Forget the electric sharpener for colored pencils.

The best way to sharpen colored pencils without breaking the lead is to use a decent manual sharpener and apply light, steady pressure. Electric sharpeners are too aggressive for colored leads, which are soft and brittle.

Most breakage happens when you twist too hard or push the pencil in too far. Let the blade do the work — give the pencil a quarter turn, release, repeat. If the sharpener feels gritty or tuggs, clean it out. Dull blades crush the lead instead of cutting it,