The BEST Pencil Sharpener EVER (Yes, EVER!)

Pencils are the bane of every teacher's existence. Every teacher I know has a love-hate relationship with pencils. We have our favorite brands and prefer one type of sharpener over others. Throughout my teaching career I have gone through SO many electric sharpeners and even a manual one but there never seems to be a pencil sharpener that lives up to its promise to be the best sharpener on the market. It seems I was doomed to live in a world of constantly breaking pencils and overheating sharpeners; even with a 1:1 classroom there is still a need to have pencils, and these issues are always hanging over this teacher's head!

How to solve this problem is something teachers always seem to end up talking about at some point (pun intended). What sharpener do you use? Is it any good? Does it really sharpen pencils? These questions have never been satisfactorily answered until now. I was recently asked to review a pencil sharpener by Classroom Friendly Supplies [THANK YOU for that invitation!!!). When I opened the box I LOVED the bright pink color but when I saw the hand crank I thought, "A hand crank?! What kind of pencil sharpener is this?!?" Well, I can safely now say that it is the BEST...yes, the BEST pencil sharpener I have EVER used. I mean look at how sharp the pencils are: 

I will admit that it took me a few minutes to figure out how to use the pencil sharpener and to get get the c-clamp to secure the pencil sharpener to the counter. Once we figured out how to use the pencil sharpener the kids and I were in awe of how great this pencil sharpener works. NO JOKE! I have never in my life seen a pencil come out of a sharpener as sharp as they do out of the sharpener by Classroom Friendly Supplies! We have to complete all of our trimester assessments the old-fashioned way - with pencils! This sharpener came in very handy as we prepared to take these tests. Students literally lined up to use the sharpener by Classroom Friendly Supplies over the two (yes, two) electric sharpeners in our room. 

The only downside I have experienced with this sharpener is that the c-clamp striped quickly and no longer holds the sharpener to the counter. We have to hold it still as we sharpen our pencils (see above). Considering how this sharpener works however, we only need one hand for the crank (the pencil is held in place by the mechanism in the front that draws the pencil in as it is sharpened) so it isn't difficult to hold the sharpener while using it. 

Since receiving this pencil sharpener I have had several teachers remark about how sharp the pencils are after using it, they have teased me about it "walking away" to their rooms - as if I would allow it out of my sight! One teacher, recognized it from Pinterest and after using it in my room exclaimed, "Holy moly!" when she saw how well it worked. Yes, this pencil sharpener is wonderful and if the teachers at my site have a say it will soon be finding its way into most of the classrooms! 

The electric sharpeners in my room are now packed up. The pencil sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies has become the only sharpener we need! Have you tried this sharpener? If so, what do you think of it? If not, what is keeping you from trying it?