Desert Song Electric Pencil Sharpener, Powered by AC Adapter (includes) or Batteries (not includes), Quiet Pencil Sharpener for Classroom or Office, Works for Colored Pencils_Black

Sharpener works well. Larger colored pencils do not fit in hole however (they did in my old Costco sharpener). Standard size pencils are no problem.

Not exactly quiet but works well.

My regular plugin type would overheat after about 5 pencils and stop. After many years the main gear broke. Looked around for something that runs on battery, but most seemed under powered or looked like a manual sharpener on a spinner. There are other's that look alike, but this one had plenty good reviews and I went for it.Reasons for 5stars:-Nice high output adapter is 1.5A. Though it's 6V, it may be able to power other protected USB devices.-Multiple settings can be set in between the 3 options given, and you don't have to push down much.-The sharpest is finer than needle point. Which can be dangerous. Adjust down if needed.-The timing estimated is false. You can sharpen in 3 seconds...-Sharpens OLD, and I mean OLD, pencils where the point would immediately break if using a manual sharpener. Only a helical cutter would sharpen these.-Can be powered by anything USB-5V including your TV. The ports on laptops are generally 5V@500mA so it runs a little slower, but still does the job if not pressured too much.-The battery compartment is not used in my setup, but is a handy capability if needed.-Clear shaving bin comes off and goes on easily.-Packaging is a nice storage case.-Great price compared to plugins.-I wouldn't say "quiet". More like "quieter".-Nice rounded feel and sized well. Total size, with adapter and wire, in the case takes up half the foot print of my old junked plugin type.-Plenty colours to choose from.My only concern is the plastic ring gear, but other from that it's good under normal use.

I bought one Desert Song Pencil Sharpener in black, which lasted a couple weeks until one of my students knocked it off the shelf and broke it. Because the sharpener seemed to work quite well, I ordered a second one in blue. This sharpener has been much weaker than the first one almost from the start. The blue desert song sharpener doesn't sharpen pencils evenly. Lead breaks off easily and quickly IN the sharpener, so that if I go to sharpen several pencils, most inadvertently come out dull because the sharpener already has lead in the tip. I have been extremely disappointed because the first one seemed so super.As a positive, and the reason that this isn't 1 star, is that the Desert Song will sharpen colored pencils quite well. However, as a day-to-day sharpener, this model falls flat.

One of the problems that comes with using colored pencils is finding good pencil sharpeners. One writer said to always have TWO- one electric and one battery operated. They also noted you would need two because one would ALWAYS break down just when you are in the middle of doing something. How true! This little machine has handled both my Prismacolor AND my Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils with outstanding results. The points are needle-sharp AND it allows me to use either the batteries or the AC adapter. It may NOT be able to handle some of the thicker pencils (I haven't tried them yet), and I am certain it WILL break down at some time. But, for now, given its price and outstanding results I am well pleased with this little machine. Oh, and I sharpen my pencils once a minute, as instructed by a teacher, so it's getting a workout. To prolong its life I always put through a few graphite pencils each day to clean out the wax/oil pigments.

I sharpened 32 pencils and then it wouldn't sharpen again. When putting the pencil in it would break off the point that was already there. Returned.

My grandkids love it. Let me tell you, they are very into coloring pencils and sketching. The sharpener gets a workout and keeps on going. I like that you can vary the sharpness. That feature actually does work. Also the sharpener will not mindlessly grind the pencil down to a nub. When the pencil is sharp it stops grinding.It does not eat batteries which is another nice feature. The shavings cup is fiddly to get off but if you train the child to hold the sharpener well into the trash can while opening it there should be no disasters.Of course this sharpener works just as well when an adult uses it. It gets the pencil sharpened as evenly as on hundred dollar sharpeners and, believe me, I have tried them. It is not perfect, but it is as good as the best and better than most.

This is a very nice pencil sharpener. It is not only attractive, but takes little space on your desk. It sharpens all pencils very well, including the colored water color pencils that tend to have a softer led. It works with batteries, but I keep it plugged in. The part that holds the pencil shavings is ample, so you don't need to empty it very often. The control for how sharp you want the pencil is also correct. For the price, you can't beat this pencil sharpener, plus all the beautiful colors it comes in to match wherever you want to put it.