Originally Posted by Neesie

I almost always sharpen colored pencils with a small knife, rather than a pencil sharpener. My knife is very sharp, so as not to stress the lead, so I can tell you with 100% accuracy, that many of the less expensive colored pencils have broken lead, when you buy them. All I can figure is that in the process of making/packaging them, they must take a terrible beating! I had one I was trying to sharpen, which had a break every half inch or so. It was unusable, as any pressure on the 'point' would cause it to move within the wooden covering. This was one of the brands, made for children.