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Pencil Sharpener Reviews and Buying Guide:I grew up with the hand crank pencil sharpeners that were attached to the walls in schools and in our homes. You would simple turn the dial (if it had one) on the sharpener to fit the pencil and then manually turn the handle to sharpen your pencil. The top would lift off of these manual sharpeners and you could put all the shavings into the trash can. They worked pretty efficiently considering kids love to play with devices like these. Sometimes the led from the tip of the pencil would break off inside the sharpener and jam it up, but for the most part they took lots of punishment and kept sharpening. We also had the smaller sharpeners that barely fit in our fingers that you put the pencil into and twisted the pencil until it was sharp. Those basic models let the shavings fall to the floor - some had attachments that gathered up the pencil shavings. It wasn't until I was about 15 when I realized they made electric pencil sharpeners that worked incredibly fast and saved you from the hassle of having to turn the handle to sharpen your pencil. Of course electric powered sharpeners are more expensive, but they are worth it if you have lots of people using it in office or school environments.
 , so we turned to consumer reviews posted on AOL shopping, Amazon.com, Target.com, and in Atozteacherstuff.com (forums) to see what they all had to say. Most agreed that the electric pencil sharpeners are worth the extra money and the ones that plug into a wall are more powerful than the battery operated sharpeners. If you have a child who needs a sharpener at home, go with one of the cheaper battery powered ones. How much are pencil sharpeners? The electric variety are around $40 and the battery powered type like the Panasonic KP4A-BK are only $15 to $20. The Royal Point battery powered sharpener is only $8 so you can find some bargains. The mechanical wall mount style are about $15 to $20 as well and seem more "sturdy" than some of the others made of plastic. The basic manual pencil sharpeners are all under $5 since you will be doing most of the work. RECOMMENDED - We suggest shopping online at Amazon.com since they carry all the leading brands and often have the lowest prices on the Internet. You can browse their top selling pencil sharpeners online here.
Battery Operated Pencil Sharpener:Once again Panasonic is the top rated product in this category with their Panasonic KP4A-BK ($16) which operates on 4 AA batteries and features hardened steel blades. The compact sharpener is perfect for home, work, or school environments. The shavings are stored in under the cover and it's easy to release the top and pour the shavings into the trash. Some recent reviews on Amazon state that the "sharpener is faulty" but it appears to be an isolated problem. If you want to avoid the Panasonic until they solve their current problem, then you can try the Boston Nautilus for $17 which is powered up by 4AA batteries.
Mechanical Sharpener:The classic look sharpeners that mount on the wall or desk are still great buys. The Boston KS Pencil Sharpener ($14) is very versatile with 8 sizes of pencils accepted into the sharpener. The 30 cutting edges will sharpen all pencils quickly and efficiently. Features a black stand and a nickel plated barrel. There are screws included to help you mount the sharpener to the wall or on your desk. You will find this model at Dickblick.com. Another option is the Stanley Bostitch Manual Pencil Sharpener for $18 which is an all black color that never over sharpens your pencils. The dial also adjusts to accept 8 different pencil sizes and you can mount the sharpener either vertically or horizontally. See all the most popular wall mount pencil sharpeners here.
Basci Manual Pencil Sharpener:Not everyone needs a fancy pencil sharpener and the manual types are lightweight and function just fine. They are not meant for more than a few sharpenings here and there, but at less than $5 what do you expect. Office Depot carries the Staedtler 2 Hole metal pencil sharpener for $4 and the Foray single hole sharpener for around $1. They are cheap and fit nicely into your little ones backpack for school purposes.
Heavy Duty Pencil Sharpener:For office and work environments where the sharpener will get used often, consider going with a more durable, heavy duty electric sharpener like the X-Acto Heavy-Duty 41 Pencil Sharpener which is sold on Dickblick.com. It features an AC induction motor that will automatically shut off if it's close to overheating. There are 2 solid steel cutters w/ 30 cutting edges. Just plug it into a 110V AC outlet and start sharpening. Works great in schools and art studios where students need to have sharp pencils to get their studies done. The price is a bit steep at $166, but the heavy duty design will last for years.
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($42) and the 
($42). The KP380 has the horizontal feed while the KP150 is a vertical feed sharpener. Both rate highly for ability to sharpen a pencil without too much effort and they are very reliable. The steel cutting wheel never needs sharpening and the Auto Stop feature means you never waste pencils. The KP380 has suction cup feet to keep it securely to table tops or desks. You can find both of them on Amazon.com.