uni KH-20 Pencil Sharpener: Choose a Fine or Broad Point

The orange button in the uni KH-20's crank is easy to overlook. Yet it decides whether the pencil comes out with a finer or broader point. For someone who wants a fine tip for small notes but sometimes prefers a broader tip for coloring, that choice gives this manual pencil sharpener a purpose beyond simply replacing a dull point.

Read the button before turning the handle

The orange button sits at the crank's center, separate from the black grip you turn. With the button extended, the KH-20 is set for a finer point. Press it to the shorter position for a broader one; another press changes the setting again. Mitsubishi Pencil calls this a knock-type adjustment. There are two positions, giving you a specific choice before you start turning the crank.

Both settings sharpen the pencil. Choose according to the tip you want to work with, then check the result on your own pencil. A finer finish can suit small lettering or a drawn outline, while a broader tip may be your preference for laying down color. Pencil hardness, pressure and paper still affect the mark; this control does not select a guaranteed line width.

The button is also worth checking if the sharpener suddenly stops producing the fine point you expect. Mitsubishi's guidance says it may have been pressed accidentally. Check its position before assuming the cutting mechanism has developed a fault.

Give shavings a drawer at the desk

The crank supplies the motion, so the KH-20 needs neither batteries nor an electrical outlet. Its lower drawer gives shavings somewhere to collect while you sharpen. At a desk used for journaling or drawing, that means the sharpener and its waste container can stay together in one place.

Mitsubishi lists an ABS body, dimensions of 131 by 86 by 131 mm and a weight of 310 g. Allow room at the rear for turning the handle and at the front to insert and remove a pencil. The case dimensions alone do not describe that working space.

The black KH20.24 offer contains one sharpener. Mitsubishi specifies that a fixing clamp can be attached, so a buyer planning a clamped setup should confirm the compatible clamp and whether it is supplied before ordering.

A manual crank makes sense when you are happy to supply the motion each time. If motorized sharpening is the feature you need, two point settings will not replace it. Likewise, this desktop body takes more room than a small tool intended to live in a pencil case.

Wooden pencils need a care routine

Use the KH-20 only for wooden pencils. Mitsubishi warns that other materials can damage the cutter or cause a malfunction. That material restriction does not establish a fit for every barrel size or shape, so confirm compatibility before buying it for unusually large pencils.

Empty the shavings drawer before it fills completely. Soft colored-pencil cores can also break and lodge in the cutter, and the instruction sheet explains how to clear them. That possibility matters if you plan to keep the sharpener beside a child's colored pencils.

Treat jam clearing as an adult's job. The manufacturer assigns that operation to a guardian and illustrates removal of the cutting assembly before clearing the lodged core. Follow the KH-20 instructions for that procedure. For repairs or cutter replacement, Mitsubishi directs owners back to the retailer.

Choose the black KH20.24 as a desk tool when changing point thickness and collecting shavings together will get regular use. If your existing sharpener already makes the point you like, there is little reason to add a larger one just for two settings. The useful upgrade is having a deliberate point choice in a desktop format you actually want to use.