Hero 330

Green pen with gold-tone cap and fittings, including an inlaid arrowhead just below the point

I bought this pen more or less as an exercise in sympathetic magic. I was taken with the urge to get a Parker 61, and none were presenting themselves. This pen is a sort of Bizzaro-61, lifting some styling cues from that pen, although mechanically more in line with the "51". Apparently the Hero company got their start in a nationalized Parker plant which had been abandoned during the Second World War and never reclaimed in the subsequent upset in China. So, since I couldn't get the 61, I'd get something similar (and, as it happens, dirt cheap) in an atavistic hope that like would draw like.

Not a month later, I got my hands on a 61 (link forthcoming). Make of that what you will.

This pen is no more than I'd hoped it would be-- it works with fair consistency, and has yet to put ink anywhere it wasn't told to. It's a slightly better pen than the Wing Sung of similar type I've got, in that it takes longer for the point to dry out in the poorly-sealed cap. It still has the strange and hard to quantify sensation of being made of low-cost materials. It would be a great pen for a middle or high school student, balancing function and looks against expendability.

There have been questions raised about the consistency of Hero pens. Some people get duds. This particular example of this particular model is pretty well made, and doesn't look like it's going to fail in the near future, but given the chat, I can't whole-heartedly recommend the line. On the other hand, they're pretty inexpensive, so you won't be wasting a pile of money if it doesn't work (and most retailers will try to make good, given a chance).

Specifications: Fine point, reputed to be gold-- I've yet to get the hood off and check. Aerometric filler. 13.7cm long capped, 14.5cm posted.

Condition: Bought new, and I don't use it a lot. In a decade or so, I may give it to my son for use in school, and that should beat it up pretty quickly.

Repairs: None.

Location: My collection.

For sale?: No. They show up on eBay frequently, and are really quite cheap. I'm actually contemplating getting a case of ten, in which case I will have some for sale.

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