Image via JetPens
Japan makes the best stationery goods on the planet, and the Sonic Toga Return Pencil Sharpener is a prime example of their awesomeness. This is a fun and functional product that can’t help but put a smile on your face every time you use it. I’m giving one of these sharpeners away, and the winner will be able to pick any one of the four colors to adorn their desk.
Read the rules below, and enter away!
(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)
I'd heard legends of the Kum Masterpiece long before it landed in my mailbox. When it arrived, I was anxious to see if it would live up to its reputation--and the layers of packaging only served to heighten the anticipation. The handmade magnesium block sharpener sits inside a clear plastic box that slips into a neoprene sheath with a snap closure. Overkill? Maybe. Or maybe it's there to keep this precision device from sharpening the very air you breathe into stabby spears of oxygen death.
You see, this doesn't just sharpen pencils--it weaponizes them. It does this with a two-step process. Step one uses hole #1, the wider of the two. This blade strips the wood from around the graphite core. When the tip of your exposed lead touches the blue barrier at the end, you're ready for step #2. The second blade sharpens the exposed graphite to a needle point. It took a little practice to hold the pencil at just the right angle to engage the blade, but when you've got it lined up, you'll see a little pile of lead shavings appear.
Step 1
Everyone has one of those pinprick pencil lead tattoos from where they accidentally stabbed themselves with a pencil, right? Well, you're about to get a few more. In fact, you might not want to give this sharpener to your kids, or junior's third-grade class might end up looking like the stone men from Game of Thrones.
Step 2
I tried the sharpener on several brands of pencils of varying hardness. All the pencils I tried--from a very soft Blackwing, to a very hard pencil of indeterminate brand, to a Prismacolor Verithin colored pencil--sharpened beautifully. Each had a very small piece of the tip break off when I started to write, but the remaining tip was, in each case, still what I would consider an ultra-fine line. How long that fineness was maintained was more due to the lead hardness than anything, but the long narrow point that the Masterpiece creates definitely prolongs the writing session between sharpenings.
Things I will definitely use this for:
Sketching charts and diagrams for my knitting and crochet projects
Helping my son with his math homework
Sharpening all of my colored pencils into an arsenal of fine-tip fun
I'll also do my best to keep this powerful tool out of the hands of those who would use it for evil. Namely, the aforementioned third-grader.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.
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(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
I haven't been in the woodcase pencil game very long, but one of the first things I realized after buying a few pencils is that I didn't really have any pencil sharpeners. Thinking back, I hadn't owned a pencil sharpener since middle school, which makes sense given that's the time I was allowed to switch to using pens for class. And, just like the woodcase pencil world, there's a wide variety of sharpeners you can buy.
After trying a few, I noticed the Kutsuwa Stad T'Gaal sharpener on Jetpens. Besides, the difficult name, it sported a unique dial on the front that caught my interest. The benefit of this sharpener is that you can choose between 5 different sharpened lead core lengths. In other words, this sharpener can give you a short, stubby writing length, a long, pointy writing end, and three degrees in between. There are a number of reasons you might want different core lengths, but most of them boil down to preference. For me, it was mostly curiosity because I didn't really know what kind of length I preferred.
For less than $7, you can buy a sharpener that gives you an idea of what different core lengths do to a pencil. In a way, each length setting gives the pencil a different character.
So, how does it work? Simple: just rotate the dial to the core length you want (represented by the numbers 1 - 5), and sharpen away.
Setting 1 will sharpen the pencil to a short core length. This gives the tip a sharp angle that produces a stubby writing tip. I like this setting for some uses because after you wear down the initial sharp point, you have a wide, blunt tip to work with. This is great for shading or writing with a wider line width.
Setting 3 looks like the standard pencil core length you get from any other sharpener in school. It's the middle-ground setting, so that makes sense here. For most people, this will feel very familiar. It's a good setting for general writing.
Setting 5 produces the longest core length, accompanied by a very sharp tip. Obviously, you can get a very fine line with this setting, but it also makes the tip brittle.
Settings 2 and 4 are, shockingly, in between their surrounding settings. Is setting 3 too long, but setting 1 too short? Setting 2 might be perfect for you.
As an added bonus, there's also a "Closed" position on the dial that closes a small door at the sharpening hole to prevent shavings leaking out when being carried or moved.
When it's time to empty out all those shavings, there's a small door on the back of the sharpener. In my use, this door is a little small and needs help to empty the shavings, but it gets the job done. More importantly, this sharpener does a great job at keeping all the shavings inside while using it and carrying it in bags.
JetPens offer these sharpeners in four delightful colors: Orange, Green, Pink, and Light blue.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
