Jump to content

Hero Pens... What's your opinion?


notts86

Recommended Posts

I own a HERO 156, similar to a Parker 45. I got it from Todd at isellpens.com. Its's a fine writer laying down a wet line. The line is slightly thinner that the Parker 45's that I have which is a med nib. A very pretty pen. So far it is holding up well. But the Duke I got at the same time seems to be a much better pen at least for my writing. Hope that helps!

PMS

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty -Thomas Jefferson

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 40
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • inkysmudges

    3

  • blak000

    3

  • auscan

    2

  • donwinn

    2

(1) QC is variable.

 

(2) my 616 experience is great

 

(3) tried twice and failed to get a good 100. nibs were top quality on both, but other parts failed

 

(3) sevarl 329, 330 s are satisfactory, though they required a bit of tinkering to get up to speed. the 330 is the old pattern 330 and is a much better pen than the current 329/330.

 

(4) couple of 257s, the greates little pen in the world. light aluminum barrel and cap. aerometric type filler with a very long feed tube and a good to very good nib. too bad no secondary cap or it would be a world beater (tends toward drying out the second day).

 

(5) 81?, the resin pen that isn't resin. not to great, going to have to do some work on it, a little glue a little nib polishing, a work in progress, it should turn out ok.

 

(6) they frequently turn out to be a work in progress, think semi kit pen ;) but you can usually get something very good out of the deal.

 

(7) the open nib twenty dollar up pens should be pretty hard to go wrong with, more or less.

 

(8) biggest gripe about a lot of the chinese, and I would not be supprised if the 204 has this attribute, pens are they get carried away with the brass and turn out to heavy to be comfortable writers.

YMMV

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Hero 100. I've been very happy with it. I've heard the quality control leaves a bit to be desired, so maybe I got lucky, but I was very glad to get a pen with a gold nib for such a low price.

 

Lisa

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.

 

Lisa in Raleigh, NC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use a Hero 100 every day, and it works well, a very smooth writer and quite reliable. After almost two years, it has not been problematic in any way. A coworker, who had never used a fountain pen before, tried it and liked it so much he bought one the same day. That says quite a lot for the pen. They can be bought for under $30 US at isellpens.com. Other outlets also sell the 100, but usually charge about $45-50.

 

In case anyone is interested: Shanghai Hero Pen Company fountain pens product page

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have two Hero 100's, one a stainless steel 'flighter' which my wife and kids got me for Christmas 2006 from isellpens.com, it is a daily user (given to me by the kids, how can it not be?), and it is a good writer, very reliable so far. No issues with the nib drying out that I have noticed. My other 100 is the black body and is also a good writer with a nice wet line. This pen was purchased from a nibmeister, so I had high expectations for the nib and flow. The pen is exceeding those expectations.

 

Are they as nice as the pens they base their design on? No.

 

Do mine write as well as I could hope? Yes.

 

My kids also each have a 329. I wouldn't give a 5 or a 3 year old an expensive pen to practice writing, but the 329s have held up well to use by the kids, and the hooded nib seems to limit ink stained fingers.

French

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Hero 100 purchased in Beijing in about 1982. I had some problems with it, put it in a drawer and that was that. I dug it out recently, learned what the problem was (with the help of FPN folk) and after it was fixed (I had to drill a tiny hole in the barrel to equalize pressure) it has been a marvelous writer.

 

The pen can sit for a week or more and starts instantly, is smooth and nicely wet with it's VF nib. I love mine---after I fixed it.

 

Cheers,

 

Bill J

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have a 329 i picked up a month or so ago. i keep it inked and in regular rotation (i've been using it this week in fact), and after a few days of sitting it still starts right up. when i first got it i posted how the plastic and metal cap weren't very polished, and the metal trim ring seemed to have some discoloring on it. well i cleaned the trim ring and just from every day use the plastic is now nice and shiny and the stainless cap looks good. i think it was a worthwhile purchase.

 

andy b.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After reading reviews and prices, I got a Hero 100 stainless steel from I sell pens and have had no problems with it. It is a fine nib and I use Noodler's black on it. Starts right up and writes well with a nice wet line. I wanted to experiment with flexible nibs, and I spoke with Todd at I sell pens, and he recommended a Hero 187 with a semi-flex nib, which writes well also. It is not a very flexible nib, but seems to give a slight line width.

 

So far, I am happy with both the pens I got. :thumbup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have 2 Hero 100 & 2 Hero 616 brought by a friend from Shangai.

 

No issue with the 100's : one is always on my desktop for quick notes. It has to be stored horizontally to start at once but it's a smooth wet writer. They are really well built.

 

Both 616's were not sealed at the section and were leaking. Did it myself (I won't say with which material or you'll ban me) and problem solved. My daughter used one for months at high school until it went stolen (maybe we have a new FP lover)

 

For low cost pens, I do prefer the Lamy Safary because of the smooth M nib or my 25 years old non-nonsense Sheaffer but I'm happy to have those Hero

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have used Hero pens for more than 2 decades. Never noticed any difference before I stumbled into this website. Knowledge is power...or should I say, knowledge brings pain... Now pens do make a lot difference in my eyes and hands. Comparing with other fountain pens I have, I would say there are 3 practical reasons to buy a Hero for myself and my sons, in addition to reminiscent reasons:

 

1) wonderful writer;

2) the cheapest gold nib pen around;

3) ...shame on me, I like the way Gold 100 writes, I just can't afford to buy a Parker 100 or a good Parker 51.

 

These apply to Hero 100. As to the countless 616 I have, they are for tweaking and fun. As to the most recent purchase of Hero 800 and 300, I don't know what to say, I just love gold nib pens at cheaper price.

 

Comparing to other more progressive Chinese pen makers, such as Duke, Fuliwen, Haolilai, and Piccaso, I would say Hero's quality is lagging behind. The only thing attracts me is its nib, which is the soul of a pen, in my opinion, and the design, which Hero can't steal from Parker.

 

I would pick Duke/Gold Crown as my favorate Chinese pen maker today.

Edited by ximhot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In case anyone is interested: Shanghai Hero Pen Company fountain pens product page

 

I have a different website for Hero:

http://www.hero.com.cn/heroen/index.asp

 

Different divisions of Hero? Or is the first one a distributor?

 

The second website has interesting English translations in their product catalog. For example:

 

PRODUCT NAME 100 hero sign 14k high-quality fountain pen

SURFACE ORNAMENTATION Steel set Plastics pole

STORE WATER PART Press spring absorb water machine

 

Makes the Hero 100 sound like a washing machine :P

 

Regardless, the catalog is a useful resource, with lots of photos of their pens.

 

-Mike

Edited by michael_s
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Final note and word of warning: if you'll look closely at the nib you'll see that it slides off the feeder .... underneath is a fiber feeder that literally pipes the ink in from the barrel and the tip of that feeder is VERY delicate.

Do you know what that fiber feeeder is made of? I ask because I have a Varsity that I some day plan to refill and I'm hoping that the fiber isn't cellulose since I plan to use some sort of Noodler's waterproof ink in it. The Noodler's waterproof inks bind to the cellulose in paper, and will bind to any other cellulose, as attested to by a small line I put on a park bench that lasted for years out in the waether (it's only gone now because they replaced the wooden slats on the bench). So if that fiber is cotton, or some other cellulose I wouldn't be able to use the Noodler's in that pen.

 

And thanks for the internal description of the Pilot Varsity!

On a sacred quest for the perfect blue ink mixture!

ink stained wretch filling inkwell

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RE: refilling a Pilot Varsity

Do you know what that fiber feeeder is made of?

 

In a word, no, I have no clue. But I do have a few words about the Noodler's inks in Varsity pens in the Tweaking a Pilot Varsity thread. (I've moved that part of our discussion here over there).

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At their price point the hero 3xx series pens are best value for money. In India the hero pen prices are 1/3rd of entry level pens like the parker vector. For last 40 years these pens have been the workhorse pens, spares (nibs/sacs) are available at every corner shop.

 

Hari

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My experience with Hero pens is limited to two pens. A 336 purchased new at the Raleigh Pen Show and a used 100.

 

336... Very fine line in comparison to the "fine" 100 line. The 336 feels inexpensive, is lightweight, and a bit toothy, but a great pen. I've been seduced by fine lines in my pen search and the 336 delivered and sealed my love for fine lines. It starts immediately after sitting capped for days, or uncapped and not used for up to an hour. It may write on demand after more than an hour but I haven't experimented. Leaving the pen uncapped on my desk at work to be visited again many minutes later really made me like the pen. The pen even took a nose dive into the kitchen floor linoleum and came out writing just as before the dive.

 

Used 100... Feels much better, heavier and bigger in the hand than the 336. No, or very little, tooth with wet but not as fine a line as I was expecting. The wet line made me think there would not be start up issues, but there are issues. After being capped overnight the 100 requires a stroke or two to get going. It can only take maybe 5 minutes of being uncapped and not being used without requiring a start up stroke. Wonderful writer, but disappointing when considering the start up issues. I was used to the 336 being on demand.

 

I also have a new 100 I have not inked. It will be inked after the ink from the used 100 is depleted. Maybe from the two I will find a smooth on demand writer for work and one where a tease stroke is OK for journaling. If that is the case the 336 can be retired until further notice. If not, the 336 will be my work pen and I'll choose the best 100 for journaling and have a backup Hero in case of whatever.

 

Of course, when I get my Parker 21 back from repair all this could change. :thumbup:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have many, and I mean many Hero pens in my collection of FPs. I have gotten some remarkable writers and some real duds. I have found two sites on the net that I think could help answer many questions about the Hero Pen Company, and the Hero 100, 330, 329 which are clones of pens from the Parker Pen Company of times past.

 

1. http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Parker/P...ClonesPart1.htm

 

2. http://kungfujoe.wordpress.com/2006/02/22/...00-vs-hero-329/

 

Here is my view about pens of Asian world. The high end lines are outstanding in looks and quality, as for the low end lines it is like going to a (bleep) table, it is a luck of the dice. I have no dilemma at all owning them and placing them with my other hundreds of vintage and new FPs in my growing collection of beauties.

 

Randy (Penster1959)

Edited by RandyDodds

Yours,
Randy Allen Dodds (Penster59)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just got a Hero 800, a clone of Parker 45 with upgrades (better section, not as prone to thin scratches from cap, and a 12K solid gold nib). I would say the quality is on par with Parker.

 

It would be interesting to see a complete list of Hero's clones and their fathers. :rolleyes:

 

I have many, and I mean many Hero pens in my collection of FPs. I have gotten some remarkable writers and some real duds. I have found two sites on the net that I think could help answer many questions about the Hero Pen Company, and the Hero 100, 330, 329 which are clones of pens from the Parker Pen Company of times past.

 

1. http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Parker/P...ClonesPart1.htm

 

2. http://kungfujoe.wordpress.com/2006/02/22/...00-vs-hero-329/

 

Here is my view about pens of Asian world. The high end lines are outstanding in looks and quality, as for the low end lines it is like going to a (bleep) table, it is a luck of the dice. I have no dilemma at all owning them and placing them with my other hundreds of vintage and new FPs in my growing collection of beauties.

 

Randy (Penster1959)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I stumbled across this thread in a timely manner. Last weekend I purchased my 4th and 5th Hero pens. When I posted earlier, I had only two. My Hero population now consists of, in numerical order, one each of 100, 329, 330, 616, and unk. The unknown I got from Dan Reppart at the Dallas Pen Show last weekend, along with a nice bottle of Hero blue ink, for $15 total. He did not know the model number, and it was written on the box in Chinese, which neither of us, nor anyone nearby could read. The other one, the 330, was in a 3 for $10 bin at another seller's table, and the 329 was given to me by a generous FPN member, who took pity on my complaint I could not buy any more pens, and sent it to me. SWMBO gave me an exception for last weekend, since it was the annual pen show, but now I am back on zero budget for pens. From all I have read here on FPN, I have definitely beaten the odds on my Hero pens. All five are really good writers, each a little different, but all good, in their own way.

Donnie

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...