dlstewart's Full Review: Panasonic Battery Operated Pencil Sharpener
If I use a pencil, then I want the pencil to have a nice sharp point. I could whittle a point on the pencil, but using a pencil sharpener is so much easier. Our office has two Panasonic KP-4A Battery-Operated Pencil Sharpeners.
Description
One of the great things about this black pencil sharpener is its small size. It measures 5 1/4" wide x 1 3/4" long x 3 1/4" high. Tapered at the ends, the sharpener is not a true rectangle. Insert the pencil into a hole on the top of the machine to sharpen it with hardened steel alloy blades. According to the manufacturer, these blades produce a 16-degree point. The shavings gather in a detachable unit on the right of the sharpener. The tinted see-through container for the shavings runs the entire height of the sharpener, but the actual area that holds the shavings measures 2" long x 1 1/4" wide x 1 1/4" deep.
On the bottom of the sharpener is an easy-to-remove plastic piece that slides to one side revealing the battery compartment. This pencil sharpener requires four AA batteries. The sharpener is lightweight at a bit less than a half pound.
Using the Sharpener
As you can imagine, sharpening a pencil in this machine is very easy. Simply insert the pencil, point down into the hole on the top of the sharpener. Apply gentle pressure. The sharpener automatically engages, its motor whirring. There is no light to indicate the pencil has finished sharpening ... so lifting the pencil out of the sharpener is necessary to see what the point looks like.
The shavings from the sharpened pencils gather in a transparent tinted receptacle on the right side of the machine. This container holds a lot of shavings! It is easy to snap the container free to empty it.
Two Pencil Sharpeners – More Annoying Than One!
Our office has two of these Panasonic pencil sharpeners. To set the scene ... my desk is located between the two offices that use these sharpeners. One pencil sharpener is in the office of a VIP, and his office is at the end of the building – around a corner. The other sharpener is located in a different office where four people work. This sharpener sits on the desk closest to the door and is used by one person.
Have you ever started a car only to have it go RRRRrrrrrrrRRRRR and then die? Well, these pencil sharpeners make the noise but don’t die. They just keep making that irritating noise.
When VIP inserts the pencil into the sharpener, the entire office can hear the RRRRrrrrrrrRRRRR of the pencil sharpener. One minute, two minutes, three minutes ... the noise stops. Then again with the noise. And if the pencil does not meet the user’s sharpening requirements, the noise starts all over again. Then again. I’m not joking. One day the pencil sharpener was in use for about 20 minutes ... RRRRrrrrrrrRRRRR ... RRRRrrrrrrrRRRRR. The entire office was in hysterics as the machine kept whirling, sharpening and making that annoying noise.
Yesterday I heard a sharp, angry voice from the office that is shared by four people. “One of these days you are going to find that thing gone!” Several minutes prior to that threat all the office could hear was RRRRrrrrrrrRRRRR. The person who uses this pencil sharpener has two offices in the building and carries the sharpener with her from office to office. It’s wonderful that it is portable, but her coworkers would prefer she lose it.
That distinctive whirring noise causes two responses in the office ... giggles with a “Here we go again!” or moans with “Please, please ... whatever you want ... just stop it!” I admit to having both reactions depending upon my mood. When deep in concentration, I just want to invest in a good pair of ear muffs.
When new batteries are in the sharpener, the pencil sharpener produces a great point. When the batteries are low, it takes longer to obtain a good point on the pencil, which is why we often have long sessions of RRRRrrrrrrrRRRRR. The sharpener works well but is noisy.
One problem is that there is no auto-shutoff mechanism. So rather than take a chance that the pencil is not sharp enough, the user applies more pressure on the pencil and keeps the motor whirring.
Battery Life
Some people in the office have suggested hiding the AA batteries. However, the VIP is very fond of his Panasonic pencil sharpener. So whenever he needs four AA batteries, the office supply buyer has them on hand.
It’s difficult to say how long the batteries will last. None of us have counted how many pencils the machine will sharpen before it needs replacement batteries. However, I can estimate that both of the pencil sharpeners require new batteries about every two months.
The batteries are easy to replace. Pop open the cover on the bottom of the pencil sharpener and insert the four batteries into a compartment. The nice thing about the battery placement is that the batteries slide in vertically ... easy to install and remove.
Likes
* Portable
* No cords
* Automatic start
* Hardened steel alloy sharpening blades
* Produces a good point on pencils
* Transparent shavings holder
* Shavings holder can hold a lot of shavings
* Batteries easy to install and remove
Dislikes
* Annoying noise!
* Batteries only last a few months (depending on use)
* It’s worth saying again ... Annoying noise!
Purchasing
These pencil sharpeners were purchased from Staples.com for $13.99 each. Office Depot offers this sharpener for $13.30. The sharpener does not come with batteries.
Summary
The two people in the office who have and use the Panasonic KP-4A Battery-Operated Pencil Sharpeners like them. The rest of the office staff has spent time devising ways to eliminate the noisy machines. On the plus side, the pencil sharpeners are portable and provide sharp pencil points. Since the two people who use these sharpeners like them so much, I’ll recommend them. However, I’ll do so with the stipulation that those who own them use the pencil sharpeners in a room that has a closed door!
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