Hero 9296 Fountain Pen Review
Is the Hero 9296 the best cheap fountain pen ever made? It depends… The pencil-thin body is topped off with an extra-fine hooded nib, great for sketching! The cap seats snugly for posters and for those concerned with leaking, it will contain any shaken spills well.
 |
|
Hero 9296 Fountain Pen Design
The Hero 9296 fountain pen is pencil-thin and black with a silver toned clip, cap and blind cap. Both ends of the pen are simple flat edged adornments. The clip is stamped with the Hero brand which looks like a flowy letter “H” surrounded by the outline of what looks like a little flower.
Specs:
Steel Nib or K Gold Nib Nib: Steel
Nib Width: N/A (Hooded)
Nib Length: N/A (Hooded)
Piston Cartridge/Converter Fill: Converter (included)
Pull/Screw Cap: Pull
Capped Length: 131mm
Posted Length:
Uncapped Length: 115mm
Mid-Grip Width: 5mm
Cap Band Width: 7mm
Total Weight: 18g
Cap Weight: 5g
The pen looks classy from a distance, although the chinese lettering printed vertically next to one side of the clip cheapens the appearance to me.
When you remove the cap, (it’s a pull off cap) and recap it, you’ll notice the distinct click of the section seating against the inner cap.
You can detect the feel of the inner cap being almost exactly the same radius as the section and as it stretches to engulf the section, it clicks solidly around it. I LOVE that! What that means to you is no unexpected leaks in your pocket or bag. It seats securely and the inner cap will catch any loss of ink, but this pen doesn’t leak… at least it didn’t for me. It also seats securely onto the back if you’re into posting caps like me.
Unveiling the hooded nib… I’m not usually one for hooded nibs as the pomp and circumstance of a traditional nib just do it for me. Hooded nibs seems so much like they’re trying to imitate the look of a ballpoint, they’re almost a turnoff.
That being said, the hooded nib sits proudly against the shiny, silver toned section well. It’s extremely reminiscent of my Pilot Vanishing Point nib. At one-tenth the cost, this is a decent substitute, but you just can’t get the feel of a VP from this pen. More on that later…
The look is understated elegance.
The one drawback of this pen besides the extremely thin body is the ribbed section. I’m not sure what possessed the manufacturer to rib the section. I guess because it’s slick and slippery, they decided to mold in some rings for grip. But the grip gets annoying during longer writing sessions. It’s not a deal-breaker mind you, this is a cheap pen so just don’t expect perfection! The rings fall just above my grip so my thumb and forefinger fall on the last ring or two, making for an uncomfortable ride on longer tours of my journal.
For the fountain pen enthusiast, or purist, this pen comes with a Hero converter and no cartridges, which I was leery of. I mean the button to push the plunger up and down inside of the converter seems like an accident waiting to happen or a cheaply made substitute for a screw converter (which it is,) but it functions remarkably well! I had no issues with this converter sucking up the ink from the first fill.
As converters go, this one holds a decent amount of ink, about the same as an international short cartridge from eyeballing it. As I said, no issues, no problems though. Hurray!
Rubber + Road… How does Hero 9296 hold up?
What I like about the Hero 9296 is versatility. It writes on anything and everything and doesn’t skip or give you problems.
I wrote on ALL kinds of paper. Because I used this one for a full two weeks before reviewing it, I had the ability to road test it among many other pens and papers. It writes with an extremely fine line and I’m proud of and happy that HERO made an EF nib, or at least one that writes like an EF nib, and it’s NOT scratchy!
The ink-flow is medium, neither dog slobber wet nor strain your scribbles dry… this is a happy medium wetness that delivers just what you’d hope for in a cheap fountain pen.
Who is the Hero 9296 Good For? Is It a Great Overall Value?
Well, is the Hero 9296 the best cheap fountain pen ever made? It depends on what you’re looking for.
If you’re looking for a fat, broad, wet line this is NOT the pen for you.
But…
If you want an extra-fine nib with the thinnest line possible to reflect seriously fine detailing in your sketching or handwriting this is the pen for you. If you love pencil-thin pens that fit easily anywhere and are featherweight, this is the pen for you. If you love the unassuming yet sophisticated look of a hooded nib, this is the pen for you.
Get the price of the Hero 9296 fountain pen now on Amazon.
ENTER NOW!!!
To enter a free raffle for #1 in a series of 500 Xezo Maestro 925 fountain pens, just “like” my Facebook Page and follow the instructions on the pinned post at the top! Raffle ends soon, happy holidays!