40100 Ikon Desktop Manual Pencil Sharpener, 8 mm

I was impressed with this sharpener. I got it to sharpen pastel pencils. Does a really nice job. You have to be aware of what you’re doing as it can sharpen the point to sharp. Pastel pencils will break if given too much of a point. After you realize when to stop it is easy to get the proper point repeated. I read on another review it is a good idea to sharpen a woodless graphite pencil periodically when doing pastel pencils to lubricate the sharpener. Pastel pencils are very abrasive so the graphite helps the helical blade last longer. Shavings are deposited in a drawer and it comes with a desk clamp. Another plus is when the helical blade does get dull it is replaceable.The auto stop feature can’t be used with pastel pencils but graphite pencils can take advantage of the auto stop which can prevent over sharpening. For standard 8mm diameter pencils. The pastel core kept breaking when I used a hand held sharpener. When I figured out how many turns of the handle needed that was no longer an issue with the pastel pencils. Great sharpener

I had about a dozen different pencil sharpeners for drawing colored pencils and pastels, but they never worked very well for me. This unit is EXCELLENT and easily creates super fine points every time.

Excellent sharpener for pastel or colored pencils.Sharpens evenly and quickly - love that I can change out the blades when they dull down.Great price for quality art supply!!

It wouldn’t grab the pencil in and sharpen it. It just broke and ate my expensive pencils. Bought a replacement and it did the same thing.

Absolutely love how this Sword manual pencil sharpener sharpens pastel pencils to a nice sharp point and that the blade is replaceable. The blade is easy to change out. Plus make sure to run a woodless graphite pencil through the blades in between the pastel pencils to help keep the blade sharper for a longer period. Blades need to be replaced often because the pastel pencils do dull the blades but that is not a deterrent for me because I can get a nice sharp point on my pastel pencils. You can use Faber Castell Pitts, Stabilo CarbOthello and General’s chalk Pencil easily with this manual pencil sharpener.

Nice compact size. This is excellent for most medium to hard lead pencils once you initially sharpen them so the point angle matches. The beauty of it compared to a power sharpener is once you get the profile, you can "top off the point" with a turn or two, provided it hasn't broken off. This means less pencil waste.When leads do break, it's really fast and easy to remove the crank. In most cases, you won't have to take the entire cutting mechanism apart--a tap will release the point. When you want to clean it, you will probably want to disassemble it, but there are only a couple of parts. It needs to be cleaned frequently as bits of lead seem to cling to it and get embedded in the points (mores o than in a standard hand-held sharpener).I tried this on the following pencils:Derwent Lightfast - great point but leads brokeDerwent Coloursoft - greatPolychromos - greatDerwent Pastel - sharpened but tips break/need less steep angleCarbothello Pastel - sharpened but tips break/need less steep anglePitt Pastel - greatPrismacolor Premier - hit or miss. It broke two points yesterday. Is it the sharpener or the crap quality of the pencils?? Not sure.Verithin - greatArt Grip Faber - greatCaran - d' ache Pastel - you have to jam them in the too-small hole. While they do sharpen--this badly mars the pencil barrel (perhaps paper towel around the pencil would alleviate this?)Goldfaber - greatCretacolor Woodless - sharpened but tips break/need less steep angleGraphitone - greatVarious hexagonal standard graphite pencils - greatLyra Aquarelle - too big/won't fitArteza Pastel Set - greatPhoenixcolor - greatVan Gogh Watercolors - sharpened but tips break/need less steep anglePablo - works great on these, but as with other Caran d'ache, it mars the barrels really bad (padding maybe will help?)Derwent Artists - sharpened but tips break/need less steep angleCastle Soft Touch Watercolors - greatBrunzeel Design - sharpened but tips break/need less steep angleColour Tint - sharpened but tips break/need less steep angleGraphitint - sharpened great but tips are a bit brittle, may still be usableConte' do not fit in this sharpener.General Charcoal and Pastel - I was able to fit some General's pencils in it, but the red General's sharpener does a much better job.Woodless pencils - it breaks the lacquer so you are left with a mess on hands and having to tape the barrel. That said, it sharpens most well--from graphite to colored ones.It did great on Prismacolor pencils (both kinds), and the Premier were able to handle the point, but I did get some tip breakage in use. Probably the Prismacolor sharpener is a better angle for Premier and most pastel pencils, in my opinion. Followup (see list above): I had two points break off yesterday. Frustrating.I got mixed results on the Derwent pastels. When they did sharpen, the point was too long. The point needs to be a greater angle so that more core supports the point. I feel this way about most soft pencils.The only pastel pencil hard enough to support this angle (that could fit in the machine) is the Pitt pencil.It ate up an expensive Derwent Lightfast and broke points, so I feel the same about this one. This sharpener works best with harder leads.It worked great with most watercolor pencils except the Van Goghs are brittle--plus Pitt pencils. It also did okay with Polychromos, which are hard enough to support a long point.I wish the build were a bit better. It feels a bit chintzy, but it's a good design. They make some other models sold under different brands including a more expensive one (with more metal parts) and adjustments for angles. I would probably hold out for that one, as it would probably work great for most slim-barreled pencils.The grip that holds the pencil is, I feel, what makes this superior to regular hand cranks. Reducing barrel movement makes it less apt to break points, although it is still quite possible to break them. Watch out for the spring mechanism as this could pinch your finger if you pull out the extension and release it.The clamp is a nice feature, but it comes loose because it's hard plastic (which will damage surfaces). I'm going to add some sticky rubber to it.Overall, it's a cool idea. I wish it could take the fatter round barrels and Caran D 'ache hex barrels could be sharpened without marring the barrels though. And I was disappointed that I couldn't sharpen all my pastel pencils, which I thought I could based on some reviews I saw. Not all pencils need a long-skinny point, and the point angle of pencils is rarely spoken of unless one wants a super point. This is NOT what is needed for soft pencils, however (in my opinion).I think consumers should pay attention to the angle manufacturers put on their pencils, as this is usually the optimal angle.I think for what it is, it could cost 10 less... Being able to buy replacement blades is a bonus. I'd opt for one with a bigger hole range and angle settings for softer pencils. Still, this is nice for all graphite pencils (except woodless) and medium to hard pencils, provided the barrel fits and they can support long points.

This sharpener is quite different from others on the market. But the difference is great for every colored pencils out there. I've used it to sharpen my high quality colored pencils and the lower quality ones that I used to start out. It never breaks the leads (even on the soft core pencils) and it doesn't chew up the wood. It stops when the perfect point is on the pencils and since it's a manual sharpener I can take it anywhere. I've tried a lot of sharpeners and this is the perfect one. If you are having trouble with other sharpeners ruining your expensive pencils, get this one and forget about ruining your pencils forever. I've had this sharpener for quite awhile now and it has never failed me. I can't say that about any of the others I have tried over the years. Get this sharpener and you will never be disappointed again.

All the other sharpeners I have tried (manual and electric) will not handle pastel pencils as well as this one - simply cannot get degree of sharpness and consistency with the others. This works great. And relatively easy to clean if gets jammed, and easy to change blades if they get dull (pastels tend to dull blades very quickly). Just wish they came with extra blades automatically!