As a frequent user of traditional wooden pencils for sketching, I am always interested in accessories (specialty sharpeners, point protectors, grips, lengtheners, and holders) that could enhance the experience and optimize the practical applications of my hard-to-find premium pencils. Ever since I spotted them at the
Office Supply Geek blog, I thought the
Gripsharp pencil sharpeners might warrant some testing as unique accessories for a
sketching kit.
Thanks to
Les from
Tad Products Inc., I received this week a sample set of
Gripsharp pencil sharpeners to try and review.
Optimistically I started trying the
Gripsharp with a brand new
Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 3B premium pencil, but I was quickly disappointed when the soft lead kept on breaking off after repeated sharpening attempts with two different
Gripsharp units. Finally ended up sharpening it without problem with my Panasonic electric sharpener (confirming that the pencil lead was not the source of trouble in this equation). From then on, I continue these tests only with harder F, HB, and B grade pencils.
I found the sharpening function to be rather average. I expect a brand new sharpener blade to effortlessly yield
a long continuous sliver of shavings, and a couple of the
Gripsharp samples produced shard-like fragments and snapped off the leads on several pencils that were later successfully sharpened with conventional sharpeners. I would attribute this to quality control issues, the selection of an inferior cutting blade, and/or a built-in conflict with its grip function that might prevent a smooth sharpening experience every time.
Doodle tests charts drawn on smooth
Strathmore Bristol.
Comparison doodles drawn with conventionally sharp conical pencil points (top row)and the blunt
Gripsharp blunt tips (bottom row).
The elongated exposed graphite lead tips produced by the
Gripsharp are similar to the first stage of sharpening a pencil with a
Kum Automatic Longpoint Sharpener (also reviewed in the
Pencil Talk blog
here). For leadholder users, it would be like drawing with the blunt end of a 2 mm graphite drawing lead.
By turning the pencil and using the edge of the cylindrical lead core, it is still possible to draw fairly thin lines.
The sketching experience proved to be reasonably smooth with the
Tombow Mono J F,
Pentel Black Polymer 999, and the
Mitsubishi Unistar B pencils, but a bit scratchy with the novelty Transformers and Recycled paper pencils.
While in general the F, HB, and B pencils worked well with the
Gripsharp, the thicker lead was not really completely impervious to breakage under normal drawing pressure.
The yellow version tends to easily pick up stray graphite dust and display smudges on its surface rather quickly.
Doodles drawn with a
Pentel Black Polymer 999 HB pencil
.
The
Maped Tip Top cap pencil sharpener and the
Faber Castell Perfect Pencil (Kids version) are other pencil accessories in the market that share some of the functionality (sharpener, point protector, grip/holder/lengthener) of the
Gripsharp but yield conventional sharp points.
This close up shot shows the typical blunt thick drawing tips produced by the
Gripsharp sharpeners. It also highlights the uneven trim of the colored plastic sections at the joint lines with the black plastic sharpener frames that detract from their sleek design and suggest that there is still room for improvement in their
Quality Control. This product could be improved by selecting stronger more resilient plastics and ensuring consistent precise trimming of its fitted components (check out the perfect fit of assorted multicolor plastic sections of the
Iwaco novelty erasers).
The
Gripsharp is designed to remain fixed to the pencil during its useful life. By retracting the pencil lead within the grip, it can also function as a pretty effective point protector rendering any regular pencil pocket safe and preventing lead breakage during transport.
The 5 colors available could be used to quickly identify different pencil grades or brands in a sketching kit, but they might be a tad too bulky for compact sketching sets.
Some blue plastic eraser-like debris could be seen on the pencil after removing it from the grip suggesting that the fit will probably loosen up over time as more of the soft plastic interior is worn down.
The
Gripsharp pencil sharpener/grip combination is a fairly original product concept that deserves a novelty spot in any pencil accessories collection. It works well as a grip and point protector. Though its sharpening performance could be improved with replaceable
KUM quality blades (while still not perfect, these German engineered blades generally provide better service than no-name blades used in cheap sharpeners) which would likely result in less lead breakage and bolster its claim of being a "
green" sharpener option.
Its actual usefulness for artists might vary depending if they can adjust their styles to drawing with blunt cylindrical graphite leads (rather than razor sharp points) or if they enjoy the
Gripsharp's comfortable grip and potential use as a point protector after sharpening the exposed graphite core with a
KUM leadpointer (I count myself among the latter group).
Thus while I wouldn't recommend the
Gripsharp as the primary stand alone sharpener for a
sketching kit, it does play the dual role of a pencil point protector and ergonomic grip quite effectively while serving as a handy back up sharpener.
Worth trying.
As a frequent user of traditional wooden pencils for sketching, I am always interested in accessories (specialty sharpeners, point protectors, grips, lengtheners, and holders) that could enhance the experience and optimize the practical applications of my hard-to-find premium pencils. Ever since I spotted them at the Office Supply Geek blog, I thought the Gripsharp pencil sharpeners might warrant some testing as unique accessories for a sketching kit.
Thanks to Les from Tad Products Inc., I received this week a sample set of Gripsharp pencil sharpeners to try and review.
Optimistically I started trying the Gripsharp with a brand new Mitsubishi Hi-Uni 3B premium pencil, but I was quickly disappointed when the soft lead kept on breaking off after repeated sharpening attempts with two different Gripsharp units. Finally ended up sharpening it without problem with my Panasonic electric sharpener (confirming that the pencil lead was not the source of trouble in this equation). From then on, I continue these tests only with harder F, HB, and B grade pencils. 
I found the sharpening function to be rather average. I expect a brand new sharpener blade to effortlessly yield a long continuous sliver of shavings, and a couple of the Gripsharp samples produced shard-like fragments and snapped off the leads on several pencils that were later successfully sharpened with conventional sharpeners. I would attribute this to quality control issues, the selection of an inferior cutting blade, and/or a built-in conflict with its grip function that might prevent a smooth sharpening experience every time.
Doodle tests charts drawn on smooth Strathmore Bristol.
Comparison doodles drawn with conventionally sharp conical pencil points (top row)and the blunt Gripsharp blunt tips (bottom row).
The elongated exposed graphite lead tips produced by the Gripsharp are similar to the first stage of sharpening a pencil with a Kum Automatic Longpoint Sharpener (also reviewed in the Pencil Talk blog here). For leadholder users, it would be like drawing with the blunt end of a 2 mm graphite drawing lead.
By turning the pencil and using the edge of the cylindrical lead core, it is still possible to draw fairly thin lines. 
The sketching experience proved to be reasonably smooth with the Tombow Mono J F, Pentel Black Polymer 999, and the Mitsubishi Unistar B pencils, but a bit scratchy with the novelty Transformers and Recycled paper pencils. 
While in general the F, HB, and B pencils worked well with the Gripsharp, the thicker lead was not really completely impervious to breakage under normal drawing pressure.
The yellow version tends to easily pick up stray graphite dust and display smudges on its surface rather quickly.
Doodles drawn with a Pentel Black Polymer 999 HB pencil.
The Maped Tip Top cap pencil sharpener and the Faber Castell Perfect Pencil (Kids version) are other pencil accessories in the market that share some of the functionality (sharpener, point protector, grip/holder/lengthener) of the Gripsharp but yield conventional sharp points.
This close up shot shows the typical blunt thick drawing tips produced by the Gripsharp sharpeners. It also highlights the uneven trim of the colored plastic sections at the joint lines with the black plastic sharpener frames that detract from their sleek design and suggest that there is still room for improvement in their Quality Control. This product could be improved by selecting stronger more resilient plastics and ensuring consistent precise trimming of its fitted components (check out the perfect fit of assorted multicolor plastic sections of the Iwaco novelty erasers).
The Gripsharp is designed to remain fixed to the pencil during its useful life. By retracting the pencil lead within the grip, it can also function as a pretty effective point protector rendering any regular pencil pocket safe and preventing lead breakage during transport.
The 5 colors available could be used to quickly identify different pencil grades or brands in a sketching kit, but they might be a tad too bulky for compact sketching sets.
Some blue plastic eraser-like debris could be seen on the pencil after removing it from the grip suggesting that the fit will probably loosen up over time as more of the soft plastic interior is worn down. 
The Gripsharp pencil sharpener/grip combination is a fairly original product concept that deserves a novelty spot in any pencil accessories collection. It works well as a grip and point protector. Though its sharpening performance could be improved with replaceable KUM quality blades (while still not perfect, these German engineered blades generally provide better service than no-name blades used in cheap sharpeners) which would likely result in less lead breakage and bolster its claim of being a "green" sharpener option.
Its actual usefulness for artists might vary depending if they can adjust their styles to drawing with blunt cylindrical graphite leads (rather than razor sharp points) or if they enjoy the Gripsharp's comfortable grip and potential use as a point protector after sharpening the exposed graphite core with a KUM leadpointer (I count myself among the latter group).
Thus while I wouldn't recommend the Gripsharp as the primary stand alone sharpener for a sketching kit, it does play the dual role of a pencil point protector and ergonomic grip quite effectively while serving as a handy back up sharpener. Worth trying.
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2 comments:
Wow! What an precise and very useful review! Thanks so much!
I stumbled on your blog when I search the Sakura Electric Eraser. I'm always trying and testing out brands and papers for sketching. So this is very useful!
You have some interesting posts and a really cool drawing style ^_^!
I'll be back for more!
Ciao
You are quite welcomed and thanks for stopping by. While I enjoy the reliability and performance of the Sakura SE 2000, my first choice would be the Pilot Foam Eraser for my daily sketching kit. Typically the SE 2000 stands by for the tough erasing jobs or cleaning the graphite smudges off my natural wood leadholders.
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