You’ve to hold your pencil like you’re manually sharpening your pencil or the sharpener may not work. After you’ve inserted your pencil correctly, this sharpener works great. It’s no worries to switch it to manual when you need to replace the batteries.

I bought 2 of these for my daughters who are interning the 5th grade. A sharpener was n their teachers supply list for the students. Both my daughters love these. They are easy to use and clean. Uses 2 AA batteries. Small enough to carry in a back pack or pencil box.