Hero 616 Large Size "jumbo" - Review

[WJM]

Of all chinese knock-off pens Hero 616 is likely the most notorious one. It's a pen which by being a blatant copy of another model, and to that one of the most famous ones in history - Parker 51 - became sort of a classic itself.

Hero 616 is an almost identical copy of aerometric Parker 51. The large version, widely known as "Jumbo" or "Doctor" except for a few minor details is by apperance hardly distinguishable from the Parker 51 when they're put next to one another (the standard sized version is too small for my taste and I almost never use it, but it's pretty much the same pen, only smaller).

For the cost of just a few dollars it offers a pretty good quality, though not without its problems. I own two large 616's and both of them write very well, fine and smooth. Flow is not a problem, except for the fact that the ink sometimes finds itself where it shouldn't. If I was to point out one serious problem with 616 it's it tendency to leak, burp and its susceptibility for shakes. Sometimes for no good reason I just find a few drops of ink on the paper and I just guess I moved my hand more rapidly than the pen could take. I know a fountain pen isn't supposed to be shaken, but this never happens to me with any other pen. It doesn't happen often enough to make it more than a little annoyance, but it does happen sometimes. Weirdly it only does happen as an unexpected accident. Lightly shaking the pen on purpose usually doesn't cause it to leak.

Also, while using one of my 616's, once wanting to unscrew the barrel, I accidentally unscrewed the plastic hood of the nib section. After screwing it back the leaked horribly from around the hood threads, the problem which I solved by putting some shellac on them to tightly seal the hood on the nib section. Now it's fine.

The filling system is a rather conservative, unremovable aerometric squeeze filler. In both of my Hero 616's it works surprisingly well and fills almost completely, giving the pen quite good ink capacity. Unlike in some others Chinese squeeze fillers, like my Hero 565, which is basically a fatter version of 616, in which filling the sac properly almost always requires some trial and error.

Cap is snapped on and it posts perfectly.

Except for that one issue of burping some ink once a while, I'd say Hero 616 is a really great EDC. It's actually one of the pens I use most frequently. I admit I kinda see it as a cheap substitute of the Parker 51, which always fascinated me a little bit, but I would rather carry around this cheap copy than an original vintage pen. Of course, comparing the two, Hero 616 has a lower quality of production and materials, but what would you expect. One thing that Hero does have and Parker doesn't is a very narrow ink window. Some people like that, but personally I find it a rather insignificant detail.

Is it worth getting? Yes it is, if you like the design of Parker 51 and would like to have a cheap, disposable alternative to knock around.

 

Hero 616 Jumbo and Parker 51 Special:

 

P51 is the upper one

 

 

 

 

 

P51 Special on the right:

 

Edited October 10, 2017 by WJM

[farazqamar]

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[mwpannell]

Thanks for this. I appreciate these. I've used one daily for the past two months attached to my carry-around A5 notebook system. It takes some abuse and occassionally gets tossed around absent mindedly with the notebook. It writes perfectly on the Tomoe paper within (Nanami Crossfield). I've had no burping,leaking problems at all with this one. It is great. Filled with Noodler's Black.

 

(Images loading fine for me)

Edited October 10, 2017 by mwpannell

[mwpannell]

Photo related to above. It works so well with the push on cap. The cap stays attached and I just draw the pen out. I never post it anyway. Perfect on the go solution for me. I often carry other pens but this is always there, and often just it.

 

[Mech-for-i]

The so call jumbo, or large is actually the standard size in Hero's own and they refer to it as Mid size ( mid referring to generic fountain pen size ) and the small one is referred to as small size. The 616 is styling wise surely much owe up to the P51, but mechanically its not. In fact even the Hero 100 is mechanically different than the P51 though it had plenty of the elements. One thing about 616 these days is their assembly QC and the section; or rather the sealing of the section. These vintage Chinese hooded nib models of all make are all designed around a sealed section and faulty sealing, dry out / cracked seal, or just bad workmanship almost always result in leaks around the area. Had over the years more than 20 or so 616 and I've not having any burping problem, but for sure if I shake it hard it will send inks flying out.

[WJM]

  On 10/11/2017 at 2:25 AM, Mech-for-i said:

Had over the years more than 20 or so 616 and I've not having any burping problem, but for sure if I shake it hard it will send inks flying out.

 

The problem is, in my experience it doesn't take shaking it hard. It just happens for seemingly no reason (as I wrote, rarely, but does). And I'm not even talking about burping, but this weird thing that I suddenly find a several little drops of ink on the paper. I don't know how to describe it, it's kinda like the ink collected on the nib/feed and a sudden move made it fly.

Edited December 5, 2017 by WJM

[DaveBj]

I have the 616. To me, it seems to have a rather small "sweet spot", and the nib is so well hidden in the hood that it was hard to line it up. I solved the problem by posting in such a way that the clip is lined up with the top of the nib. Now it writes first time, every time.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I have about a half-dozen vintage 616s. It's rare that I don't ink one for daily writing. And though superficially they resemble Parker 51 and 21 models, they have a simple squeeze filler. Plus the big HERO logo is a dead giveaway up close.

[WJM]

Logo? I don't know about the vintages but none of mine has any visible logo. Of course there's "HERO" on the bottom of the cap, and one of them has "Hero" written on the clip (similiar way there was "Parker" on the earlier Parker 51's). Interestingly the second one doesn't have that.

Edited December 7, 2017 by WJM

[Sailor Kenshin]

  On 12/7/2017 at 8:55 AM, WJM said:

Logo? I don't know about the vintages but none of mine has any visible logo. Of course there's "HERO" on the bottom of the cap, and one of them has "Hero" written on the clip (similiar way there was "Parker" on the earlier Parker 51's). Interestingly the second one doesn't have that.

 

Yes...that and the Chinese writing on the cap.