This week, we’ve decided to put a little twist on a “how-to” article. Instead of teaching you how to sharpen a pencil, we’re showing you how not to use a pencil sharpener. Sometimes learning how to do something starts with knowing exactly what not to do!

The task of sharpening a pencil may sound quite easy, and while it technically is, there are various ways you can go wrong without realizing it. Many of our sharpeners have unique features that if you don’t use, you’re simply not taking full advantage of the product.

We used the QuietSharp™ Glow Classroom Electric Pencil Sharpener and our Bostitch Battery Pencil Sharpener with a Replaceable Cutter in this post, but these tips apply to most of our sharpeners!