I bite the budget bullet and buy a "Berol multi-hole
electric sharpener" for all of the the art rooms I work
in. This $140.00 or so beast sharpens everything quickly
and well, and has an adjustable length for point. I do most
of the sharpening, but do put a little metal sharpener on
each table. Eight hundred and thirty kids a week makes a
colored pencil project just too much work for me otherwise.