e_e

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I would not dispute the asoking and that is why ; bedore discussing details about the pens I say you need to find a reputable source seller. As for all those info regarding you can freely assimilate from various source including old press and numerous articles online. Lie I' ve mentioned most are in Chinese and its natural it would be so. I merely pass along info I know and like I' ve stated I do not claim to be expert in any fashion.

 

That stated, if people just do not want to listen; then might be they really do not need to ask

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Kingroach to answer yours I say I cannot make decision for you since I have no idea how and where you shop online or real store. Likewise you should realize what certain model had what with a certain model on hand. Say the 616 readng iridium point tipped which is exactly what the word means AFAIK Hero never claim any gold content with their current stock 616 so if you do read that either its fake or the shop lying.

 

In short buying any Chinese pens is no different than other shopping. We woindow browse , find something we like , then we try to find the bezt price , then its very much locale and personal preference as regard to which shop to shop.

 

And one more thing if you want to expose the nib better than just take a fine jeweller file and work the tip of the section to a more rounded one its fairly easy to do

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That would be absolutely fantastic. I was thinking of 3D printing one as I already do that kind of stuff. It won`t be "clear" but foggy/clear/etched/-y kind of thing. Would need to get myself some clear filament for that though. e_e

 

Every now and then you will see a 'demonstrator' Parker 51. Have you seen some of the Kullock 'fantasy' Parker 51s? Those are pretty amazing, so it can be done. And if you manage it, pictures please! :)

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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Every now and then you will see a 'demonstrator' Parker 51. Have you seen some of the Kullock 'fantasy' Parker 51s? Those are pretty amazing, so it can be done. And if you manage it, pictures please! :)

 

I bet those will be expensive, I think I saw a certain chinese pen demontrator version, made by third party. It may have been the 616, but the price was a big no-no for me.

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Buy from reputable sellers, such as mentag and jewelrymathematics, Aspire2it from Europe is a reseller and he has the original stuff

This. I have dealt numerous times with jewelrymathematics and recommend him. Don't know the other two.

I suggest you DO buy a pack of ten. As the QC is not optimal, most likely you get a few scratchy ones in the lot. Perhaps I've been lucky, but the ones I bought years ago were just fine, functional and rather sturdy workhorses.

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This. I have dealt numerous times with jewelrymathematics and recommend him. Don't know the other two.

I suggest you DO buy a pack of ten. As the QC is not optimal, most likely you get a few scratchy ones in the lot. Perhaps I've been lucky, but the ones I bought years ago were just fine, functional and rather sturdy workhorses.

 

Yup...I'm happy I got my 616s when I did, and it's rare I don't have at least one inked.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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