Review: KUM Masterpiece Sharpener @JetPens

I received this KUM sharpener directly from KUM at the InsightsX 2016 Expo in Nuremberg, Germany. I had heard so much about this sharpener, and having only used "regular" sharpeners, I was terribly curious why they were so popular.

Before I continue, I must state that I am not a hardcore pencil user. I have a few nice pencils that I really enjoy, and I'm still exploring the pencil/woodcase pencil world, but I am not a connoisseur. As such, any use of a sharpener is a sharpener, but this one is luxurious. What I like in my pencils is a nice sharp point, and I dislike when it gets dull and blunt, especially for the softer leads. I usually use pencils for faux calligraphy and handlettering. I don't really use them for writing on a daily basis.

ABOUT

Handmade in Germany
Body material: Magnesium alloy
Blade material: High-carbon steel
Case material: Neoprene with snap closure
Price: $22.50 USD
Where to buy: JetPens

APPEARANCE

The Masterpiece is a cute little sharpener. It comes in a black neoprene pouch with a snap closure. The sharpener is held in a small plastic case. It has a blue blocker plug on one end, two blades and two holes with numbers above them. Across the top, the sharpener has MASTERPIECE printed on it.

I suppose the appearance of a sharpener doesn't matter much but it's kind of cute! Especially in its little pouch. It's not a large sharpener, so it is portable and convenient to use.

PERFORMANCE

The KUM Masterpiece has a two-step sharpening process. The first hole removes the wood body surrounding the core, so it will expose the graphite lead core. You then place the tip in the second slot to sharpen the lead itself. There is a blue stopper at the back end of the holes and this acts as a stopper so the tip isn't over sharpened. If you remove the blue stopper, you can get a mega sharp point.

JetPens summarizes how to use this sharpener perfectly:

To use the sharpener, insert a pencil into the first hole and sharpen until the lead touches the blue plastic stopper and the pencil rotates freely without any more wood being shaved off. Then, carefully insert the pencil into the second hole and twist the pencil until the blade begins to shave off wood from the pencil. The blue plastic stopper can be removed from the sharpener, allowing you to expose a longer segment of lead for shading, extended writing, or other advanced techniques.

This sharpener is pretty awesome. I really like the sharp point I can get, I enjoy how tidy and smooth it cuts the wood. It takes a little work to remove the plastic stopper, but it can be done. When I have sharpened, I blow off the excess dustings in the garbage just to keep it clean and so it doesn't smear around on my hands (and mess up my paper).

PROS 

• Comes in a little protective pouch.
• Has two replacement blades in the plastic stopper.
• Super sharp.
• Sharpens really well.
• Produces a really awesome mega long point if you remove the blue stopper.
• Lightweight, easy to carry.

CONS

• Limited hole size - not all pencils will fit.
• No storage for shavings.
• Plastic container annoys me a bit, but I guess it keeps the dusty shaving leftovers in place. Lid is easy to lose - the pouch is better and more useful for me.

OVERALL

I don't know much about pencil sharpeners and woodcase pencils, but if you have to have a pencil sharpener, you may as well have one of he coolest ones around, right? It works really well, and produces nice sharp points. The blades are sharp so it shaves through wood easily and smoothly. I like it a lot. I've even considered buying a second so I can keep one in my on-the-go pencil case, and another in my desk.





I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.