Yiren 566 A Re-Badged Hero 359?

[k3eax]

I've noticed on eBay that the Yiren 566, in photograph, seems identical to the much higher priced Hero 359. If you have both in your possession, I would welcome a description of a comparison.

 

 

[Mon34480]

I wouldnt be surprised if they came from the same factory, many low tier pens come from the same place kinda like fountain pen revolution pens and noodlers have had essentially the same pen sold under different names in the past cuz they were sourced form the same place.

[Seele]

Lately I have also seen similar pens with different brandings, such as Lanbitou etc, and the Jinhao type branded as Wing Sung with semi-hooded nibs.

 

Alteyz, in the Indian context I think a lot has to do with model sharing, especially for those pens made using injection molding. Noodler's and FPR can be said as two more retailers who use the major manufacturers as OEM suppliers.

[k3eax]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Listing-Yiren-566-Green-hat-white-Students-Fountain-Pen-/122188840545?hash=item1c7305be61:g:ybcAAOSwmfhX4UgE

 

Exhibit A

[k3eax]

Three Yiren 566 pens arrived in to yesterday's mail and while I found them to be excellent writers, none of their parts were interchangeable with the Hero 359, Jinhoa 599, or the Lamy Safari. I must say that their performance was such that I would choose the Yiren over the three mentioned. And, at a bit more than a U.S. dollar each on an eBay auction, they were a good value for money.

Edited November 10, 2016 by k3eax

[bob_hayden]

I did the same comparison as k3eax and included a Hero 1515. The four pens all had different nibs, and the bodies of the three plastic pens all had various differences in the mold they were made from beyond the number of flat sides or the brand name.

[bob_hayden]

And on the subject of Safari look-alikes

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LA-EXECUTIVE-FROSTED-BLACK-FINE-NIB-FOUNTAIN-PEN-LIGHT-/262718030099?nma=true&si=u05dqMO26G9Q1qaH89u27mjdAuo%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

While the seller says the brand is "LA" and that it takes international cartridges, the pen and its box both say "Lamy". So what is it really?

[tamiya]

While the seller says the brand is "LA" and that it takes international cartridges, the pen and its box both say "Lamy". So what is it really?

 

Pilfered pictures?

 

A few of same sellers other listings for non pen stuff are showing pictures of probably genuine goods with well known brandname logos showing whilst their text listing saying "unbranded".

[bob_hayden]

I was considering bidding on it just to see what it was but the price went too high to buy just for a lark. I wonder if the winning bidder got a very nice looking Lamy clone or just a Jinhao 599.

Edited November 20, 2016 by bob_hayden

[Seele]

Bob,

 

There have been reports of counterfeit Safaris branded as Lamy, so that could be one of those. It's less dishonest to put one's name on their homages.

[k3eax]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/286424-bought-a-fake-safari/

 

The review of previous threads relating to fake Lamys might prove interesting.

[k3eax]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LANBITOU-757-Iridium-Point-EF-Nib-Fountain-Pens-6-Colors-Optional/162060573540?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D38530%26meid%3D2c03c53c5cfc4c25a91cb5844b26e628%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D162206181013

 

 

Here's another entry into the Lamy-like parade. I'd like to hear from an owner commenting on this pen's interchangeability with other Lamy-likes.

[bob_hayden]

Thanks for the link. I had seen the Lanbitou for sale but I do not own one. Looking at the pictures it seems most similar to the Yiren, especially the black and fluorescent yellow ones. But there are also differences beyond names, such as the logo on the nibs and the lack of a logo on the black end of the cap. It's hard for me to imagine what the market for these could be. This seller charges $2 for shipping bringing the total to $7 The Hero 359s have gone up in price of late but if you search on eBay you can find them for less than $5. I have two 359As which are excellent so I would not be tempted to try something else unless it was significantly cheaper. The Jinhao and Yiren clones run around 1/3 the price of Hero and Lanbitou. I have nine of the Jinhaos and find them of variable but generaly at least OK quality. The one Yiren I have inked and used quite little seems good but not quite as good as the Heros.

[Seele]

Bob,

 

I have ordered a few of these Safari-like pens and waiting for them to turn up; just to make it difficult for myself I drive the hardest bargains, focus on those with Safari-like nibs (which rules out the plastics-bodied Jinhaos), M nibs as much as I can but not EF, and either black or clear. Still hoping to find a Hero 359 in black at a sensible price, but the Oaso are quite costly.

 

Hero has just brought out a series with metallic caps and barrels in various finishes, matched with a clear section; a bit beyond my budget too.

 

As the Safari/Vista are highly coveted in China, the success of the 359 would have encouraged others to follow suit, and apparently they sell quite well there. Some cost-cutting would have to be expected: Lamy uses acrylonitrile butedene styrene for their pens, but I think the Safari-like pens use something a little cheaper.

[bob_hayden]

Seele, do you have a model number for that new Hero?

[Seele]

Bob,

 

Apparently the vendors still call them under the 359 appellation, but knowing what they did with Jinhao's model numbers I cannot be sure if that's how the factory call them. I recall seeing full sets of them in six styles on offer, but I do not seem to be able to find that listing. Here are the individual listings:

 

Red

 

Gold

 

Brown

 

Grey

 

Black

 

Silver

[bob_hayden]

Thanks! They look like anodized aluminum, which looks cool when new, but I wonder how it will stand up. With the real Safari family I ended up liking the flat grey finish best because the others showed wear too readily. In any case, at $20 each, I am not tempted by these new ones!-) That price would put a six pack at around $100. I am guessing the six pack disappeared because nobody was interested at that price. In any event, the price is likely to decrease as other sellers get these. Right now, in the US of A, I see only one seller offering these pens on eBay.

[bob_hayden]

Getting back to the Yiren 566 I can post some additional information. After being used a bit it seems to write as well as the 359As. It is like the Lamy and Heros in using a wire clip and in having an ink nipple with diameter closer to Parker/Lamy than standard international. It is like the Lamy and Jinhao in being flat on two sides.

 

I decided to give it a good workout by installing a Lamy-shaped Thornton Black cartridge. This ink has really worked in only one 359A and one real Safari. In other pens the ink fails to flow and you can't write. It worked great for a couple of days but then I noticed that if I opened the pen the cartridge remained stuck in the body of the pen. I confirmed this several times, and it takes a firm pull to get the cartridge out (but you do not need Vise-Grips). So I took that cartridge out and put it in a 359A were it worked fine (again confirmed by repeated trials). Lastly I popped a Parker USA Permanent Black cartridge into the Yiren and that worked fine (again confirmed by repeated trials). So I would not recommend this as a cartridge pen because the ink selection in Parker cartridges is pretty slim. For the majority of you who prefer bottled ink anyway, it could be a good deal. Note that you can get it in something like the Hero summer colors and also the pastel and white sherbet colors Hero offers (usually at a higher price -- see link earlier in thread). Of course I only have a sample size of one here, but would welcome any other experiences people have had trying to use cartridges in one of these Yirens. Except for that peculiarity, I would rate them above the Jinhaos and possibly at the same level as the 359As.

 

I do wish the eBay vendors would specify what kind of cartridges their pens take, if any.

[Seele]

Bob,

 

Interesting information there. While these Safari-like pens are ostensibly C/C taking Lamy specs converters, then Lamy cartridges should fit and function, ink performance is of course dependent on the inks of course.

 

One thing I noticed is that very few Chinese pen makers actually understand what a converter is meant for: it is for converting a cartridge filler pen to use bottled ink, but a lot of them have fittings for which no cartridge has ever been made, making the term "converter" quite redundant. Come to think of it, even Stephen Brown calls the ink filling mechanism a converter except for eyedropppers and piston-fillers...

[Seele]

My two Yiren pens arrived today and I found them a bit in wanting: the distance between the two "clips" on the sides that hold on to the feed are not correct, an indication that the nibs were not made to a high degree of precision, but they were forced into the feed nonetheless; that's a little disappointing. I have not been able to take the feeds out either.

 

On the other hand the Lanbitous seem to be fine in this respect, the ability to remove the feed with relative ease is a definite plus. That said, the materials are a bit more brittle than that on the Lamy but that's not terribly surprising.