Customer Reviews

Sanford Giant Pencil Sharpener, Tan (51131)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

but as with any sharpener the mechanism wears down. This item says "cutterheads on heavily used sharpeners should be replaced every 2-3 years." I pictured "heavily used" as being used in a large classroom, however after 2 years ours wore out with only 6 people using it almost daily. You can buy a replacement cutterhead (no. 51151) here at Amazon for around $11 or $12. The key to a nicely sharpened pencil? Make sure that the pencil fits snugly into the proper-sized hole. If the fit is too loose, the pencil will sharpen unevenly. The standard-sized hole isn't always the best one to use.

This pencil sharpener is the same brand and type as the one on the wall in my Algebra class. I like to use non-technical pencils, call me old fashioned! I will stand there day after day sharpening my group of 3-5 pencils for a satisfying point which this sharpener always delivers. The only time I've had breakage was due to the quality of the pencil, not all pencils are made equally. This sharpener is reliable and eco-friendly. Uses manpower to operate it, not precious resources like electricity!

This is a very disappointing pencil sharpener. The handle does not turn smoothly and the cutting blades often jam. This problem was exacerbated by mounting the sharpener against a vertical surface. I replaced this with a much cheaper, single-cutter pencil sharpener which works much better (but still not as well as the one I had as a kid!)

My parents have one of these that is 40 years old and works fine so I bought one. Unfortunately the mechanism is sloppy and the grinding blades get jammed in the drive gears. It seems like the company would have mastered the design of this simple machine. i think there has been too much cost cutting.

I used one of these as a child at school. Great product, only problem was the hole for the pencil was on the bottom instead of the top. Sided of shaving cover was assembled incorectly. Instead of sending it back, just took it apart and flipped the side of the cover.
Works great now and just like I remembered. They just need better quality control.

It is the end of the year and I am writing from a 3rd grade public school classroom with the model that looks the one pictured but mounts with a rubberized vacuum suction lever. It's called the Sanford GIANT Vacuhold. I retreived it from the trash because the teacher disposed of it after two years of having it around. It really did not hold up well during the year of usage in a classroom of 31 third-grade students sharpening their pencils. After the first year, it sat in storage the 2 years while other sharpeners were tried. This is year three and it's being disposed of.

It could likely be adequate with a user who does not require lots of pencil sharpening.

Upon inspection, there is a plastic part which holds the sharpener's gears in its place, but from jiggling when sharpening pencils, that got worn and the entire assembly wiggles excessively. The cover which catches the shavings is now very loose and prone to falling off when sharpening a pencil. One strong point is the cranking handle is large and easy to grip. It's too bad the rest of the sharpener is not made to the same level of excellence as that handle's grip.

Absolute junk. Hasn't sharpened properly since day one. Rough surface left on wood, uneven point and broken tips, plastic size guide won't stay in one place and the shaving catcher won't stay attached.

Other than that a fine piece of engineering.

I don't use this for pencils but for hardwood dowels I use in Drawbore joints with Festool Domino DF 500 Q Joiner Set loose tenons. I bought it from Lee Valley for $20.50 plus $4 shipping. I could have done better at amazon but didn't think to check. Still pricy.

The good
Does a good job of making a concentric taper in dowels up to 3/8" (0.9525mm).
Handles 6 sizes well.
Seems to be durable but time will tell.
Cheap compared to the special doweling tool--they are about $40.

The bad
Pricey for what it is.
Starting a dowel is difficult.
Using it without screwing it down takes 3 hands, so its not all that convenient around the shop.

The ugly
Seems to hang up at irregular intervals and become much harder to turn.
Not as fast as I hoped but a lot faster than whittling.
Only handles 6 sizes well.
Would be better for dowels if the angle were 30º instead of 16, but after all its a pencil sharpener.

Overall a good gadget but you need to sharpen an lot of stuff to justify the cost.