Pro-Art Pencil Sharpener Soft Lead

There is a little metal bit partway inside the sharpener near the end of the blade that must be removed first. It causes the tip of the pencil to break off if it gets too sharp and makes the sharpener basically useless unless it's removed. Luckily it's removable by unscrewing the little screw going through the blade, removing the blade, you can just pry out the metal bit with your fingers without too much difficulty, replace the blade and the screw, and it will work as intended and it will indeed make your soft colored pencils wonderful and sharp without breaking them.

It doesn’t sharpen pastel pencils.

I have used soft lead colored pencils (like Prismacolor) for illustration for 40 years. In that time, I have cursed the pencils whose lead seems to break every time I sharpen them. I learned that sharpeners have different angles in their blades, and am always looking for one that works well with the soft lead. This one does. Buy it. Maybe buy two.They're not that expensive (and I had to pay shipping), but it is a pleasure to sharpen my pencils now without routine breakage. Don't be surprised when the envelope comes in the mail. It's a little, dinky thing, but it works well.

I purchased this sharpener upon a recommendation by another Amazon reviewer who used this sharpener especially for Prismacolor Pencils. I have had very good success with the sharpener and use it on average to sharpen/resharpen approx. 40-50 pencils per work period. I've had this sharpener for about three weeks' worth of two-four hour work periods and it's still very sharp! I have tried traditional stationary office-type metal Sharpeners, battery-operated Sharpeners, Dollar Tree school sharpeners and gone through three electric sharpeners, as well as artist-grade sharpeners that resemble this one. None of them were very good. The electric broke down rather quickly. Personally, from this point forward, I'm keeping a stock of Pro Art Soft Sharpeners rather than keep trying other brands that either ruin my pencil or don't sharpen well or break. Thanks to a fellow Amazon Reviewer, I finally have a reliable, high-quality pencil sharpener!

I had read some mixed reviews on this sharpener but I wanted to test it for myself and I'm glad I did. I work with Prismacolor pencils and this gets them to a perfect point every time. I would have given it 5 stars but I don't like the cheap plastic. You can squeeze the sides and the plastic bends. If it were made from a harder more sturdier plastic I'd would be ok with that. For those who might be having issues with sharpening you Prismacolors, if your point breaks simply heat the pencil under a blowdryer for a few seconds and let it cool for about 15 mins before sharpening it again. This has worked for me for a few of my pencils. If not, I also use a Staedtler sharpener which is more expensive but it's a heavy metal sharpener that gives you a fine point and the blades are replaceable.

This is actually my #2 choice for Prismacolor colored pencil sharpening. I still give it 5 stars, because finding a good sharpener for Prismas has been the bane of my existence and it really does provide a sharp point with no breakage, as previously reviewed. Also, this new model comes with a nifty, little stick that is secured inside to poke out lead bits that break and get stuck in the blades .... BRILLIANT design.That being said, my #1 choice is the Uni Colored Pencil Sharpener (currently $3.99!), for all the same reasons, but with a longer point. Not too long, which I remember experiencing with the KUM sharpener, but just right.

I am an amateur coloring book lover and I only use Prismacolor. Unfortunately their cores are super soft. I purchased the sharpener that prismacolor offers but it really didnt seem to help my pencils . I read reviews and came across this product .This is SO GOOD for pencils with soft cores. I've had so much less breakage . I now use my prismacolor sharpener for my Verithin prismacolor pencils because those cores are much more sturdy.If you are tired of your pencils breaking ....which essentially means you are wasting money....then buy this sharpener! So good for the price and I've had the sharpener for a year now. Love it!

It is a good sharpener, but it includes a piece of metal that makes it impossible to sharpen charcoal pencils. I unscrewed the blade, easily removed this metal piece, returned the blade, and it worked very well. It would be helpful if the manufacturer could add a comment about this.