My kids use wooden pencils for school. The most vexing part of using wooden pencils is the sharpening. I have a cheap electric pencil sharpener that I got at WalMart, but it does not do a very good job. The pencils don’t get sharp and it vibrates funny or does something that causes great hunks of lead to fall out.
So. Irritating.
Initially, I wanted an electric sharpener, because hey - we have electricity and I’m going to use it.
I’m not trying to turn pencil sharpening into an exercise regimen, I’ll tell you that right now.
It was surprisingly hard to find an electric pencil sharpener that got good reviews. I did find one that people seemed to love, but it was A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DOLLARS, and. . .
. . .well there’s really no and, unless it’s and I refuse to spend nearly two hundred dollars on a stupid pencil sharpener.
I mean, come on.
In the course of searching, I accidentally forgot to add the word ”electric” once when I googled ”best pencil sharpener,” and I stumbled upon this:
The Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener.
I love it! Isn’t it cute? It’s so retro looking. And it was way cheaper than the electric one.
Like a hundred and sixty dollars cheaper.
Side Story: After I bought this, I told my husband “check it out – I made $160 today!” and he said, “oh yeah? how?” and I said, “I totally did not buy something!”
That’s how I look at these kinds of things. I didn’t spend $20, I saved $160. You see how that works? Who’s with me?
Look! There’s even a video showing you how it works -
So if you find yourself being frustrated by pencil sharpeners, check this one out. I love mine.
It works and it’s cute. I like cute things. Why do you think I had kids? To be surrounded by cuteness. No one told me about the LOUDness (of the kids), but I’ll manage.
As per usual, I am just talking about this because I think it’s neato. No one asked me to talk about it, or gave me large sums of money to talk about it, or gave me free stuff for talking about it. That’s not to say I wouldn’t take some free stuff. Or large sums of money. Heck, I’d take small sums of money.
Tags: I heart my new pencil sharpener
February 18th, 2011 at 10:17 am
I love your disclaimer at the end….pretty funny! That’s a cute sharpener. How long have you been using it?
MNKristy´s last [type] ..Spicing up the Stamping Room
February 18th, 2011 at 10:33 am
I’ve only had it a week or so, but I loved it immediately. We sharpen a lot of pencils around here, yo.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
It’s genius! We have an old-school sharpener mounted on the wall in the recesses of the basement. It’s mediocre at best. I’ll check this out for sure – I’d been thinking that I needed an electric sharpener too!
hi kooky´s last [type] ..the best medicine
February 18th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
And a video, too? Way cool! Very dramatic. All it needs is a sound track. May I suggest “The Imperial March” from The Empire Strikes Back, ‘cause from the pencil’s point of view that must be pretty frightening! Hey, thanks for stopping by THA and leaving a comment!
February 18th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
This is so odd. We had the EXACT same sharpener in China. I’m not kidding. It was even green. So weird. It’s a good one!
Jimmie´s last [type] ..How to Choose the Best Notebooks for Your Homeschool
February 18th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
We have an electric pencil sharpener I got when we started homeschooling Elf 4.5 years ago. Still works great, but yours looks more hi-tech and groovy.
PS Ours is loud as well, if it makes a difference.
Happy Elf Mom´s last [type] ..Testing an Elf
February 19th, 2011 at 2:40 am
Now, I took your final sentence about the LOUDness to be about your beautiful kids, who if they’re being kids, are set automatically to loud—as they should be! But now I’m wondering, Oh, did you mean the sharpener thingy?
I love the sharpener thingy. I wonder if they ship to Oz? Our sharpener died and I’ve been reduced to sharpening all our pencils with those wacky hand-held things.
Helena´s last [type] ..a not so quiet week
February 19th, 2011 at 7:20 am
Love it!! We are on our second electric “heavy duty” sharpener and it doesn’t sharpen on one side of the pencil. Not happy!
Does this thing sharpen on all sides, evenly?
I’d like to get one, if it keeps performing well.:-)
Applie´s last [type] ..Them Thar’s Mudbugs!
February 19th, 2011 at 7:23 am
You can earn a free sharpener! It’s not large sums of money, but it is free! You got two kids, you probably need two pencil sharpeners.
http://www.classroomfriendlysupplies.com/free-sharpeners.html
Applie´s last [type] ..Them Thar’s Mudbugs!
February 19th, 2011 at 10:26 am
Helena – No, the sharpener is not loud at all. It has a very satisfying grinding sound, but I would not say it was loud. I meant my kids are set at LOUD. I very often wonder if I could get an official diagnosis of Noise Fatigue…
Applie – Yep, it sharpens great! Plus, it’s cool to watch the pencil being sucked in. I think that clamp must hold the pencil perfectly straight, because I don’t get great hunks of broken lead falling out the ends of my pencils anymore.
February 19th, 2011 at 11:02 am
$20 is a bargain. I paid $20 for my cheapy electric one that doesn’t sharpen very well. I love the video. That is hilarious.
Tressa´s last [type] ..Why I will never attend another homeschool seminar
February 21st, 2011 at 5:50 am
Hey, I got an electric one for free. It’s called “Mother in Law” who loves me.
Yes. I am bragging.
Tracey – JustAnotherMommyBlog´s last [type] ..Current Evanisms
February 22nd, 2011 at 12:04 pm
That is funny that you wrote your post without even knowing that you could get a free sharpener. You deserve a whole carton full!!
MNKristy´s last [type] ..Happy Birthday Bryanna!