Pencil Sharpeners

The Need for Pencil Sharpeners throughout our History


   Although prior to the 1500s there was no need for pencil sharpeners, as pencils had not yet then been invented, ever since then there has been a need for them.


   The pencil, invented in the early part of the 16th century, was a major mile stone in writing but, as a pencil needed to be kept sharp in order to be efficient, it was quite a task sharpening one as it would have to be whittled with a knife. Although a pencil sharpener was invented in France in 1828 by Bernard Lassimone, it proved to need almost as much work to sharpen a pencil as doing it with a knife took. This invention required that metal files were set in a block of wood at 90 degrees which made the sharpening of a pencil awkward and took nearly as long as with a knife so, in 1847, again in France, Therry des Estwaux invented a new sharpener which was very similar to the prism sharpeners that we know today, where the pencil is turned in order to sharpen it. Although Lassimone's sharpener never did become popular, Therry des Estwaux's was the first antique pencil sharpener that did. Since then though, there have been many different sharpeners invented with many different features.


   Today, if you were to look in a store or look at a catalogue in an online store, you would see that there is a wide variety to choose from and although the price of the different ones may vary, you are often able to buy one at a sale where the particular products you are looking for, may be cheap.


   Most people will remember the hand crank pencil sharpener from their school days but even then many students did and still do, carry a hand held pencil sharpener of their own. Of course though, it isn't just in the classroom that pencils are needed and so therefore it isn't just in the classroom where they are found. Pencils are used by artists, designers and probably in most other work places and although most people will carry their own hand pencil sharpener which is easily carried in a pocket or a purse, the work place may have a more heavy duty pencil sharpener available. The sharpeners that can be found in the different work places today could be a variety but will probably be a more modern, wall mounted pencil sharpener for convenience.


   Pencil sharpeners have today become an everyday sight, one which we hardly take notice of but would find ourselves in problems if they were not around. They are also something that every work place would miss and so most supervisors ensure that all their workers have easy access to one and that the sharpening of a pencil will not cause any delays to a staff members work schedule. To this end, supervisors look for the best electric pencil sharpener for their own work environment. Although the old style sharpeners may still be good, they are not always best for today's modern working environments but there certainly will be one that is ideal for any office and looking at electric pencil sharpener reviews will help them decide which is best for them.


   The number of different sharpeners available today is quite remarkable but in most cases, each one has its own qualities and can make life easier for someone. Often the type of sharpener used is a personal preference but at other times, especially in a working environment, it is one that is best suited for a variety of different people therefore one which is convenient rather than popular but having said that though, most opt for one of the varieties of electric sharpener.


   Although today there are many different modern mediums for drawing, writing or sketching, none of them seem to be able to completely replace the 500 year old pencil. This means that although there are already a wide variety of sharpeners available for those pencils, more will still be invented, making the sharpening of pencils even easier, until an invention can totally replace the pencil but when that will be is any bodies guess. Pens and crayons have of course replaced the use of pencils in many tasks but still the uniqueness of a pencil cannot be fully equalled and so, especially in the world of art and design, the pencil and the array of different collectible pencil sharpeners will be something that are around for the foreseeable future and will continue to be a presence in our everyday life.


   In conclusion, if you find yourself in need of a sharpener today, there will also be many days in the future that you will also and so choose one which is best for your requirements. It may be one suited to an office but having chosen one, you shouldn't need to worry too much about any new ones that come on the market as, even the old pencil sharpener from 1847, in principle, could still sharpen a pencil today. The new ones do of course though make life easier in certain circumstances and if those circumstances can lead to better efficiency, you may have to consider updating the sharpener that you have currently in use. Although propelling pencils or mechanical pencils as they are sometimes referred to as did become popular, they do not and cannot completely replace the traditional wood enclosed pencil that was invented in Italy. That means that although you may usually use one of these more modern propelling pencils which obviously need no sharpening, there will be a time when you will need the more traditional pencil and there is little worse than having a new pencil that you can't sharpen and so even if you cannot foresee a need for a traditional pencil, it is still best to have a sharpener available, just in case.

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