Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Before buying I was a bit weary reading other reviews that describe an unbalanced sharpened point (one side sharp lead exposed, the other side still wood). I actually experienced this as well when I first started using it and was about to pack it up and return it. HOWEVER, I quickly realized that if you hold the pencil with a semi-loose grip to allow the pencil rotate in your hand naturally as the blades rotate and "catch" on the areas with the most resistance on all sides, you will end up with a very sharp (and balanced) point they way you'd want. If I hold the pencil firm enough so that the pencil does not rotate, I end up with a lop-sided point that is only usable on 1 side. Allowing the pencil to rotate in your hand does not feel 100% natural because I've never had to do that with any other fixed sharpers, but it's easy to get the hang of. Maybe that solution would only work on mine, but I'm assuming that many people with that issue were too quick to give up as I almost did as well. I also like the "old school" feel to this - every time I use it I remember using almost the exact same type of sharpener in grade school. Great price too. The reason why it is 4 stars as opposed to 5 is that the machining does feel a little bit flimsy (which is reflected in the price I guess) and it's a bit tricky to install using the screws provided (tip: I used longer screws that I had laying around and I also found that removing the metal housing while installing is crucial to allow the angle of your screwdriver or drill to drive the screw in correctly.