Pencil Problem Solved!

So I've had this issue with pencils for the last year or so. You see, I bought a really great electric sharpener from a catalog. It had awesome reviews and was supposed to stand up to really heavy use. Supposed to... key words there. The problem is that a classroom full of students who will stick anything (such as crayons, paper clips, and even scissors) into the sharpener is a different level of "heavy use" than these manufacturers are referring to.

Within about 3 months, it was groaning and grinding and sounding like it was ready to die. Every time I sharpened one of the cheap pencils (You know the ones I'm talking about), the leads would just fall out. The thing was so noisy, I banned the students from using it at all during the school day. My dreams of a constant supply of sharp pencils at the ready were over and I gave up trying to find the perfect pencil sharpener. I even started this school year out with nothing. For the first two weeks, I relied on the supply of pre-sharpened pencils some of the kids had brought in.

Then, this came in the mail....

Now, I am not one to write product reviews (unless I really HATE something and feel that the world needs to know). But this sharpener has changed my life! Yeah, really... at least my life between the hours of 7:30 am and 2:30 pm.

First off, yes it is a manual sharpener. Let's get that out of the way. But don't worry... this is not like the manual sharpeners you're accustomed to. 

The first thing I thought when I opened the box was, "Hmm, nice color." (It actually comes in a lot of colors - take your pick!) Blue matches my classroom. The next thing I thought was, "No way this is going to be better than an electric." I mean who wants a line of kids standing and waiting to sharpen their pencils, right? Boy, was I wrong.

1. This sharpener is FAST. A couple of turns (as in 2 or 3) and you're done.
2. This sharpener is QUIET. Barely any sound at all.

Using this sharpener is a little bit different than any other kind. You don't just stick the pencil in and start turning. Here's a quick video from Classroom Friendly Supplies that shows how it works...

Looks easy, right? It is! My third graders have no problem using it at all. Now the video shows the pencil being sharpened until the guide plate goes all the way in but this really isn't necessary. Just a couple of turns produces perfectly sharpened points...

I am able to sharpen a full pack of pencils in the same amount of time that it took me with my electric sharpener with none of the problems (like loose lead and gnawed up looking wood).

So where can you get one of these lovelies for yourself? Go to ClassroomFriendlySupplies.com or click the image below:

They are super affordable (way less than a "good" electric one) and you get to choose your color. I highly recommend this company!