Review on Efficient 3-Pack: KUM 1040501 2-Hole Pencil Sharpener with Magnesium Alloy Wedge Profile by Jennifer Roberts

These are my favorite manual pencil sharpeners. As I'm still a big fan of "adult coloring" and have accumulated literally hundreds of different colored pencils as a result, this will be an inexpensive option for me every few months. Because crayons, especially wax-based ones, tend to dull their blades, no sharpener lasts forever, but they do allow a pencil point to be controlled over and over again. The downside is that there's no pencil shavings reservoir (I use a small mug), but otherwise the size makes it easy to fit in my various pencil rolls, cases, and boxes. Unfortunately I tend to losing a few during use (I suspect there are at least three of them somewhere in the cushions on my sofa). The first KUM sharpeners I bought had spare blades on the sides, but I found my arthritic hands couldn't unscrew anything, so I decided to just buy a new sharpener when they start to lose effectiveness. If you primarily sharpen graphite pencils, the sharpeners should last longer. Presumably the blades can be "tidy up" by sharpening some regular pencils on electric sharpeners from time to time before returning to crayons, but I haven't really experimented with attempting this with a manual sharpener. Wiping the blades from time to time can also reduce debris, but for the most part I treat them as disposable items. I used to buy sharpeners with one hole, but since I also have some larger pencils, including a pair of graphite pencils, I choose the two-hole model. In fact, if you've only used those 50-cent plastic sharpeners you get in the "stationery" department at Walmart or something, you really should try an actual "sharpener." an artist quality sharpener, especially if you have expensive pencils like Prismacolor Premier, Faber Castell Polychromos, and pencils like Tombow Irojiten whose hard bodies require really sharp blades that cut through wood but don't sharpen or split leads. Of course, they're great for things like Crayola, Cra-Z-Art, and other "student" or "school" pencils. The only pencils I've had trouble sharpening with are a couple of weird brands I've found at bookstores like Eebo that have ridiculously brittle cables that snap and break. Don't stay in pencil cases (even if you sharpen them by hand with a knife). However, they work great with most soft pens. For best results, hold the pen steady and rotate the sharpener. Warning: Although THESE sharpeners I've ordered have real magnesium alloy bodies with German made steel blades, there are Chinese fakes out there. At first glance, they look like Kum sharpeners, even mimicking the logo (but if you look closely, it'll be in the shape of a crown or something, not the word "KUM"). Fakes will also say Made in China. Fakes sharpen your pencils, but not as well, and they don't last as long before dulling. Warning: Although THESE sharpeners I've ordered have real magnesium alloy bodies with German made steel blades, there are Chinese fakes out there. At first glance, they look like Kum sharpeners, even mimicking the logo (but if you look closely, it'll be in the shape of a crown or something, not the word "KUM"). Fakes will also say Made in China. Fakes sharpen your pencils, but not as well, and they don't last as long before dulling. Warning: Although THESE sharpeners I have ordered have real magnesium alloy bodies with German made steel blades, there are Chinese fakes. At first glance, they look like Kum sharpeners, even mimicking the logo (but if you look closely, it'll be in the shape of a crown or something, not the word "KUM"). The fakes will also say what is made in China. Fakes sharpen your pencils, but not as well, and they don't last as long before dulling.