9:10 the Gold Star 565 is still in production, with 50% more than Hero 565. 99% same pen, same material, same finishing detailsl, with Hero 565. 1% difference is: Gold Star inscription on nib, metal tube pusher, cap. Vintage GS565 is considered better in all ways, but I never got chance to have one. 🎉
Your videos make me wanna send you all sorts of odd pens, I love your reviews! For an interesting Hero pen, I recommend the vintage Copper Hero 395. It has a soft nib which gives some interesting line variation, the pen has a gorgeous patterned body too!
I found my 565 to check the sharp edges which I hadn't noticed when I reviewed it. They are not smooth but I do not find them objectionable. The pen had dried out after a few weeks, something I did not expect. If you like hooded nibs, try a WingSung 618. I have a few inked up for years & find them to be great writers. Only 2x the 565 & it's a good piston filler.
Well that's odd. My Hero 565 wrote smooth, wet, fat medium right out of the....envelope. I love this pen so much that I ordered all three colors after. My pen writes a thick medium and I'm curious as to see how the other two write when they arrive. Thanks for the review, when I saw it I was like 😃YES!!! Just to let everyone know, I own all kinds of fountain pens. Gold nib, steel nib, expensive, cheap. What makes me happy is the feeling that the pen gives back when using it, not the cost, color etc. Great review!
Well it isn't so odd considering they make these by the thousands (or did make them as this was old stock) with very little quality control. So I'm not surprised it needed some attention. I get what you're saying too. When you buy a $300 gold nib pen, it is just expected that it will write and perform extremely well. But, when you get a $5 pen that has a higher than expected performance, you think to yourself WOW! I just got the bargain of the century! And do a happy dance. 💃
Just ordered a handful of these for less than a dollar each, will be used for my nib tuning practice runs. If they should end up working they will make a nice and cheap option to throw away ballpoints at work.
Nice review Doug, Thank's ! Well the design of this pen i believe it's a combination between Parker 51/61 and Shaffer PFM .I must say i really like how this pen writes in a medium point and i have no problem with the fact that this pen is drying out faster that pens like Wing Sung 618 , 698 .
Thank you for this wonderful review! I watch your videos from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and really find them a great way to deepen my appreciation of fountain pens, and connect with fellow FP enthusiasts. The Hero 565 retails here for Tk 450 (103 Tk = 1 USD), and is popular with new hobbyists owing to its low price. Many here do not know much about the Parker 51, and how that pen became the basis for generations of Chinese copies from various manufacturers in that country. I also find the Hero 585 reminiscent of Sheaffer PFM. The way its cap and barrel ends are shaped reminds one of a PFM V (except that this pen - Hero- does not sport a gold cap). Hero 585's (rather hefty) section girth, in my opinion, owes more to the design of the PFM as opposed to that of the Parker 51. The clever manufacturer somehow incorporated some of the endearing design features of two classic mid-century US writing instruments in this current rendition. I own a P 51, and also a PFM, and I can see that the build quality and finishing of these pens are in a different league altogether. But in this day and age reintroducing that quality in a pen would not be commercially prudent at all. The Parker 51s, and the intriguing PFMs will continue to make us marvel about the time and age when such writing instruments were serious business tools...
Greetings from Australia. Great video. Coincidentally I bought 3 of these pens in three different colours on Ebay for just over $5Aud each. They are currently in the mail from Shanghai. I am glad that you showed how to fill the pen because after you mentioned that it was a fixed converter I wanted to see that done. Shame about the sharp edges. I will be smoothing on some fine emery paper. Two of the three are going to my nieces as they don't have a hooded nib and this is the first for me too. Keep the videos coming. Great job.
They are cheap enough to buy one for each colour of ink you like. That way you don't have to clean them as often as cleaning these type of fillers is a PITA!
I just got one today, and I find it's hooded nib much better out of the box than a Wing Sung one already in my collection. It's smooth with minimal feedback and wet. It is comfortable to use but not luxurious at all. It's quite modest but practical, and that's OK. Cheap as chips but good enough for work, where ballpoint and gel pens make my handwriting look scruffy.
Well, in general, the roughly unfinished details: like sharp edges, is something that is usual with this Parker/Shaeffer Homage Chinese pens that use hooded or inlaid nibs... I have a couple of this from Jinhao, the model 51a, wich is an homage pen inspired in the Parker 51, but been able to use cartridges and converters. They're lovely and write relatively well, without skipping and smooth writing experience, the only detail is: they are Fine nib size and they have a bit of a sweetspot similar to the Lamy 200 EF, besides this detail, I like them quite a lot... As a fountainpenstusiast, I'm more of a sentimental type so, yeah, there are pens wich if I lose them, I would be: oh, futs, my X amount of bucks, bummer, life goes on. But with certain pens I would be totally feel down for days if I lose them, e.g. my (overpriced-yet-chinese-cheap) Disney fountain pen wich was a birthday gift, my beloved Lamy 2000... or my Jinhao 51a wich is certainly an affordable and replaceable (although very pretty, IMO) fountain pen... obviously as you wisely say: mileage may vary, especially when you get some sort of personal attachment with the fountain you lose. As for this troll comments, yeah, there are people like that sort in any chanel/community, they are like the pathogens: they're everywhere and sometimes just bugs you. Just don't feed the trolls and zap the buggers' commentaries if they annoyed you... as many hobbies, fountain pens are for the enjoyment of anyone who decides to get in... they're widely different types of fountain pen enthusiasts: The vintage-secondhand-ebay-fleasmarket type, affordable-cheapy-really-cheap ones and the holly-shock-in-the-teeth-that's-expensivealot sybarite. This is a nice video as usual, maybe one day I lent you some Shaeffers or frankenpen for your enjoyment and reviewing... Until then, may you keep playing guitar and writing dangerously, Mr Douglas "Daredevil" Rathbun. Saludos 👍
Saludos, Jorge! LOL "Daredevil"! Yeah, it is interesting how our favourite writing instruments come with a "story". The sentiment and happy memories combine with the writing experience to make it even more intimate. I know David Parker has spoken about this in his videos about his more cherished pens.
You appear to be holding it at a very pronounced angle. Mine arrived super smooth and wet. Then again, I did not note any sharp edges. The clip is spring-loaded.
@@tereaplant That was just a new out of the box hard start issue. I've been writing with it a lot as an EDC and it writes smooth and wet consistently even when left without being used for a day.
If you watch 15:04 you can easily see that the sac is half empty. I have two 565 and same problem. Eqch time i have to remove the metal barrel so i can fully ink my pen. Great writer though
Hi. I bought one of these not a month ago, but it´s not like yours, as it have a converter. The feel its very good, the design it´s attractive, I liked very much seeing that most of the FP are thin, this is wider, the color is pale grey, very beautiful, the nib it´s real small, but when in use it´s fine, smooth. When using writing a novel, I mean, several pages until there it´s no more ink, appears the trouble. Let´s say that at the third page the ink stop flowing. I use the Converter, pushing the ink to the feed, and another three pages and stop. That its´an issue. Well, I accidentally dropped it to the hard floor and the piece where the Converter gets inserted,gets broken. After that, I ask for two more by Ali Express and I´m waiting to see what will happen. I have more than a thousand Chinese fountain pens (yes, I´m a bit of a fan) and when buying several units of the same model, there is one or two that are superb. The one that is superb, its the Hero 329. Not fancy, but real good, everyone of the 22 i posses.... .
Thanks, Douglas, I subscribed. Yes, this 565 pen is a favourite and repays a little initial smoothing TLC with a nib and feed that work sweetly, even when vertical, and an aerometric that recalls another fave, the Parker 51. The chunky grip resembles a Sheaffer PFM (I wish Parker had done a 51 Wide) and fits my man-hand perfectly. Of my far-too-many pens, this baby is one that is always to be found on my desk. Says it all, really! The aerometric sac seems almost "evap-proof"... I rarely ink it, whereas cartridges seem to dry up on me prematurely, I find.
Nice job. Yes, seems nearly every expense was spared on the 565. Mine writes well so far, problem is the other end, clip fell apart because I touched it. Bought two so one writing pen and one inkless capless pen. Thanks!
Enjoy your reviews and so far my favorite is the Jinhao 992 which I love! With regard to your guitar playing I enjoy that too and erhaps evry now and then we could have a longer sample.
Cool, thanks! And thanks for the guitar comment. I've put that little snippet in each video now just to remind people in advance of the reason for my long fingernails on my right hand and to keep the nasty comments to a minimum. I put in a longer segment now and then but they take twice as long to create as an entire pen review in that I have to record (audio and video, multiple cameras) and then edit down to 19 second snips to keep from getting copyright strikes from RUclips. So, perhaps once a month now. :) Thanks again.
Just yesterday morning I decided to play this album.. my vinyl version. I love this song.. thanks Douglas! Oh, yeah, the pen too.. I have a few Hero pens, but I like your new one here.. Frank from Boulder, Colorado
Doug, thanks for the video. I have 2 565, one burgundy and one black. Both wrote well out of the box. Not crazy about the filling system. Had to pump it about 20 times to get an almost full fill. Wish we could swop it for a standard converter. Like Chrisrap52 noted it does dry out after a few weeks but by then it is usually time to refill or clean it out and go to an other pen.
Thanks, Daniel. And, yes, the filling system leaves much to be desired. You can get a Jinhao 51A or a WingSung 601 with converters or vacumatic fillers, but I did like the extra width of this 565.
I just wanted to say thank you very much for the idea of using a feeler gauge to make a pen write wetter. I was using brass shims before but using a 0.004 inch feeler gauge is sturdier and works very well. I have been using that method on all my pens that don't write very wet. I found this method on a penbbs video you posted, but I figure you'd see this comment more likely. Thanks to Chris for the idea as well.
Thanks, CW! I was using the gapping tool before I saw Chris, but after seeing his technique of stroking down the slit a number of times, I adopted his process. I used to just use the tool to push sideways. Now I do both and it really works!
@@InkquiringMinds Any tips for separating the tines just at the tipping material? I notice if you try to separate it at the tipping material by wiggling it back and forth sometimes the nib bends outwards at the very ends of the tipping material but is still tight just before
C W Yes. I keep the nib on the paper facing me and stoke down the slit and then, keeping both the nib and the tool flush on the paper, I move the tool just slightly to the right and hold it for 10-15 seconds and the to the left 10-15 seconds. Then check alignment with the loupe and test the nib. Repeat if necessary. This keeps things under control and reduces the possibility of springing the nib.
Good Morning Sir Douglas... 🌴🌞 Love the Hero 565 and Diamine Ancient Copper. I only have the green. Thanks for prompting me to order the Burgundy. Love ya.
Thank you for bringig up the subject of sharp edges on slip caps . My hero 616 ”regular”and 616 jumbo and Parker 21, and Camlin 45 all needed some kind of smoothing of the cap edges to be pleasant to use. If steel wool treatment wasn’t sufficient, putting the cap in my drilling machine and applying a metal file did the trick. So well that I sometimes think my 616 is a better pen than my 51:s, ink window and lesser weight and easier maintenance etc. But of course it’s not. Just different.
@@Johan-vk5yd No, I just held the cap against some micromesh and turned it around in my hand while holding about a 45 degree angle on the edge of the cap.
Like most who've collected over years, I have lots of pens! But I keep finding it's this model (of which I have one in a rather old fashioned dark green) that I keep reaching for. The nib seems a tad broader than the one in the test, and it's reliably wet, though not too much. The stocky section, as several have remarked, is reminiscent of a PFM, and it certainly fits my hand nicely. If I were taking an exam tomorrow and could only have access to an inexpensive pen, it might well be this 565.
Hero pens used to be the staple writing instrument of us Indian school kids of the 1980s. These were the only Chinese products we used to get. Their build quality was far superior to anything we had in India then. These pens have not changed at all in all these years.
I've commented below the video about the 2023 version with converter that I was sent this previous version with the aerometric filler that doesn't suck up ink to the transparent window. I can push until the cows come home, but what ink there is stays below the see-through part. So it's the other way round from your pen, it does write from the box (or rather cellophane, no box), but doesn't suck up ink. Do you have a link for the 'Bobby' shop, so I can get the 2023 one? Or move on to a different Parker 51 clone?
I have the hero 329 and hero 616. Both are hooded nibs. I find the 329 a little bit smoother and wetter. But both are very good low cost every day carry pens. The 616 has a 'doctor' or jumbo version which is a little bit better finished. I find the hooded nibs are generally scatchier than regular nibs. My jinhao 51a non hooded medium nib is really smooth in comparison.
Great video as usual. Sorry you needed to include the postscript, but I have to say I enjoyed it. You should try Ancient Copper in a broader, wetter pen as well, it's a really nice ink.
Thanks so much! Yes, I will be doing a review soon of a custom calligraphy pen with 1.5, 1.9 and 2.5 stub nibs and will use the Ancient Copper. I'm also thinking of a comparison video of J. Herbin Caroube de Chypre vs Ancient Copper.
@@InkquiringMinds Do you have Lamy Bronze? An interesting contrast would be Lamy Bronze to Ancient Copper, as Lamy Bronze is basically orange, and Ancient Copper actually looks bronze.
I bought a hero 565 some time ago. It was very smooth so I was thinking to buy a couple more. But recently I found it spilling ink when it was left for a while so as the nib pointing down. Is there anyone who found the same for this pen.
i have so many pens but i keep a collection of jinhao 992s and i find that if i get a nib i dont like or thats unbearable i go on wish.com and get another one free with shipping and in a month its christmas again :) i have almost all the nib sizes and when i get them their really fine or scratchy but a little sanding with some nail files and then rubbed on the back of a butterknife to smoothe it out and then some real fast back and forth on some hp inkjet paper smoothes it right up
Nice video, as usual. I look forward to them. I'm sorry to hear that life on the internet also includes rudeness that I'm sure wouldn't happen in person (well, maybe not nearly as much) . Great ending. Keep it up.
I found that the Hero 565 is more a European medium size nib and that without any modifications or tuning to the nib. My observations coincide with the majority of the reviews and feedbacks i seen online until now!
@@InkquiringMinds Zh- is pronounced like the j- in jungle, x- is an aspirated s sound (in the Wade-Giles transcription system it was spelled hs-), c- is a ts- sound like in in grits (e.g. Wancai isn't Wankai, but rather Wantsai) and q- is a tsh- sound like in Chuck. Hanyu pinyin (the transcription system used in China) was developed with Russian linguists back in the day which may explain some of the choices. I hope that wasn't too technical.
Cat Stevens was the last one if you don't count Crusty. I started teaching at Niagara College in Ontario (9 years) but then was a professor for 25 years at Mount Royal University in Calgary.
9:10 the Gold Star 565 is still in production, with 50% more than Hero 565. 99% same pen, same material, same finishing detailsl, with Hero 565. 1% difference is: Gold Star inscription on nib, metal tube pusher, cap. Vintage GS565 is considered better in all ways, but I never got chance to have one. 🎉
Your videos make me wanna send you all sorts of odd pens, I love your reviews! For an interesting Hero pen, I recommend the vintage Copper Hero 395. It has a soft nib which gives some interesting line variation, the pen has a gorgeous patterned body too!
You're sweet, Kristy! Thanks for that comment. I'll take a look around for a Hero 395. There are SO many models of Hero pens! Another rabbit hole!
I found my 565 to check the sharp edges which I hadn't noticed when I reviewed it. They are not smooth but I do not find them objectionable. The pen had dried out after a few weeks, something I did not expect. If you like hooded nibs, try a WingSung 618. I have a few inked up for years & find them to be great writers. Only 2x the 565 & it's a good piston filler.
I second the 618, one of the best sub-$20 pens out there IMHO.
Thanks, Chris. When my supply chain to Shanghai is open again, I'm going to pick up a few hooded nib pens to try out. :)
Well that's odd. My Hero 565 wrote smooth, wet, fat medium right out of the....envelope. I love this pen so much that I ordered all three colors after. My pen writes a thick medium and I'm curious as to see how the other two write when they arrive. Thanks for the review, when I saw it I was like 😃YES!!! Just to let everyone know, I own all kinds of fountain pens. Gold nib, steel nib, expensive, cheap. What makes me happy is the feeling that the pen gives back when using it, not the cost, color etc. Great review!
Well it isn't so odd considering they make these by the thousands (or did make them as this was old stock) with very little quality control. So I'm not surprised it needed some attention. I get what you're saying too. When you buy a $300 gold nib pen, it is just expected that it will write and perform extremely well. But, when you get a $5 pen that has a higher than expected performance, you think to yourself WOW! I just got the bargain of the century! And do a happy dance. 💃
Just ordered a handful of these for less than a dollar each, will be used for my nib tuning practice runs. If they should end up working they will make a nice and cheap option to throw away ballpoints at work.
Nice review Doug, Thank's !
Well the design of this pen i believe it's a combination between Parker 51/61 and Shaffer PFM .I must say i really like how this pen writes in a medium point and i have no problem with the fact that this pen is drying out faster that pens like Wing Sung 618 , 698 .
Thank you, Fountain Pen Collection!
Thank you for this wonderful review! I watch your videos from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and really find them a great way to deepen my appreciation of fountain pens, and connect with fellow FP enthusiasts. The Hero 565 retails here for Tk 450 (103 Tk = 1 USD), and is popular with new hobbyists owing to its low price. Many here do not know much about the Parker 51, and how that pen became the basis for generations of Chinese copies from various manufacturers in that country. I also find the Hero 585 reminiscent of Sheaffer PFM. The way its cap and barrel ends are shaped reminds one of a PFM V (except that this pen - Hero- does not sport a gold cap). Hero 585's (rather hefty) section girth, in my opinion, owes more to the design of the PFM as opposed to that of the Parker 51. The clever manufacturer somehow incorporated some of the endearing design features of two classic mid-century US writing instruments in this current rendition. I own a P 51, and also a PFM, and I can see that the build quality and finishing of these pens are in a different league altogether. But in this day and age reintroducing that quality in a pen would not be commercially prudent at all. The Parker 51s, and the intriguing PFMs will continue to make us marvel about the time and age when such writing instruments were serious business tools...
Thanks for sharing, Shamim Ehsanul Haque!
Greetings from Australia.
Great video. Coincidentally I bought 3 of these pens in three different colours on Ebay for just over $5Aud each. They are currently in the mail from Shanghai.
I am glad that you showed how to fill the pen because after you mentioned that it was a fixed converter I wanted to see that done.
Shame about the sharp edges. I will be smoothing on some fine emery paper.
Two of the three are going to my nieces as they don't have a hooded nib and this is the first for me too.
Keep the videos coming. Great job.
They are cheap enough to buy one for each colour of ink you like. That way you don't have to clean them as often as cleaning these type of fillers is a PITA!
I just got one today, and I find it's hooded nib much better out of the box than a Wing Sung one already in my collection. It's smooth with minimal feedback and wet. It is comfortable to use but not luxurious at all. It's quite modest but practical, and that's OK. Cheap as chips but good enough for work, where ballpoint and gel pens make my handwriting look scruffy.
Thank you, BigHenFor!
Well, in general, the roughly unfinished details: like sharp edges, is something that is usual with this Parker/Shaeffer Homage Chinese pens that use hooded or inlaid nibs... I have a couple of this from Jinhao, the model 51a, wich is an homage pen inspired in the Parker 51, but been able to use cartridges and converters. They're lovely and write relatively well, without skipping and smooth writing experience, the only detail is: they are Fine nib size and they have a bit of a sweetspot similar to the Lamy 200 EF, besides this detail, I like them quite a lot... As a fountainpenstusiast, I'm more of a sentimental type so, yeah, there are pens wich if I lose them, I would be: oh, futs, my X amount of bucks, bummer, life goes on. But with certain pens I would be totally feel down for days if I lose them, e.g. my (overpriced-yet-chinese-cheap) Disney fountain pen wich was a birthday gift, my beloved Lamy 2000... or my Jinhao 51a wich is certainly an affordable and replaceable (although very pretty, IMO) fountain pen... obviously as you wisely say: mileage may vary, especially when you get some sort of personal attachment with the fountain you lose. As for this troll comments, yeah, there are people like that sort in any chanel/community, they are like the pathogens: they're everywhere and sometimes just bugs you. Just don't feed the trolls and zap the buggers' commentaries if they annoyed you... as many hobbies, fountain pens are for the enjoyment of anyone who decides to get in... they're widely different types of fountain pen enthusiasts: The vintage-secondhand-ebay-fleasmarket type, affordable-cheapy-really-cheap ones and the holly-shock-in-the-teeth-that's-expensivealot sybarite. This is a nice video as usual, maybe one day I lent you some Shaeffers or frankenpen for your enjoyment and reviewing... Until then, may you keep playing guitar and writing dangerously, Mr Douglas "Daredevil" Rathbun. Saludos 👍
Saludos, Jorge! LOL "Daredevil"! Yeah, it is interesting how our favourite writing instruments come with a "story". The sentiment and happy memories combine with the writing experience to make it even more intimate. I know David Parker has spoken about this in his videos about his more cherished pens.
I love your videos. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, opinions and talents, and the pens that come into your hands. :)
Thanks, Ann! :) That makes me smile!
You appear to be holding it at a very pronounced angle. Mine arrived super smooth and wet. Then again, I did not note any sharp edges. The clip is spring-loaded.
Thanks, John. It is writing very nicely now. It writes the first time every time regardless of how long it has been sitting.
I was thinking the same thing. You appear to be writing with the edge of the nib. I would think that the pen would write differently/sharply.
@@tereaplant That was just a new out of the box hard start issue. I've been writing with it a lot as an EDC and it writes smooth and wet consistently even when left without being used for a day.
If you watch 15:04 you can easily see that the sac is half empty. I have two 565 and same problem. Eqch time i have to remove the metal barrel so i can fully ink my pen. Great writer though
Aerometrics aren't the best filling system.
Hi. I bought one of these not a month ago, but it´s not like yours, as it have a converter. The feel its very good, the design it´s attractive, I liked very much seeing that most of the FP are thin, this is wider, the color is pale grey, very beautiful, the nib it´s real small, but when in use it´s fine, smooth. When using writing a novel, I mean, several pages until there it´s no more ink, appears the trouble. Let´s say that at the third page the ink stop flowing. I use the Converter, pushing the ink to the feed, and another three pages and stop. That its´an issue. Well, I accidentally dropped it to the hard floor and the piece where the Converter gets inserted,gets broken. After that, I ask for two more by Ali Express and I´m waiting to see what will happen. I have more than a thousand Chinese fountain pens (yes, I´m a bit of a fan) and when buying several units of the same model, there is one or two that are superb. The one that is superb, its the Hero 329. Not fancy, but real good, everyone of the 22 i posses.... .
Thanks for sharing, Alfredo!
Thanks, Douglas, I subscribed. Yes, this 565 pen is a favourite and repays a little initial smoothing TLC with a nib and feed that work sweetly, even when vertical, and an aerometric that recalls another fave, the Parker 51. The chunky grip resembles a Sheaffer PFM (I wish Parker had done a 51 Wide) and fits my man-hand perfectly. Of my far-too-many pens, this baby is one that is always to be found on my desk. Says it all, really! The aerometric sac seems almost "evap-proof"... I rarely ink it, whereas cartridges seem to dry up on me prematurely, I find.
It is extraordinary how such an inexpensive pen is so reliable!
Nice job. Yes, seems nearly every expense was spared on the 565. Mine writes well so far, problem is the other end, clip fell apart because I touched it. Bought two so one writing pen and one inkless capless pen. Thanks!
Ah the beauty of a sub $10 pen. Buy two and get one.
Enjoy your reviews and so far my favorite is the Jinhao 992 which I love! With regard to your guitar playing I enjoy that too and erhaps evry now and then we could have a longer sample.
Cool, thanks! And thanks for the guitar comment. I've put that little snippet in each video now just to remind people in advance of the reason for my long fingernails on my right hand and to keep the nasty comments to a minimum. I put in a longer segment now and then but they take twice as long to create as an entire pen review in that I have to record (audio and video, multiple cameras) and then edit down to 19 second snips to keep from getting copyright strikes from RUclips. So, perhaps once a month now. :) Thanks again.
Just yesterday morning I decided to play this album.. my vinyl version. I love this song.. thanks Douglas! Oh, yeah, the pen too.. I have a few Hero pens, but I like your new one here..
Frank from Boulder, Colorado
Hey, Frank! JT has a new album coming out the end of the month and I'm seeing him live, here, in April!
Doug, thanks for the video. I have 2 565, one burgundy and one black. Both wrote well out of the box. Not crazy about the filling system. Had to pump it about 20 times to get an almost full fill. Wish we could swop it for a standard converter. Like Chrisrap52 noted it does dry out after a few weeks but by then it is usually time to refill or clean it out and go to an other pen.
Thanks, Daniel. And, yes, the filling system leaves much to be desired. You can get a Jinhao 51A or a WingSung 601 with converters or vacumatic fillers, but I did like the extra width of this 565.
@@InkquiringMinds I have the 51A but like you I like the the thickness of the 565.
It looks exactly the same than the Chinese Golden Star 565 1971's aerometric fountain pen. I like it more whith converter.
I just wanted to say thank you very much for the idea of using a feeler gauge to make a pen write wetter. I was using brass shims before but using a 0.004 inch feeler gauge is sturdier and works very well. I have been using that method on all my pens that don't write very wet. I found this method on a penbbs video you posted, but I figure you'd see this comment more likely. Thanks to Chris for the idea as well.
Thanks, CW! I was using the gapping tool before I saw Chris, but after seeing his technique of stroking down the slit a number of times, I adopted his process. I used to just use the tool to push sideways. Now I do both and it really works!
@@InkquiringMinds Any tips for separating the tines just at the tipping material? I notice if you try to separate it at the tipping material by wiggling it back and forth sometimes the nib bends outwards at the very ends of the tipping material but is still tight just before
C W Yes. I keep the nib on the paper facing me and stoke down the slit and then, keeping both the nib and the tool flush on the paper, I move the tool just slightly to the right and hold it for 10-15 seconds and the to the left 10-15 seconds. Then check alignment with the loupe and test the nib. Repeat if necessary. This keeps things under control and reduces the possibility of springing the nib.
Good Morning Sir Douglas... 🌴🌞 Love the Hero 565 and Diamine Ancient Copper. I only have the green. Thanks for prompting me to order the Burgundy. Love ya.
Oh, and my Moonman 80 stinks 😾
Good morning Sir Stacy! LOL As suggested by another viewer, I'm going to put the Ancient Copper into a calligraphy pen so we can really see it.
Oh that sucks! I have two on order; one 80/s and one 80/mini, both in Lake Blue.
Thank you for bringig up the subject of sharp edges on slip caps . My hero 616 ”regular”and 616 jumbo and Parker 21, and Camlin 45 all needed some kind of smoothing of the cap edges to be pleasant to use. If steel wool treatment wasn’t sufficient, putting the cap in my drilling machine and applying a metal file did the trick. So well that I sometimes think my 616 is a better pen than my 51:s, ink window and lesser weight and easier maintenance etc. But of course it’s not. Just different.
Thanks, Johan. I just turned the cap on some micromesh in levels until it was smooth. Took five minutes.
Douglas Rathbun I’m happy to hear it was such a smooth operation! By ”turn” do you mean using a lathe, or something?
@@Johan-vk5yd No, I just held the cap against some micromesh and turned it around in my hand while holding about a 45 degree angle on the edge of the cap.
Good review. I have a Hero 442 rather nice and with a bit soft nib. Don´t know when it is from though.
Thanks, MultiEbbot!
Like most who've collected over years, I have lots of pens! But I keep finding it's this model (of which I have one in a rather old fashioned dark green) that I keep reaching for. The nib seems a tad broader than the one in the test, and it's reliably wet, though not too much. The stocky section, as several have remarked, is reminiscent of a PFM, and it certainly fits my hand nicely. If I were taking an exam tomorrow and could only have access to an inexpensive pen, it might well be this 565.
Thanks for sharing!
Oh heck, apologies, I wrote _two_ similar reviews here. A senior moment, I suppose...
Hero pens used to be the staple writing instrument of us Indian school kids of the 1980s. These were the only Chinese products we used to get. Their build quality was far superior to anything we had in India then. These pens have not changed at all in all these years.
I've commented below the video about the 2023 version with converter that I was sent this previous version with the aerometric filler that doesn't suck up ink to the transparent window. I can push until the cows come home, but what ink there is stays below the see-through part. So it's the other way round from your pen, it does write from the box (or rather cellophane, no box), but doesn't suck up ink. Do you have a link for the 'Bobby' shop, so I can get the 2023 one? Or move on to a different Parker 51 clone?
stpenppschinesepen.aliexpress.com/store/5083212?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.49c9h2J2h2J2il
Excellent candid review
Thanks, EFP! Now I feel like Allen Funt! LOL
I have a few Wing Sung 233 model fountain pens.. a thinner version, but with a tubular nib..
Frank from Boulder
Once the Chinese borders opens again, I'm going to get a couple more hooded nib pens.
I have the hero 329 and hero 616. Both are hooded nibs. I find the 329 a little bit smoother and wetter. But both are very good low cost every day carry pens. The 616 has a 'doctor' or jumbo version which is a little bit better finished. I find the hooded nibs are generally scatchier than regular nibs. My jinhao 51a non hooded medium nib is really smooth in comparison.
Thanks, Andrew! I'm not sure they make the 616 anymore. Although there seems to be a tone of "new old stock" Hero pens on eBay.
Great video as usual. Sorry you needed to include the postscript, but I have to say I enjoyed it. You should try Ancient Copper in a broader, wetter pen as well, it's a really nice ink.
Thanks so much! Yes, I will be doing a review soon of a custom calligraphy pen with 1.5, 1.9 and 2.5 stub nibs and will use the Ancient Copper. I'm also thinking of a comparison video of J. Herbin Caroube de Chypre vs Ancient Copper.
@@InkquiringMinds Do you have Lamy Bronze? An interesting contrast would be Lamy Bronze to Ancient Copper, as Lamy Bronze is basically orange, and Ancient Copper actually looks bronze.
@@WhatIInk No I don't own a Lamy Safari or AlStar. I cannot write with that triangular grip, unfortunately.
@@InkquiringMinds Ahhh, I'm talking about Lamy Bronze ink!
I like the looks of the pen. It reminds me of my Esterbrook Phaeton 300R. I would love a review of that one.
Interesting. I'm not familiar with that one.
I bought a hero 565 some time ago. It was very smooth so I was thinking to buy a couple more. But recently I found it spilling ink when it was left for a while so as the nib pointing down. Is there anyone who found the same for this pen.
Keep it stored nib up.
@InkquiringMinds May be that is the solution, but my other pens don't do that, and I don't like it.
I had 2 versions, one with the attached aerometric converter and the removable standard converter. Neither was a great pen.
Onto something else...
i have so many pens but i keep a collection of jinhao 992s and i find that if i get a nib i dont like or thats unbearable i go on wish.com and get another one free with shipping and in a month its christmas again :) i have almost all the nib sizes and when i get them their really fine or scratchy but a little sanding with some nail files and then rubbed on the back of a butterknife to smoothe it out and then some real fast back and forth on some hp inkjet paper smoothes it right up
Yup! A little work on some of these pens makes them very usable and in some cases excellent!
Nice video, as usual. I look forward to them. I'm sorry to hear that life on the internet also includes rudeness that I'm sure wouldn't happen in person (well, maybe not nearly as much) . Great ending. Keep it up.
Hey, John! thanks for this. I thought it would be a great opportunity to do the Monty Python "troll at the bridge" bit. :)
I found that the Hero 565 is more a European medium size nib and that without any modifications or tuning to the nib. My observations coincide with the majority of the reviews and feedbacks i seen online until now!
Thanks, FPC!
Jinhao 51A is my knock about pen...thank you for the reviews....' I don't know That' :)
Thanks, Luc. I'm going to get a 51A soon for review.
英雄 (pronounced Yingxiong) is the Chinese brand name which translates to Hero. You'd guessed correctly. Thanks for another interesting review.
Thanks, Inga! Is that pronounced "Ying Zhong" with emphasis on the Zzzzzh like in Doctor Zhivago?
@@InkquiringMinds Zh- is pronounced like the j- in jungle, x- is an aspirated s sound (in the Wade-Giles transcription system it was spelled hs-), c- is a ts- sound like in in grits (e.g. Wancai isn't Wankai, but rather Wantsai) and q- is a tsh- sound like in Chuck. Hanyu pinyin (the transcription system used in China) was developed with Russian linguists back in the day which may explain some of the choices. I hope that wasn't too technical.
@@yuklimka7251 That's perfect Inga thanks! So Yingxiong is more like Ying Shung.
@@InkquiringMinds Yup. That'll be much closer.
Just as most of the vintage model from most Chinese fountain pen Mfr, the nib would need at least writing a fill or 2 before it will run in
Thanks, Mech. You are correct. Now the pen just writes first time, every time. It is very reliable.
What! Where was Zappa!? 🤘🏼😉🤘🏼
Oh! He was behind the couch the whole time.
George, Eric, Paul, Jim, James, JD?, Dickey?.. I give up.. where did you teach Doug?
Frank from Boulder
Cat Stevens was the last one if you don't count Crusty. I started teaching at Niagara College in Ontario (9 years) but then was a professor for 25 years at Mount Royal University in Calgary.
I love your vídeos and I am also a Pen collector. 🇪🇸👍
Thanks, Raúl! Collecting is a form of addiction! We have to support each other! ;)
@@InkquiringMinds That's right.. 👍👍🇪🇸🇪🇸
@@Raul1971xxx I'm starting a "support" episode. :)
@@InkquiringMinds 👍✌️
@@InkquiringMinds That's an excellent idea. ✌️👍