So Should I Get A Hero 100?

February 12, 2017

I've gone over the reviews and Google even gave me a notice that they were getting unusually heavy traffic from my IP. I'm still on the fence and eBay seller laonan123 having them on sale is not helping me move on.

EDIT:

Two things to clarify what I need help on:

I own a couple of Chinese pens (both the "vintage" aerometric fillers and the "modern" piston converter pens) with more coming in the mail. I've never bought one though at this price. Is the leap in price (3x or more) commensurate with a leap in performance and construction?
Problems I have noted from research are a. section cracking, b. feed starvation, and c. we all hate glued-on aerometric converters. Did I miss anything?

Edited February 12, 2017 by antichresis

February 12, 2017

If the sale price is less than 25, I would be cautious and ask for advice. Fakes abound!

February 12, 2017

It is below $25...

February 12, 2017

In fact a new Hero 100 should sell at something like 35.00 to 40.00 these days. Admitting there are plenty of old stock that had been around with lower cost. And considering shipping and all I certainly would be more cautious about one that only cost something like 20 or 25

February 12, 2017

Hmm, but isn't laonan123 a reputable seller? I was thinking of getting a few other pens from him/her..

February 12, 2017

I think the pen is likely just NOS , and that's why it can priced so ( back then Gold is not priced at this ridiculous price we have now ). The 24.52 is still perfectly within bound of like pricing for Hero 100 ( NOS only ). When I refer to those 35.00 to 40.00 I mean new stock. And the guy is as you've stated, a reputable seller on the site; though I've not have the need to shop there. I do recall reading people recommend the seller quite a number of times and generally the feed back is positive.

I suppose the price is OK AFAIC. The matter then is if you are ready for the Hero 100 ( and all its caveats )

February 12, 2017

I think the pen is likely just NOS , and that's why it can priced so ( back then Gold is not priced at this ridiculous price we have now ). The 24.52 is still perfectly within bound of like pricing for Hero 100 ( NOS only ). When I refer to those 35.00 to 40.00 I mean new stock. And the guy is as you've stated, a reputable seller on the site; though I've not have the need to shop there. I do recall reading people recommend the seller quite a number of times and generally the feed back is positive.

I suppose the price is OK AFAIC. The matter then is if you are ready for the Hero 100 ( and all its caveats )

Well at least that's one worry out of the way. And people say that the old production Hero 100s are better quality.

Yeah I have a couple of the Hero 616 (as to genuineness I have not looked into it). They're okay pens but I never find myself reaching for them. The 100 seems like an upgrade. But then again the 616 is just $2...

Edited February 12, 2017 by antichresis

February 12, 2017

I have bought several Hero 7032's from laonan123 and everything has been fine. Fast shipping, no damage, and all have been fine writers.

February 15, 2017

You should be alright. The price for this models and others has been slowly dropping in the last couple of years. The only issue that i`ve come across is that some of these pens have a misalignment between the nib and the hood. 25 dollars is a very fair price. I haven`t used my H100 for too long, they seem reasonably well built and should last longer than similar but cheaper pens, like Hero 616 etc.

February 20, 2017

I've purchased quite a few items from Laonan123 and never had an issue, however I have never purchased any of the more commonly counterfeited pens from him. I have purchased 2 Jinhao ballpoints, 3 generic ballpoints, a Jinhao x450, two sets of 6 nibs, and 5 converters from him. I've never had an issue with any of them.

I too have been considering getting a Hero 100 from him and will probably purchase one once I decide if I want the Flighter or the Black model.