Comments about Dahle Professional Pencil Sharpener:

This will be my 4th Dahle sharpener in as many years. A student of mine used it to sharpen all of her pastel pencils, and I found myself having to buy a new one. The spring loaded pencil grabber gets unbalanced after a while and the pencils don't sharpen evenly. The Big one 166 lasted a little longer than the smaller one, but they all end up the same - wrecking pastel pencils - after rigorous use. Why buy another? Because they are the best sharpener for pastel pencils. Too bad they aren't made to last. Pastel pecils are expensive; someone ought to invent a sharpener worthy of them.

Comments about Dahle Professional Pencil Sharpener:

I am not crazy about this sharpener. It is not possible to properly sharpen scholastic pencils. I can't get a good point, even with the adjustment that it advertises. It does a little better with artist pencils, but I know I am not going to be keeping this for long. In fact, I am using my 99 cent sharpener for scholastic colored pencils. Too bad.

Comments about Dahle Professional Pencil Sharpener:

The problem I experienced with the Dahle 155 is the same problem with most of these sharpeners for pastel pencils, where it begins to consistently break off points during sharpening and eat up the pencils without getting to half a point. PROS: Even though for the first few weeks use it performed better and produced sharper points than most pencil sharpeners with my Cretacolor, Wolff carbons, and other pastel pencils, CONS: it only lasted about a month's worth of use. I agree with other comments about shoddy construction and plastic gears which are clearly not holding up to pastel pencils. I wish Dahle would consider an all metal gear product, which also offers a replacement blade part. I rated it low due to how soon it stopped working and overpriced based on length of product life.

Comments about Dahle Professional Pencil Sharpener:

I am not an idiot, but I really couldn't figure out how to work this thing. I will stick with my Ranger wall mount. It is not intuitive, I could sharpen pencils with it, but it was really frustrating. It needs instructions. When you read the description it sounds really cool. It wasn't.

Comments about Dahle Professional Pencil Sharpener:

Examples of cleverness: The spring-loaded, pencil grabbing feed. The adjustable point. Quality metal cutter.

Examples of shoddiness: No instructions. Table top clamp works loose over time. The plastic parts, i.e. the handle are so cheap and flimsy as to be laughable. Cheap plastic cogs against metal cogs will certainly wear out soon. Point adjustment takes time.

Comments about Dahle Professional Pencil Sharpener:

From the start I wanted to send it back - it takes some time to make it work. After you use to it - it's fantastic, especially for pastel pencils. Four thumbs up - including feet!

Comments about Dahle Professional Pencil Sharpener:

I bought the Dahle on the basis of reviews I read at this site after having been dismayed by a sturdy, but pencil devouring sharpener I bought a month or so ago.
This is a recent purchase, so I can 't address durability,but I'm delighted so far: It works as described by previous reviewers. Thanks!

Comments about Dahle Professional Pencil Sharpener:

After using small hand held sharpeners for years this sharpener is a blessing. It sharpens great with little waste and the points last a long time. It sure beats the other sharpeners I used.

Comments about Dahle Professional Pencil Sharpener:

After struggling with broken pastel pencil points when sharpening them, I was pleased with the results of this sharpener. The mechanism holding the pencil results in a fine and unbroken point every time I used it.

Comments about Dahle Professional Pencil Sharpener:

I had a predecessor to this for more than 15 years and was so happy with it's performance and track record I decided to replace it with another when it finally gave up the ghost. My older model, while lacking the point control feature, produced incredibly sharp points and wasted little pencil by comparison to other models. The new one is equally impressive and the point control, once you learn how it works, is a nice improvement. The clamp fastens securely to my drawing table and I've never managed to dislodge it since putting it in place. The rotary blades are longlasting and easy to clean, with the whole sharpener breaking down and reassembling quickly. If you're using pastel pencils or oil based color pencils you'll probably need to clean it about every 150-200 sharpenings and that can be done easily by grinding down a plain old #2 Ticonderoga. If there was one wish for this sharpener it would be that the company return to the all metal gears and blade holders that were on my original sharpener. I've not had any problems thus far, but knowing how much I use it and the general longevity of plastic gears I'd pay extra for the metal. But hey, for the price, if it only lasts 10 years it's still a great buy.