Thursday 21 February 2013

21/02: PENCIL SHARPENERS

As requested by Jeanne, this is what the pencil sharpeners from Lidl stores look like.   I have tried to find this brand/model online but have only found the odd one for sale at inflated prices on eBay.   So, when Lidl have art materials on promotion (a couple of times per year) I like to stock up.     I don't think Lidl have stores in the USA yet? 

The sharpeners can be fixed to your desk with an adjustable bracket/butterfly screw but I've found the screw works loose after a while and I get fed up with tightening it so I just handhold the apparatus and it works well for me.

My sharpeners get heavy usage with pastel and wax/coloured pencils so I guess they stay sharp for around 6 weeks - longer if I remember to run graphite pencils through every now and then.






The photos don't show it clearly, but the sharpener has a clear plastic tray to the front so I can see when the shavings needs removing. 


11 comments:

  1. That looks like a good one! I have a heavy duty sharpener that I bought from a school supply catalog. Those are pretty good, too. But you have to spring for the expensive sharpeners if you plan to use them hard. You get what you pay for. If you try to save costs, you're going to get an inferior tool. That's just the way of the world!

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  2. Ordinarily I'd agree with you Katherine but this particular make/model is very cheap at just £3.50 and it outperforms sharpeners which cost 10 x that amount. Most UKCPS members use them now and we tend to alert each other when we find that Lidl stores have them in stock.

    I have an electric swordfish sharpener which cost more than £90 and which is forever overheating and getting jammed ... I much prefer these manual ones which are so cheap they can be thrown away/replaced regularly.

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  3. I get through so many that I have resorted to a manual one with changeable blades......although the blades are not cheap, it is so much cheaper than buying new ones all the time. But, thanks for the heads up on this one. I will have to keep my eyes open.....

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  4. One looks at pictures and thinks how nice/pretty/good etc. etc. but never think of the background in materials or tools which must be assembled in order to achieve these pictures.

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  5. I have a similar sharpener which is my workhorse, but it's not that brand and still costs about $15. I've had electric ones but they cost a lot & do tend to overheat and shut down. Next time, please buy a case of them and send some my way!

    Thanks for posting what they look like - if I ever spot one, I'll be sure to grab it up. And, no, we don't have Lidl stores here that I know of - of course, being stuck out in the boonies doesn't allow me to know what stores are available!

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  6. Sorry been out this afternoon (booze cruise to France for 'essential supplies' and a change of scenery) LOL

    Lovely to hear from you Chrissy - these sharpeners are brilliant. They do the job efficiently, breakages are easy to clear and they are CHEAP! When the blade blunts (inevitable with pastel/cps pencils) you can just throw them away. Only downside I've found is that the bracket which is meant to hold them securely on your table tends to come loose so, as I mentioned previously, I just hand hold the sharpener and that suits me fine!

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  7. Hi Jo.

    You're right. But I guess that's true of lots of hobbies/artistic ventures. Cake decorating, flower arranging etc.

    I think that art materials are generally cheaper and there's a greater variety across the pond in the USA (particularly for coloured pencil artists) .... but we're gradually catching up. My first coloured pencils were imported from the USA - 200 Prismacolour pencils turned up and none of them was sharpened. I started out using a small sharpener and ended up with sooooo many blisters on my palms and fingers that David bought me an expensive (mains) sharpener. We managed to blow the motor on that within a week .... hence my love of this cheap and cheerful model which really does the job!

    Hi Jan.
    We were in France this afternoon and drove past a Lidl. Sadly we were in a rush so I didn't have time to go in to check if the prices were cheaper in France than the UK .... would be more than willing to buy some for my friends across the pond but I reckon shipping and taxes would probably make them non-viable commercially??

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  8. no lidl stores in the states, but they do have aldi stores :)

    and i've said it before but i love those sharpeners. yes they are cheap, and you would usually get what you pay for, but i've found these work better then most of the expensive ones

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  9. I have two of these Sue, bought about 2/3 years ago and I am still using them with no problems, the blades just don't seem to get blunt and they are still as good as new. I don't have any luck sharpening Derwent pastel pencils with them though, but they work ok on the Pitts. I find the fact they come loose is a real pain tho.

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  10. I think we're all in agreement Jennifer that these are good ... hope Lidl don't catch on and bump the prices up LOL

    I think you've been very lucky to get 2/3 years of use from yours Bev but I do use/sharpen a lot of pastel pencils and think that's probably what finishes the blades off so quickly. Pitts are firmer than the Derwents I believe so maybe that's why they cause fewer problems?

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  11. Thanks for showing it. I have a similar manual one but it doesn't work as good as you say this one does. I use an electric one but they seem to last only about a year. I don't do cp as much as I used to but the price is not good for the electric ones. Mine is an Xacto with several sizes of holes.

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