I draw with both wood and mechanical pencils, and I like to work with a long, thin point. Here are the two sharpeners I can’t live without.
KUM Long Point Sharpener works better than any I’ve ever used for wooden pencils. It’s a “two-stage” sharpener with two holes.
The first hole removes the wood and the second sharpens the lead. This system keeps the lead from breaking, as happens so often with regular sharpeners. It also creates a long lead that’s perfect for drawing fine details.
There are extra blades tucked into the back under the lid too, but be careful not to strip out the plastic when you screw them into place.
You can sharpen mechanical leads on a sandpaper block, but it’s quicker and easier to use a handheld sharpener that’s designed for the job. The Staedtler Mars Lead Pointer fits 2mm leads and sharpens them to a long, thin point.
To sharpen a lead, you lengthen the lead in the holder a little bit, insert the lead holder in the large hole, and then rotate the entire top of the sharpener, kind of like stirring a cup of coffee.
The white piece of “stuff” in the cap is used for cleaning the tip after it’s sharpened, but you have to be a good shot, or you’ll break the point. I just roll the lead over a finger to remove any loose graphite.
The holes on either side of the white point cleaner are for measuring the kind of point you want. One length makes a point, and the other makes a flat tip.