These sharpeners still remind me of school, but I have yet to find one that does the job as well as these perfectly simple design classics.

The quality tempered steel blade and sturdy metal framework make it durable; no plastic to crack, and I find that I hardly ever have a broken lead when using these. I prefer the open structure to the closed ones that catch the shavings, as you can see when the pencil is sharp enough, again avoiding over-sharpening and breakages. You can sharpen over a piece of scrap paper or the nearest bin.