Flushing a Hero 616 and parker 51

[w0den]

OK, here are some better pictures... Could it be real? did they change the design?

 

 

Looks like you got the same ones I got. The ebay post claimed that they were "Carbon fiber" which I knew was not true. I wonder if we both got fakes.... Who was your seller? Mine were sold by jsbay88. They do not seem to sell a lot of pens...

Either these are fake, or hero has vastly reduced the quality of the 616. I never heard anyone complain about them leaking...

[merzig]

I wonder if we both got fakes.... Who was your seller? Mine were sold by jsbay88. They do not seem to sell a lot of pens...

 

Before I saw this thread I thought maybe Hero had decreased their production quality but I now think they're fakes.

 

I bought them from "sfcdirect". They were simply listed as hero 616s. Looking back at the auction carefully, the square-clipped pens are in fact pictured. However the packaging is identical to the real Heros I bought and the auction image was small, so I didn't realize I was getting fakes. Plus I didn't think it could possibly be profitable to knock off the 616s (aren't they knockoffs already??), so I didn't look too carefully at what I was buying.

[burmeseboyz]

Plus I didn't think it could possibly be profitable to knock off the 616s (aren't they knockoffs already??), so I didn't look too carefully at what I was buying.

 

haha yeah same here! Boy did I get played. But at least they were cheap. I looked at them last night and they were horrible. Even an old wingsung I had was of much higher quality in terms of writing. Where did you get your previous batch of Hero 616's from? Speerbob has them up for $35 with shipping for 10. I might just get them from him to save having to buy them again.

[merzig]

Where did you get your previous batch of Hero 616's from? Speerbob has them up for $35 with shipping for 10.

 

Got 'em from Speerbob. He's the man.

[mrbill]

I narrowly avoided buying from either "sfcdirect" or "jsbay88" and ended up ordering "10 X PIECES OF HERO 616 CARBON FIBER FOUNTAIN PEN H19" from "comeon1788":

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=150340204103

 

"All the items we are selling are original, or money back. Bid with confidence!" - I guess we'll see in a couple of weeks. At worst I'm out $15.

 

Here are some comparison shots. "New" Hero on the left, older legit 616 on the right.

Caps from the top:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2287/3531824912_91b8e13822_o.jpg

 

Could the pen on the right be a 616 Jumbo? That's quite a size difference.

Edited May 17, 2009 by mrbill

[fcw]

I narrowly avoided buying from either "sfcdirect" or "jsbay88" and ended up ordering "10 X PIECES OF HERO 616 CARBON FIBER FOUNTAIN PEN H19" from "comeon1788":

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=150340204103

 

"All the items we are selling are original, or money back. Bid with confidence!" - I guess we'll see in a couple of weeks. At worst I'm out $15.

 

I've bought several pens from this eBay seller over the past couple of years, and they were always what they were supposed to be; this includes a ten-pack of 616s just like the one you linked to.

[merzig]

Could the pen on the right be a 616 Jumbo? That's quite a size difference.

 

Yes, the pen with the wider cap is a jumbo.

 

However as you can see from the other photos the pens are really close in all other dimensions: size, length, etc. The two caps are almost interchangeable, since the body diameters are so similar. (Although the square-clipped caps fit don't fit as well as the Hero arrow-caps do on a Parker 51. The square clips are tight.)

 

It may be the square-capped knockoff pens are emulating "regular" 616s, as I don't know what the difference in size is between a "regular" and a "jumbo" 616.

[parilla]

After flushing, I just press the bar to expel as much water as possible, then use a tissue to draw remaining water from the feed/nib. You can also do a "thermometer shake" but I don't do that for fear of having the pen fly. Another small trick is to let the flushed pen sit for 24/48 hours afterward uncapped, which allows remaining water to evaporate a bit more before you re-cap and store it.

 

The only real difference in flushing the 616 vs. a 51 is that the 51's press bar is more efficient than the Hero at expelling ink or water. To either fill or to clean a 616, I find the best bet is to remove the sac guard/bar by pulling it off and then squeezing the sac directly. Some Heros have the sac guard affixed, some don't. Newer ones seem to just press-fit, allowing you to pull it right off and then re-seat it when done.

 

As has been noted several times, there is a difference in the overall system as a 51 is an actual 'aerometric' feed with breather tube, allowing air pressure to equalize, while the Hero is a simple squeeze-fill mechanism.

I have Hero 616s (also P.51s) which I really like, but find difficult to get more than a few drops of ink into . I have tried removing the sac cover but still cant get much in...the sacs simply wont fill beyond a few drops worth. Currently I am experimenting with making one an eyedropper filler. I have blocked t

he hole in the top end of the barrel and removed the sac. So far, it seems to be working, but it was only done this morning so its too early to tell if it is successful. Any comments?

Its now the 26th May so my eyedropper Hero 616 is now well and truly tested. It works perfectly and has made a great daily user (I used silicone grease where the barrel unscrews and there is no leaking at all).

[mrbill]

Got my pack of Hero 616s from "comeon1788" in the mail today. My wife messaged me at work, "Your fake Parkers came in... and I opened the package and grabbed one to fill up with Saguaro Wine"

 

They appear to be real legitimate Heros and not fakes. We've filled four of them so far and have had no leaks, they all write fine. Definitely worth the $1.50/each they cost.

 

I've put up a short review with a couple of pictures:

 

http://weblog.mrbill.net/archives/2009/05/...-fountain-pens/

[parilla]

Got my pack of Hero 616s from "comeon1788" in the mail today. My wife messaged me at work, "Your fake Parkers came in... and I opened the package and grabbed one to fill up with Saguaro Wine"

 

They appear to be real legitimate Heros and not fakes. We've filled four of them so far and have had no leaks, they all write fine. Definitely worth the $1.50/each they cost.

 

I've put up a short review with a couple of pictures:

 

http://weblog.mrbill.net/archives/2009/05/...-fountain-pens/

Try a nice smooth one as an eyedropper, then theres no problem with the dreadful ink capacity.Block the hole at the top of the barrel and pull off the sac. Put some silicone grease on the barrel hread and you will have a much better pen! I love mine - cheap and smooth. I have an old cap from a Parker 51 and use that on the Hero, it gives it a nice balance since it is quite a bit heavier.

[EMM]

lul who would make a counterfeit hero 616?

[jniforat]

lul who would make a counterfeit hero 616?

 

[ZeissIkon]

lul who would make a counterfeit hero 616?

 

Someone who figures they can make a profit selling a twenty-five cent pen for fifty cents, I'd guess...

[PenFan95]

lul who would make a counterfeit hero 616?

 

Someone who figures they can make a profit selling a twenty-five cent pen for fifty cents, I'd guess...

 

Or idots, perhaps?