In terms of modern day desktop sharpeners, there is one thing that seems to be true – they all appear to be essentially the same. With the exception of a very pricey model from El Casco (and possibly one from Caran d’Ache), these products are nearly identical (whether labelled Carl or Staedtler or Faber-Castell or no-name) and seem to be made at the People’s No. 2 Sharpener Factory in Yangzhou, or some similar facility.

This comment hits the nail on the head about today’s specimen – this sharpener is either an unbranded Carl A-5, or from the same supplier that Carl uses. As Carl sharpeners have been mentioned here many times over the years, they will be used for comparison.

The product is packaged in a way that makes shipping feasible:

The sharpener has a different aesthetic, and is cased in metal, making it heavier and more substantial than the plastic housed Carls. Between the Carl Decade 100 and Carl Bungu Ryodo:

Unlike those Carl sharpeners, the jaws mark the pencils. Whether or not this is a deal breaker would be a personal choice. I did not attempt to transplant the guide mechanism and padded non-marking jaws of a Carl sharpener to the Classroom Friendly model. It should be feasible as far as I can tell, but the look of the sharpener would be off.

Those fierce jaws:

Finally, on the question of sharpening – there is no point adjustment capability.

The official Carl product page reveals the A-5 to be the least expensive of the Carl range. It and most other models do not have adjustable point settings. The top of the line CC-5000 has five point settings!

The surprise is that the Classroom Friendly point (top) is even sharper than the acute setting of the Decade:

That point is so sharp that most leads sharpened in that way will break fairly quickly under any pressure – but it is dramatic!

I did try and move the blade mechanism between sharpeners. That works, though you understandably get another odd looking sharpener.

While I didn’t test it in a classroom, the product is excellent for personal use, and I have no trouble recommending it. Troy has been selling these since 2004, so you can be confident in the vendor.

The pencil cap with sharpener allows you to keep a sharpener adjacent to your pencil (if you really want to do this):

I can’t avoid noting that the plastic starts looking less pristine almost immediately after first contact with graphite.

The sharpener works, though the wood shavings from even one sharpening overwhelm the minuscule canister:

Next, a pencil cap which can theoretically become an extender. It looks okay, but I’m not sold on the value.

The Tombow Ippo grip. It has a mushy rubbery surface that I don’t like. This will obviously be a matter of personal preference. I can see it being an aid for anyone, young or old, who is seeking assistance in gripping a pencil.

The “Safety Pencil Knife”. Essentially, a retractable paring knife for pencils.

Of the bunch, this one is the winner for me – it allows for freehand sharp blade use on pencils, in a safe and portable format.

That doesn’t mean it is easy to use – but it works, and is a lot easier and safer to transport than an X-Acto knife.

The Sun-Star multisharpener is another take on a familiar theme. It works well enough.

Pencils sharpened ( l. to r.) with the multisharpener, knife, and cap:

Overall, I think the safety knife product is pretty good, and the grip may be quite helpful to some. The other three products are fine given their prices, but aren’t standouts.

Here are four.

Upper left: Kutsuwa T’GAAL
Upper right: Kutsuwa K’ZOOL
Lower left: Flute-like sharpener, name unknown
Lower right: 5 steps pencil sharpener

The T’GAAL mainly moves a backstop, and slightly moves the (large) blade’s angle:

The K’ZOOL manipulates the angle of sharpening, a feature that seems amazing to me in an inexpensive sharpener:

The wooden sharpener is quite different – it is aimed at five different diameters of pencils, rather than five variations.

I wasn’t sure where this was leading, and thought I might be chewing up a lot of pencils in these tests, so I bought a budget pack of pencils: the Dixon Economiser. What I’ll say about these pencils is that friends shouldn’t let friends use the Dixon Economiser! Rough basswood (though not the worst) with rich unpleasant chemical paint aromas, it is no ambassador for pencildom.

The T’GAAL:

The K’ZOOL:

Note how nicely the K’ZOOL creates those obtuse points. Various readers have asked how to get this type of point rather than a long acute point. The K’ZOOL can do it!

For a full review (in German) of the T’GAAL, with quality pencils tested and some great photographs, please see Lexikaliker.

My thanks to isu from the uncomfortable chair for the Kutsuwa sharpeners.

[Update: January 22, 2011]

For completeness, here are some Aruna/CalCedar ForestChoice pencils sharpened in the “5 Steps” sharpener. For a product costing about $1, it seems okay. Notice the stop point in action:

And regarding the V-15 Dizi: The five holes are 5mm, 7mm, 9mm, 11mm, and 13mm in diameter. Here is a ForestChoice in the 9mm hole. It does not sharpen to a point (or even close), though the 9mm hole would seem to be the best fit for a standard woodcase pencil.

New pencil accessories aren’t introduced too often, so I was quite intrigued to learn about the Gripsharp.

It resembles one of those rubber ‘ergonomic’ grips that some people prefer for gripping thin writing instruments.

You put the pencil in, start sharpening, and leave the Gripsharp in place. Put another way, you sharpen away the wood, leaving the exposed pencil core protruding from the device.

It does actually write.

Here is a photo showing what you are actually doing to the pencil:

Unusual as it is, I’m wondering – what is it for? What is the problem it solves?

Would you buy one? What do you think of it?

See some other reviews at:

Office Supply Geek

Lung Sketching Scrolls

I’d like to thank Gripsharp for sending this sample to me.

Does anyone remember the Dixon Oriole?

The official product page calls them a “first-rate commercial grade woodcase pencil offered at an economical price”.

Hmmm, “commercial grade”.

Well I ordered them online after finding a store that had some older US made stock. Or so I thought. I should have known what was coming – the photo and description were out of date, and I was sent newer Chinese made Orioles.

Unfortunately, the pencils seem quite third rate to me – the lead is very scratchy and rough, and the paint finish on some has ridges of bubbles which go beyond being a cosmetic problem – they make the pencil uncomfortable to grip. I do like the font.

Am I being harsh? Perhaps they aren’t meant for writing. They are certainly fine for rough marking purposes.

So about the sharpener. From Möbius + Ruppert we have a three hole sharpener in unfinished aluminum. Each opening has a different length blade. What is this sharpener for?

Take a look at this post at the Bundoki Stationery blog. I’m obviously not the only person amused or confused.

With the Oriole, I got a reasonable result in one opening, a lead corkscrew effect in another, and the third would not sharpen the pencil at all. (See top photo.)

Does anyone know the story behind this sharpener?

Okay, that’s not the real name. But this pencil sharpener did communicate an enthusiastic futuristic sensibility to me. Or at minimum, a recollection of the brilliant and sublime villain in Stanley Kubrick’s classic 2001, A Space Odyssey.

This reflective red orb is quite interesting by itself – even before knowing what it is. Being able to sharpen pencils is an extra feature.

Made by Panasonic, this is the PinPoint KP-006A/B. It is a battery operated pencil sharpener, made in Thailand. Purchased by mail order, the shipping and battery (4 AAs, not included) cost was greater than that of the sharpener itself.

Opening it up revealed a disappointment – it seems to be, in essence, a cheap plastic sharpener, rotated around by battery power. The problem is – the blade will soon become dull. What then? I have no idea where the correct replacement blade could be found – it may or may not be a “standard” size – and even then, it looks to me like some fairly good small part manipulation skills would be needed to make the exchange. I hate the idea that this sharpener, which has many merits, is in some sense “disposable”.

The operation is extremely simple. Put the pencil in – and it sharpens. For someone with hand motor problems, or a need to sharpen many pencils, it seems like a very good solution. The only operational downfall is that there is no stop mechanism – it will keep sharpening the entire pencil if you let it!

Shavings accumulate in a removable plastic drawer. It may slightly mark up the pencil’s finish.

Overall, my feelings are mixed. The PinPoint seems like a great implementation in terms of design and user interface. Yet – we know that blades dull, especially with tough basswood pencils. I’ll try and report back sometime in the future about how it fares over time.

The International Arrivals pencils – fluorescent and carpenter – have no practical way to sharpen them.

A lucky break came my way, and I found the right sharpener at a local bookstore – a place with no other International Arrivals products that I could see.

Much larger than just a general large hole sharpener, with slots specifically sized for their two pencils, the product brings some resolution to the problem.

The oversize fluorescent pencils are made usable again – and the carpenter’s pencil is pointed. Of course, this point is like that of a regular pencil, and discards the lead’s rectangular shape. Who wants carpenter pencils pointed this way? I suppose it beats nothing.

Finally – a modern design aesthetic applied to the desktop pencil sharpener!

The Bungu Ryodo BR-05 from Carl is a marvel – it costs less than some handheld sharpeners from Faber-Castell and KUM – and it performs amazingly well and has a compelling modern design.

The mechanism is easily understood, and offers two point choices – blunt or sharp. Both are in the “wow” category compared to most available sharpeners. The pencil shavings are held in a removable tray.

The little touches are just amazing – the point adjustor switch itself looks like a pencil crown – there are tactile dots on the grip points – every small detail has a consistent look.

Did I mention that the retail price is $21?

I find it to be just amazing. The pencil is inserted and clamped, and the handle is rotated. Sharpen, and you’re done when there is no feedback pressure. That’s it.

Here are the results with both ‘sharp’ and ‘blunt’ sharpenings:

It has a single rotary blade cylinder which is applied against the pencil. I don’t know how long the blade will stay sharp. The sharpener is lightweight, and the whole unit has to be gripped while sharpening, unless it is attached to a desk surface. It does have clamping-capable infrastructure, though no clamping hardware is supplied with the unit.

It is definitely a functional office accessory that also looks great.

Pencil sharpeners are an essential pencil accessory. They keep the pencil pointed and usable. Yet they are frequently a frustration to use, splintering, chopping, and breaking pencils. Sometimes this is the fault of a cheap pencil. And sometimes it is the fault of the sharpener.

The weak aspect of most portable sharpeners is the blade. The blade may be made very cheaply and be just barely usable a few times, or even if better quality, have become dulled over time. Rust and oxidation may also have had a role.

Yet, in years of frequenting art and office supply stores, I have never seen a replacement blade for sale. Art supply store staff tend to agree that this would be a good idea, but they have no place to order them.

What this means is that portable sharpeners are being sold as de facto disposable items – even fairly expensive ones with glass and metal housings.

I suspect that even a single sharpening dulls many blades, and that the working lifespan of a typical handheld sharpener blade in tip-top condition may be less than that of a single pencil. So there are a lot of blunt sharpeners out there in the world.

Laurentien, a colouring pencil brand that will be known to Canadians (now part of Sanford), states here:

We no longer recommend hand-held sharpeners for any of our colouring pencil lines. These sharpeners usually dull quickly and will chip at the wood instead of shaving the wood.

In the photo are some replacement blades (the KUM Standard 530S) that I ordered from the highly efficient Cult Pens in the U.K. Yikes – replacement blades from overseas. It is a shame that I couldn’t buy them locally. But I ordered them as part of a larger shipment, and now wish I had ordered more. It was the only realistic way I could see to keep some favorite sharpeners, like a DUX inkwell, usable over time.

Now some sharpeners truly are disposable – with no ability to replace the blade – but many are attached with a tiny screw, and will take this replacement blade.

Why aren’t replacement blades commonly available?

Next in our “Perfect Pencil” series, we are going to look at the Design Perfect Pencil, which features an aluminum pencil extender.

It is typically sold in a paper and plastic box with the extender and three of the refill pencils.

The product is interesting in itself, and also an intermediate step between the plastic and precious metal versions of the product.

The pencils supplied are round, supplied in black or brown, and more recently silver.

The extender presents itself as a single rounded aluminum piece. It grips the pencil with a smooth tapered fit – no machinery to fiddle with. (Not that fiddling with machinery is a bad thing.) It is adorned with two black rubbery rings and a clip.

A silver coloured cap pulls out with an attached sharpener. The sharpener is the same model used in the Castell Perfect Pencil. However, the sharpener works magnificently! It is a wonder of concision, economically stuffing a first rate pencil sharpener into the extender.

It works well, and the extender matches the silver pencil very well.

I like it, and it is easy to use, though the supplied pencils don’t seem quite up to snuff. (Great design, but not half as smooth as the 9000 in B.)

This article is the first in a series on Faber-Castell’s “Perfect Pencil” line.

The Perfect Pencil is a pencil extender with a clip. Newer versions also have a built in sharpener. The mechanisms and materials vary through the product range.

Today we’ll look at the basic model, the Castell Perfect Pencil.

Sold loose or in a blister pack, the product is a sharpened Castell 9000 pencil with eraser, shorter than standard length. The pencil has a plastic green extender, which caps the pencil. The extender provides a metal clip.

This extender is the essence of the product. The extender can be used as a point protector while transporting the pencil, and as an extender as the pencil wears down.

The top of the extender has its own cap, which pulls out to reveal a portable sharpener. The sharpener can be unscrewed and replaced. The extender is removed by twisting a screw-on end part.

As you may see from the photos, my perfect pencil is quite worn from use. I really like it, and use it a lot. It makes a pencil very portable and usable – protecting the point, providing a clip, and supplying a super compact sharpener.

A more subtle point as well – the matching of the famous green of the Castell 9000 pencil in the extender creates a nice flow and look. You can use another pencil with the extender, but the 9000 naturally fits. A Musgrave Unigraph might also go well.

Some negatives –

The sharpener is a disappointment. It has to be held in a very specific way to get it to sharpen, and even then barely works. Yet – I have other perfect pencil sharpeners that are excellent. So I’ll call it a quality control problem. The parts are so small that they likely have to be made to very specific tolerances, and were sub-par on the particular one I bought.

A white eraser will tend to be quickly become not so white if carried around. Not a big deal to me, and as we’ll see, not an issue in the higher end products.

The little end part that is twisted to allow the extender to be removed can be unscrewed and lost.

Price. Regular blog readers will know that we don’t usually focus on product costs. But this item has a premium price in many markets including Canada, yet is mainly plastic. To put it in relative terms – this extender will cost more than a dozen Castell 9000 pencils in my local market. I have no disagreement with anyone who would rather have those dozen pencils!

I looked at one possible substitute last week, also not so cheap, and have to conclude that more competition in this area would be good. How about some investment in the ergonomics of pencil extenders. We have looked at pencil extenders before – and the truth is that these “extenders” are last resorts. Surely someone could come up with a comfortable, lightweight alternative, that ergonomically flows from the pencil. (The Staedtler 900 25 does better, and I have seen a few photos of other types of extenders, such as the one made by Itoya, but have not directly seen or used them.)

And the positives -

It remains an innovative and unique way for those of us who use and like woodcase pencils to transport, maintain, and use them. The product implementations many key pencil use principles – safety, portability, sharpening, and erasure.

It works, and is very practical – it can take considerable use, even some abuse, and continue functioning.

And a small update – there appears to be a newer, lower priced version on some markets, though I haven’t yet seen one.