Having the right tools for any project such as the best colored pencil sharpener is key to your art creation success. The right colored pencil sharpener is one such situation that must be top of mind for any artist. Frankly there is a lot of misinformation about the best colored pencil sharpeners out there so please be sure to dig into this review below to save yourself some headache, time, and likely some money too.
*****If you are short on time, buy this colored pencil sharpener (It’s the best colored pencil sharpener by a mile)*****
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Specific Needs of Sharpening Colored Pencils
There are many ‘lead’ cores of colored pencils and they differ from the traditional office graphite pencil by quite a bit. You can be frustrated and disappointed if you try to use your ‘school’ pencil sharpener if you are doing adult coloring or colored pencil as an art medium. About the only thing the two have in common is their shape and the fact that they are both sheathed in a wood product for durability and ease of use.
Graphite (regular #2 office pencils and the like) are made of a mineral core, and are totally different from colored pencils despite looking the same and having the same name “pencil” It took me a while to figure out that it wasn’t my stupidity or user error that was making colored pencil work difficult for me. It was in most cases, the sharpener!
Some colored pencils have a higher oil content, which gives them a buttery blendability and fills in the tooth of the paper very well with zero paper showing through. Done carefully they can look as vibrant as oil paintings and as soft as watercolors
Some have a waxy binder in the core which will easily clog office sharpeners, but which give a beautiful matte finish to your coloring and allow you to control the opacity of the pencil application depending on your technique and the texture of the paper you choose to use.
Some colored pencils are more like chalk and have a dry scratchy feel when you apply them and crumple more easily into dust in the sharpener or on the paper.
To further complicate things, some pencils are actually watercolors in a pencil form and will partially dissolve and blend with water application.
If you like to bounce around between all those varieties, you need a hyper versatile sharpener. There are options in every price point but you will have to settle on a few important features that suit your needs best if you are committed to a low price point.
You should consider if speed or control of sharpening is your top priority. Hand cranked or turned will give you the most control, but battery or electric will be fast, leaving you more time to create your art.
My Top Recommendation For A Great Overall Colored Pencil Sharpener
My personal needs are portability, precision, shaving containment, reliability, versatility and manually operated (I wanted to use it in the car as a passenger, camping, and places without electricity, as well as carry it all around the house without worrying about batteries running out or needing an extension chord).
I could kiss this sharpener by Dahle.
Top 19 Pencil Sharpeners for Colored Pencils
Now let’s get into the rest of the detail and reviews.
1. Dahle 155 Professional Pencil Sharpener w/Point Adjuster & Automatic Cutting System
Accepts Graphite & Oversized Artist Pencils
10 Stars ********** (our scale only goes to 5 but this Dahle sharpener is really good)
I am so impressed with this sharpener. Let me just say that some serious engineering and consideration for practical use went into the design of this fellow.
- It has an automatic grip system so that you insert your pencil and it grabs it securely and feeds it into the sharpener for you – and it doesn’t leave marks on the pencil by over gripping, which means my crank hand has more control because it doesn’t have to manually feed the pencil in straight or at all
- It accepts multiple sized pencils and automatically adjusts for them – from skinny Verithin to triangular barrels, fat to fragile
- It sharpens to a great point
- Does not chew up the wood severely around the pencil, preserving the core ‘lead’ color
- Contains all the shavings for easy removal
- Can be secured to a table top via an included clamp, although I never use this
- Fully adjustable for a round tip or a fine point
- Automatic cutting system so that it never over-sharpens
- Removable cylinder for cleaning
- Affordable price point – I bought one for my art pencils, and one for household use
- Replaceable core IF you ever need to replace it….mine is going on 15 years and still works like new
- Excellent customer service
- No shudder on pencil while sharpening
- Sharpens charcoal and pastel pencils
- As with all colored pencil sharpeners, run a graphite pencil through a bit to lubricate the blades and remove the waxy pencil ‘lead’ coating on the blades.
- Easily comes apart to un-jam any cores that break off (cores break because the pencils were dropped one too many times, manufacturer error, quality and craftsmanship of the construction, quality of the binder in the core, heavy hand pressure and a many more reasons. Plan on it happening no matter the price point of your pencils).
- The only handicap of this sharpener is that is doesn’t do a super, super long sharpened point – so I would need to use a different sharpener or switch to a razor blade for charcoal portrait work
2. Alvin 9866 Brass Bullet Sharpener
This highly rated sharpener has a lot going for it. The blades are replaceable, so it will last a lifetime. Begin made of 100% metal, this baby is going to give a sharp point and be very sturdy. And let me just talk about the portability….your biggest problem may be not losing it due to its small size!
5 stars*****
- Tried and true hand held with long time reputation
- Replaceable blade
- No shaving catcher
- Very little pencil waste, as it works with 3 or 4 turns
- Great price point
- Very portable, its smaller than an eraser
- Brass construction
3. Mobius & Ruppert Brass Round Double Hole Sharpener
Nearly identical to the Alvin, above, it’s merely a different shape!
5 stars *****
- Sharpens pastel pencils well without typical breakage for the most part
- Hand held
- Small profile
- Does not catch shavings
- Replaceable blades
- Brass construction
4. Artlicious Set of three small sharpeners Handheld
This sharpener is also highly rated by users. The advantage is that it has a collection chamber to hold all the shavings. It is really affordable, and appropriate for kids as well as adults.
4 Stars ****
- Manual operation
- Small and totable
- Holds shavings
- One size diameter only
5. STAEDTLER pencil sharpener, premium quality sharpener
4 Stars ****
- Small and compact
- Shaving holder
- Manual operation
- Rotate sharpener, not rotate pencil for great control
- Low price point
- Very highly rated
- Screw on cap for no sudden spills of shavings
6. Derwent Super Point Manual Helical Sharpener
3 Stars ***
- Sharpens up to 8 mm in diameter
- Super point
- Extra long capable
- Pulls pencil into sharpener
7. PowerMe Electric Pencil Sharpener – Battery Operated
4 Stars ****
- High quality materials Durable
- Lightweight
- Shaving catcher
- Auto-jam release
- 6 month no questions asked refund
8. Sharp Tank Portable Pencil Sharpener
4 Stars ****
- Similar grippers as the Dahle but almost twice the price
- Quiet
- Good for up to 5000 uses on graphite, regular #2 pencils
- Tension spring to avoid over sharpening
- One year replacement warranty
- Grips may mar surface of pencil
- Only works with standard diameter size pencils
- You should run standard graphite pencil through the sharpener a bit to ‘clean ‘ it from waxy buildup from colored pencils
- Easy to remove core and clean it
- Works well with Cran d’Ache, Luminance, Lyra, Faber-Castel Polychromos, Black-Wing
9. Long Point Pencil Sharpener, Professional Artist Manual Pencil Sharpener for 6-8.2mm Drawing/Sketching/Charcoal/Colored/Graphite Pencils for Prismacolor with Sandpaper, Adjustable Pencil Nibs (Black)
5 Stars *****
- No pencil gripped
- Will not accept large pencils
- Portable, no power needed
10. AS2M Long Point Sharpener with 2 blades
4 Stars ****
- Manual sharpener
- Holds a small amount of shavings
- Two step precision sharpening
- Replace blades as it wears down
- Very high rated by consumers
- Can also sharpen mechanical lead pencil lead
11. Prismacolor Premier Pencil Sharpener
4 Stars ****
- Can chew up wood while it sharpens
- Good for Prisma color brand pencils
12. Jarlink Electric Pencil Sharpener
2 Stars **
- Battery operated (3 AAA) not included, or electric via USB adapter (included)
- Handles 6mm to 8 mm pencils
- Can do colored pencils, but make sure you ‘clean’ the blades by regularly sharpening with a graphite pencil
13. Number 13 SMARTRO Electric Pencil Sharpener Small Dual-Hole Best USB or Battery Operated for No.2 and Colored Pencils
4 Stars ****
- Great price point
- Good for art pencils and graphite
- Works well with Verithin and sore core premiers
- Replaceable cutter
- Dual hole design for 6-8 mm and 9-12mm pencil diameter
14. Kutsuwa STAD T’GAAL Angle Adjustable Pencil Sharpener (RS017LB)
2 Stars **
- Budget price point
- Very well rated for colored pencils
- Dial adjust angle of sharpening and hard or softness of core
- Holds small amount of shavings
15. Koh-I-Noor Pencil Sharpener 3-length sharpener
2 Stars **
- All metal
- Manual
- No shaving catcher
- Very portable
- Three different holes for three sizes of tapered points
16. Carl Angel-5 Pencil Sharpener
Note: this sharpener is from the Carl company that is famous for their sharpener in Japan. This model is manufactured in China by them and is NOT the same Carl sharpener that is only available in Japan (the Carol Angel -5 Premium)
3 Stars ***
- Smooth operation
- Manual operation
- Automatically draws pencil into cutter
- Automatically stops cutting – no over sharpening
- Lifetime warranty
- Not suitable for softest colored pencils because more wood support is needed at tip to prevent breakage – can jam the unit
- Sharpens charcoal pencils
- Can eat up a lot of pencil as you sharpen
17. Pencil Sharpener, VEYETTE Portable Electric Pencil Sharpener for Colored Pencils, Perfect for Kids, Teachers and Artists
3 Stars ***
- Flexible power supply : 2 AA batteries, USB to computer
- Hand pressure makes it go or stop
- Good for kids
18. Electric Pencil Sharpener, Battery-Powered, Batteries Included, High-Speed Automatic
2 Stars **
- PATENTED two-mode operation: battery or manual. When batteries are dead, or you want a precision manual sharpening job, just flip the switch to hand mode and sharpen your pencils manually
- Low mid price range
- Cordless uses two AA batteries
- Locking shaving bin
- Sharpens all standard 8 mm pencils and art pencils
19. Automatic Long Point Pencil Sharpener for Art Pencils, 6-9.6mm
2 Stars **
- BATTERY OPERATED PENCIL SHARPENER With built-in 2000 mAh Lithium Battery, it can be used for 100 times after 1 hour charging
- Higher mid price point
- Will sharpen 6 – 9.6 mm pencils and colored pencils
- Sharpens to very long point
- Clean blade and run a graphite lead through it to clean it often
- Will sharpen charcoal pencils
Additional Information
Here are a few of my favorite colored pencils. I will certainly go into more detail in another post but wanted to give you access to this list just in case you need it.
Prismacolor 2427 Premier Verithin Colored Pencils pack of 24
- Hard core for detail work
- Can sharpen to a long fine point
Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 Set 76
- Lucious blending
- Intense colors
- Wax based
- Buttery application
- Artist’s favorite the world over
- Very high price point – true luxury
Diamond Driven #1 Artists Colored Pencils 120 Premium Soft Core Pre-Sharpened Colored Pencils Highly Pigmented
- Great beginner set with huge color choices
- Oil based for great blending
Now go out and conquer your newest drawing with the best color pencil sharpener! Let us know how your project is coming along.