Pencil sharpeners literally make or break wooden pencils’ ability to write. Even the creamiest, most perfectly made pencil can’t make a mark until a sharpener shaves its wood casing away and reveals the graphite beneath. Substandard sharpeners may allow pencils to write, but only with frayed wood and chipped tips. High-quality sharpeners reliably sculpt pencils to sharp points that effortlessly convey thoughts to paper. Keep reading to see what to look for in a pencil sharpener, specific recommendations, and a comparison of the tips produced by different sharpeners.
Watch the video below to see our top sharpeners in action!
KUM Automatic Brake Sharpeners also come with spare blades to replace the originals when they get dull. As a bonus for artists who sketch with both lead holders and pencils, the blue version includes two extra sharpener holes for 2.0 mm and 3.2 mm leads.
Size
Pencils come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. 8 mm is the most common diameter with bigger pencil diameters running all the way up to 10.5 mm. Most of the sharpeners we're featuring today accommodate standard 8 mm pencils.
Shape
Pencils are available in hexagonal, circular, or triangular shapes. All sharpeners can handle the different shapes, though some are designed specifically for a particular shape.
Sharpening Angle
Different sharpeners offer varying degrees of sharpening angles. Pencil tips with larger angles can show more lead and let you use the pencil a bit longer before having to sharpen again. However, pencil tips with smaller angles tend to be sturdier with less lead breakage.
Lead Point
You should also consider how pointed the lead is after it's been sharpened. Some people prefer super sharp tips for their leads, while others like a blunt, rounded tip.
Gentleness
A sharpener that sharpens unevenly or dents a pencil can lead to lead breakage and waste. Graphite marks may also indicate a sharpener isn’t sharpening efficiently. Look for sharp blades that create a crisp point.
Compartment for Pencil Shavings
If you’re toting a sharpener around with you, decide if you want one with a compartment for pencil shavings. Pencil sharpeners with compartments free you from needing to sharpen over a wastebasket, which is great for writing on the go. On the other hand, compartment-free sharpeners are lightweight and a better fit for small pencil cases.
The Ratchetta comes in three basic styles: Standard, Capsule, and One. The One features an automatic trap door that keeps pencil shavings from falling out. The Capsule and some of the standard models let you choose between a medium-length point or a slightly shorter, blunter tip.
The rest of the standard sharpeners have pop-out notification buttons to prevent oversharpening. All versions of the Ratchetta are compact and catch pencil shavings for sketching on the go.
For a colored pencil sharpener that you can leave on your desk, we like the Prismacolor Premier Pencil Sharpener. It has a sturdy base, a larger compartment for pencil shavings, and two options for point length—one closer to the Ratchetta and one closer to the Uni.
This image shows the points made by our pencil sharpeners, in order from longest to shortest. The names of the sharpeners are listed in the same order below for easy reference. The pencils used are Uni Mitsubishi 9800 HB pencils, Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils, and the Koh-I-Noor Triograph.
Do you want to review all of our recommended pencil sharpeners at once? Use our comparison tool to see their specifications side by side.
Our writers draw on their personal expertise, consult our in-house subject matter experts, and do extensive research to make our guides as accurate and comprehensive as possible. We then test every finding that makes it through the research stage. Only the techniques and tools whose performance we personally confirm make it into our guides as recommendations.
A good sharpener is the key to unlock a pencil’s writing potential. Do you have a favorite sharpener? Let us know in the comments below!
For ease of identification, we've marked our hand-cranked tabletop sharpeners with this badge.
Name | Point Length | For Chunky Pencils* | Notable Features | Container for Shavings | Replaceable Blades |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blackwing One-Step Long Point Pencil Sharpener | Long | No | Sturdy construction. | Yes | No |
Blackwing Two-Step Long Point Pencil Sharpeners | Long | No | Two-step process. Spare blades included. | Yes | Replaceable |
Carl Ein Pencil Sharpeners | Long | No | Sits on table. Easy to use. Lefty-friendly. | Yes | No |
Carl Kuru Kuru Carl-Kun Pencil Sharpeners | Medium | No | Handle turns the sharpener around the pencil. Little force required. | Yes | No |
Dux Brass Pencil Sharpeners | Medium | No | Weathers into a classy patina. | No | Replaceable |
KUM Automatic Brake Sharpeners | Long | No | Two-step process. Spare blades included. | Yes | Replaceable |
KUM Masterpiece Sharpener | Long | No | Handmade. Two-step process. Spare blades included. | No | Replaceable |
KUM No. 400-5L Stenographer's Long Point Pencil Sharpener | Long | No | Small, easy-to-grip design. | No | No |
KUM No. 410 Magnesium Pencil Sharpener | Medium | Yes | Two holes for standard (8 mm) and large (10.5 mm) pencils. | No | Replaceable |
KUM Scribble Tip Top Pencil Cap + Sharpener | Short | No | Functions as a pencil cap. | Yes | No |
KUM Special Diameter Pencil Sharpeners | Medium | Yes | Made for Triangular and Hexagonal pencil bodies. Two holes for standard (8 mm) and large (10 mm) pencils. | Yes | Replaceable |
Kutsuwa Stad 2 Maiba Double Blade Pencil Sharpeners | Medium | No | Sharpens faster with two blades. | Yes | No |
Kutsuwa Stad K'Zool Multi Pencil Sharpener | Short to Medium | No | Adjustable tip length. | Yes | No |
Kutsuwa Stad T'Gaal Pencil Sharpeners | Short to Medium | No | Adjustable tip length. | Yes | No |
Maped Metal Wedge Pencil Sharpener | Medium | Yes | Two holes for standard and large pencils. | No | No |
Moleskine Sharpener | Medium | Koh-I-Noor Triograph and Moleskine pencils only. | Can sharpen the Koh-I-Noor Triograph. | No | No |
Nakabayashi Manual Pencil Sharpener | Long | No | Creates very long points. Includes clamp for table mounting. | Yes | No |
Prismacolor Premier Pencil Sharpener | Short or Medium | No | Designed for colored pencils. Two holes for wide or sharp points. | Yes | No |
Sonic Ratchetta Pencil Sharpeners | Medium | No | Can sharpen by twisting the pencil back and forth. | Yes | No |
Sun Star Sect Double Pencil Sharpeners | Medium | No | Two holes for long or short tips. | Yes | No |
Uni Color Pencil Sharpener | Short | No | Designed for colored pencils. | No | No |
Uni KH-20 Hand Crank Pencil Sharpeners | Long | Yes | Sits on table. Easy to use. | Yes | No |
*We tested this with Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle Pencils, which are 8.3 mm in diameter. Wider pencils may not fit these sharpeners.