STAEDTLER512 001 ST Double-hole Tub Pencil Sharpener

This sharpener is so great that I was willing to take time out of my extremely busy schedule to write this brief review.On the surface, there doesn't seem to be much one can say about a pencil sharpener, but...This sharpener is quite small (I had assumed it was bigger from the photo), so it doesn't waste much space at all on the desk.It's small enough and nice enough looking to just leave it out all the time.It's extremely solidly built, not made of cheap plastic. Feels like it would survive being stepped on or run over by a car.It doesn't any leak shavings whatsoever when using it. (Nice!) Also, the hinged cover snaps on VERY securely so that it will not spill anything during transportation if it's full.The cap is also very tight, in fact so tight that it really took some effort to get it off to empty the shavings. I assume this will loosen up with use, but if not, it's OK now that I figured out the correct way to hold it to pull it apart.The blades appear to be adjustable with a small philips screw. (I didn't experiment with this, because mine came perfectly adjusted.)Now for the important part: Just a few quick twists of the wrist, and my pencil was PERFECTLY sharpened.Not overly sharp to the point where it breaks upon writing the first letter, but sharp enough to write very small.I was able to write the entire alphabet in lower case perfectly legibly on a single line in a space just under 1" wide!I don't have any crayons or large pencils, so I didn't try out the large hole, but the blade looks the same as the one on the small hole, so I'm sure it will work just as well.My only complaint is that I waited so long to buy one of these. I wasted a lot of time with fancy looking manual sharpeners that made a mess or always broke the lead, and with an electric sharpener that ate pencil wood faster than a flock of termites.I don't foresee needing another sharpener for a very, very long time.To my surprise (and disappointment), the sharpener is made in China, which violates my goal of buying only USA made or European made goods.Given the high quality, I had expected it to be made in the USA or Germany.Nonetheless, I am happy with the purchase because it works so well, and after all, I was just looking for a good pencil sharpener. This is a great one!

The Staedtler 512 001 ST Double-hole Tub Pencil Sharpener has been a fantastic addition to our home. It's a simple yet incredibly effective tool that has made a significant difference, especially for the kids in our household.This pencil sharpener stands out because of its dual-hole design, allowing us to sharpen both standard and large pencils with ease. The convenience it offers is unparalleled. No more searching for different sharpeners for various pencil sizes – this one does it all.The kids absolutely love using it. They find it fun and easy to use, and it has actually made sharpening pencils an enjoyable task for them. As a parent, it's wonderful to see them excited about something as simple as sharpening their pencils.One of the aspects that impressed me the most is the durability of the Staedtler 512 001 ST Double-hole Tub Pencil Sharpener. It feels sturdy and well-built, ensuring that it will last for a long time, even with regular use by kids.In summary, this pencil sharpener has become an essential tool in our home. It's versatile, and user-friendly, and the kids adore it. If you're in need of a reliable pencil sharpener that can handle different pencil sizes, I highly recommend giving this one a try. It's a small investment that brings a lot of joy and convenience to our daily routine.

Since immersing myself in the world of colored pencils, I've become acutely aware of the problem that most are unaware of: pencil sharpener technology is, put bluntly, pretty terrible. In my earlier world of using the occasional #2 pencil, I found nothing to complain about in terms of sharpeners, bit colored pencils quickly expose the flaws and shortcomings of this realm. For one thing, there is a lot on the line. A good pencil can cost $1.75-$2, so a broken point from a failed sharpening is real money. Over sharpening, where the sharpener eats the pencil down to notiohng is just as bad. And so began my quest.Moreover, working in the field, which is my preferred venue, requires a handheld sharpener (or an extremely long extension cord). The world of electric pencil sharpeners is bad, but nowhere near as bad as that for handhelds.This realization came as a revelation to me. Like many people, I thought all sharpeners are the same. The technology of handheld sharpeners is absurdly simple, a plastic cone tangent to a razor blade. So how could there be differences? I soon realized that there were. The manufacturing tolerance of the cone matters, but, more importantly, the quality and positioning of the blade matters even more.Initially, I thought battery powered devices were the solution. For most of these devices, the technology is identical, a rotating razor blade powered by batteries, as are the results. I used a Foray brand handheld, reputed to be an excellent device, but awful for me. I also used a not of other no name with equally bad results.To be clear, there are three kinds of bad results possible. First, the blade simply does not sharpen sufficiently. About 20% of the sharpeners I tried failed this simple test. Either the blade was insufficiently sharp or the come was incorrectly formed. The second major problem is breakage. This is the worst outcome--putting a dilly colored pencil into the sharpener only to have it turn the dull point into a broken point--a complete disaster requiring the reshape ink of the pencil and the loss of about one sixteenth or more of the pigment. The third problem is oversharpening. Sme sharpeners tend t sheer off a portion of the point, leaving it extremely sharp and extremely fragile. This is also no good since using the pencil with any pressure (unavoidable in colored pencil drawing) leads to a catastrophic breakdown.Enter the Staedtler. It is solidly built with surprising heft. There are two holes, producing points of differing slope. One hole, labeled graphite, produces the familiar 23* slope point. The other, labeled color and graphite, produces a fatter 30* slope point. The latter is advantageous for colored pencils since the resulting fatter point is more resistant to breakage. Sharpening blunt pencils (I have yet to try it with unsharpened pencils) is a breeze. The graphite slot fits the pencil like a glove. A few turns, much fewer than with other sharpeners, produces a super sharp, perfectly symmetric point. The color slot has some play in it since it can be used by thicker pencils as well. Despite this, it too sharpens with few turns and no particular effort. The result is a super sharp, super robust wide point. After sharpening about 15 dull colored pencils, I suffered zero problems. Sharpening about 10 graphite pencils yielded the same results.Simply put, this is easily the best sharpener I own and, more importantly, the best I have ever used out of a sample of about 20+ sharpener models. Especially if you are a colored or art pencil user, this is the one to buy. It will pay for itself in terms of reducing pencil wastage in shirt order. You cannot do better.