We may be compensated if you purchase through links on our website. Our Reviews Team is committed to delivering honest, objective, and independent reviews on home products and services.
A pencil sharpener grinds the lead in your pencil to a point to make writing with it easier. The This Old House Reviews Team has found the best pencil sharpeners on Amazon to keep your writing and art supplies ready. Read on to learn more about them.
Compare Top Pencil Sharpeners
| Product | Type | Pencil Holes | Color Options | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X-Acto School Pro Classroom Pencil Sharpener | Electric | Six | Two | 10 years |
| Bostitch Personal Electric Pencil Sharpener | Electric | One | Six | 7 years |
| JARLINK Electric Pencil Sharpener | Electric | One | Four | 1 year |
| Aipker Manual Pencil Sharpeners | Manual | Two | Four | Not listed |
| Product | Type | Pencil Holes | Color Options | Warranty |
Top 4 Pencil Sharpeners
- Best For Classrooms: X-Acto School Pro Classroom Pencil Sharpener
- Best Color Options: Bostitch Personal Electric Pencil Sharpener
- Best Vertical Design: JARLINK Electric Pencil Sharpener
- Best Pocket-Sized Design: Aipker Manual Pencil Sharpeners
Best For Classrooms: X-Acto School Pro Classroom Pencil Sharpener
X-Acto School Pro Classroom Pencil Sharpener
Pros and Cons
✔ Features a helical steel cutter, which makes safe, rounded pencil points
✔ Doesn’t use electricity when it’s not in use
✔ Built with a flyaway cutter system that instantly stops sharpening when the pencil has a point
✘ More expensive than the other pencil sharpeners in this review
✘ Criticized for not sharpening pencils evenly
What Customers Are Saying
Many customers noted this pencil sharpener’s large shavings bin, quiet motor, and durable build, which made it great for bulk pencil sharpening. In addition, many said that they liked that it plugged into a wall rather than using batteries. Negative reviews pointed out that this product didn’t sharpen pencils evenly and stopped working quickly.
Best Color Options: Bostitch Personal Electric Pencil Sharpener
Bostitch Personal Electric Pencil Sharpener
Pros and Cons
✔ Has a seven-year limited warranty
✔ Is made with a space-saving design
✔ Has a built-in safety switch that keeps it from operating when the shavings compartment isn’t properly attached
✘ Noted by some customers that it had a small shavings bin
✘ Criticized by others for not working with batteries as advertised
What Customers Are Saying
Positive reviews praised this product for being easy to empty and use. Amazon customers also liked that it didn’t break their pencils’ lead. Some negative reviews pointed out that it couldn’t run on batteries like the product description claimed. Other reviews said that it had a small shavings bin that required frequent emptying.
Best Vertical Design: JARLINK Electric Pencil Sharpener
JARLINK Electric Pencil Sharpener
Pros and Cons
✔ Can sharpen up to 3,000 pencils before its shavings compartment gets full
✔ Sharpens several types of pencils, including #2 pencils and charcoal pencils
✔ Uses multiple power sources
✘ Doesn’t come with the needed batteries
✘ Some criticized it for not being durable
What Customers Are Saying
Happy customers said that this pencil sharpener was straightforward to use and had an easy-to-remove shavings bin. Many Amazon reviews noted that it made a sharp but not too fragile point. Unhappy reviewers said that this pencil sharpener felt cheap and didn’t hold up to general wear and tear.
Best Pocket-Sized Design: Aipker Manual Pencil Sharpeners
Aipker Manual Pencil Sharpeners
Pros and Cons
✔ Comes in numerous colors
✔ Features two different-sized pencil hole sharpeners
✔ Has a clear receptacle so that you can easily see when it needs to be emptied
✘ Is not electric, so it requires more wrist and hand action
✘ Noted by some customers that it ate up too much of their pencils
What Customers Are Saying
Many Amazon customers noted that these pencil sharpeners worked well with colored pencils. They also loved the two pencil hole sizes and the fun colors. Unhappy customers pointed out that the sharpeners ate too much of their pencils and that their blades came loose.
Buyer’s Guide
This buying guide covers what you should consider when buying a pencil sharpener.
Type
Pencil sharpeners are either electric or manual. Electric pencil sharpeners are larger models that sit on a computer desk and plug into a wall outlet. They have a motor that spins their blade to sharpen your pencil once it has been inserted and are effective for giving pencils a long point. Some even come with an auto-stop feature that stops sharpening the pencil when it reaches the point of a perfectly sharp pencil. With manual pencil sharpeners or crank sharpeners, you have to twist the pencil yourself with a hand crank to get it to rub against the blade and sharpen the point.
Size
Most pencil sharpeners are fairly compact, as they’re designed to sit on a desk or table. Some are even smaller so that you can carry them with you in a backpack or pencil pouch. Different sizes of sharpeners work best for different pencils, so make note of the type you’re using before deciding on what sharpener works best for you.
Shavings Tray
Most pencil sharpeners have removable trays that hold pencil shavings. These are usually transparent so that you can see when they’re full. However, some handheld pencil sharpeners don’t have trays, so you have to sharpen your pencil over a trash can to collect the shavings.
Color
Most pencil sharpeners are fairly neutral in color. White, black, and brown are the most popular colors. However, some sharpeners, especially handheld ones, may be brightly colored.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to sharpen a pencil with an electric sharpener?
If you’re sharpening a pencil for the first time, it will take approximately 10-15 seconds to get a proper point. If you’re resharpening a pencil, it will only need two or three seconds to get its point back.
How do I prevent the tip of my pencil from breaking when I’m using an electric sharpener?
The best way to prevent your pencil’s point from breaking is to avoid oversharpening it. Put it in the sharpener for a second or two, and then pull it out to check its point. Repeat this process until the tip is sharpened to your liking. Additionally, keep a loose grip on the pencil so that it can rotate with the machine.
How do I know if my pencil is too short to sharpen?
You shouldn’t put your pencil in a sharpener if it’s shorter than one inch.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at [email protected].