Sharpening the Dixon Tri-Conderoga Pencil

The Tri-Conderoga pencil is a little difficult to sharpen well. Dixon supplies a dual-hole sharpener in its dozen pack. The large hole on the Dixon sharpener, though, is too large. It is difficult to not wobble your pencil during sharpening, which often results in broken tips and curiously-shaped lead -- which itself is easily broken.

A KUM dual-hole sharpener, manufactured specifically for triangular pencils, has just the right size hole -- so no wobble or broken lead. Just like the Dixon sharpener, however, the KUM sharpener can leave some wood almost to the very tip. So, here's a hint. Sharpen the Tri-Conderoga with the KUM in the larger hole designed for triangular pencils. Then make finishing touches on the lead by moving the pencil to the small hole and carefully rotating the lead against the blade. Now, you'll have a nicely sharpened Tri-Conderoga!

It is also important to have spare blades on hand for sharpening triangular pencils, particularly the larger diameter pencils, like the Tri-Conderoga. A dull blade will hang up on the three "corners" of the pencil, almost forcing jerky sharpening. The result can be a broken tip.  |  Don Bell, Proprietor, Pencil Things

Comments

[Big Jake]

Sharpening pencils just shouldn't be this difficult.

I bought a half dozen boxes of the Tri-Conderoga when it first came out. I like the shape and the writing qualities. But these pencils are impossible to sharpen well.

I have to think this product will be a failure for Dixon, because the pencil doesn't fit electric sharpeners. My guess is that very few people will have the patience to sharpen pencils with little razor-blade sharpeners. The office market just won't put up with that. The Tri-Conderoga is the Edsel of the pencil world.

I threw the five boxes of pencils I had left into the box for the annual school-supply drive we have at work.