Last year, I finally gave up and simply relied on mechanical pencils and asked my students to bring a sharpener from home. However, this wasn’t any better! After spending a year picking up pencil shavings from the floor, and having to remove pencil points from countless sharpeners, I decided to give a classroom sharpener one more try.
The only difference, was that this time I was going to use a pencil sharpener recommended by fellow teachers. That’s how I ended up with my Classroom Friendly Sharpener. I kept seeing them on my Instagram feed and on Facebook and decided to give them a try.
Let’s talk about the pro’s:
*They come in a variety of colors, so you are no longer limited to blue and black… AMEN!
*Each costs $24.99 and includes free shipping. That’s not too bad. Maybe a months worth of Starbucks coffee :0)
*They are simple to use and sharpen pencils in the blink of an eye. It’s that quick!
*They are not noiseless, but fairly quiet.
*They sharpen pencils to a VERY sharp point EVERY single time.
*They can even handle pencils with metallic paper.
Let’s talk about the con’s:
*The clamp that is included with the sharpener does not do a great job of holding the sharpener in place. Over time the clamp does need to be retightened. If you’d like, for an additional $9.99 you can purchase a plate to mount them permanently. I’ve been making do without it and it’s been working out just fine. I just tighten the clamp every few days or so.
So how does the sharpener work?
It’s actually really simple. The first thing you have to do is pull the silver face forward until it locks into place like this…
Next, pinch the two black knobs together and insert your pencil completely into the sharpener…
Place one hand on top of the sharpener to secure it. Then turn the handle clockwise to begin sharpening the pencil. The handle will spin freely once the pencil is fully sharpened. While the pencil is sharpening do NOT touch the pencil. The silver face will pull the pencil in automatically so no need to push.
Pinch the two black knobs one final time to remove the pencil… All that’s left now is to ooh and ahh over that point! Actually, that’s exactly what my kids do… LOL!
CAN YOU BELIEVE THE POINT ON THOSE PENCILS?
So what’s my verdict on Classroom Friendly Sharpeners?
I think everyone should own one! They are that good!!! Not only is this sharpener quick, relatively quiet, and lightweight, but every pencil comes out perfectly sharpened time and time again.
Right now I wish I could be like a teacher version of Oprah and say, “Here’s one for you and you and you!” Because you all would be loving me right now!
If you want to find out more click here.
3 Comments
Amanda Woods
September 11, 2016 at 10:58 pmI actually own two of these. My first year that I had one, I loved it so much that I ordered another. Now I'm going on my fifth year of using them in my classroom! They are the BEST sharpener EVER! I highly recommend it. And yes, the only con is the mounting clip. I don't even use it. We just hold the sharpener in place with one hand and sharpen the pencil with the other. The first year I bought them, my class liked it so much that we named it. Yes, my sharpeners really do have a name. My green one is Fred and the pink one is Sally! Having named them, my kids handle Fred and Sally with care 😉
Katina
June 20, 2018 at 6:52 pmLove the pencil sharpener!! Used it for 3 years now…the same one! Still sharpens sharp! Need to name it. Great idea. Love the PP job. Will use next year.
Melissa
June 28, 2018 at 11:34 amHey Katina!!!
Yes, isn’t it amazing how one small sharpener can leave pencils SOOOOO sharp? It always amazes my kids, LOL! I’ve had mine now for a few years too and it’s been the best sharpener hands down. Can’t tell you how much money I spend on all these other “name brand” sharpeners only to have them die mid-year.