Reply #15: I can recommend highly the Boston Vista electric pencil sharpener.

[Heidi]

My mother sent it to me from the states about eight years ago, when electric pencil sharpeners still were considered heresy here -- and when I had about a jillion colored pencils that I could not hope to sharpen to a nice point in fewer than eight hours. :hi:

The Boston Vista uses four AA batteries. I've used it for several hours, every six months or so, for the past eight years. I've changed the batteries only THREE times. :)