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Is it the pencil or pencil sharpener that makes the lead break?

HappySad
HappySad Posts: 2,033 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
in Marriage, relationships & families
I have been trying over the years a host of different pencil sharpeners that will sharpen my pencils and not break the lead while sharpening them.

I have found a make call Shordfish. Which have great reviews and used in my son's school. My pencils still breaks! Now I am thinking after trying different pencils that my problem is using poor quality pencils.

Can you shine some light on this? What are the good quality pencils? What causes the lead to break when sharpening a pencil??

Thanks
“…the ‘insatiability doctrine – we spend money we don’t have, on things we don’t need, to make impressions that don’t last, on people we don’t care about.” Professor Tim Jackson

“The best things in life is not things"
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Comments

  • Gigervamp
    Gigervamp Posts: 6,583 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    If pencils get dropped, the lead inside can break, so when you get to the point of the break when sharpening, it can seem as though it's the sharpening that's breaking the lead.
  • January20
    January20 Posts: 3,769 Forumite
    Debt-free and Proud!
    Poor quality pencils.
    Dropping them on the floor or various surfaces will break the lead inside.
    Try being gently when you sharpen them perhaps?

    But ...

    Breaking is what pencils do, isn't it ;)

    ETA: I like Straedler pencils
    LBM: August 2006 £12,568.49 - DFD 22nd March 2012
    "The road to DF is long and bumpy" GreenSaints
  • HappySad
    HappySad Posts: 2,033 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I have seen Staples do "Professional" pencil make. Are they professional because they will break less when sharpening?
    “…the ‘insatiability doctrine – we spend money we don’t have, on things we don’t need, to make impressions that don’t last, on people we don’t care about.” Professor Tim Jackson

    “The best things in life is not things"
  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,857 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Why not just invest in a propelling pencil, job done....
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • January20
    January20 Posts: 3,769 Forumite
    Debt-free and Proud!
    McKneff wrote: »
    Why not just invest in a propelling pencil, job done....

    Oh, I hate those! I always break the lead when I'm writing with them! I press too hard for them!
    LBM: August 2006 £12,568.49 - DFD 22nd March 2012
    "The road to DF is long and bumpy" GreenSaints
  • Tanswell88
    Tanswell88 Posts: 59 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited 25 January 2014 at 5:43PM
    Happysad; Could it be you're sharpening your pencil too much so it snaps? I have had that problem in the past.
    *Loosing weight since September 2012 - 85lbs (6st) lost so far*
    ** Accepted for my very first credit card - June 2013**
    *** Swagbucks earned - 609 ***
  • building_with_lego
    building_with_lego Posts: 2,609 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
    This film contains all the information you need to sharpen a pencil correctly. It was in an innocent smoothies newsletter recently and I rather enjoyed it.

    (Stick with it- it starts slowly but gets better.)
    They call me Dr Worm... I'm interested in things; I'm not a real doctor but I am a real worm. :grin:
  • suejb2
    suejb2 Posts: 1,918 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Well I never!! I cannot believe I clicked on your link to "Pencil sharpening" but so have 18,888 other saddos David Rees what a guy.but thanks for filling in 9 minutes on a wet and windy Mancunian afternoon.
    Life is like a bath, the longer you are in it the more wrinkly you become.
  • Gloomendoom
    Gloomendoom Posts: 16,551 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    This thread reminds me of discussions we have at work on the snapability of various brands of chalk.
  • Tahlullah
    Tahlullah Posts: 1,086 Forumite
    Am I the only one who clicked on this thread in 'marriage, relationships and families', and expected a completely different conversation?
    Still striving to be mortgage free before I get to a point I can't enjoy it.

    Owed at the end of -
    02/19 - £78,400. 04/19 - £85,000. 05/19 - £83,300. 06/19 - £78,900.
    07/19 - £77,500. 08/19 - £76,000.
This discussion has been closed.
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