PDA

View Full Version : Hero 359, "Summer Safari" - bring on the clones.



Bogon07
July 28th, 2013, 06:02 PM
Ink of Me Fondly has an article on the Hero 359 a Lamy Safari look-alike:
http://inkofmefondly.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/new-release-hero-summer-safari-fountain.html

These evidently come in five colours:
Shiny Black, Apple Green Bright Yellow Royal Blue
Mauve-Purple.

chamindra
July 28th, 2013, 07:28 PM
Wow...Hero really isn't even trying to conceal the copying any more are they?

ardgedee
July 28th, 2013, 07:37 PM
Interesting, because Hero's Parker knockoffs are pretty good for us$3-5 dollar pens. I've certainly spent more for worse. And you can certainly do better if you spend more.

Mostly I'm surprised it's taken this long for the Lamy Safaris to be cloned. Safaris seem ubiquitous (and high-priced) on AliExpress, and that's usually a sign that somebody's about to spot a niche that needs filling.

jacksterp
July 28th, 2013, 09:18 PM
Holy hell.

But, I bet they still teach cursive in China...

Mesu
July 29th, 2013, 04:52 AM
I have been waiting for a purple Safari.

Wake up Lamy!! Hero beat you to it :haha:

reprieve
July 29th, 2013, 08:02 AM
I have been waiting for a purple Safari.

Wake up Lamy!! Hero beat you to it :haha:

My sentiments exactly.

KrazyIvan
July 29th, 2013, 08:19 AM
Oh. My. Gosh. A part of me wants one but the other 95% is getting repulsed.

ardgedee
July 29th, 2013, 08:54 AM
Lamy always did a good job of straddling design esthetics and have gotten away with using bright candy colors on the Safaris without making them look cheap. The Hero pens don't manage that, and in the photos they look pretty cheap.

I'm not interested in trying one of these because I don't find Safaris comfortable to use (they're nice pens otherwise), and can't expect the Hero 359 to be an improvement. I am curious to see what some of the Lamy fans here might think if they get to try it, though.

Sailor Kenshin
July 29th, 2013, 01:59 PM
I'm not at all repulsed. If they had an orange one, I'd HAVE to buy it.

79spitfire
August 1st, 2013, 12:04 AM
I don't know if repulsed is the right word.

More like annoyed... Can't they just come up with an original design???

ardgedee
August 1st, 2013, 06:09 AM
I don't know if repulsed is the right word.

More like annoyed... Can't they just come up with an original design???

They do have original designs. The same vendors who can get you a package of twenty Hero 616 pens for US$25 shipped usually stock various Hero originals as well.

Laura N
October 13th, 2013, 10:00 PM
Oh my gosh, I was just surfing isellpens, and I came across these (http://www.isellpens.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=hero+359&Submit=). I obviously missed this thread.

First, as noted, I'm just gobsmacked by the purple one. Finally there's a purple Safari, but it's not a Safari.

Second, in my opinion, from the photos these things look like a knock-off of the Safari design, including the distinctive clip and nib. I am wondering how this can be legal. Is Lamy challenging this?

I am going to ask my intellectual property lawyer in the morning. But his usual answer is "it depends," so I'm not sure I'll get anything definitive. :)

Sailor Kenshin
October 14th, 2013, 08:22 AM
The color is much nicer than the isellpens pic.

brandonh
October 19th, 2013, 03:13 PM
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3674/10366033256_f04c04971d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lamy2000/10366033256/)

Reviewed! See http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/4433-Hero-359-The-Lamy-Safari-Knockoff

velo
October 19th, 2013, 05:06 PM
I don't really get the point. For an extra $3 you get the real thing.

kaisnowbird
October 19th, 2013, 05:22 PM
Oh. My. Gosh. A part of me wants one but the other 95% is getting repulsed.

I'm with you, KI - mostly repulsed (but slightly attracted to the purple one).

One thing I have never understood about Hero is -- they are the most famous and historical pen manufacturer in China, yet appear to have very little self-respect. I for one couldn't possibly live with myself if my new creations are just cheap and inferior copies of others' original superior work. That has to be depressing...

stevekolt
December 5th, 2013, 09:41 PM
Personally, I couldn't/can't support copyright violations and/or intellectual property theft. This is a blatant rip-off, and I'm sure that Lamy would like to do something about it, but Chinese companies seem to be impervious to legal recourse in cases like this. Some of their companies are doing the same with popular knife models, and I won't buy one of those knock-offs either. Just my .02

Sailor Kenshin
December 6th, 2013, 06:33 AM
Personally, I couldn't/can't support copyright violations and/or intellectual property theft. This is a blatant rip-off, and I'm sure that Lamy would like to do something about it, but Chinese companies seem to be impervious to legal recourse in cases like this. Some of their companies are doing the same with popular knife models, and I won't buy one of those knock-offs either. Just my .02

It's not that straightforward...as a lenghty thread on the other forum reveals (via some people who live in China as well).

stevekolt
December 6th, 2013, 07:37 PM
Personally, I couldn't/can't support copyright violations and/or intellectual property theft. This is a blatant rip-off, and I'm sure that Lamy would like to do something about it, but Chinese companies seem to be impervious to legal recourse in cases like this. Some of their companies are doing the same with popular knife models, and I won't buy one of those knock-offs either. Just my .02

It's not that straightforward...as a lenghty thread on the other forum reveals (via some people who live in China as well).

Sorry, but I'm not going to wade through a lengthy thread over this. Sometimes an issue IS black and white, and not some shade of gray. FOR ME this is one of those issues.

Sailor Kenshin
December 7th, 2013, 06:22 AM
Then don't buy one! :)

Of the two that I have, one needed to be 'Waverly-ized' to cure its dryness... The other is on loan to a friend as an ink-tester.

At $18 (what I paid for my first on fleabay) I can't exactly say they were worth it. Then they appeared for $15. Better. And now they're $12. If they hit $10 I'd consider a black one.

discopig
December 26th, 2013, 03:25 PM
I wonder if the nibs would fit a regular Lamy Safari? From experience Hero's nibs can be quite decent. For the price ($18 shipped) perhaps I'll pick one up just to see what the deal is.

Pendragon
March 9th, 2014, 07:32 PM
Oh. My. Gosh. A part of me wants one but the other 95% is getting repulsed.
Why repulsed? Do the Hero 359 pens have quality issues?

Sailor Kenshin
March 10th, 2014, 08:32 AM
Not that I've seen, lol...I want more! Both of mine are smooth wet writers and were used during InCo. The section is as comfortable---or UNcomfortable---as anyone might find a Safari section to be.