Before purchasing the X-Acto Electric Pencil Sharpener, I paid half the price for an electric sharpener from Wal-Mart that lasted over five years. This product has lasted a mere five months. Rarely used, it often sticks, overheats after only a few uses, and then ceases to work at all.
I had hoped a sharpener of better quality would last longer, especially considering it isn't even used very often. It would seem I was mistaken. X-Acto Electric Pencil Sharpener (1818)
This "sharpener" won't sharpen. When you try to use it, the pencil tip comes out slightly lopsided, with the lead covered with wood on one side all the way to the tip -- wood beyond the farthest reach of the lead. Result: the wood-tipped pencil won't write, won't even deposit a mark on the paper. And it isn't the pencil's fault. I tested three different lead pencils and four colored pencils. I even gave each pencil a second sharpening, a second chance. Same result each time: tip covered with wood.
The cause of the problem seems to be that this sharpener has only one roller-cutter. Manual sharpeners have two roller sharpeners and work perfectly (but have to be screwed in place -- no desktop use, block venetian blinds on window sills -- and can't be placed in certain locations where the hand crank becomes inaccessible). The X-Acto 1818, with its single cutter, doesn't seem to hold the pencil at the correct angle. The pencil isn't gripped between two cutters. That seems to account for the lopsided cutting.
I suspect that this model requires precision assembly, so that the cutter is installed at the perfect angle. Since other reviews suggest that this model sometimes works, my conclusion is that buying this model is a gamble. In my case it was a complete waste of money: the "sharpener" simply didn't work. So if you buy one, you are gambling. You may get a properly assembled one that works, and you may get one that doesn't. - Pencil Sharpeners - Pencil Sharpener - Home Office - Electric Sharpener'
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