Side by Side Comparison of: School Smart vs Dixon Ticonderoga vs Paper Mate vs Really Good Stuff

I love this thing! I cannot comment about longevity but, trust me, if it doesn't hold up long I will update. It is easy to use and empty. It has an automatic stop so when my 8 year old sharpens pencils he cannot go too crazy. It works quickly and easily and leaves a nice point.The only con is it only does standard pencil diameters. I have a set of colored pencils for artwork and a few toddler/preschool fat pencils, but I can manually sharpen those bad boys. I really LOVE this sharpener and it came recommended to me from another homeschooler who has had it over a year and has used it a LOT!

I've been doing research for months, I wanted electric pencil sharpener that will sharpen a pencilwith a long point, Where I work we have all brands X-Acto 1800 1818 - they worked but eats up the pencil& some pencils are sharpened one side. I love panasonic sharpeners but are discontinued, Bostitch didn'tdo a good job & motor didn't last for heavy use from day & night workers. For $15.00 more This School Smartpencil sharpener is well made stronger motor & sturdy its sharpens the pencil faster just by pushing pencil done toa long sharp point evenly, the other sharpens above will move when you push the pencil in to sharpen it. It comeswith a bigger container that easy to remove & empty without no mess. I bought this because it has great reviewsfor lasting a long time without no problems this sharpener has Auto stop it detaches from pencil when thesharpener is done & all you hear is the motor with no more grinding the pencil without wasting the pencil.It even does red pencils with a longer point as no. 2 pencils - as for cheap pencils no. 2 may not sharpevenly but still comes to sharp point. This is a well made strong sturdy solid motor This School Smart Electric Vertical Pencil Sharpener is worth paying the extra money it will last longer.spending the 15.00 more & will last longer for heavy use then other brands.UPDATING REVIEW - 03-19-2016I'm works better than all sharpeners stronger motor, long points, you see in staples, walmart, kmart,at my job co workers & bosses have all brands pencil sharpeners come to me sharpen there pencilsto get the long sharp point - which other brands give small point, or sharpen only on 1 side of the pencili have managers & co-workers who want know where i purchased this, They want if for work & for therechildren other brands don't last long for what i was told who have children, this is solid sturdy I have 50people from day & night shift always using it & no problem still giving long even sharp points on all typepencils.Hackerr10

I bought this pencil sharpener to sharpen regular number two pencils and my assortment of prismacolor pencils. I own well over 100 colored pencils and I sharpened maybe 80 in a row before the sharpener overheated. I thought I broke it but when I read the manual I realized I just had to unplug it and let it cool down for an hour or so. I sharpened about 300 pencils that night and the sharpener was still working strong! Despite prismacolor pencils having brittle tips, the sharpener RARELY broke the tips off of them (my manual sharpener broke tips off every other time and could not get a point close to this sharpener). If you are using this sharpener for prismacolor pencils, know that it might get the tips too sharp, making them more brittle when you actually try to use them.I like my pencil tips sharp and if the end of my no. 2 pencil or HB pencil dulls even a little this sharpener gets it right up to speed in less than a second. I even had prismacolor pencils in which I cut away the wood with a knife to expose more lead but they were dull and the sharpener actually worked on those too! I've sharpened charcoal pencils, carbon pencils, from 9B to 9H drawing pencils, oil based and wax based colored pencils, regular number two pencils and even my eraser pencil and it performed perfectly on all of them.I honestly cannot praise this product enough. I guess the only con is that it is loud, the whole house can hear me sharpen a pencil but I gave that up for the quality. I have owned this sharpener for 2 months now and used it roughly everyday and it still works like a charm. I absolutely recommend it.

I was getting angry at Crayola for having such cruddy colored pencils that were splitting in half and impossible to sharpen. Then the light turned on and I realized, maybe it's the sharpeners I had that were the real problem. I was using tiny cheap manual razor blade sharpeners.I set this up and sharpened all of our colored pencils in it. They have a beautiful sharp tip. I have not sharpened one until it turned off on its own though. Just a few seconds and you get a good tip to sharpen with. If you sharpen it too much, it's so pointy that it breaks a couple of times when you start writing with it.One of our pencils was so damaged and split that this wasn't working on it. I had to try to cut the pencil which I didn't do well with, and I ended up with a pencil that's 1/3 the size of the rest. I just pulled out a ruler - a fully sharpened pencil from tip to where the top of the device is measures 2" - so anything 2" or less will be too short for this, you won't have anything to hold and pull it out with when you sharpen it. 2.75-3" would be minimum.While sharpening several pencils, the top of a pencil fell out and I was afraid it was stuck inside. I took the shavings container off - the lead had fallen into it - great, but the shavings were more like dust (messy) and then I had trouble with it staying on while I finished all the pencils. I emptied it when I was done, and the container snaps on tight, which I think I had failed to do among all the mess. I am not having any problems with the auto-stop or anything.I am very happy with this purchase and so thrilled to have such a nice sharpener in my home!!! I would buy it again.

I am using this sharpener in a third grade classroom. Right now we only have manual wall sharpeners. I have trouble sharpening pencils with any speed at all on those wall sharpeners, and the kids really even have trouble turning the handles. Since I am the one paying for this one, I am not letting the kids use it, so I can't speak to how it will hold up if kids use it, but I love it for myself. It sharpens amazingly fast. I have yet to come across a pencil it won't sharpen. These days the kids bring in many cheap pencils that just won't sharpen on many sharpeners. The lead breaks off constantly as you sharpen. Another teacher came in and borrowed this one and was amazed that it sharpened so quickly and sharpened everything. I can sharpen pencils for the whole class very quickly. I am very happy with my choice.

I love this pencil sharpener. It gives a sharp point and quickly shrpens new pencils. It does need to be emptied often but no a problem. It has survived classroom use better then any electric sharpener I've ever had. I even bought a second one for my house it works so well!

My husband needed a basic, plug-in sharpener. This was his choice. It's just like one he used for years. He's satisfied. Side note: my 8 yr. old granddaughter tested it. Grandpa gave her a couple of boxes of old pencils that were in dire need of sharpening. She stood there for over half an hour sharpening every single one of those old pencils and enjoyed every minute of it! She loves tasks! Anyway, this is a good, dependable pencil sharpener!

I bought this pencil sharpener 2 years ago and absolutely love it! It sharpens well and is reliable. We use it daily in our homeschool. Unfortunately, one of my children accidentally stuck a pencil in eraser side first and the eraser broke off in the sharpening mechanism. After unsuccessfully trying to get it out, we decided to just get a new one. There was no question as to which sharpener to order. I've tried various sharpeners in the past and none of the others compare. This is the best, hands down - especially at such a reasonable price! The only regret you'll have is not buying it sooner.

This thing is amazing! The pencils come out super sharp, and it is fast too! Other reviews say it's loud, but I think it's just average in noise, nothing obnoxious at all. It replaced a pencil sharpener I'd bought just a few months ago, that thing does not even compare to this beauty. And speaking of beauty, it looks awesome on the desk, handsome design. It's nice and heavy, so it doesn't move when I use it, and the whole office loves it! I might buy another one for home use, I love it so much!

Purchased for my school-aged son who likes to have super sharp pencils for math homework. Holding up well after a few months and accidentally drops onto a hardwood floor. Recommended.

It's nice and heavy and puts a fine point on the pencils. Mine leaves slightly more wood on one side so I try to turn it once while sharpening to even out the points. It comes with a nice long cord so doesn't have to be located too close to an outlet. I haven't owned it long enough to know if it will last - it already outlasted the last pencil sharpener I bought which didn't even make it through the back-to-school pencils for my 3 kids! This one handled that easily.

The parameters for my pencil sharpener search were for something reliable, sturdy, and affordable without going "cheap". The sharpener will only be needed for occasional use but shouldn't be something that dies after a few years. The School Smart Sharpener definitely falls into my requirements and I must say "Heavy Duty" is a proper description.If you're looking for a whisper quiet sharpener then don't even consider this one. When sharpening a pencil the sound emitted could be compared to a piece of oak being run through a wood chipper. The grinding sounds communicate to the operator that this machine means business and will heartily handle the task at hand. The end result is a quickly sharpened pencil with pointed tips and a smooth taper. Most sharpeners labor for a time to grind a fresh, out-of-the-pack pencil to a point, but not this bad boy. It grinds away like a voracious beaver, making quick work of the task.I have no doubt this will be the last sharpener I buy/

This does exactly what it says. It sharpens pencils insanely fast and keeps the lead centered.It is not always good about automatically stopping, which costs it a star although I would only take away half a star if I could. I've chewed through a couple pencils accidentally because it didn't stop.

Read a lot of review and all e sharpeners have some issues. Finally decided on this one. This thing is strong and fast. Had to sharpen about 200 pencils for the kids. No problem and fast. I had one issue as the bin gets full pretty quickly. It stopped working. I cleaned the bin and it would not work. Basically, something was stuck somewhere. Eventually got it cleaned and it has been working fine since. Just make sure to keep the bin from getting too full.

I'm a teacher, and I go through electrical sharpeners like nobody's business. Most are just not sturdy enough for use by a class of 30 students who mostly don't take care of things. This one lasts longer than others, surprisingly, because it doesn't look as sturdy as other sharpeners. I have bought three of these. One has lasted me two years (amazing!), one just lasted one year (not bad), and I just purchased another one. I've bought several other brands - X-Acto, Bostitch, and Staples, and none even made it through the year.Other pros: sharpens pencils well every time, not too loud, never breaks pencils, and compact in size. Last year I taught math to a group of student from another classroom, and they would sharpen their pencils on their way out of my classroom!Now if I could just find a stapler that could withstand 6th graders...

Purchased this sharpener for my art pencils. It worked GREAT on my Derwent watercolor 3.8mm core pencils (these are the "old" style that is included with the box set not the newer thicker pencils included in the tins with the flimsy trays). My Faber-Castell Polychromos 4mm core pencils did well; however, they did not fit in as easily as the watercolor pencils but they never got stuck and the outer paint of the pencil was not scratched or damaged. This sharpener DOES NOT work well with the thicker Derwent pencils. My Derwent Artist pencils and my Derwent Inktense pencils pretty much had to be forced in, would sometimes jam, and the outer paint of the pencil ended up being chipped and scrated. Since lubing them up with KY jelly is not a solution, I am going to try try and find a sharpener, probably one offered by Derwent, that will work on their fat pencils. Difficult to color in tight places when I can never get anything by a mildly sharp point on any of their pencils.

So far this pencil has pretty much lived up to the overall reviews that were posted on amazon. The one feature that doesn't work on mine is the auto stop. It doesn't stop when the pencil is sharp. Not a big deal for an 8th grade teacher but for some others it might be a problem. It sharpens quickly and at an acceptable noise level. I look forward to years of sharpening. I have students every hour sharpen pencils daily so it gets a workout. If it last 3 years I will be happy. The only other downside it the shaving holder. When you take it out you really have to be over a trash can as shavings go everywhere if you don't. I have had it for about a month and already it has probably been used 1000 times.Update: I've now had this for about 2 school years ans it is still working good. Worth the price I paid.

I have gone through numerous pencil sharpeners both manual and electric.I could never find one I truly liked because they were all ok to start with and then failed as time went on. Other sharpeners that I have used could never give me a pointy pencil. And in color pencils, many broke the tip so the colored tips just break off and it wouldn't be smoothly sharpened.This electric sharpener right out of the box sharpened pencils and color pencils fast and perfectly. They all had very clean and sharp points as I would expect.I had a ton of pencil and color pencils to sharpen and I was able to sharpen about 20 and the sharpener stopped sharpening (over heating). That is expected of all electronic sharpeners.After a cool down it continued to sharpen about 10 more and then I was done.All sharpened perfectly without any hitch. I did empty out the bin during the cool down period.I couldn't give it 5 stars because it does need improvement.1-It looked big when put together but when you actually take the shaving bin out, it isn't that big. And 30 probably would have been the limit before having to empty it.2-The shaving bin does NOT sit flush with the sharpener. There is a slight gap along the top of the shaving bin. When sharpening, some of the smaller shavings get flung upwards came out.Other than that, for normal use I probably wouldn't be sharpening so many at once so hopefully this will last me a looooooong time.If anything changes, I will definitely update this post... otherwise, I am absolutely satisfied for the first time ever with a pencil sharpener.

So far we are liking this pencil sharpener in our home school. It is on the louder side, but I keep the sharpener in the kitchen rather than the school room, so it doesn't interrupt us. It isn't quite as fast as I'd like, but it does make a nice point. Unfortunately, it only seems to sharpen one side, but you just have to rotate the pencil a little while it's sharpening. You do have to make sure that the pencil shaving tray is popped in completely. If it's even open a crack, pencil shavings will come flying out. For the price, though, we are satisfied with what we have.

Finally after many, many years and numerous falls from a desk, my Panasonic sharpener was no more. I love writing with pencils. I have at least 6 different types on my desk right now, so you can image how unhappy I was to read the crappy reviews most sharpeners received on amazon. To my surprise, some people have gotten desperate enough to purchase, and not cheaply, a used Panasonic from this site. I ordered this sharpener expecting very little but a stand-in before I could get my Panasonic fixed. Surprise, surprise-it's great. Very sharp pencils which are evenly sharpened.UPDATE to the above. There are two things to be aware of: it makes pencils almost too sharp to write with so a little itty bitty piece of the tip comes off and it tends to use a lot of the pencil itself up when you sharpen them. I still like it and recommend it...but it's not my Panasonic.

You have to hold it to keep it from sliding but it does sharpen your pencils. You also have to empty it after every 2-3 sharpenings so I wouldn't recommend for school or business use. Good, economical option for home office or student use, though.

I bought this electric pencil sharpener after going through several cheap ones, including a battery-powered single-blade one that cost more and tended not to sharpen the pencils properly or else break the lead near the end of the sharpening. My 2nd-grade son loves to sharpen pencils, whether they need it or not, since his teacher required us to send in several boxes of pre-sharpened pencils. I guess most 2nd-graders love to sharpen their pencils in class which is likely why she made the requirement :). Anyway, he went through several mechanical pencils before we switched back to the tried & true wooden pencils, since I can buy a box of those for the price of one mechanical pencil. Plus he loses pencils everywhere - found one in the sofa after I sat down - OUCH!This sharpener is very well-built and looks to be durable for years if not decades. It uses the helix sharpening blades like the old & reliable mechanical sharpeners that mounted on a wall or desk. Gives a precise sharpened point and does not break the lead even in the unskilled hands of a 2nd-grader. Fairly quiet operation as well - I guess mine is not as loud as some other reviewers here. The shavings tray also appears reasonably sized, and I don't worry about it anyway as my son also loves to empty it into the trash. Now if he would just get a job so he can pay for these "luxuries", I'd be all set :).

For years, I have been buying another brand of pencil sharpener for my classroom. The quality and lifespan of that product had always been high (up to 140 middle school kids using several of these sharpeners on a daily basis). Lately, they haven't been surviving as long as they had in the past. Then, I looked at different brands and their reviews on Amazon and found this School Smart model. Never heard of the brand. There were so many positive comments, until I had to give it a try. Solid construction. Quick sharpening mechanism. Nice size for crowded classroom ledges or the tops of bookcases. And the kids like the way it gives them that 'quick' point. So far, so very good!

We love our pencil sharpener. The first time we used it, my kids tried to sharpen every pencil they own, so it over heated and stopped working. I read over the manual which gave the reason. We let it sit for a half hour to cool down. Now it is back to functioning perfectly. We know now to not sharpen too many pencils at once. Gives a great tip and it is easy to use.

I purchased this sharpener in August 2014 and it died October 2016. While it worked, it sharpened quickly and without mess. This was used a couple of times a week for two years by our family of four, nothing excessive, but then just stopped working for no apparent reason. I believe there also is supposed to be an automatic shutoff that kicks in once a pencil is fully sharpened, but that feature never worked for us –it only shut off when the pencil was manually removed. I'm not sure this sharpener will work for long if used in a classroom setting. Spent a bit more on this one hoping it would last, but the few extra bucks didn't help.

I have purchased two of these units over 6 months (one for the office and one for home use.) Both have the exact same issue: they don't sharpen the pencil evenly. This is not a deal breaker to me, just an annoyance.Additionally I find that these sharpeners cut the pencil at a shallow angle which causes the pencil point to be very fine or sharp. This causes the graphite to crumble when using the pencil unless one is extremely gentle. Again, not a deal breaker.Otherwise these sharpeners are solid-feeling, and have a powerful motor which sharpens a pencil in about 2 seconds. So far mine are working fine and I have no complaints about reliability.

I bought this to sharpen my color pencils after looking at a review online. It does work well, but not as well as I wanted it to. It does exactly what I expected (and was afraid of), it sharpens well enough, but it does seem to "eat" a lot of your pencil. Now, don't get me wrong: MOST of the electric sharpeners will do exactly that. The problem is that I use a lot of expensive pencils and I just had to be careful not to "over sharpen them" and lose all of that money. Anyway, the sharpener does well, it is a little tight for the watercolor pencils from Derwent, but it works GREAT with Polychromes from Faber-Castell.I have a feeling that it will depend on my budget on how much I use the sharpener or not.In the picture, the two pencils to the left: Derwent Inktense and Faber-Castell polychromes were sharpened with the electric sharpener. The one on the right was done with a hand-held sharpener.

I give this a 5 star for sharpening regular pencils and Prismacolor Colored Pencils. But and it's a big but no other pencils fit into this machine. That's why its a 3. None of the other common color pencils fit and some are just a hair bigger. I would've thought there would be some wiggle room for those that are a little bigger. The best sharpener is a hand sharpener with and adjustable head, but takes too much time when working.This is a good brand, and sharpens to a super point, just look for one you can put different sizes in if you need it. My mistake!

I bought this because we were using hand-turn sharpeners that seemed to only sharpen one side of the pencil and the other would have the wood down to the tip. While this doesn't do that exactly, it doesn't create an even cut of wood around the tip like I thought it would for the price. Also, it only has 1 size at the top so only "regular" pencils fit. We have some "fatter" pencils for my young son that I still have to use the hand sharpener for.

Awesome unit, heavy weight, sturdy, sharp and effective, a lot of sharpener for the money. Cannot believe they would put all the effort into such a decent unit and then fall so short on the shavings container door locking mechanism. The shavings door pops open as soon as you begin sharpening. As soon as the door opens, the safety mechanism stops the motor. Very annoying, could have used a bit of QA testing.Improve the door locking tab design and to me this is a perfect unit. It sucks my brand new opener has a thick rubber band keeping the door shut during operation. Deciding if it's worth the hassle to return or keep and deal with it. Consider this before you buy it for yourself.

It came damaged! Even with all the packaging support inside the box, the sharpener was dented the drawer that holds the pencil shavings is extremely difficult to put back in once you've taken it out. If it weren't for the damages, I would leave a better review because it sharpens very well.

very well made.i am sharpening #2 pencils.sharpens well;however,pencil points are a little rough afterwards,and at times,do not write smoothly at first.overall,rates better than my previous sharpeners by other manufacturers.

I was hoping the would be great because of the reviews- but when sharpening pencils it seems to sharpen one side more- the lead doesn't seem to be even all around the pencil - it does get it nice a sharp

The motor strength works well in this sharpener, however, you have to sometime get the pencil in just right for it to work well. Also, the trap for the shavings will pop off at times so I have to hold it in place while sharpening a pencil. Just has a few quirks.

This would be a great item except for the safety feature of the little knob on the back of the tray, mine broke off and I had to stick something in the back of the machine to hold the button down and now my tray of course wont go all the way in. Sharpens great.

It's not battery powered, so you need to be near an outlet.Not the most powerful I've used, but it works great.There must be a better one out there for the money, but we'll stick with this one until it breaks down.

Have had this two years but only used sporadically, which I imagine is pretty typical. A week ago it stopped working, the mechanism still turns so nothing is jammed but it just doesn't work.

Worked really well all year (I teach 1st grade) and now with only two months left to go it's dead :( I am the only one that uses it, not the kids, so I know it wasn't user error. Bummed.

I bought it for my colored pencils based on positive reviews I read here. I find that it eats pencils and sharpens unevenly .Update: I have completely stopped using this sharpener due to excessive and uneven cut. I purchased it based on positive reviews on this website.I do not recommend this sharpener for colored pencil art. A simple Alvin bullet hand held sharpener is much better and cheaper.

I purchased this sharpener for use in a school library. I bought it in June in time for finals, then it was used just this school year. It has already died. My engineer-mechanic husband took it apart to see if he could fix it, but no luck.

It has some nice features--gets the pencil really sharp, holds lots of shavings and doesn't take up much room--but it is totally annoying since the point on the pencil isn't centered. I've rotated the pencils every which way and tried lots of different pencils. The results are always off the same way. It is far enough off that sometimes the pencil wood sticks out beyond the graphite.I wrote the company. They got right back to me. They let me know that the centering isn't adjustable and I should just send it back either for a refund or an exchange. They say that most are centered just right.It is hard to invest much time in a $20 sharpener. I'm going to try one from someone else.I won't say "Don't buy it." I hope you are luckier than I was.

I had high hopes for this sharpener despite a few concerning reviews. How a company builds a nice sharpener in every way except how good it sharpens is beyond me. We tried 3 different pencils and got the exact results on each one. It would sharpen one side of the pencil really good - but the otherside is all wood. Therefore, you have to turn the pencil by hand to try to get all sides sharpened. The result is you waste a lot of pencil trying to get a good cut. Horrific quality control I guess. One review I read complained about that the sharpener is extremely loud. This is true as well. I initiated a return within about 10 minutes of opening it up.

Seems durable enough but never able to get a symmetric point - always leaves one half of the point wood. I've tried many pencils, all the same result. It seems good pencil sharpeners are a thing of the past, maybe it's a sign of the times.

I spent over $30 for a pencil sharpener and it didn't last a year. It now sharpens the pencils roughly and makes a struggling noise. I sharpen multiple (5-10) pencils daily and I am the only person to touch it.

I bought this sharpener about 6 months ago. It worked great and the kids used it several times a week. Then it just died. It is a solidly built device, but it must have cheap inner parts. I am very disappointed it didn't work out. If it hadn't died so quickly, I would have given it 5 stars.

I returned this pencil sharpener, because it does not sharpen the pencils symmetrically. Significantly more wood is shaved off of one side than the other. This makes it much easier to break the lead.

Powerful sharpener, but it eats up pencils and not all the shavings go into the bin. We debated returning the sharpener but got lazy.

First sharpener lasted 2 weeks. I exchanged it for another, however after 2 months this one has broken as well. Why can't I find an electric sharpener that will last? I have 3 kids, so I need something fairly heavy duty. What is out there?

Reviews on Amazon generally can be trusted, so I have to think I got a defective model. Well, obviously I did. Right out of the box, the sharpener made buzzing sound with a pencil inserted, but nothing moved. Some shaking, prodding and pencil twerking finally produced some action -- but the results weren't great. One -- it kept stalling. The pencils came out one-sided. The shavings container wouldn't stay in place. So this one goes back...

I purchased this electric pencil sharpener in Oct. 2015. It worked for 8 months, and now it doesn't work at all. I don't usually write reviews, but I work at a church and it doesn't get used very often. Very sad that I have to go purchase another one and waste more money. I had read all the good reviews, I assumed I would get a longer life out of it. Things are not made the way they use to be.

Was great for about 5 weeks and now is just awful. Won't sharpen anything. VERY disappointed. Other teachers in the school have this and it's worked fine for them for a long time. I must have gotten a lemon and it went bad right after the return window :( Would be nice if they'd still replace...

I ordered this as a Christmas gift for my daughter. After just over a month of limited use it no longer works. I just checked to see if I could return it and I am not able to. Very disappointed for the money I spent.

Disappointingly, this sharpener did not live up to the many 5 star reviews it received. It was extremely noisy. The pencils barely fit into the opening -- hexagonal pencils (as opposed to round) had to be put in just right for the sharpener to accept them. There is only one choice regarding size of the opening, so there was no way to work around it. The sharpener started grinding away loudly the second I put the pencil in (before it got anywhere near the blade)and took forever to sharpen a new (unsharpened) pencil. Saving the worst for last, the pencils had very little lead showing (mostly wood), and often had wood coming all the way down to the tip on one side, so the pencil was unusable. I returned this product and am still shopping for a better one.

I bought this item because of the great reviews. It worked very well for a month until it broke. There is nothing jammed in there and the container is empty. I'm a teacher and I am very upset that I have to spend my own money on another pencil sharpener. Very disappointed.

Worked pretty well, until it stopped working. Just came on here to see how long ago I bought it, and it was 4 years. We don't sharpen THAT many pencils (maybe 15-20 per year, just at back-to-school time), so would've thought it'd last much longer. Bummer.

Died after only 5 months. Absolutely not heavy duty! I had a Panasonic that lasted for 18 years. This one not even 5 months properly. This was being used by 8 year old at least twice a week, maybe. I certainly don't recommend it!!

This pencil sharpener is not sturdy at all. within sharpening just a few pencils it jammed. no way to unjam it. had to return it. same thing happened with the first one i bought. i thought it was me, but with this second try, i just don't think its sturdy enough.

I must have received a lemon because this sharpens very unevenly...consistently uneven not due to off-center lead as it occurs for all pencils I tried.

This stopped working after we sharpened 5 pencils the afternoon we received it. I do not recommend it.

I purchased this about 18 months ago and literally sharpened less than 10 pencils. I just tried to use it and nothing happens when I put the pencil in. It seems like the motor is out, but I can't find any way to fix it. Very disappointed, considering it was advertised as a "heavy-duty" sharpener!