My Hunt For The Best Pencil Sharpener Is Finally Over

There are so many pencil sharpeners to choose from (and so many of them are lackluster) that finding the best pencil sharpener is no easy task! I went on the hunt for my top sharpener for pencils and colored pencils. Here's what I found...
The best one:
KUM Automatic Long Point: amzn.to/2SR3CEX
Almost as good:
Sonic Ratchetta Capsule: amzn.to/2AL3EH8
KUM 410 2-hole: amzn.to/2VO47RR (3-pack: amzn.to/2SRFMIS)
Honorable mentions:
Sonic Ratchetta: amzn.to/2D6Q4Qe (also sold as the Bostitch: amzn.to/2sqQw5D )
KUM Sténographer 1-hole: amzn.to/2VNwjEt
M+R / Alvin Grenade Sharpener in Brass: amzn.to/2Fp7mdF
NOTE: I did not try the $26 KUM Masterpiece ( amzn.to/2SYe4u0 )
#pencils #schoolsupplies #stationery
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[@rebelrose7337]

Awesome review! I have been looking for a manual pencil sharpener that will create long points for a long time! Every one I have purchased one, I ended up returning it. I came across your video, purchased your top two choices and I absolutely LOVE them!!! Finally!!! The search is over!!! Thank you for the great review!!!!

[@unsharpen]

Amazing! Glad it helped

[@greekveteran2715]

The cheap plastic KUM Long Point (Not the Automatic one), produces the most perfect long point, I've ever seen on a pencil! The newer model of the KUM Automatic Long Point, sharpens leads for lead holders too! Then, if you are really deep on pencil drawing/sketching, then they also make the KUM Masterpiece! That's even more versatile, because it allows you, to create, whatever length tip you like, even long exposed lead points!! KUM is the way to go, don't need to spend more money, to experiment on different brands. Just my opinion.

[@25hztolife86]

I don't have to worry about the best sharpener because I use a mechanical pencil; I did go on a journey trying to figure out the best eraser--the Tombow Mono One.

[@zoo2you]

Make a video on your quest for the best eraser.

[@giloro85]

Kokuyo Campus 2b beats Tombow

[@laurito2915]

What about sakura sumo grip?

[@greekveteran2715]

Sakura SumoGrip, is better than Tombow Mono erasers. It works faster, doesn't create a mess and you don't have to clean it all the time, because it's already black colour!!

[@chrislj2890]

Good timing for me. I normally rarely use a pencil but needed one last week at work, and no one seemed to have a sharpener that was worth a hoot. Those electric gizmos really suck.

[@reason82]

The Kum is not meant for two types of pencils....one sharpens the wood and one sharpens the lead.

[@765respect]

I never knew that was what the bigger hole was for. I always thought it was for those huge pencils first graders used!

[@ichirofakename]

I want just to strip off the wood, but two-holer I got, the big hole also cuts into the "lead".

[@Truth72500]

​@@765respectlong time ago I was thinking this as well lol

[@Luzanne.]

This makes me wonder if the KUM I bought was just a lemon. I was surprised by how much I didn’t like it compared to the KUM dual point without a vessel to capture shavings. Love all the new ones, too. Thank you!

[@EinWildesLini]

the stenographers sharpener might well be for people who use german shorthand - there's special pencils made for that by Faber Castell to this day. German shorthand uses different line weights for vowels, which is done by using more or less pressure on the pencil. Not sure what a stenographers sharpener will do, maybe it makes the tip extra sharp and long, so you have to sharpen less frequently and don't have to stop when you're writing very quickly and don't want to miss anything. That being said, I am a stenographer and we just use whatever sharpener is around, and a lot of us use fountain pens or ballpoints too.

[@geslinam9703]

As an artist, finding a good sharpener has been a lifelong search. I’ve used a lot of these, the KUM brand makes the best in my opinion, but I feel that with the amount of sharpening I do, they are all short lived, even KUM.

[@acmramon]

staedtler tub pencil sharpener is also a quality german one, and looks nice

[@greekveteran2715]

Staedtler calls most of their sharpeners "tub" which one exactly do you mean please? I'm trying to get a quality sharpener. Thanks in advance

[@Suiseisexy]

@@greekveteran2715 He likely means model number 512001BK

[@SandyRiverBlue]

I'd like to see one with four blades set 90-degrees from each other and set at an angle that cuts 1/4 the amount of wood of a regular one-blade. My gut tells me that this might be amazing.

[@f7e8t9i3]

Having used a ton of good and horrible brand sharpeners.....best by far is anything with the Staedtler name. The lead never cracks or breaks. Great results.

[@slo_carry]

I've had horrible luck with the Staedtler tub sharpener. Every lead has broken off in it.

[@biscuitgoblins]

I remember when I was at school one of our teachers had a massive hatred for pencil sharpeners that hold the shavings, purely because people would drop them all the time and they'd make a mess lmao

[@StopFear]

I know this will sound like a joke, but those of us who know, know that sharpening pencil as a process itself is very satisfying psychologically. That got me thinking of the expression “pencil pusher” when referring to people who do repetitive office tasks. I actually think I would love a job of sharpening pencils all day.

[@Will-jd2br]

My wife had a blackwing version of the automatic kum. The problem came when replacing the blades. The housing was stripped and the screw wouldn’t stay it. I wish the sharpening housing was steel so the blades could be replaced easily.

[@unsharpen]

Yea I have a video about correcting your sharpener blades. It’s a bit of a pain but worth it

[@petersdotter1]

WOW1 what a great effort for people you don't even know. Thanks.

[@kamalapreyacreative6616]

where you buy all the sharpner

[@thephilosopher5799]

Yeah I like to use manual pencil sharpeners. It helps me with stress. I have a Derwent long point pencil sharpener but would like to find another nice regular pencil sharpener.

[@greekveteran2715]

Whatever you choose, it better have the name KUM on it. I've spent way to much money, trying to find a decent pencil sharpener, and only the KUM brand ones, work perfect. The others are all money lost...

[@Truth72500]

Blackwing sharpener 2 Step is my favorite

[@unsharpen]

Yes this is an excellent sharpener. I believe it’s made by NJK

[@ichirofakename]

I want a sharpener that just strips the wood off a normal-sized color pencil, without sharpening the "lead". Currently I do this with a bare razor blade, which is a drag. I woulda thought one of those double-hole models would have a big hole that just strips the wood, but I have yet to find it.

[@unsharpen]

There are a few fancy bronze sharpeners that are really more like razor guides. Can’t recall the maker but I’ll keep at eye out

[@greekveteran2715]

@@unsharpen M+R is probably the maker you meant.

[@awojllc1018]

Rather than telling what it does. It would be much better to sharpen the pencil and show the individual results. IMO one can look and decide if the sharpener produces the desired point.

[@unsharpen]

Yeah, fair point. It seemed less interesting than examining the products themselves, but perhaps not.

[@roseramos9276]

I am an inventor I have a new pencil sharper design but I don't know what company should I go to, to get it created. can you help

[@RagingOatmeal]

Any updates to the list in the last few years?

[@jjiacobucci]

Agreed !

[@grandviewestate9534]

Our senior residents use colored pencils a lot. However, the pencil sharpeners were breaking the leads. We resorted to trying an eyeliner pencil sharpener which works perfectly everytime. Do you know why this happens with so many pencil sharpeners?

[@grandviewestate9534]

@LamboGenie I guess I don't understand what you mean. Our one sharpener is successful every time. However, no one has had success with any other sharpener in our home as far as dependability. We have many brands of pencils from cheap store brands to Crayola, Prismacolor, Faber Castell and we have found the same problem with all of them including watercolor pencils. I was surprised to see a response after 5 months and chuckled a bit since we still only have the one that we can depend on. We have purchased some of the more expensive ones in Hobby Lobby with no luck.

[@Nathanchancy02]

Great video!!!! I bought a no brand metal sharpener and it has worked great for 5 years.

[@astrinymris9953]

My problem with the Sun-Star is that it breaks my artist-grade colored pencils. It's too bad, because it looks ideal in theory, but it just doesn't work well in practice. Or at least not for me, but then I usually hold the pencil still and turn the sharpener as I learned to do from a Prismacolor demo vid. I've tried using it the usual way, but it still breaks the tips. Not hatin', just sayin'. I'm glad it works for you. :-)

[@unsharpen]

Great feedback. Some pencil leads are more delicate than others. Is there a sharpener you prefer?

[@adrianmeraz8095]

12:00 that’s what he said

[@collecter3456]

The bostitch on is around $3 and you can chose which point you want.

[@justinkinter8651]

The blades on that sunstar sect will give out before the plastic housing does. Theoretically plastic should last an eternity as long as you don’t treat it poorly.

[@unsharpen]

Yes, I’ll probably step on it or break it in a bag. The strong body is more about things happening than wearing out

[@cw9790]

No Blackwing?

[@unsharpen]

I have the Red long point which is the same thing as the Blackwing 2-hole

[@nunyabiz2016]

But why magnesium? Isn't that kind of a fire hazard?

[@collecter3456]

The ratcheta is very very similar to the bostitch twist n sharpen, same price and I wonder who copied who? Lol

[@collecter3456]

Sal I spelled stuff wrong, I just noticed that lol

[@nunyabiz2016]

I just couldn't stand the plastic stuff. I only like the M&R. I will try the magnesium Kums too.

[@greekveteran2715]

KUM is way better than M+R. I only like their Castor, but you can get the same resulsts if not better, with a common plastic Long Point KUM! KUM is King, no other comes close. They have more than 5 sharpeners, that are all nothing less, than perfection!!

[@sevenoctobers7471]

I trust your word in these matters 👍

[@unsharpen]

Thank you!

[@valentinapastore]

I thought you were going to show how sharp they can go

[@unsharpen]

That’s next!

[@hugoluna5319]

. i don't think you are supposed to use Long Point sharpeners on color pencils they are to brittle and soft for the pressure

[@unsharpen]

Yea it’s not ideal with most colored pencils. It’s not for shading but too many cracked tips

[@timeconstrained2400]

Maped model ...absolute garbage. Stick to the creative Japanese ones like T'Gaal and Sonic Ratchetta. Any sharpener without a shavings catcher is also next to useless. The Kum longpoint is over-rated because the point invariably breaks on the second hole sharpening...you have to be very, very delicate in your technique.(i notice that's what happened to your pencil in the video....it snapped on the point!!). The point is also nowhere near as long as KUM make it out to be...the total wood/lead cone is long but the exposed lead section is still quite short for drawing with side shading technique.

[@greekveteran2715]

When it comes to pencils and pencil sharpeners, Germans are the best out there. Faber Castell and KUM, make better Pencils and sharpeners. than any Japanese maker.

[@diegocow8053]

they really had to name it "kum"?

[@tamaraj4200]

Its pronounced Ma Ped, I have one by them with the container but really don't like it and only use it with my dollar store pencils. My preference is steadtler with the two holes and built in container. Though I do find you need to replace them often with colored pencils.

[@zazzyman]

There is no one best sharpener...

[@greekveteran2715]

KUM makes at least 5 sharpeners, that are literally the BEST out there.

[@kenl.3298]

Bruh

[@불휘기픈남무]

!!!

[@terry7893]

You test a bunch of low level sharpeners and pick the best of a lousy lot, then you post a video as to that one being THE BEST??? For God sakes man, go look at some GOOD pencil sharpeners first and not these silly cheap ones with a simple RAZOR BLADE to sharpen them with.

[@unsharpen]

To be fair, it was "my hunt" for the best pencil sharpener, but point taken. Which sharpeners would you recommend I look at?

[@terry7893]

@@unsharpen You're looking at skateboards and saying it's the best way to travel. Take a look at a car. They're much better than a skateboard. With pencil sharpeners, look at REAL ones, not TOY ones. Look at School Friendly Supplies sharpener or Exacto, etc. Instead of some silly little razor blade, they have a real thing to grind wood down.