X-ACTO® by Boston® KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener

Comments about X-ACTO� by Boston� KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener:

We were really excited to find this pencil sharpener that we could mount to a table, not the wall, and that we could hand crank and not need batteries nor need to plug into an outlet. However, we are very disappointed with it. The suction on the bottom of the sharpener only lasts through one pencil sharpening at most. Sometimes it will even come off of the table while we're sharpening the first pencil after we re-suction. It's very frustrating. The other disappointment is that it sharpens unevenly. One portion/side of the pencil almost always remains unsharpened.

Comments about X-ACTO� by Boston� KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener:

Needed one to replace a battery one tht did not work well. Need the exercise anyway :-)

Comments about X-ACTO� by Boston� KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener:

I was very happy with the weight of this product when I first opened it but it doesn't sharpen very well. I would not repurchase

Comments about X-ACTO� by Boston� KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener:

I didn't want an electric sharpener because I didn't want to deal with batteries and I like the simple stuff. I wish I had purchased a sharpener that mounted to the wall with screws instead of this vacuum mount. I thought it would be great not to have holes in the wall, but regretting that choice. It fell off of the vertical side of my bookshelf twice and scuffed it up. I then affixed it to the horizantal surface of my desk and it stuck for about 15 minutes, then it was just sitting there not vacuum sealed. I am now vacuum mounting it to my desk surface only when I need to sharpen a pencil; it stays stuck long enough to get the job done. Then, I put it back where it is stored.

Comments about X-ACTO� by Boston� KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener:

I am a classroom teacher. I bought this because I was tired of the electric sharpeners not lasting as long as I would like. The vacuum suction on this sharpener does not work well. The sharpener easily loses its grip. The students and I frequently have to readjust it.

Comments about X-ACTO� by Boston� KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener:

Good buy

Comments about X-ACTO� by Boston� KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener:

This is a good well made product. I recomend it for anyone that wants a portable sharpener.

Comments about X-ACTO� by Boston� KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener:

This has surpassed all our battery and electric pencil sharpeners. It doesnt break the pencil tip and makes it fully sharp every time. It takes the guesswork out of it. We were so happy with the first one that we bought a second one for another department.

Comments about X-ACTO� by Boston� KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener:

Bought these for the office. Purchased manual sharpeners, as electrical outlets are scarce. These sharpen well, but the suction feature does NOT hold the sharpener to the desktop. Quality seems good; sturdy and weighty, just doesn't perform as well as it should.

Comments about X-ACTO� by Boston� KS Vacuum-Mount Pencil Sharpener:

We conducted testing on several models and brands of pencil sharpeners in search of the "perfect" sharpener for the elementary school classroom. Below is a review from a classroom teacher:

Ease of use by students: Was easy to use at first, but the more we used it the harder it got to crank, even after I disassembled it, cleaned it, and made sure it was oiled.

Amount of space: VERY little space required

Quality of sharpen: It sharpened well for the first 30 days or so. Now (about 90 days) it really chews up the pencils.

Shavings capacity/ease of emptying: Needs to be emptied a lot, 2-3 times per day

Durability: Would probably last for a very long time, but the blades seem like they got dull very quickly even after taking it apart to clean

Versatility: Sharepens lots of different sizes. The vacuum mount and small size mean I can place it almost anywhere in my classroom, and the seal once mounted is very strong - even when the students sharpened vigoriously.

Noise impact: Not very loud considering it's a manual sharpener. About the same as an electric one.

Time from unsharpened to sharpened: Depending on the strength of the kid, 7-20 seconds

Other observations from the teacher: I was skeptical about the vacuum mount holding up to little kids furiously cranking the handle, but the seal never once came up when set properly. One thing that was not so great about it was that after about 25-30 days it stopped sharpening well. I took it apart and made sure all the shavings were out, oiled it up, and it worked a little better but still chewed up the pencils. I would not recommend this sharpener for lower grade students.