Review on Efficient and Convenient: X-ACTO KS Manual Vacuum Mount Pencil Sharpener for Precision Sharpening by Kelsey Brown

I was first attracted to this product because I remembered my mom had one growing up (in fact she still uses hers) and it was a gem. So I bought two of these, one for my daughter's study abroad and one for my own office. Both arrived without the cotter pin that secures the suction handle in place. (In fact, the side close-ups of this product show that it doesn't include a cotter pin.) This caused the handle to slip and the entire suction mechanism to fall apart. Buying pens solved this problem. My daughter's experience with her sharpener abroad (3rd world country) was not successful as most of the work surfaces there are wooden and the sharpener cannot tighten and stay in place. In any case, the suction cup needs a non-porous surface (e.g. glass or metal) in order to clamp it properly. My personal experience of using this pencil sharpener in my office has been great. However, when one of our school teachers needed a spare pencil sharpener and I lent her this, I found that the product would not stand up to heavy use. It came back to me with greatly reduced absorbency on every surface and (according to the manufacturer's troubleshooting information) it's obvious that the internal gear has streaks because it's now being ground off center. In short, this product works well if you give it some TLC and understanding. This is NOT an original 1950's brand quality but it can work in the right conditions.