This item is small but works greatI do a lot of colored pencil art, and always travel with my supplies (including an electric sharpener)I got this mainly for workshops and visiting friends when I didn't want everyone to hear the constant whir of my sharpener. This manual sharpener is certainly quieter, but also gives me a perfect point which is so necessary for colored pencil art. I find I use it now in my studio as much as I use the electric one.For those reviews that talked about marks in the pencil from the holder, that only happens if you are trying to pull it out without releasing the crank. My granddaughter did put a nice groove in one of my pencils playing with it, but it has never happened otherwise. I would recommend.Product did not come with clamp as box says, but it’s easy to hold the top with one hand and turn crank to sharpen with the other hand.This is the best pencil sharpener I have ever used!!! I love have it stops when the pencil is sharp. No more pulling it out looking to see how much longer you need to crank/sharpen your pencil. And the worst was when you would do one crank too much and the lead would break and you would have to start all over again. That does not happen with this sharpener. I like the way it holds the pencil directly in the center and you do not have to hold the sharpener. I wish I had bought this a long time ago. I have to thank the Craftsy teacher who recommended it.I study botanical art and take classes with other artists. Almost all the graphite and colored pencil artists in my classes have purchased this sharpener. It gives a very sharp point while taking away very little of the pencil, thus extending the use of the pencils. I really am impressed with this sharpener.I bought this Sharpener as it was recommended for a class I am taking. And I was getting pretty frustrated as it was not giving me a sharp point.Well INSTRUCTIONS would have been nice.Apparently you press the button, not just to insert the pencil, but to extend the "face" and this is what applies pressure and gives you a nice sharp point!Such a relief.So if you thought yours was a dud...you may need to follow suit. :)This is the best pencil sharpener!The Rapesco 74 has an auto-feed mechanism. To use, pull the front silver piece forward, squeeze the clutch, and insert the pencil. As you crank, the pencil is automatically pulled forward and stops when the pencil is sharp. (This is slightly more complicated than a basic pencil sharpener, but my 7 year old was able to sharpen pencils on her own.)We have sharpened about a hundred pencils with this sharpener so far and have had a couple of colored pencil leads break off in the sharpener blade. However, with a simple twist you can remove the sharpening mechanism and simply dislodge the broken lead.The Rapesco 74 body is all metal with a plastic drawer to collect the wood shavings. It feels very durable and the Rapesco website states that this product has a 10 year guarantee!This sharpener comes with a clamp that does not work with our table top, but it is not necessary. Since you do not need to hold the pencil, you can use one hand to hold the pencil sharpener and one hand to crank.We have gone through a few sharpeners over the past few years, including X-Acto Brand. This is the first sharpener that we bought that appears as though it will truly last.Best pencil sharpener ever! I love it. I have had mine for years. I see the price has gone up quite a bit since I bought mine a few years ago, but I'd pay this price in a heartbeat because it works great. The few one star reviews are personal issues and not reflecting the quality of this product. It will stop working if you get a busted lead stuck in the mechanism. But, if it does happen, it is so easy to fix because you just unlock the back handle and pop out the mechanism, take a ball point pen or paper clip and pop the lead back down the hole and it falls right out.I have been recommending this to artists for years. I am an artist and have tried many pencil sharpeners over the years. This is by far the best one I have ever used. You don't need to pull the front release out far when putting in the pencil either. Just a little ways depending on how much sharpening you need and bam, nic sling point every time! Enjoy. This is a great product.I did not receive a free or discounted product. I paid full price.Absolutely love this. My dad had one, I have one, and I bought this one as a fun present for a friend who had coveted mine from afar! I think it was the best present he got that Christmas :-) The satisfaction of sharpening a bundle of blunt pencils - pure joy. Weird, I know, but anyone from architect to artist to child will love this. Every home should have one!I hadn't used a pencil sharpener of this kind in decades, but blunt pencils are always around the house and the small sharpeners lost somewhere, so it seemed a good time to revisit.The sharpener is robustly built. Although a clamp is supplied, it is fiddly and not terribly effective so I dispensed with it, as it isn't strictly needed.Hard lead pencils are sharpened into the status of dangerous weapons, while softer crayons gain a less sharp point.The shavings are easily cleared by sliding out the clear plastic tray they are deposited in.Overall, it is a good sharpener, and at a good price, so I recommend it.N.B. I received the original one to test as a Vine reviewer. Perhaps the best testimony is that we have bought a further two as Christmas presents for grandchildren.Sharpens pencils well, giving very sharp point, the body of the sharpener is metal with a plastic tray for the pencil shavings. I bought this as the price was very good and Rapesco a known brand. I was confused at first as it looked as though the cutters could be replaced if necessary, but was unable to find any spare cutters for sale. I contacted Rapesco about this and had an email in reply,explaining that the sharpener has a 10 year guarantee and they will replace the cutters if they blunt within that time (provided I still have the proof of purchase). It is a shame that the guarantee isn't mentioned anywhere on the product packaging.Very good for getting long sharp pencil points. Recommended to me by an art tutor and professional artist as apparently these type of desktop sharpeners last longer than the usual small blade ones. It says it's for 6mm pencils but my 8mm pastel pencils seem to go in just fine as well. If the point breaks off inside (as sometimes happens) you will need to unscrew the ridged bit (anti-clockwise) where the turning handle goes in, and poke the broken point out from the thin end with a bent paper clip. Beware that the ridged bit is VERY stiff so I recommend getting a pair of those scissor-type jam jar lid openers to loosen it as well!It's not worth the money. Basically two major things wrong with it. You can't adjust the sharpness of the tip (and the default is not very pointy - if you do somewhat exact drawings with lead pencils, this is not good enough). Secondly the grip for round pencils is not good enough so most just spin round and round. Really, the price is ridiculous, don't buy it for more than £7. The thing about taking sharpeners apart to get the tip out when it's broken off, I think that is with every sharpener and with this one it actually seems very simple. It's ok, and I guess it will last a long time, but it's just too expensive (recommend Dahle 133 instead).