Well, Derwent delivers once again. I love it when an item arrives and is better than what you expected. Now, I'm new to the art industry and am trying to learn as much as I can about getting the most bang for your buck. I mean, we are starving artists, aren't we? I honestly never knew that there were so many caviats to artist supplies. Why is it that you need a specialized sharpener for your colored pencils versus your charcoal pencils or you just plain every day #2 pencil? Well, it makes a BIG difference and don't even get me started on pastel pencils!I have found my niche in charcoal and pastels...I think. I'm pretty sure at least and after two serious breakages, I knew I had some research to do and I turned to my trusty ol' Derwent to point me in the right direction. I think I spent 9 hours watching video reviews and reading all I could about the best sharpener. I used electric prior to dipping my toe in the artist pond and now of course, I know that's a no-no in the industry. KUM has excellent hand helds which suffice for colored pencils and trusty 2s. But I need a sharp long tip for my charcoal and I don't want to drag out my exacto and buy a pencil stand. Not happening folks! After all was said and done, there were two pretty solid choices but knowing Derwent as I do, I opted to remain brand loyal...and I'm glad I did.This thing is solid. It's metal and not plastic The gripper holds the pencil so tightly that I can actually sharpen with just ONE HAND. And yes, that means that the table mount comes with the unit (Mitsubishi's does not) and is very tight and very solidly mounted. But the best thing is the point. It's beautiful and I love just staring at them. Now, for you colored pencil folks, this will still work great, you just don't sharpen as long, but in my new love for my graphites and charcoals, well, I am in heaven with the wonderfully long points. I've said up until now, my Derwent bag is my best buy in all of my art supplies; but this is a solid contender for that position. I just need more time to evaluate this baby, but after sharpening more than 50 pencils today, I am in puppy love with this wonderful sharpener!