STAEDTLERMars Technico Lead Sharpener (502)

Works great for sharpening 2mm leads. Easy to sharpen leads. I'm not sure how to empty it. I do recommend if you need 2mm leads sharpened.

I originally posted a two star review because I couldn’t get mine to work properly. It really bothered me that I couldn’t get it to work correctly and figured it must be me. It was indeed me. I kept working at it and I figured out how to use this properly. Once I figured it out this thing works awesome. My only complaint is that it doesn’t come with clear directions or at least mine didn’t.Maybe it’s obvious to many people how to use this but it wasn’t to me.Step one:Use one of the two small holes to set your depth for the point that you want, either really sharp or dulled at the tip. Let the lead drop to the bottom of the hole then slide your lead holder till it touches the top of the unit. Once depth is set remove from unit.Step two:Simply place the tip of your lead holder into the large hole and rotate till you’re happy with the point.I know!!! Easy. It took me a bit to figure out. This unit is well worth the money.

This is a great sharpener for 2mm graphite refills used in mechanical pencils. There is a larger hole for standard pencil sharpening and two holes for the graphite. From these you can choose to get the point laser sharp for the finest if lines or a more relaxed sharpening for smooth, creamy lines and optimal shading. These options also work great for variety of hand lettering and calligraphy. For me it was neater than using the sharpener found inside the caps of some mechanical pencils/holders. Mine had no instructions except what I thought was a miserly diagram on the box. But after looking it up on the web I understood it completely.

This pencil sharpener works fine and suits my needs grandly. However, it feels rather cheap compared to my old Staedtler sharpener. It is also a darker shade of blue than what is pictured. The white thing on the top is also foam, a cheaper replacement to whatever used to be there.

Puts a really fine point on 8b mechanical pencil leads

This is a sharpener specifically for lead holders, not pencils. It works pretty well, just ensure that your lead is around 1/2" exposed and it may take a wiggle or two to ensure that your lead is seated all the way in. After, it's a smooth sharpening and super easy. It does tend to dump the graphite dust if you travel with it, so definitely pry off the top and dump it out before you pack it up - I would still keep it in a tiny little zip top bag to transport it. Works well, after using it many, many times. I would recommend this to other artists/draftsmen.

I returned this so I couldn’t get it to work the way I expected it should

I love how this sharpener has two point options, one is your pretty typical point which is great for writing and drawing. The OTHER option is P O I N T Y, super delicate work because the moment you make contact with paper that point is crumbling into oblivious, or I just don't know what I'm doing.It's very easy to use, drop lead into either hole, shove whole pencil in whole, give it the whirly twirly, and use the white sponge thing to retract led and clean tip. Then proceed with your pencil stuff.