Dutch Pen Show Sugar Rush: Visconti, Leonardo, and Esterbrook Limited Editions Compared

Introduction

Some pen shows leave their mark with more than just good memories. The Dutch Pen Show 2024 took the theme Sugar Rush and turned it into a full lineup: pens from Visconti, Leonardo, and Esterbrook, plus a matching ink from Robert Oster, all available through Applebaum. Each of the three pens wears a different interpretation of the candy theme, and together they make a neat case study in how different manufacturers approach the same brief. Here is how they compare in the hand, on paper, and on the shelf.

Three Pens, One Theme

All three pens share the Sugar Rush name, but they are very different animals. The Visconti Voyager sits at the top of the group in price, the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 is the largest physically, and the Esterbrook Estie is the standard-size, non-limited option of the trio. All three were created for the Dutch Pen Show, a European show that does a good job of drawing artisans and manufacturers who rarely travel to large US events.

Visconti Voyager Sugar Rush

The Visconti Voyager Sugar Rush features a colorful candy resin made by Tim Crow of the Turned Pen Company, who was asked to create a material inspired by Dutch candy. The result mixes pinks, blues, and purples in a genuinely nice blend. It is a limited edition of just 40 pens, with a cap band engraved with Dutch Pen Show 2024, the signature Visconti clip with white fill, and a 14 karat gold nib whose stamping looks classy as ever.

The pen includes the Hook Safe Lock and resin threads. The cap does post, but the balance tips back-heavy, so this is a pen better used unposted. It retails for $1,200 and is available in extra fine, fine, medium, broad, and stub nib sizes, all in 14 karat gold. In writing, the medium gold nib offers a generous ink flow, a decent amount of flex when pressed, and a very smooth reverse stroke that lays down a fine line. The feed keeps up well even during fast writing.

Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 Sugar Rush

The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 Sugar Rush uses a Jonathan Brooks resin, again inspired by Dutch candy, and it may be the most seductive material of the three. The pearlescent pink flows into white and warm gold tones, and the way the resin moves is genuinely lovely. Compared with a standard Momento Zero, the Grande 2.0 is significantly thicker and longer, so it suits hands that like a full-bodied pen.

This is a limited edition of 100 pens. It has a very nice ink window and a custom nib engraved with the Dutch Pen Show motif of a quill and an ink bottle. It is a well-considered package: distinctive material, useful sizing, and an engraving that ties it directly to the event.

Esterbrook Estie Dutch Pen Show

The Esterbrook Estie Dutch Pen Show edition is the standard-size Estie, and unlike the other two it is not a limited edition. The crushed ice style resin looks great, and the gold trim complements it well. The stainless steel nib is engraved with the Dutch Pen Show logo featuring a quill. A nice touch: this pen comes with a Dutch Pen Show pen pouch, and the pen fits inside very comfortably.

In the hand, the length is very comfortable. The cap posts and adds a little length without throwing off the balance or creating the back-heavy feel you get with the Visconti. Nib options are wide: extra fine, fine, medium, broad, and stub, plus three custom grinds from the Journaler nib by Gina Salorino, the Scribe by Josh Lax, and the Needlepoint by Kirk Speer. That flexibility makes this the most configurable pen of the group.

Robert Oster Sugar Rush Ink

Alongside the pens, the show also produced an exclusive ink: Robert Oster Sugar Rush. It is a solid, saturated purple, and it is a genuinely enjoyable shade with satisfying saturation. Bottle-wise, it comes in the usual tall, narrow Robert Oster bottle with a custom sticker on the top, which helps when you own several of them and need to tell them apart at a glance.

For context, Sugar Rush sits in a similar territory to Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo, a favorite purple for many, though the swatch comparison flatters Yama-budo more than Sugar Rush; on paper the Oster ink comes across more saturated than the swatch suggests. It also sits alongside Callifolio Entrenouple in the purple family. All three pens were tested with this ink, and all three performed very well with it.

Buying Advice

Choosing between these comes down to what you value. If you want the most exclusive piece, the Visconti Voyager Sugar Rush is a limited edition of 40 with a gold nib and the highest price of the group. If you love dramatic resin and a full-size pen, the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 in its edition of 100 is the pick. If you want practicality and customization without limited-edition pricing, the Esterbrook Estie stands out, especially given its custom nib grind options and included pen pouch. And at this price of entry, adding the Robert Oster Sugar Rush ink is an easy call if purple is your thing. Check the Applebaum website for availability of each offering.

Conclusion

The Dutch Pen Show Sugar Rush lineup shows three manufacturers answering the same candy-inspired brief in three distinct ways: a bold multi-toned Visconti, a pearlescent Leonardo, and a crisp crushed-ice Esterbrook, all tied together by a saturated purple ink. Whichever appeals to you, each is a well-executed souvenir of a show worth following.