Staedtler Mars Technico Lead Sharpener (502)

These are really effective ONCE you learn how they work. On the box are two - and only two - very cryptic thumbnail illustrations; these are the only " instructions. HOWEVER, a quick dash to YouTube turn out a host of very informative videos on how to proceed. So . . . My verdict is five stars and a strong recommendation for better INCLUDED instructions

Works great for sharpening 2mm leads. Easy to sharpen leads. I'm not sure how to empty it. I do recommend if you need 2mm leads sharpened.

It works and does not tend to break the leads. It is well-made and makes it easier to use mechanical pencils. Quick and efficient. Can be used professionally.

I originally posted a two star review because I couldn’t get mine to work properly. It really bothered me that I couldn’t get it to work correctly and figured it must be me. It was indeed me. I kept working at it and I figured out how to use this properly. Once I figured it out this thing works awesome. My only complaint is that it doesn’t come with clear directions or at least mine didn’t.Maybe it’s obvious to many people how to use this but it wasn’t to me.Step one:Use one of the two small holes to set your depth for the point that you want, either really sharp or dulled at the tip. Let the lead drop to the bottom of the hole then slide your lead holder till it touches the top of the unit. Once depth is set remove from unit.Step two:Simply place the tip of your lead holder into the large hole and rotate till you’re happy with the point.I know!!! Easy. It took me a bit to figure out. This unit is well worth the money.

This pencil sharpener works fine and suits my needs grandly. However, it feels rather cheap compared to my old Staedtler sharpener. It is also a darker shade of blue than what is pictured. The white thing on the top is also foam, a cheaper replacement to whatever used to be there.

This is a great sharpener for 2mm graphite refills used in mechanical pencils. There is a larger hole for standard pencil sharpening and two holes for the graphite. From these you can choose to get the point laser sharp for the finest if lines or a more relaxed sharpening for smooth, creamy lines and optimal shading. These options also work great for variety of hand lettering and calligraphy. For me it was neater than using the sharpener found inside the caps of some mechanical pencils/holders. Mine had no instructions except what I thought was a miserly diagram on the box. But after looking it up on the web I understood it completely.

I returned this so I couldn’t get it to work the way I expected it should

Puts a really fine point on 8b mechanical pencil leads