The now quite famous Hero 616 was the pen that first caught my interest in the Chinese market. It is of course an homage to the Parker 51, regarded by many as simply the best pen ever made and certainly worthy of a little introduction itself.
The Parker pen was developed in 1939, the 51st of the company and went into production 1941. The iconic design used a hooded tubular nib, strikingly different to the more conventional appearance of a fountain pen. It's appearance remains distinctive and since the end of production in the 70's it's status as a collectable has grown rapidly. High quality limited editions change hands for hundreds of pounds.
So how does this homage (that does sound so much nicer than fake...) compare?
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| Standard 616 in red Jumbo in green. |
The first thing to note about the 616 is that there are two version in circulation. The regular, and the Jumbo, also known as the Doctor. The Jumbo is marginally larger, but the proportion are different. The collar is moved forward so that the section is smaller and the barrel is longer. It will hold roughly twice as much ink as the regular.
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What I found interesting is that when I first compared these to one of my own vintage Parker pens, it's obvious that the Jumbo has been made to very closely match the original 51. The dimensions of each part are almost identical, even the caps can be swapped with an almost perfect fit. The finish of those parts however is noticeably inferior. The plastics feel cheaper, and the air hole at the bottom is rough to the touch. The metal cap is thinner, and the bottom edge feels slightly sharps compared to the carefully rounded edge of the 51. On the Hero pens, the clutch ring between barrel and section is also a window to view the ink level. In reality that isn't particularly useful, and it's one part that I feel looks quite cheap compared to the original design.
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| Parker 51 in black next to a Jumbo 616 |
Comparing the Jumbo and the regular side by side the overall finish on the Jumbo is marginally better. The assembly of the clip, cap and jewel is an improvement, on the regular the clip was often wonky and the jewel would tend to rest slightly off the center. It's a fairly minor issue, but I wouldn't give the regular to anyone with OCD!
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| In order L>R, Parker 51, Jumbo 616, Standard 616 |
In writing, with a good sample both versions of the 616 produce a similar result. Despite being very fine, they are surprisingly smooth. The ink flow is good, with minimal skipping. I would say the Jumbo is a slightly wetter pen. There's very little flex in the steel nib, there's very little line variation in normal handwriting.
Where I have found some difference between the pens is in quality. The regular pens can be bought in packs of ten, the Jumbo is usually sold individually in a blister pack. It's been my experience that the Jumbo is fairly consistent, but there can be variations in quality and even complete duds within the same pack of ten regular 616's.
Bizarrely, the Hero 616 has itself become a target for Chinese counterfeiters, yes there are fake imitations in amongst the genuine imitations.
There are nowhere near as many fakes being sold as you might believe from some internet forums. In many cases people are getting confused about the two types. As well, the quality of the genuine pens is quite variable. If a pen writes badly, it doesn't mean it's a fake, it probably just means it's a bad individual pen. How to spot the fakes really needs an article of its own, one I will write at a future date. For now my advice would be to stick to the established sellers who value their reputation.
In conclusion, if you're expecting a pen that has the quality of a Parker 51 you'll be disappointed. If you hold a Parker 51 in one hand and this in the other you can feel the difference instantly. But as an everyday pen, they're great and so cheap that there's no excuse to ever use a biro again.
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