My boss gave me one of these to use in our art studio and I'm not sure if I will ever buy another pencil sharpener again. He kept saying it was the best sharpener he's ever used (he's a professional artist of 50+ years) and he bought a ton of them to give as gifts. I thought he was over-hyping them but he definitely was not. Once you get the hang of it, this sharpener is great. It pulls your pencil in as it is sharpening and gives you a perfect point every time. It's mechanisms are smooth and operation is a breeze. The added bonus is that it looks awesome and is really fun and sturdy. I'm planning on having this for a long time!I used to keep one of these in my classroom and demonstrate how to use it and then observe to see which students actually figured it out. A little puzzle is a good thing for developing thinking and problem-solving, regardless of age. The sharpener is appealing both for its classy design and its ability to dial in exactly how sharp a point it will produce -- a quality I appreciate when it comes to my drawing pencils.This sharpener looks and works fantastic if you follow the simple steps. It has a very good blade and stable mechanism, although how durable it is remains to be seen.It sharpens as good or better and is more ingenious than a very dependable Dahle sharpener that I have used. It is much better than 3 X-ACTO vacuum mount manual sharpeners I have went through.Just follow these steps for an amazing pencil point - okay, well 5 steps for a pencil sharpener does seem overly complicated but in reality it really isn't for this cool sharpener :)1. Pull the upper "lens assembly" out away from the "camera body" until it locks into its furthest position by a metal guide stop plate.2. Push the "shutter button" in as this will allow 3 rubber pads to draw out within the open upper "lens" assembly to insert a pencil through the lens opening into the cutting blade area.3. Release the shutter button as the rubber pads will grasp the pencil.4. While securing the camera body with one hand begin turning the rear crank clockwise with the other hand as this will release the metal locking plate and allow the gripped pencil to retract back toward the sharpening blade as you sharpen. You will not need to hold the pencil at all during the sharpening process.5. When the crank freely spins without resistance push the shutter button to remove the pencil that has been sharpened to an unbelievably perfect point!The lower "lens" is a compartment tray that catches the shavings, there is also a knob at the center of the rear crank that allows you to adjust the sharpness of the pencil point.I would recommend this sharpener primarily because it works so well, although I will say that while the construction is very clever and looks fine that overall this sharpener does not appear to be very robust if handled roughly.I've ordered this sharpener, Twice now. The first one did not break on it's own, but rather my son decided to put a pencil in backwards. I ordered the first one October 18, 2011.I wanted to confront a couple of issues people seem to have. I have seen people say that it doesn't sharpen that well. This pencil sharpener can give your pencil a great point. On the back of the pencil sharpener is a little silver knob, you turn it clockwise (tightening it) to give your pencil a shorter more blunt end, counter clockwise to give it a finer longer end.Using the sharpener, this seems to also be an issue amongst some of the negative reviews. If you look at the picture of the sharpener itself you see a grey square sticking out, with your right (or left hand) hold on to the sharpener itself, push in the tab with the other hand and pull out until it clicks into place. You push the little piece in again to insert your pencil (it holds onto it while you sharpen the pencil). Make sure your pencil goes all the way into the sharpener, let go of the silver tab. Hold onto the pencil sharpener and rotate the crank in the back. To release the pencil again push into that grey tab that has been mentioned a couple times, and admire the work of your little sharpener that you proudly display on your desk because it's kind of adorable!One other thing that can happen and be disconcerting if you don't know how to fix it, you pull out the pencil thing playing around, but then can't figure out how to get it back in and you don't have a pencil. Rotate the crank in the back and it will go back in.Like I said, I loved this product enough to replace it when the first one broke due to my sons misuse. I would recommend it.This is a pretty fun looking pencil sharpener which was my first attraction to this product. The reviews clinched the deal that it sharpens like a champ. I have two kids who own a million colored pencils, lead pencils, charcoal pencils... and it takes FOREVER to sharpen all them with a little single handheld sharpener: Only recently took up drawing as a retirement activity. all the guides etc stress how important it is to have a really sharp pencil. I thought mine were sharp until I used this. They are like darts, and as a photographer it looks great in the chaos that I call a studio.I really recommend this.I just had to leave a review for this sharpener.I've struggled to find a decent one for years but this beats anything I've tried before.It uses a beveled gear sharpener rather than a blade so it leaves the sharpest point imaginable, you can also adjust the point down if you don't want to throw your pencils at a dartboard.The filings fill up in the bottom tray and are visible through the camera lens so you'll know when it's full.Add to that it looks good sat on my desk.A disappointment. The metal part is very stiff to unscrew from the wooden part to empty the pencil shavings, and it is extremely difficult to put back together again - the screw thread doesn't seem in quite the right alignment. I thought from the picture the wooden part would be lighter coloured and shinier/more varnished than it actually is - instead it has very dark, dull woodstain, no swirly grain patterning, and doesn't look much like an acorn at all. As for its performance sharpening pencils, it's neither great nor terrible, but for this price I expected better.Also, I don't think this is safe to give to children - when you do manage to get it open to empty it, half the length of the blade is exposed with no protective side covering. It could easily give a nasty cut when trying to free stuck bits of pencil lead, etc.I agree with all the other reviews. Excellent value for money. Works a treat. Sharpens beautifully. Option to have blunter lead if required. Looks great too !I was more pleased with the real thing than I had been excited by finding it!