I’ve been impressed with that as well. Notice he references pieces from before he was born through contemporary clips. I’m not sure it’s good for someone to know so much pop culture, but I appreciate the sacrifice of his own well-being for our sake.
Very good review. I didn't know that it was released with converter. I ordered the Burgundy and Lake blue colour, I like very much the lake placid blue, and burgundy is classical and elegant. I like the fact that it fits with Parker cartridges or the international standard converter, or the invention of sticking the two parker cartridges. I like the shape, because it is between the parker 51 and a cigar shape, thicker. It is very beautiful. Greetings from Mexico.
Hi Doug. I must have got really lucky when I bought my old-style 565 as the squeeze converter actually works surprisingly well. I like the old model and see no reason to 'splash out' on the new one.
That is a fantastic pen. I may have to pick one of those up. The main problem I have with my Parker 51 is not orienting the nib properly. I love how this solves that problem.
I'm getting this. Two, in fact. I gave my dad the old 565 which he enjoys, except that the nib was dry, and having to kick start it every time began to be a pain. That it seems to have a better interior, especially the ability to use cartridges, makes this a no brainer. Thanks for the review, Doug!
Yes indeed. I just ordered two of them;a grey and a khaki color. I'm hoping they are the updated ones with the converter. These are the expensive $4.58 ones.
I didn't use Hero pensvin a very long time now. But 20 years ago, the Hero 329s (another hooded variant ) and Hero 612s were my go-to pens. That was partly because they wrote well and they were all I could afford. It's kind of surreal having seen them reviewed by you Doug after all these years that I have known these models.
I just received my 565. Apparently you can get either a Medium or a Fine nib. Glad to see that I can use Parker or Lamy cartridges. They have been sitting in my ink box.
I got the improved 616s made of steel and I find the ink window to be somewhat sharp too but I don't rest my fingers there so it doesn't bother me that much, the extra weight is pretty nice compared to the original model tho.
My favorite pen. Unscrew the barrel, the edge of top section is also extreme sharp, sand paper hand job is needed too. My last purchase was in 2016, I compare the 2023 so called update version, it actually is a miserable downgrade. My 2016 version is superior in:1. Smooth edge of arrow down the tip. 2. When screwed, no height difference between barrel and section.
I figured that the new model takes Parker cartridges and that 's a hell of a good quantity of ink rather than the simple push pull converter... I have the Grey version of the new 565...
Awesome! I knew you'd be as picky as I about irksome details, but I HAD to make sure you knew about the improvements and was eager to see your take on it. Also, the Hero 616 has a model with a push-pull converter. It's called the Hero 616 Plus, and it has a shorter section than does the standard Hero 616, as does the Hero 616 "Jumbo" aka "Doctor," the pen with a larger aerometric filler. It was fun to see the unboxing, too!
Try the classic (1970s, 1980s, the beginning of the 1990s) Chinese Rainbow 201 (Parker 51 clone) and 202 (Parker 61 clone, though with an aerometric system). Beautiful and good quality.
I really like the form factor of the Hero 565. Sadly, mine (old version) doesn't seal properly so I have to use it daily so that it doesn't dry out. :/
A Hero that might change my general opinion of Hero! In my experience in the past with Hero, it's not just the artery slashing properties of their aerometric system. They just didn't write well usually. This might need to be added to my collection to see if my opinion improves.
I remember using some version of Parker 51 on elementary school. It was definitely not an actual Parker, but the lines of the pen are unmistakable. So being able to use plenty of versions these days does bring some nostalgia. The only think I am missing on my WS flighter is the helpful arrow on the section, which the old knockoffs used to have.
@@InkquiringMinds I don't really need it, it is just one of those things that remind me of those old pens. (Decals would likely not fare well with all the ink dipping to fill, especially the fun inks we have these days that stain a lot.) The arrow I remember is neither the Parker one you showed, nor the new one used by Hero, but one about half the length, with just a chevron top end as well, so four point, like a sharp and obtuse angle defining an area. We had fountain pens like that, or ball points with Parker 51 section that needed a sort if kinked point to go into that section. Even then I proffered fountain orn, while most of my class used the ball point kind that sort of mimicked fountain pen, since you could only hold it one way.
I have a Parker 61 left oblique nib looking for a home. Any idea if it would fit here? It's currently living in a Wing Sung 618, but since this is a bigger pen with P61 design elements, I'm curious.
I have already reviewed the x850 here: th-cam.com/video/F6w6n4-kUQg/w-d-xo.html But this coming Saturday, I will be reviewing the x350 and comparing it to the x850.
Great value pen! I could have done with a Medium nib option, but that just means I save the vast amount of money I would otherwise spend on this pen 💰💰💰😁
I love the 565 but have always hated that horrid potato peeler filling mechanism, enough to have sidelined all my 565s. I didn't know there is a new version so this was a great find. Needless to say I hot-footed it over to eBay and ordered four.
You reminded me that I have a 565 that sits in a drawer. I need to use it more. I've inked it up today because of you. The 565 was the all-time best seller of the Golden Star fountain pen company. It was so popular that, I am told, Hero had no choice but to continue making it when they swallowed up Golden Star. I guess they replaced the plastic bulb reservoir in an aluminium sleeve with a slider converter because it cost them less than maintaining the machines that made the aerometric filler. I'm trying a better quality converter because my 565 dries out very quickly despite its lined cap. I suspect the slide converter is the culprit. I hope so because if it wasn't for the drying problem, the 565 would be one of my favourites from an ergonomic point of view. It fits my hand perfectly and the nib is far better than all other P51 type nibs. I wish some other brand would make a better quality 565 while keeping the same nib and pen dimensions. Great video, as always. Thank you.
So... If i understand you well, finding a replacement nib (medium) in my case is hard but not impossible. I"ve checked AliXpress and other places and MEEEEEEHhhhhhh! Nothing. Do you have a clue where I could check for a replacement nib?
Same here. Bought 4 colors of '23 versions, all 'Fine' nibbed & I need Mediums. Where'd Ed find the 'M' nibbed one he sent you? A thought: will the older ver. 565 nibs fit the new version?
the converter is great, but why is the “arrow” not the same color as the other metal parts of the pen??? In my opinion, this kills the aesthetics of the pen. I prefer the old version only because there is no such imbalance in appearance.
Unbelievable how smoothly these pens write!
Indeed!
Hero 565 write all the time, without feed issues. They are very comfortable writing with because they are well-balanced once posted.
Today one grey come to me, I’m happy with it, I needed it.
You must have an encyclopedic memory for video clips- the "....Classified ads....." clip was priceless. As always, thanks for all you do.
I’ve been impressed with that as well. Notice he references pieces from before he was born through contemporary clips. I’m not sure it’s good for someone to know so much pop culture, but I appreciate the sacrifice of his own well-being for our sake.
Glad you enjoyed it His Girl Friday is one of my favourite films of all time.
Very good review. I didn't know that it was released with converter. I ordered the Burgundy and Lake blue colour, I like very much the lake placid blue, and burgundy is classical and elegant. I like the fact that it fits with Parker cartridges or the international standard converter, or the invention of sticking the two parker cartridges. I like the shape, because it is between the parker 51 and a cigar shape, thicker. It is very beautiful. Greetings from Mexico.
I just bought one of these in silver and black. I am looking forward to geting it. Great deco design.
Another review!!! Thanks for spoiling us!
My pleasure!
Thanks for the heads up 👍 perfect size winner for the vintage look.
Thanks Doug!
You bet!
It’s amazing that you get “so much pen” for the money. This would make an EDC pen. Thanks for this update. I enjoyed it very much. 👍👍👍+++😎!
Totally agree!
Nice. Virtually identical length and girth to the Sheafer PFM II
Indeed!
Thanks, Doug! I didn't think of that pen as one that anyone would bother to update. I have the older version and it writes
great, fun to use.
Hey Doug! You’re quite right about those Chinese characters at 6:25 meaning Hero :)
Thanks!
Great review, and some good laughs. Thank you!
My pleasure!
Hi Doug. I must have got really lucky when I bought my old-style 565 as the squeeze converter actually works surprisingly well. I like the old model and see no reason to 'splash out' on the new one.
That is a fantastic pen. I may have to pick one of those up. The main problem I have with my Parker 51 is not orienting the nib properly. I love how this solves that problem.
One of my first fountain pens was a Hero 1000. The slip cap fell apart, but I was able to modify a Parker cap to fit. It's a nice pen for the office.
I haven't had a Hero pen in 20 years. The ones I had were more for display in a beautiful wood box. I just ordered it.
Thanks for the review, Doug.
Hope you enjoy it!
I'm getting this. Two, in fact. I gave my dad the old 565 which he enjoys, except that the nib was dry, and having to kick start it every time began to be a pain. That it seems to have a better interior, especially the ability to use cartridges, makes this a no brainer. Thanks for the review, Doug!
Yes indeed. I just ordered two of them;a grey and a khaki color. I'm hoping they are the updated ones with the converter. These are the expensive $4.58 ones.
Hope you enjoy it!
I didn't use Hero pensvin a very long time now. But 20 years ago, the Hero 329s (another hooded variant ) and Hero 612s were my go-to pens. That was partly because they wrote well and they were all I could afford. It's kind of surreal having seen them reviewed by you Doug after all these years that I have known these models.
Thanks, Somnath!
I just received my 565. Apparently you can get either a Medium or a Fine nib. Glad to see that I can use Parker or Lamy cartridges. They have been sitting in my ink box.
Thanks, Paul, for the excellent information!
Doug, the shape of this thicker pen reminds me more of the Sheaffer PFM or Imperial, minus the hooded nib. Will a Parker converter fit?
The Parker long cartridge fits, so perhaps the converter will too?
I got the improved 616s made of steel and I find the ink window to be somewhat sharp too but I don't rest my fingers there so it doesn't bother me that much, the extra weight is pretty nice compared to the original model tho.
My favorite pen. Unscrew the barrel, the edge of top section is also extreme sharp, sand paper hand job is needed too. My last purchase was in 2016, I compare the 2023 so called update version, it actually is a miserable downgrade. My 2016 version is superior in:1. Smooth edge of arrow down the tip. 2. When screwed, no height difference between barrel and section.
We share a sense of humour and taste in great films... Cheers sir.
Thank you kindly
I figured that the new model takes Parker cartridges and that 's a hell of a good quantity of ink rather than the simple push pull converter... I have the Grey version of the new 565...
Awesome!
I knew you'd be as picky as I about irksome details, but I HAD to make sure you knew about the improvements and was eager to see your take on it.
Also, the Hero 616 has a model with a push-pull converter. It's called the Hero 616 Plus, and it has a shorter section than does the standard Hero 616, as does the Hero 616 "Jumbo" aka "Doctor," the pen with a larger aerometric filler.
It was fun to see the unboxing, too!
I'm enjoying all of the goodies you send in the box, Ed! Thank you so much! The microfibre pen roll is especially useful!
Try the classic (1970s, 1980s, the beginning of the 1990s) Chinese Rainbow 201 (Parker 51 clone) and 202 (Parker 61 clone, though with an aerometric system). Beautiful and good quality.
I really like the form factor of the Hero 565. Sadly, mine (old version) doesn't seal properly so I have to use it daily so that it doesn't dry out. :/
A Hero that might change my general opinion of Hero!
In my experience in the past with Hero, it's not just the artery slashing properties of their aerometric system. They just didn't write well usually.
This might need to be added to my collection to see if my opinion improves.
I was surprised by how well this pen wrote!
I remember using some version of Parker 51 on elementary school. It was definitely not an actual Parker, but the lines of the pen are unmistakable. So being able to use plenty of versions these days does bring some nostalgia. The only think I am missing on my WS flighter is the helpful arrow on the section, which the old knockoffs used to have.
Yes. The old 565s had the Parker 61-like arrow. You could always stick a decal on the section! :)
@@InkquiringMinds I don't really need it, it is just one of those things that remind me of those old pens. (Decals would likely not fare well with all the ink dipping to fill, especially the fun inks we have these days that stain a lot.) The arrow I remember is neither the Parker one you showed, nor the new one used by Hero, but one about half the length, with just a chevron top end as well, so four point, like a sharp and obtuse angle defining an area. We had fountain pens like that, or ball points with Parker 51 section that needed a sort if kinked point to go into that section. Even then I proffered fountain orn, while most of my class used the ball point kind that sort of mimicked fountain pen, since you could only hold it one way.
I have a Parker 61 left oblique nib looking for a home. Any idea if it would fit here? It's currently living in a Wing Sung 618, but since this is a bigger pen with P61 design elements, I'm curious.
I’ve only had one P61 and never removed the nib. If it fits a WS618 it might fit a 565. They aren’t expensive so buy one and find out.
Sheaffer Imperial anyone? Minus the nib of course.
Please review Jinhao x350 and x850.
I have already reviewed the x850 here: th-cam.com/video/F6w6n4-kUQg/w-d-xo.html But this coming Saturday, I will be reviewing the x350 and comparing it to the x850.
@@InkquiringMinds Great. Thank you.
I saw they are selling 565 spare nibs on ebay
Great value pen! I could have done with a Medium nib option, but that just means I save the vast amount of money I would otherwise spend on this pen 💰💰💰😁
This nib IS a medium!
@@InkquiringMinds d'Oh! 😆 Shows how well I listen, then 😆😆🙄
@@archivist17 LOL
I love the 565 but have always hated that horrid potato peeler filling mechanism, enough to have sidelined all my 565s. I didn't know there is a new version so this was a great find. Needless to say I hot-footed it over to eBay and ordered four.
Well said, Graham!
You reminded me that I have a 565 that sits in a drawer. I need to use it more. I've inked it up today because of you.
The 565 was the all-time best seller of the Golden Star fountain pen company. It was so popular that, I am told, Hero had no choice but to continue making it when they swallowed up Golden Star. I guess they replaced the plastic bulb reservoir in an aluminium sleeve with a slider converter because it cost them less than maintaining the machines that made the aerometric filler.
I'm trying a better quality converter because my 565 dries out very quickly despite its lined cap. I suspect the slide converter is the culprit. I hope so because if it wasn't for the drying problem, the 565 would be one of my favourites from an ergonomic point of view. It fits my hand perfectly and the nib is far better than all other P51 type nibs. I wish some other brand would make a better quality 565 while keeping the same nib and pen dimensions.
Great video, as always. Thank you.
Thanks, Þórhildur
So... If i understand you well, finding a replacement nib (medium) in my case is hard but not impossible. I"ve checked AliXpress and other places and MEEEEEEHhhhhhh! Nothing. Do you have a clue where I could check for a replacement nib?
Same here. Bought 4 colors of '23 versions, all 'Fine' nibbed & I need Mediums. Where'd Ed find the 'M' nibbed one he sent you?
A thought: will the older ver. 565 nibs fit the new version?
I have no idea where he got it.
I've not found a replacement nib for it.
Like an old red vintage just gets better..
Indeed!
13:21, ... and Visconti users would be very surprised if a Visconti wrote out of the box. If...
All my Viscontis have written okay out of the box. They just come out of the box cracked.
the converter is great, but why is the “arrow” not the same color as the other metal parts of the pen??? In my opinion, this kills the aesthetics of the pen. I prefer the old version only because there is no such imbalance in appearance.
Just the cap is easily worth four bucks.
Love your channel, but Imagine pulling your pens apart (and damaging your nibs) with nail clippers. Wow!
You and Doodlebud really hurt my budget with pens....
Hero pens suck!
It's the aerometric fillers.
All pens do. It's the ink hydraulics. Only pencils don't. Lol.