My Favorite Colored Pencil Sharpeners

Today’s reader question is about sharpeners. There are so many options available that I thought I’d share my favorite colored pencil sharpeners and tell you what I like and don’t like about them.

But first, here’s the question:

What pencil sharpener do you consider the best for colored pencils?

This reader isn’t alone in the search for the ideal colored pencil sharpener. Sooner or later we all look for a great pencil sharpener.

My Favorite Colored Pencil Sharpeners

I’ve used a variety of colored pencil sharpeners over the years, from hand-held to crank to electric. Some of them have been excellent sharpeners and some haven’t. The best thing I can say about all of them is that I haven’t spent much money on any of them.

Hand-Held

Hand-held sharpeners come in a variety of shapes and styles. Some have containers to catch shavings and some haven’t, but they all have one thing in common. You hold them in your hand.

My favorite hand-held sharpener is the KUM wedge sharpener. It has two holes so most pencils can be sharpened with it. It does not have a container to catch shavings, so I sharpen over a trash basket at home, and into a small glass jar when I’m away from the studio.

You can buy replacement blades for these sharpeners, and the blades are very easy to change. Remove the little screws, remove the old blade, insert the new blade, replace the little screw. Even I can do that in just a few minutes!

I like this little sharpener so well that I bought five or six of them. Why so many? I keep one with each set of the pencils I use most often, with a spare on my standing easel.

Crank Sharpeners

The sharpener I use most in the studio is actually not mine. My husband bought it when he was in school. It’s an APSCO Premier Standard and is the kind of sharpener that used to be in every classroom in every public school. What’s more, it’s all metal! No plastic parts.

I like this sharpener because it’s solid, it’s designed to take pencils of several different sizes, and it sharpens like a dream. Pencils sharpened in this sharpener have a lovely, long, tapered point.

It’s easy to clean, too. Just turn the shaving container a quarter turn, slide it off the blades, and empty it.

To keep the blades sharp and functioning properly, I sharpen lead pencils once in a while to remove wax and other colored pencil debris. If you look in the right place, you can even find replacement cutting blades. What’s the right place? I usually search eBay.

Is there anything I don’t like about it? Yes. It’s not attached to a wall, so I have to either hold it on a desk top or in my lap to sharpen pencils. But that’s not all bad. I can move from one working area to another when necessary.

I also have an AFMAT Long Point Pencil Sharpener, which I bought on the recommendation of another artist. This basic crank sharpener sharpens pencils to very long points. It’s lightweight but sturdy and it’s very easy to use.

What I didn’t like about this sharpener was that the points were too long for my taste (they broke off too easily) and weren’t quite sharp enough. Other than that, it’s a great sharpener, and I still sometimes use it. But most of the time it’s in storage in my closet.

Electric Sharpeners

I’ve used a couple of different electric sharpeners in the past. One battery-operated and two that had to be plugged into the wall.

The battery-powered sharpener was large enough that I didn’t need to hold it while I sharpened a pencil. Just put the pencil in the top-loading opening and sharpen. But it was also small enough to take along when I worked out of the studio.

The first plug-in sharpener was also not very large, but because it required a power outlet, it didn’t leave the studio. That little Panasonic Auto-Stop lasted for a long time and I spent a lot of time looking for a replacement. I still have the sharpener but it’s still defunct. I’m not even sure where it is anymore.

My main complaints about both of these sharpeners is that they eventually wore out, as sharpeners tend to do.

The second plug-in sharpener was a Bostitch Office QuietSharp 6 Electric Pencil Sharpener. It was pretty good-sized, but it was also heavy-duty, designed for classroom use. It had six different openings for different sizes of pencils, and it sharpened to a nice, tapered point.

My main complaints about the Bostitch sharpener is that it wasn’t as quiet as I expected, but then I don’t know how you would sharpen pencils quietly, except maybe with a knife.

Also, while the sharpener was heavy duty enough for a classroom full of kids, it apparently couldn’t handle a house cat. Two falls from the desk because a cat rubbed on it, and it was done. It will sharpen for about five minutes, and then quits. It’s currently in a box in my closet, along with the AFMAT!

Those are my Favorite Colored Pencil Sharpeners

Which one is my go-to sharpener?

That’s easy. The crank sharpener is the one I reach for most. It produces long, tapered points, it’s easy to clean, and sturdy. And it’s all-metal, so it’s going to last a long time.

Second choice are the KUM sharpeners.

Which ones do I consider the best for colored pencils? The KUM sharpeners are probably the best sharpeners for sharp points of those I use most often. When I have pencils that break a lot, the crank sharpener is the best.

The AFMAT and Bostitch didn’t cause much breakage, but then I didn’t use them that long. Both are good sharpeners overall and at good prices.

But the best sharpener for you depends on your personal preferences (long point, short point or medium) and whether you prefer electric, crank or hand-held.

As my experience with cats proves, you also need to consider the surroundings in which you draw and chose a sharpener accordingly.

This post is part of a series in which readers ask questions about my life as an artist, and I answer them. Most of the posts this month will concern one of these questions. If you have a question you’d like to ask, please ask it. It’s never too late to get your burning questions answered!

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