Scriptus Toronto 2026
As usual, a huge lineup for Scriptus!
Thankfully Scriptus let us in five or ten minutes early! It didn’t take long for the venue to fill up
Alright may as well get started with my favourite table of the show, SHAK MD!
Amazingly, SAHK had TWO Namiki Emperor Urushi fountain pens, one in black and the other in my preferred Vermillion finish. The Emperor is an enormous pen, measuring approximately 17.4 cm capped and featuring an equally enormous No. 50 solid 18K gold nib. The body is made from ebonite and finished by hand with multiple layers of traditional Japanese urushi lacquer. It also uses an eyedropper filling system with a large ink capacity.
The Vermillion is one of my grail pens, and it was even better in person than I imagined. First, it was even bigger than I expected (a good thing!). Second, the vermillion finish was even more beautiful in person. I love the simplicity of the design, which really lets the size and gorgeous lacquer finish speak for themselves.
This particular example had a super fine point on that No. 50 solid 18K gold nib
The Montblanc 149 looks like a mini-pen next to it!
Speaking of the 149, SHAK had at least 20 of them on display!
My favourite from The Origin Collection was introduced in 2024 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Montblanc’s Meisterstück. It incorporates several design elements inspired by early Meisterstück pens, including a distinctive clip, the original Meisterstück logo, and a patterned cap intended to evoke ink flowing onto paper. The platinum-coated fittings provide a nice contrast to the black resin, while the solid gold nib features the number 100 and the dates 1924 and 2024.
I particularly liked the unusual clip, the lettering and the swirling pattern on the cap. These details make it stand out from the regular 149, which is already an iconic pen. In fact, this was my second favourite pen of the entire show!
Next, I headed straight to the Esterbrook display, where they were featuring the new Sweetly Haunted collection, a Halloween-themed collaboration with Sweet Kawaii Design. The collection features two Esties decorated with illustrations by Tesia Royer, including cute little ghosts and bats, along with matching ink and accessories. I’ll come back to those shortly.
But first, I wanted to cover the new Esterbrook × Accutron Spaceview Estie, which was one of the main reasons I wanted to attend Scriptus this year.
As a watch enthusiast, I have a particular appreciation for Accutron, especially its famous Spaceview watch, which exposes the electronic movement through the dial. Esterbrook has taken inspiration from that design to create its first demonstrator Estie, with a transparent cap and barrel and a custom Accutron-branded nib.
I was particularly interested in seeing how it compared with the earlier Esterbrook × Accutron Astronaut, which I came very close to buying at Scriptus last year. I ended up buying a Sailor Ninja instead, but I’ve regretted passing on the Astronaut ever since!
i I liked the new Spaceview, but I still prefer the marbled finish of the Astronaut. Ironically, I used to dislike marbled pens and was quite fond of demonstrators. Now I’ve come to associate Esterbrook with its distinctive marbled designs, so the Astronaut actually looks more like an Esterbrook to me.
The real irony, of course, is that the demonstrator design is a much better match for the original Accutron Spaceview watch! Go figure! LOL
Coming back to the Sweetly Haunted collection, the pens certainly fit the Halloween season, with their playful purple and pink colours and cute ghost illustrations. They were fun to see, and I encountered quite a few of them throughout the show, but they’re not really something I would buy.
More Esterbrooks on display
Stylo had a HUGE presence at the show with five tables! They also had lots of Esterbrooks on display
Including the Spaceview
Another Esterbrook that caught my attention was the Estie Avalanche, made from DiamondCast resin containing actual diamond particles. I really liked the swirling combination of white, turquoise, silver and copper, and even the packaging was interesting, with a red plaid pouch featuring camouflage accents.
I subsequently discovered that the Avalanche is also available in an Oversize version, which I would definitely prefer to the standard-sized model I saw at the show. Good thing I didn’t buy it on the spot! LOL
Whew that BUNGUBOX Kachofugetsu Flower LE sure is pink!
Of course, they had tons of other brands on display and I got to check out many on my “list”
such as the Pelikan Souveran 1000 series Green
and Pilot Custom 823 series Amber GT
As well as some others that I was not expecting like the Sailor 1911S Jellyfish SE series Orange GT or “Fried Egg Jellyfish”
Sailor 1911L series Blue GT (which I mistook for a Grape Expectations lol)
There was also a huge selection of Wearingeul inks, including their Glitter Potions, which allow you to add different colours of shimmer to your favourite inks to create your own custom effects.
While I haven’t always waited in the Wonder Pens line, this time I chose to do so, and received a nice gift pack!
While waiting in line, I noticed some rather unusual inks that Wonder Pens was offering, including the wonderfully named Chicken in the Sky with Diamonds! This is actually a Wonder Pens exclusive produced by Dominant Industry, originally introduced at Scriptus back in 2023.
I also loved the Japanese artwork on the packaging of the Nakabayashi Taccia Ukiyo-e inks, inspired by traditional Japanese woodblock prints. Some of these ink bottles are almost worth buying just for the boxes! LOL.
More Esties on display, including the Spaceview yet again!
Another interesting discovery was the Fine Writing International Pencket, apparently in the Blue Note finish. This compact Taiwanese fountain pen features a marbled blue-and-purple cap, a dark-blue barrel and a surprisingly large No. 6 nib. What really caught my attention, though, was the spectacular rainbow-coloured nib, which the Wonder Pens representative specifically pointed out during a demonstration. I’m still trying to establish whether that nib is a special option
Another pen that caught my attention was the Pilot Capless (Vanishing Point) Golden Journey 2026 Limited Edition. Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, in which broken pottery is repaired with gold, it features a dark blue finish with irregular gold lines. Each pen has a slightly different pattern, and production is limited to 2,026 numbered examples worldwide. I spotted this one at several tables throughout the show.
More Spaceviews at Laywines!
At House of Fine Writing, I came across the rather unusual Monteverde Tool Pen. As its name suggests, this is more than just a writing instrument. Its six-sided barrel incorporates a ruler, spirit level and stylus, while the end houses interchangeable Phillips and flathead screwdriver bits. The pen is also available in several writing configurations, including a fountain pen.
I particularly liked the screwdriver feature, which you can see in the close-up below. Not something you encounter on your average fountain pen!
House of Fine Writing also had TONS of versions of the German-made Diplomat Aero (I didn’t take pictures of all of them!). My personal favourites were the Brass, Rhomb Flame and Flame. Inspired by the streamlined shape of the Zeppelin airship, the Aero has a distinctive tapered barrel with grooves running along its length.
The Flame versions were particularly interesting. Their stainless steel bodies are individually heat-treated to produce those striking blue, purple and bronze colours, meaning no two are exactly alike. The Rhomb Flame adds an engraved geometric pattern for an even more unusual appearance.
Great to see Timber Elegance again with his beautiful handcrafted pens and magic wands! As I discovered at Scriven Montreal earlier this year, the magic wand is actually two pens in one, incorporating both a calligraphy pen and a fountain pen. And let’s not forget the spell-casting tip!
Such a creative design, and there were plenty of other beautiful custom pens on display as well.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get this exhibitor’s name, but one of the pens immediately caught my attention because its colourful stripes reminded me of the classic Hudson’s Bay Company blanket!
David Morris had some rather unusual pens incorporating LED lights. These would have been a perfect match for the LED shirt I wore to Toronto Audiofest just a week earlier!
I also spent some time with my friends Richard and Andrea, who were doing some fountain pen shopping of their own. At Phidon’s table, Andrea was trying to decide between two entry-level fountain pens: a Lamy Safari Red and a Pelikan Jazz Noble Elegance in Rose. After comparing the two, she ultimately chose the Pelikan.
Another interesting display at Phidon Pens was a large selection of TOYO Steel toolboxes from Japan. Founded in 1969, TOYO produces durable steel storage boxes in a wide range of sizes, designs and colours. Although originally intended for tools, they’re also great for organizing pens, stationery and other small items. I particularly liked the larger cantilever-style toolbox with its folding compartments.
Andrea also picked up a book on calligraphy from another exhibitor, so she left Scriptus with both a new fountain pen and something to help her put it to good use!
It even had a page for me!
And that wraps up another Scriptus! As always, it was great to see such a wide variety of fountain pens, inks and accessories, from affordable everyday writing instruments to some truly extraordinary creations.
For me, the highlights were finally getting to see the magnificent Namiki Emperor Vermillion in person, along with the Montblanc 149 Origin Collection. It was also great catching up with familiar exhibitors and spending some time with friends.
Thanks to the organizers and exhibitors for another enjoyable show. Looking forward to the next one!
RL
