I had to try this $5 knockoff of my favorite pen, the Parker 51.
The burgundy colored Parker 51 has been one of my go to pens for decades. Produced continually from 1941 to 1972, the Parker 51 launched with marketing declaring it “the World’s best pen.” Currently pens in good working order can command prices in excess of $100, so I had to try this $5 imitation, the Hero Extra Light.
Finish-wise the Hero is looks very similar to the Parker. The top of the cap is a bit more pointed and the Parker’s translucent “jewel” is replaced with metal on the Hero. The band where the two halves of the pen fit together is also plastic on the Hero, rather than the metal ring on the Parker. The filling mechanism is nearly identical, as viewed. I have not disassembled the Hero, but likely will, at the very least it appears to be useful as replacement parts for the Parker.
In a writing test the Hero is most definitely not the Parker, however I’ve been writing with this nib for a long time. The Hero writes well enough, ink flows smoothly and I can certainly use the pen. I am not sure it’ll ever acquire the same feeling in my hand as my authentic 51, even with years of use, but for $5 it is certainly close. The Hero strikes me more as a new pen rather than “just not a Parker 51.”
If you want something super close to a Parker 51 but don’t want to pay collectors prices, the Hero Extra Light is a good call.