Narnian Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 These look promising and have been discussed here before, but I am maxed out on Purchases That End Up Being a Waste of Money so I'm on the fence about getting one. If you have had one of these for a while, how long has it been in working order? Do you still like it? Did you find something better? I know nothing will last forever, but there has to be a halfway decent sharpener out there with a lifespan longer than a couple of months--something that can actually sharpen pencils with minimal user frustration. Operating on the pencil sharpener to dig out broken tips multiple times a day is not happening this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingHope Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I loved my Classroom Friendly pencil sharpener when I first got it and sang its praises, but it doesn't sharpen colored pencils well. In fact, it doesn't sharpen colored pencils at all. And my classroom pencil sharpener was dropped a thousand times, abused and used to the point that it lasted me a year (but I do have a lot of children sharpening pencils). We actually prefer cheap manual Stuffmart pencil sharpeners, one for each child. Next time you need to order from Rainbow Resource, I recommend that you add a couple of Color-Combi Kum sharpeners to your order to get free shipping. These are our absolute favorite sharpeners. http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/039977/0fd0edfcf51eef6d7db35411 ETA The colored pencils that we use are Prismacolor with wax lead. These jam the classroom sharpener. Otherwise, this is an excellent sharpener for regular lead pencils like Ticonderoga pencils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I went through various large pencil sharpeners (battery powered, crank, etc.). I always end up going back to the good quality portable ones. My favourite is the Shaedtler oval-shaped one which collects the shavings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I threw mine out. It doesn't stay together very well and I was always having to take it apart and put it back together. It always got leads stuck in it as well. I wanted to love it but went back to my obnoxiously loud exacto electric sharpener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narnian Posted August 16, 2014 Author Share Posted August 16, 2014 In fact, it doesn't sharpen colored pencils at all. That's too bad. We have loads of colored pencils around here too. I threw mine out. It doesn't stay together very well and I was always having to take it apart and put it back together. It always got leads stuck in it as well. I wanted to love it but went back to my obnoxiously loud exacto electric sharpener. Doesn't sound any better than our current model, which is heavily duct-taped. Oh well. Thank you all. You just saved me $25. I think I will try the smaller portable variety next. Or maybe invest in good mechanical pencils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Well, I'll go against the flow and say this is one of my favorite school purchases ever. I've never had a lead break off in it, it's sharpened plenty of colored pencils and my kids love it. My rather uncoordinated seven year old nephew uses it without a single issue. I took it to my co-op class several times and had parents coming up to me later asking where I got it because they heard about it from their kids. Yes, over a pencil sharpener. We homeschoolers can be real nerds sometimes. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I love ours for our regular pencils but it doesn't work with round pencils--they just spin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Maybe they've changed the design? Which would be a shame. We sharpen round pencils from crayola to prismacolors in ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 My son is a sharpener snob and it's the one sharpener he's never complained about. I need to get another so he can safely keep it in his room. For him its all about a sharp point and one that doesn't break easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 WHAT???!!! This is by far the best pencil sharpener we have ever had!! We have had ours for two or three years now. It works great. It's easy to take apart and clean. When it gets dull, it can be sharpened. IT IS AWESOME! I cannot imagine what happened. Maybe the pp's bought a knock off? The only thing that I do not like, is that the rubber pads on the bottom leave black marks everywhere. SO, I pulled them off and put four Felt Stickers for Chairs, the kidn you buy to avoid scraping the floor. Worked beautifully. My children even put their sharpener in the backpack, when we have to do school at the library or the park, because they don't want to bother with annoying cheap ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 OK, I will admit we do not use it for colored pencils. We have expensive prismacolors which my children take excellent care of, only using the German made prismacolor pencil sharpener with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I didn't buy a knockoff. I bought direct. I thought maybe I had a defective one but never got a satisfactory response from customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpie Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We've had this sharpener for at least 2 years and I still love it! I will admit that I'm not that fond of using it for colored pencils as they do occasionally break & get jammed in the sharpener. I have found it very easy to remove the lead though. I love, love, love how sharp my regular pencils are though! It's been a trusty friend around here. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We bought this sharpener direct and absolutely LOVE it. Like previous posters, my kids now know they do NOT use colored pencils in this sharpener. (But it was easy to remove the lead.) I had a couple of friends buy the same sharpener after seeing mine and they all love it, too. Use it daily and never had it fall apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I didn't buy a knockoff. I bought direct. I thought maybe I had a defective one but never got a satisfactory response from customer service. Mybe..but, I don't really think it's meant for colored pencils. Maybe that's the issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We have one of these, and as far as I can tell, it's pretty much the same pencil sharpener as the one sold by the Classroom Friendly Supply site: http://www.amazon.com/CARL-Angel-5-Pencil-Sharpener-Blue/dp/B005D7S9FI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408284600&sr=8-1&keywords=carl+a-5As others have mentioned, it's not great for colored pencils. But for regular, everyday pencils? Perfection. We LOVE it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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