Helix Metal Desktop Sharpener for Standard and Jumbo Pencils (Assorted Colours)

Product Information

These sharpeners are small and portable. They range from large plastic models for use with Jumbo pencils, to sharpeners for pastel pencils, which have softer leads that cannot hold a fine point. (note: the round Faber-Castell UFO sharpener is no longer available.) Our very own Teach Starter Resource Production Manager Natalie Brown also raves about this sharpener, saying, ‘I had the X-ACTO Pencil School Pro Electric Pencil Sharpener, and it lasted me YEARS! I loved it!’ Our team's analysis of pencil sharpeners was straightforward but exhaustive. We sharpened every kind of pencil commonly available and rated the machines on their performance. Namely, these were round, hexagonal, and triangular-shaped pencils with lead types of graphite, color, and charcoal. We rated the machines on the range of diameters they could accommodate as well. Perhaps most importantly, we delved into the convenience features that each machine offered. For example, we timed how long it took to sharpen a standard pencil, how much noise the machine produced, and whether the blade included an auto-stop mechanism to prevent over-sharpening.

The Faber Castell Lead Pointer is a miniature blade sharpener for use with 2mm clutch pencil leads. It is extremely small and portable, and can be mounted on a keyring. In fact, if you don’t mount it on a keyring or something similar, I imagine it would be very easy to misplace. It’s far less practical than the Mars 502 Lead Pointer Tub pictured below. Now that you’ve got your pencil sharpener sorted, do you have plans for managing all that sharpening? Here are just a few tips from our teacher team to make your year run smoothly! Get Your Own Teacher-Only Sharpener This is the simplest and cheapest pencil sharpener we sell. It is small, tough and portable, though it will only sharpen standard diameter (e.g. 7 mm) pencils.The sharpener revolves: it can be turned inwards so that it does not leak graphite dust through the blade aperture. To empty the pencil shavings from the (very small) reservoir, simply swing the sharpener outwards and pull it off the main unit. In the following table, an ‘X’ entry indicates that a pencil and sharpener are incompatible. Either the pencil won’t fit, or the sharpener will only chew it and break the lead off. One thing to keep in mind? Electric sharpeners are often noisier than their manual counterparts, which can cause a disruption! We’ve made sure to consider the noise factor in what we consider ‘best’ on this list. X-ACTO School Pro Electric Sharpener While most of us think of standard school-issued No. 2s when the word pencil comes to mind, pencils come in more than one shape or size. Pay attention to this when selecting the right pencil sharpener for the diameter of pencils that you habitually use. There are dedicated pencil sharpeners for every type of pencil, from the most basic to those favored by artists who want to achieve specifically honed points on their graphite or charcoal pencils.

This Faber Castell Easy Grip Trio Sharpening Box is made from strong yet lightweight plastic. It features three holes: one for sharpening coloured pencils, one for regular-sized graphite pencils and one for jumbo pencils. It did well in our tests and is very portable. This gadget also comes with a desk clamp, making it easier for students to sharpen at their desks without the device slipping. Win-Win!

The Westcott iPoint HALO Battery Operated Pencil Sharpener is another teacher-favourite to look into for your classroom. This affordable sharpener has an auto-sensor shut off to ensure pencils are not over-sharpened, resulting in wastage. Plus, it comes with durable Titanium Bonded blades and an easy-view shavings reservoir to monitor when it’s time to be emptied.