Shanghai Hero Fountain Pens?

[Philly Rider]

Hello. I am wondering if anyone has had experience with Hero fountain pens. Specifically the Hero 100, which mimics the looks of the venerable Parker 51.

 

The price seems extraordinarily reasonable. Is it worth a try? If so any suggestions on models, best nib, etc. Thanks.

[Judybug]

My husband has a Hero M660 [from isellpens.com] that he really likes. I've heard good things about the Hero 100, too, although I don't have any first hand experience with Heroes.

 

Judybug

[Nihontochicken]

Here are a couple of prior threads on the Hero 100 and 616, the Parker 51 clones:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...687&hl=hero+616

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...656&hl=hero+616

 

A search for threads earlier than this last month will yield additional info. If you want a pen just to write, I advise getting the Hero 100. If you want to take it apart to see what makes a Parker 51 tick, then get the Hero 616, as it closely resembles the 51 internally, whereas the 100 has some significant (and tricky) disassembly differences. Good fortune!

[Philly Rider]

Nihontochicken - Thanks. I should have thought to do a previous thread search.

[adair]

I purchased a Hero 100 recently from isellpens.com and just love it. It is a fine point but writes a a wet smooth line, not at all scratchy. It is a perfect pen for writing notes or for editing, as the line is so precise. I had very low expectations when I ordered it, quite frankly, and I went ahead only because it was not a large investment. Well, so far I am extremely impressed. It is a great value and an ideal pen for daily use, which means that you can keep your precious 51 or 21 at home. I believe that the pen is available only as a fine point. I have not tried the other Hero models.

[Johnson]

I purchased a Hero 100 recently from isellpens.com and just love it. It is a fine point but writes a a wet smooth line, not at all scratchy. It is a perfect pen for writing notes or for editing, as the line is so precise. I had very low expectations when I ordered it, quite frankly, and I went ahead only because it was not a large investment. Well, so far I am extremely impressed. It is a great value and an ideal pen for daily use, which means that you can keep your precious 51 or 21 at home. I believe that the pen is available only as a fine point. I have not tried the other Hero models.

x2 on all of the above. The Hero 100 is an excellent pen in all ways. It is an F nib which to me is more like an XF nib. Only difference is I don't like XF nibs, because I have never written with an XF nib that wasn't scratchy. The Hero 100 nib is super smooth, absolutely zero scratch. Pick it up from Todd at isellpens for a great price. (no affiliation, just a repeat satisfied customer).

[D.R.Mabuse]

I own a number of Hero fps, and they perform very well.

 

Knock on simulated wood...

[wiglaf]

Depends upon its use- I use mine for either marginalia amid tightly aligned passages, or reviewing dissertations- One PhD candidate squirmed when I told him I edited his 400pp+ tome with a 25$ Chinese pen- he was little assuaged when I told him it was a Hero-

 

I have several 100s and I love them- sort of a cult, or occult, perhaps arcane sense, but when they are avaliable and come with a seller's guarantee, suck 'em up.

 

Tony

[jsonewald]

I have several Heros: 329 (3), 110, 82-1 (2), 800, 381, and 200D. I have been very happy with all of them. The 110 seems to be a variant of the 100 family. It is a very nice pen to write with, and absolutely worth the money. As a group, their fit and finish is not equal to name brand European or American models, but it is not bad either. In overall value for price, it is hard to go wrong with them.

[kai-wun]

I have a 200A coming in for me. Can't wait to try it =)

[superfly]

Well, I have just received Hero 329 pen today, and after I have cleaned it after 30 years in the drawer, and good portion of them in service, it writes flawlessly, with niiice wet medium line. Highly recommended...

 

cheers...

[kissing]

They are beautiful pens, and are very popular here too

An ideal place to purchase them is isellpens.com (no affili.), as I have yet to find a site that has pens listed cheaper.

 

Hero 100, 329 and 616 are the ones that imitate the Parker "51" (and keep surprisingly faithful to the original technology). The Hero 100 costs a bit more than the other two because of the 14K solid Gold nib

 

Enjoy the pens if you get any of them

[rhk745]

You can try this model. I own a lot of Hero pen and then try to sell some pen in web site.

 

This model is really smooth and reliable. Moreover, the price is not expensive.

 

 

 

Jojo :bunny1:

[mike1]

I bought a 100 as a gift for my daughter. She likes it very much.

[Jerome Tarshis]

I am willing to believe the people who say they bought a Hero 100 and found it exceedingly smooth. But I would like to add a dissenting note, and from reading postings to message boards I'd say I am not unique.

 

The first Hero 100 I bought had an unsatisfactory nib. I returned it and quickly received another pen to replace it. One might consider that good service.

 

Or possibly not. The second pen also had an unsatisfactory nib, but I didn't return it, because it seems that the pen community considers the seller a very good fellow, and the pen didn't cost very much, and I had every expectation that Hero #3 would be no better.

 

A visiting friend who does nib work examined the pen under magnification, told me I was remarkably unfortunate even for someone who has bought a Hero 100, the tipping material being grossly uneven as between the two tines, and took the pen away with him for improvement.

 

It came back improved, though not enough so, and I did some further abrasion. It's sort of a smooth nib now, but the entire experience suggests that Hero ought to do better quality control. (In which it is not unique among pen manufacturers.) Another point is that I'd think better of the seller if he tested pens before shipping them and charged somewhat higher prices. As things are, he seems to be a handler of boxes.

 

Let me say it's a gamble. Let me also say that those who, like me, feel they lost their bet tend not to post messages about it. On the whole I haven't, and feel I am not being neighborly in posting this one.

 

But no, I wouldn't buy another Hero 100.

[adair]

I think that it is important to know of your negative experience, quite frankly. Fan of the Hero 100 though I am, I am grateful for your comments. I had heard of some problems before from other users and bought my first 100 with some trepidation, only to be positively stunned by the great performance of the inexpensive pen. I have recently ordered a new 100 and some 329's and hope that I will be as lucky as I have been in the past. The seller is indeed wonderful and I am sure will replace any duds cheerfully.

[mmoncur]

I don't doubt there are problems with quality control on the Hero 100. In my case, I was lucky enough to find a Hero 100 'flighter' at Paradise Pen, discounted to the point where it was equal to the price I could find it for online. I was able to test it before buying, and it's been a wonderful pen.

[ngfchen]

I don't doubt there are problems with quality control on the Hero 100. In my case, I was lucky enough to find a Hero 100 'flighter' at Paradise Pen, discounted to the point where it was equal to the price I could find it for online. I was able to test it before buying, and it's been a wonderful pen.

yes, You are lucky.

you can buy 20 hero 616 at the price of hero 100 in China.YOU now know which one is better.

hero 100 is a good pen ,but you have to try to find a good one yourself,every pen is different from the other.

some of them don't have good QC.

Edited October 3, 2007 by ngfchen

[RayMan]

I bought a Hero 100 months ago, and expected a great writing experience for little money. My initial experience was very satisfactory. It's is certainly an attractive pen. After flushing and drying, I filled it and began to write. I thought it wrote well. Nice nib, not glassy smooth (I don't like glassy smooth nibs), and a crisp fine line. I was a happy guy. . . until the next day when I couldn't get it started. I somehow begged and coaxed it into writing again, but the slow starting recurred the next day and every day thereafter. I also realized that ink evaporated from it at an alarming rate, and found other posts stating that the inner cap was often punctured where the clip was attached to the pen.

 

Bottom line: It's a nice-looking pen, and writes well (though there may be exceptions to this, as I see from one of the earlier posts), when and if it writes. However, quality is inconsistent. You may be lucky and get one of the good ones.

[ngfchen]

I bought a Hero 100 months ago, and expected a great writing experience for little money. My initial experience was very satisfactory. It's is certainly an attractive pen. After flushing and drying, I filled it and began to write. I thought it wrote well. Nice nib, not glassy smooth (I don't like glassy smooth nibs), and a crisp fine line. I was a happy guy. . . until the next day when I couldn't get it started. I somehow begged and coaxed it into writing again, but the slow starting recurred the next day and every day thereafter. I also realized that ink evaporated from it at an alarming rate, and found other posts stating that the inner cap was often punctured where the clip was attached to the pen.

My advice is "try another kind of ink.pure blue ink or hero blue_black(if you can find it,$1),your 100 will write well again."