Pencil Sharpeners for Pastel Pencils

When I first started working in pastel, I ruined a couple of electric sharpeners.  The pastel would break off and get stuck, and I either couldn’t access the blades to dig it out, or I couldn’t get it out completely.  I searched for a pencil sharpener that would work well and settled on the Creative Mark MultiPoint.  After a year and a half, though, the blades are dull and don’t work well.  Obviously, I needed a new sharpener.  I was planning on ordering another MultiPoint, but then I saw Roby Baer’s videos on YouTube (if you haven’t seen them, check them out!).  She had such a nice point on her pastel pencils, I had to ask her about her sharpener.  She uses the X-Acto Powerhouse.  I bought one yesterday, and thought I’d share the pros and cons of each sharpener for those who are interested.

First, the MultiPoint:  I bought this sharpener at Jerry’s Artarama for around $25.

Pros:  

1. It accepts pencils of different sizes and shapes
2. It gives a decently sharp result
3. If a pastel breaks off, you can open the shavings receptacle and poke it out with something sharp (I use an unbent paper clip)
4. It is fairly rare that a pencil would break off 

Cons:

1. The clamp is annoying.  I couldn’t get it to stay on anything.  I usually put the sharpener on my knee to use it.  
2. Their claim of “one hand operation” is, IMO, a joke.  The automatic feeding clutch does work (most of the time), but since the clamp doesn’t, one hand has to hold the sharpener in place.
3. The pencil clutch chews up the outside of the pencil, which may or may not bother you
4. It stops sharpening automatically, they say to avoid waste, but you can't get a sharper result than it is programmed to give
5. No warranty - plan on replacing it every year, sooner if you're a heavy user

Next, the X-Acto Powerhouse:  Purchased from Office Max for $33.

Pros:

1.   It gives amazingly sharp results  
2.   It has suction feet that make it stay put very nicely on my desk
3.   It comes with a 2 year warranty

Cons:

1.   It doesn’t accept different sizes of pencils
2.   Nothing else, but I’ve only had it a day

I have full sets of CarbOthellos and Derwents, plus a few pencils of different brands I bought just to try (you never know when you might want to get another set, right?).

1. CarbOthellos fit very nicely
2. Derwents are very snug, but they’ll go in with some pressure (and it takes pressure to get them out as well)
3. Pitts go in slightly easier than Derwents, but not as easy as CarbOthellos
4. Creatacolors go in very easily
5. General’s go in very easily
6. Contes will not go in at all

I’m excited about the sharp tip the X-Acto Powerhouse delivers, and the warranty is attractive.  I may buy another MultiPoint for backup, and for the Conte pencils if I buy a set (I really like those pencils!).


Update:  After using the X-Acto Powerhouse for a while, I'm back to the MultiPoint.  The Powerhouse worked well for a bit, but soon pencils were breaking off, and it is difficult to get the pastel tips out when they break in the sharpener.  I tried pulling out the shavings receptacle, but there is no way to poke out the pastel.  I had to use something very thin and sharp (I use a stainless steel BBQ skewer - I asked Roby and she uses an awl) and poke it directly into where the pencil feeds, stabbing the stuck pastel to break it up.  It got to where every pencil was breaking every time, and I just got tired of it.  It's not worth the hassle.  I bought myself another MultiPoint (actually, I bought two because Jerry's had them on sale) and almost cried with relief when I started using the new one.  I was able to get a sharper point on the new MultiPoint sharpener than I did with the last one, easily equal to the Powerhouse.  With nice, sharp points and very little hassle, the MultiPoint remains the best sharpener for me.  


See my review of The Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener.