| Product: KUM Automatic Long Point Pencil Sharpener |
| Summary: An excellent manual pencil sharpener for those who like their pencil leads to have a long point. Made by a manufacturer with lot of experience in the manufacture of manual pencil sharpeners. Recommended for occasional use. |
Technical Details:
- Two stage pencil sharpener
- the first stage involves sharpening the wood in the left hand hole - this shapes the wood and produces a blunt point and an automatic brake prevents over-sharpening
- The second stage involves sharpening in the right hand hole - this produces a fine and very sharp point
- The best method for getting it to sharpen effectively is to hold the sharpener and the pencil horizontally
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| Who should buy this? Pencil artists working away from home and in need of a small instrument to produce a sharp pencil point. As it's manual, there are better pencil sharpeners to use at home eg electric sharpener. |
Who should not buy this?
- people who find manual sharpening tiresome
- people wanting a heavy duty pencil sharpener (buy electric instead)
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Highlights:
- efficient process despite the two stages as it avoids repetitive sharpening to try and achieve a long sharp point
- includes an auto-stop which prevents over-sharpening in the first stage
- includes two spare blades
- Top flips back easily to reveal pencil shavings
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Think Again?
- the container is not big and the design means it fills with wood shavings very quickly - which in turn compromises the sharpening. If sharpening more than one or two pencils you'll also need a bag or another container for the shavings. I'd recommend emptying after a couple of pencils.
- watch out for very different prices quoted by different suppliers (ranging between $27.06 and £3.99 inc VAT). If it looks too expensive try shopping online to find cheaper prices.
- I've read some reviews of this sharpener which suggested that the second stage starts to break the lead after a while. However since some of those reviews were also pitching other products I'd take this feedback with a pinch of salt. I haven't encountered any problems so far - however it only gets occasional use (away from home) as I usually use my electric sharpener for heavy duty sharpening.
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Manufacturer / Distributor: KUM GmbH & Co KG Kunstoff- & Metallwarenfabrik - a leading supplier of school and office supplies
Essenbacher Str. 2, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
Email: kum@kum.net
Web: www.kum.net
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Suppliers:
- purchased from independent art shops
- Online Retailers include: Artifolk
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14 comments:
I have one of these excellent pencil sharpeners. I got mine online from
Cultpens.com
The Cultpens website currently indicates that they have none in stock and don't expect more any time soon
I did get mine at Cultpens a couple of years ago though.
It's always disappointing when suppliers cease to stock an item.
I was very (underlined) in this sharpener and had it replaced by the supplier because I thought I had a defective one. It doesn't hold up to some of KUM's other products or General's simple sharpeners.
Very...????
I don't think compares at all to ordinary sharpeners - but then it works in a completely different way.
If you don't want a long point, you're best off buying a different sharpener
I should have typed slower or read before hitting send....very disappointed (disappointed omitted).
I bought the sharpener for the Blackwing pencils because it was the recommended sharpener.
Thought so!
Were you reading this on a review site - or one which was trying to sell pencils?
I believe both. Of course, pencils.com had a video with their brand name on the sharpener, but I think I also read a review at one of the folks who often gets featured at http://www.penaddict.com/
I don't know if you have one, but if you were around the corner or within a short drive, I'd gift you mine.
I'd take it off you! I like long points and have two of these!
However it takes twice as long to sharpen because of the process involved.
Until I understood how it worked - first one hole and then the other - I also thought it was a duff sharpener.
Oh, I understood how it worked, but it ate the Blackwing and didn't get a sharp point.
I've now been sharpening them with another KUM, a General and a MAPES, all of which seem to get the point sharper and with less fuss.
But truth be told I have not tried to sharpen any other pencils with it. Perhaps I ought.
If it didn't get a sharp point despite
1) getting a long lead in the first hole
2) sharpening the long lead in the second hole then you have indeed got a duff sharpener!
The best sharpener I know is this one http://makingamarkreviews.blogspot.com/2010/03/product-review-round-solid-brass-double.html
Sorry - should have made it clear - that's as in "Best Hand Pencil Sharpener"
Thanks. I'll get this one next. Alvin Products are general good quality. I see it on line and is easily available.
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