Side by Side Comparison of: ImiKas vs School Smart

I've purchased many electric pencil sharpeners in the past, but this one by far is the best so far! I bought it to sharpen all the pencils my boys needed for the start of the new school year and it did so perfectly every time. I love the fact that you can select between 3 different settings for how sharp you want the point. I cannot attest yet to the durability, since I purchased it less than a month ago, but so far it's doing GREAT! I definitely recommend this one!

This has been the BEST pencil sharpener I've ever owned (and I've had a few). The thing I love about it is the size adjuster. It allows me to sharpen colored pencils for my littles without making them super sharp and thus very easy to break. I'd definitely buy this again if it ever died.

Cuts perfectly every time. Definitely a difference in cut with the three settings. It's so nice to have a sharp pencil that isn't too sharp that it affects writing in a negative way or break right away. Very happy I chose this model over others I looked at from more recognizable companies. Would and will buy again if I need to. Great product.

We have used the heck out of this little machine and its stood up exceptionally well. I did read many, many reviews of several pencil sharpeners before buying this.One thing to note, however, is that I misunderstood the settings on the sharpener. The settings control the sharpness of the point (like the lead part), not the angle of the point (like the wood part). Its very difficult to describe what I am talking about on this. The pencil tip will look exactly the same no matter what setting you choose, its just that the very, very, very tip will be like a needle or like a ball point pen depending on the setting. I was hoping that it would be like a smaller tip like a lip liner setting, and then a medium point like a crayon, then a longer point like for a pencil. But that is not what it does.Also, one other minor inconvenience, it doesn't take the larger colored pencils I have which have just a slightly larger diameter. These aren't "jumbo pencils" but they are just a tiny bit bigger than standard and they get stuck in the sharpener while it spins around. If I really shove them in there, it will work, but it is definitely not designed to take anything other than standard pencils. Crayons don't fit.I read about messy times emptying the cartridge, so I just empty mine right over the garbage. No issues at all with that, as it just pulls out and clips back in. The kids can do it. I want to say the cartridge fills up quickly, but actually, its just that we really use this little guy often.With these caveats, I would still say BUY IT. Its durable, convenient, kid-friendly, nice-sized.

PROS:-Small Design-Fast, Powerful Motor-Three Pencil lead tip settings (VERY Sharp, blunt, or very blunt)-Runs off batteries OR an included plug-Pencil Lead does not break off in machineCONS:-Shavings Dispenser-LoudI've had the iPoint Curve that I picked up from Walmart (should have been my first warning) for less than a year. About 2 weeks ago, the thing just wouldn't start. I changed the batteries to no avail. I even took the whole thing apart, hoping that I'd find some obvious defect that I could fix. Again, nothing worked.As a homeschooling parent, I am in constant need of sharp pencils, and a manual sharpener just won't do. In desperation, I turned to this one, hoping against hope that it would get the job done. (I was sent one for review) It took about a week to get here (it was grouped with some other items, so I don't know how fast it would ship otherwise).The first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box was that it had a plug in for a wall outlet. Not wanting to be tied to an outlet, I was disappointed, until I realized that it was just one option. There is the option for batteries as well as using the plug-in. The next thing I noticed was how compact it is versus my old sharpener. With the batteries installed, it has a nice weight, so it's not going to get knocked off of my desk constantly either.Putting my first pencil in the sharper, I was shocked at how fast and powerful the motor is for such a small machine. You literally only need to keep it in for a few seconds to get the job done. The lead came out with a very sharp tip, not the blunt tip my old one gave (and I hated). If that's what you prefer, though, there are two other settings so that you can get the tip that you like.The one thing that I don't love is the shavings container. It can be a bit tricky taking off the housing at first (I spilled half of the shavings all over myself the first time). Because of how it is situated, you will want to empty it before it gets full, otherwise, you might have an even worse time emptying it. I still give this machine 5 stars, because I am so impressed with everything else!One other thing to mention, that's really important - I have yet to have a pencil lead break off in this machine. It was a constant problem with my other one, and it would take time (always in short supply), patience and some skill to get the thing out and continue sharpening my pencil. This one has not given me a lick of trouble - even with some cheap pencils that are prone to breaking.UPDATE 11/29/2015After several months of using this daily, I've still not need to change the batteries and it sharpens just as quickly as when I first put the batteries in. I'm still in love with this and can't recommend it more.UPDATE 3/8/2016I still use this daily. I've had to change the batteries once, but it still works like a dream. I can't believe that I ever used any other kind! The one thing I've not been able to use this for is my youngest daughters thicker than normal pencils.

At last a pencil sharpener that sharpens the colored pencils to a very fine point - just the way I like them. I am so happy to find this pencil sharpener. I highly recommend it to folks who use colored pencils for their art work.

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/

Would give it a 3.5 if I could. 4.5 for the sharpener. Minus one for the power supply design.+ The sharpener produces needle-sharp points. Nice.0 Wish it stopped automatically. You can easily reduce a pencil to a nub if you're not careful.- Don't plan on running it off a computer's USB port. You need 1500 mAmp (6V) output to power it. So the fact that it uses a USB connector is actually a big negative. If you lose the USB-to-wall adapter, you are likely SOL until you find a replacement. Unfortunately, they aren't that common. I wish it used a simple electric cord.

Today I used the Imikas Electric Pencil Sharpener for the first time. Like that the opening is on top. It sharpens fairly easy, although I had some hesitation because I wasn't sure I had the hang of it, so as not to damage or waste the pencil cores from over use. I sharpened both graphite #2 pencils and my brand new Verithin brand of hardcore colored pencils. Did okay... though some of the 36 colored pencils didn't sharpen well. Also took me a few trys to open the grindings case easily and correctly. Then I discovered that I could get a free eBook from Imikas that will have clear instructions, hopefully. I researched this product thoroughly before purchasing. Determined it was the best for the price. Will know for sure after prolonged usage.

Pretty good so far. The helical blade is definitely the way to go. Two things I found to note is that if plugging into the usb, make sure the output is enough to equal the supplied plug, otherwise it won't have enough power to sharpen with a pencil in it. Haven't tried the batteries yet. The other thing is that it doesn't stop automatically, so you do need to check otherwise it'll eat your pencils.

Works excellent when plugged into the wall outlet. When using batteries (brand new ones) they just don't have enough power to make it work well. You'll need to take your time and press very gently then it will slowly sharpen them.But in all fairness i have never used a "good" battery operated pencil sharpener so this was about as good as i expected it to be. I took away one star because i hoped the battery operation would be better.The fact that it can be powered by a phone charger or a USB port on your laptop more than makes up for the battery inconvenience.

I bought this item for personal use. It is smal, light,l and compact. The item has 3 levels for sharpening but the difference is not that much between them. I definitely set it to the sharpest point. It sharpens fast, at this point it hasn't broken any of my Prismacolors which are very waxy and this is the reason I bought the electric sharpener. I was tired of manually sharpening the color pencils and having the point break over and over. This sharpener has made a difference. It gives a long pointed shape as you can see in the picture. It is very convenient and light. There are only 2 things I have to say: it is still a bit loud and the case to dump the residue is a bit hard to open. That's why I give it 4 stars. I don't know how well the blade will hold b/c I use it but I'm not a heavy user. Will update my review when I have given the item some good work. Thank you.

It was much smaller than I thought it would be, I like the idea that it can be plugged into an outlet or run on batteries, it is very handy for travel as well. It sharpens pencils just as it states it should with the variety of different points, and it is quitter than any mechanical sharpener that I've ever used. If you use the expensive color pencils for art work, then the sharpener doesn't blunt the point as much as you get with a regular pencil, I think because the color pencils I use are very soft, but it does a great job. Now I want to see how long this little miracle will last, my industrial sharpener only lasted two years and I was very careful to keep it clean and not to over tax it, but the motor just died on me. I hope this sharpener lasts longer. so far it is all that is written about it in the add. : )

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.

Cons: Difficult to empty, must empty frequently, eats pencils, cord too shortPros: Sharpens pencils AND color pencils really SHARP and POINTY. I sharpened over 100 color pencils (in one sitting) expecting this thing to croak. It didn't. Having to empty it out so often probably helped keep the motor cool (or maybe it's just a good motor).

 **I already tried to upload a very detailed review for this sharpener, but the Amazon staff lost it so this will will have to do, I apologize in advance, but writing a 400+ word review again is NOT what I want to do***This pencil sharpener works well for all types of pencils, even colored pencils, as long as they are not too short or have soft lead. The problem that I have with this sharpener is that the battery cover is too hard to remove. My struggle is shown in the video because I had to go off-screen just to put the cover back on. Also, the pencil shavings cover is only a little easier to put back on. At least there are three different pencil tip sharpness so you can sharpen a pencil for a little kid without worrying that they poke themselves. Overall, this is a great sharpener but I hate that the covers are hard to put back on since the shavings box fills up quickly and I'll need to empty it often. It's also a bit on the large size, so it's not a pencil sharpener to put in a kid's room. I recommend this only if you're okay with the covers being hard to put back on. I received this product at a discount price in exchange for my honest review.

This thing is awesome with multiple power options, but I grew up with a boston with a rotating aperture for larger pencils and I wouldn't mind paying more for similar capability on a unit like this. Perhaps a simple slide up / down?

For the amount of money I paid for this shapener, I would have liked for the pencil sharpener to stop sharpening when it has a sharp point. With a stop sharpening feature, it would save more pencil and save time from checking to see if the pencil has a sharp point.

Can have it handy where I am coloring. Sharpens my cheaper coloring pencils well and quickly. I bought it for the Prismacolor pencils but the directions said the soft ones may clog it, so I haven't tried them. It's a pinch heavy which does make it stable and it's actually a bit larger than I expected. It does leave pencil dust around the unit and clinging to the pencil, so it's a little messy. The big negative about this sharpener is the difficulty opening the small shavings compartment. Not good for the senior user and someone who does not have strong fingernails and hands. When you finally get it open, the shavings pop out and spray around, so you need to open it over the trash can. It's also a bit of a challenge to completely empty all the shavings, too.

I ordered 2 sharpeners and so far they are working well. Warning - I don't recommend using the USB with your computer. The sharpener required too much power and damaged the USB port on my computer.

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.

I bought this for my classroom, which I would not recommend. The cord was really short, and it ended up breaking. The shaving receptacle is way too small for a classroom, and it is pretty loud. It does come with a battery compartment, but the sharpener isn't strong enough to sharpen pencils on double a batteries. I suspect this would be a fine sharpener for personal use, but not for a classroom.

I don't like it.The tip sharpens uneven, and usable lead is very short before you reach wood. Gets worse if you slide switch to left for duller tip. Please note the sharpened distance between wood and lead tip. I have attached a photo of a pencil sharpened by my old Boston which broke after 20 years ( right ) and this one.

Didn't work well.... Disappointed :(

It started out as a fairly good sharpener, I bought it for my twins who started second grade, I liked the different settings. The motor has increasingly weakened over time, and now you can barely push on the pencil or the motor stops completely. I'm going to spend a few more dollars this time and hope it is more durable.

I work in very fine detail and this sharpener left burrs and pits instead of a perfect point. To their credit, they made the return simple and I very much appreciate that.

Very disappointed. Breaks to tip off pencil when sharpening and then has to be cleared which requires removing batteries, etc. Then one of the clips holding the battery door closed broke off so no use scots tape to hold together. Gone back to manual sharpener.

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?

1. It did not run consistently on batteries or with the cord. It was like the switch had a short in it.2. When it did run, it sharpens the pencil lopsided; one side the lead was fully exposed, the other only a tiny sliver of lead was exposed.I returned the device for a gift card.

Stopped working after 4 1/2 months of very light use! We loved this pencil sharpener when we first received it. Worked great, and sharpened pencils very fast. We used it to sharpen only #2 pencils occasionally. However now it's completely stopped working! I've tried everything to get it going again. Normally had it plugged in and tried putting fresh batteries in it instead... nothing, not a peep! Very disappointed in this product!

I am a portrait artist and this product does not make a small sharp point has claimed. There is not too much difference between the 3 options of lead sharpness. I would not recommend this product

Received this item today. It sharpened my pencils all crooked. it sharpened one side of the pencils only. I am very disappointed in this product. I am returning it. It may have been that the one I received was defective, but I don't want to take a chance on another one. In addition, it was very difficult to open both the battery compartment and the compartment to clean out the residue. I had to use a rubber jar opener.

Very good sharpener for graphite pencils.As far as we have use it no problems at all.It gives sharp points very usefull in my graphite drawings.Update:it stopped functioning 4 months later.We only used graphite pencils.Very short life for a pencil sharpener.

After 6 months of use, I have to change my original review. This sharpener does not hold up. It takes forever to sharpen one pencil!

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!