Why would I write a blog post about pencils? Because I think I've experienced enough to be quite the expert and thought it would be nice to share my wisdom with others.
#1. Money matters. Don't be cheap. Really. I'm generally a penny-pincher, I do not like buying something that costs more than I'm willing to spend on that item. When it comes to pencils, though, please know that it is worth a couple of extra dollars to not go cheap.
#2. Dixon brand's Ticonderoga pencil. THE best pencil. That is all you need to know. The cheapy cute pencils that you might be tempted to put in your kid's Easter basket are not worth it. Don't even waste your money. They tend to jam up sharpeners, and sharpeners ruin them. They break easy, have terrible erasers, and don't write very smoothly. They're only good for their cuteness.
#3. Manual pencil sharpeners work the best. The first pencil sharpener (other than the little red one I had for my son's colored pencils) I bought was a battery powered one from Wal-Mart. I don't even remember the brand, but it was terrible. It ate up every pencil I tried to sharpen. So I went to Office Max and bought a mini version of that iPoint one that others rave about from Costco. It worked a little better, but I wasn't completely satisfied. Then I bought that little red apple shaped one you see in the top picture. If you are going for a battery powered auto pencil sharpener, this is a good one. It does a pretty good job if you have a good pencil, but it takes some getting use to. It STILL is rough on pencils, just as all the other auto sharpeners I've tried were (the former ones being worse). I don't particularly like the idea of one you plug in, so I've never tried those. Today we decided to go with a traditional classroom pencil sharpener. I installed it and started sharpening our newly bought Ticonderogas. I sharpened one in the auto sharpener, and the rest in the new manual one and if you look closely you can see the difference.
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| Very smooth and tight sharpen. This pencil will not break or have lead fall out. |
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| Really shotty job here. This is a Ticonderga pencil! This is the best job this auto sharpener can do on a high quality #2 pencil, and after some general use, the pencil lead will probably break like a mechanical pencil lead. And I didn't even bother showing you the even worse job it does on the cheapy cute pencils. |
I'm actually quite astonished it took me this long to realize this and convert to the old fashioned way of things. But I really hoped to have a nice quick way to sharpen pencils. We seem to need to sharpen pencils at least once or twice a day. But I let go of the ideal...
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For anyone who follows this blog, I'd like to talk more about my homeschooling experience, I just don't know what to write. If you have any questions for me, just ask!
"Sharpen your pencil" usually refers to negotiations--or a request to lower the price. What you are saying is that a low price does not always equate to good value. The same can be said of children's education. Home schooling can be expensive and exhausting. In the long-run it would be cheaper to outsource education. But, as we see with most outsourcing, the product can often be inferior. When it comes to academic achievements of children, a one-on-one education through a loving home school experience gives the child a chance to reach their highest quality potential. Whether it is a pencil. a pencil sharpener, or a child's education, the value of spending a little more is well worth it!
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