Hero #5028 Set..Thoughts?

**the_edski** · 05-15-2012, 05:48 PM

Anyone have any reviews or thoughts on this set? http://isellpens.com/hero2.html, its the Silver-White about 4/5th's down the page. Fell in love with italics from using a Plumix and decided before jumping on something more expensive, I'd try out the different nibs that come with the Hero and then make the leap to a more expensive Lamy. My pen AD is back!

**oc_in_fw** · 05-15-2012, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by the_edski

Anyone have any reviews or thoughts on this set? http://isellpens.com/hero2.html, its the Silver-White about 4/5th's down the page. Fell in love with italics from using a Plumix and decided before jumping on something more expensive, I'd try out the different nibs that come with the Hero and then make the leap to a more expensive Lamy. My pen AD is back!

Hell, for 10 buck I say "why not?". I might add one on my next order.

**rickboone1** · 05-15-2012, 06:38 PM

I dunno, but Todd is awesome to deal with. Shoot him an email and ask his thoughts.

**the_edski** · 05-15-2012, 06:46 PM

I have no willpower....pulled the trigger like 5 minutes after I made the thread. He gushed about the pen set on the site, so its gotta be good. I'll let you guys know after I get it.

Originally Posted by rickboone1

I dunno, but Todd is awesome to deal with. Shoot him an email and ask his thoughts.

**jwhite** · 05-15-2012, 08:41 PM

I'm interested on your thoughts as well. The Heros I have gotten have been great value for money.

**Rughi** · 05-16-2012, 11:09 AM

Love the 5028. I keep the 1.1 italic nib in there for writing checks, signatures and in my note jotter.
Gave up on my Plumix.

It writes very smoothly without catching on the edges, like the Plumix did constantly. It feeds inks I've used with it reliably and with a medium wetness. I have had no problems with it at all.
It is overly light and gives the appearance of being a bit cheap, though.

**Jim** · 05-16-2012, 12:47 PM

Another pen that is a great value and writes far above its price point is the Kaigelu, http://isellpens.com/kaigelu.html

**cvac** · 05-16-2012, 01:58 PM

I really want to try a Chinese pen...but the reviews on a lot of them are so mixed that I don't know what to think. Same thing with a lot of Indian pens. I ordered a batch of Indian pens anyway, just to try them. I also ordered a Nemosine pen (made in Taiwan) that should arrive today...it will be interesting compare all these with the Waterman and Lamy I have.

Question, do people who buy Chinese pens (and other cheap pens) normally mess around with the nibs? Are they not good for beginners that don't want to tinker and just want a non-scratchy writing experience?

**jwhite** · 05-16-2012, 03:30 PM

I have a few Chinese pens all Heros so far, though I'll get a Kaigelu next time I'm buying pens for myself, 616, M616, 330, 336, and a 592. All of them worked well out of the box with a simple preliminary flush. The hidden nib pens will splatter if I shake them but never have when writing or leaked when nib up in a shirt or hip pocket. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I buy from a reputable vendor. Those ebay pens maybe fakes or pens that failed QC so I don't bother with them. I did push the feed through on the 330 once when filling without the sack cover and press bar, I pushed nibward on the breather tube and dislodged the feed. It was an easy fix and my fault for inking stupid. The pen works fine and is still used.

**SmoovD** · 05-16-2012, 05:17 PM

I have had, for the most part, very good experiences with Baoer, Jinhao, Hero and Wing Sung pens. Duke and Kaigelu are bit more of a "hit or miss" in my experience but when you get a good one they are great little pens for little money.

**nemo** · 05-16-2012, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by Jim

Another pen that is a great value and writes far above its price point is the Kaigelu, http://isellpens.com/kaigelu.html

That Kaigelu is a real looker!

Originally Posted by cvac

I also ordered a Nemosine pen (made in Taiwan) that should arrive today...it will be interesting compare all these with the Waterman and Lamy I have.

Question, do people who buy Chinese pens (and other cheap pens) normally mess around with the nibs? Are they not good for beginners that don't want to tinker and just want a non-scratchy writing experience?

Nice name, Nemosine! In my experiences, the Chinese nibs are usually pretty smooth -- it's the rest of the pen that comes apart prematurely.

**Deacon Frank** · 05-16-2012, 07:48 PM

I've got the 5028 set in silver-white. Like a previous poster said, it feels cheap -- very light in the hand and a slim section. On the other hand, it *is* cheap....

It performs well for me. I started with the 1.5mm nib, and I'm using the 1.1mm nib now. Both nibs have been reliable -- haven't touched the 1.9mm nib yet. I've used two Noodler's inks in it without any problems: X-Feather and Bad Blue Heron. The converter is a slide-type, nothing fancy.

Eventually, I'll probably get a LAMY Joy with 1.1mm nib, but the Hero 5028 has been a fun way to get acquainted with italic nibs.

**the_edski** · 05-22-2012, 07:11 PM

Arrived yesterday. Inked it up tonight with a no-name blue cart from Benton Clay. Couldn't decide what bottle to use and just wanted to get writing. The 1.1 nib writes size-wise just like a Plumix, but a much wetter (IMO) and nicer line. The 1.5 nib is very nice. Smooth, wet and with a bit of shading. The 1.9 is a shading MONSTER! Fat, wet, smooth and great variation in color. I've never really had much shading in my writing before and it is definitely different and appealing. Hopefully I can post some pictures tomorrow. The only downside is the cap isn't wanting to stay posted, but the pen is long enough to write comfortably anyways and it has no mass, so it doesn't add any weight at all to an already featherweight pen, so it doesn't matter. Definitely worth every penny from Todd at isellpens.com. It is drawing me further into developing an italic AD!

**oc_in_fw** · 05-22-2012, 07:22 PM

Originally Posted by the_edski

Arrived yesterday. Inked it up tonight with a no-name blue cart from Benton Clay. Couldn't decide what bottle to use and just wanted to get writing. The 1.1 nib writes size-wise just like a Plumix, but a much wetter (IMO) and nicer line. The 1.5 nib is very nice. Smooth, wet and with a bit of shading. The 1.9 is a shading MONSTER! Fat, wet, smooth and great variation in color. I've never really had much shading in my writing before and it is definitely different and appealing. Hopefully I can post some pictures tomorrow. The only downside is the cap isn't wanting to stay posted, but the pen is long enough to write comfortably anyways and it has no mass, so it doesn't add any weight at all to an already featherweight pen, so it doesn't matter. Definitely worth every penny from Todd at isellpens.com. It is drawing me further into developing an italic AD!

One of these days I am going to try Black Swan in Australian Roses in an italic pen- I would love to see how that shades out. I agree about the italic- I have a 1.5mm on my Al-Star, and will be buying a 1.1 for my Studio. I will be looking for more italics in the future (maybe the elusive 51 with cursive nib)

**the_edski** · 05-22-2012, 07:25 PM

Somewhere, Brianw is grinning with delight right now...

Originally Posted by oc_in_fw

I will be looking for more italics in the future (maybe the illusive 51 with cursive nib)

**oc_in_fw** · 05-22-2012, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by the_edski

Somewhere, Brianw is grinning with delight right now...

He is just laughing because I misspelled "elusive"

Seriously, though, I am going to give one a fair shake. I have said I don't like the hooded nib, but so many people rave about them that I have to see what is up.

**Raatt** · 05-23-2012, 10:54 PM

I have this set in black...great nibs and have never had problems with the feeds. The only downside for me is this is a small pen. I like a larger pen. I don't mind the short, but I like a thicker barrel. but for the money, a great set, I prefer the nibs on this set in comparison to my much more expensive Sheaffer long handle set.