The best small pencil sharpeners (razor blade style) I've found are meant for eye makeup pencils. :) I guess they're sharper or something. The best crank ones are the really old fashioned, heavy ones they made for schools. I can't recommend brands, though, as I can for the rest.

1) I like the OXO Good Grips peelers with the flippy flanges. The plastic eye gouger isn't as good as on the old fashioned metal kind, but the peeler itself, with the flexible grip, is very good. I have the specialty versions as well, though haven't used them enough to comment.

2) Two recommendations: Zyliss Lock 'N Lift for a regular, top cut. It's really easy to grip, locks once you have it completely in place, and the crank is ergonomicly designed. I had a previous model which broke. They'd improved the design since so it won't break, and they sent me this version for free. Good CS. :) This version has a magnet you can use to lift the lid, as well.

For a manual version of the side cut that those elliptical battery op ones do, and a compact form, I like the Joseph Joseph Can-Do. It's not so ergonomic and easy as the full sized Zyliss, but it works well. It also snaps into place, extending the button, and holds onto the lid. You have to be careful that you don't lose little strips cut from the label by it, however. I often use this to open a single can just because it's small and cute. If I could only have one, I'd choose the Zyliss.

3)Ritz Wonder Towels are perfect not-too-thick, not-too-thin, absorbent, cotton dish towels, with pretty plaids. I learned about them in the Kitchens forum from Catmom. The first link is to Amazon, for convenience, but the real place to get them is Kilian's Hardware, where they have all the colors, etc.

I've always loved cotton birdseye tea towels, but the last source I had for them had dried up. Someone else had seen where I'd lamented that and let me know about the Cloth-eez birdseye diapers sold by Green Mountain Diapers. It doesn't bother me a whit that there's a tag that says "diaper". They're hemmed cuts of birdseye, plain and simple, same as a towel. I got some of the natural color, organic ones, and they're the most absorbent kitchen towels I've ever used. They're a little thicker than my old ones, though not as thick as the ones with the red stripes we used to get at the dime store back in the stone age. The only downside is that they're so absorbent, they're good and wet almost instantly. :)

I second that OXO peeler. I have two, one has a straight edge for potatoes and carrots, one has a serrated edge for soft things like tomatoes and peaches. They both work well and weren't expensive.

Can openers? I have a Swing Away, I've had it several years and like it very much. Straightforward to use, easy to crank, I'm happy and have a "spare" just in case. Elery had a Kuhn Rikon one that he liked, it cut the whole top of the can off, cutting around the sides instead of the top of the can. I never got it to work a single time and once was reduced to opening a can of water chestnuts with my swiss army knife. I hated it, and eventually I broke it. Not even on purpose, LOL, but I wasn't sorry to see it go. I felt somewhat incompetent until Elery's son was at his house and couldn't get the thing to work either!

Kitchen towels? Well, I never buy them, I buy "bar mops" by the dozen at Sam's Club. They are just plain white terrycloth towels, I use them for everything and then bleach them and use them again. Something like $8 for a dozen and when they get horrible they become garage rags and I buy more.

I had one of those old metal pencil sharpeners, it had been Dad's at his shop. I always channeled Carol Burnett and Tim Conway, using that thing. (grin) It worked like a charm, but it's packed away somewhere. Now I just have a couple of plastic ones that I bought at the local Meijer, when they break I buy another one, they're 2 for $1 and work fine.

Annie

I have an old-school pencil sharpener (about 30 years old?), and also some of those smaller plastic box ones with one or two razors that I bought at the art store.

The Oxo Good Grips peeler that plllog mentioned is what I use, and also mentioned by plllog, the Zyliss Lock 'n Lift. LOVE those two items!

Another favorite can opener is a Kuhn Rikon 5-in-1 from QVC--the one that Annie's Elery uses (I had to watch the video a couple of times before I got it right!). It does more than I want it to do, but it works great. I use both of my can openers.

As for kitchen towels, I'm always on the lookout for good ones!

Smiles,

Sooz

Simple Y-shaped peelers are the best. Kuhn Rikon, I think, $4 at Amazon. Don't pay extra for a fancy one. Replace every so often to have a sharp blade.

I really, really hate the can openers that slice off the whole top of the can. Many years ago I used one at a friends place and ended up gashing my hand on the sharp cut edge of the can. A friend's son tripped taking out the garbage and ended up at the emergency room getting stitches in his arm where it landed on one of those can edges.

Y peelers don't seem to be for everyone but I love them. I think the action used to peel with them is more natural than the normal kind. But I've had them in places where I've worked and not everyone likes them.

I was recently introduced to flour sack kitchen towels, sold at WalMart. They're square, white and very soft. They are really nice. Other than those, I've always bought my dishcloths and tea towels and Costco.

I never liked Y peelers either, till I tried the OXO Good Grips. That is one nice peeler, very comfortable to use, and sharp, too. With the cheap Y peelers it's too much trouble.

I agree with plllog that a manual pencil sharpener that isn't heavy is going to be a waste of money. I have a moderately light weight one that uses a suction clamp to attach to a surface, but the blade is poor, not like the old school sharpeners that used the rotating surfaces to grind the point.

Interesting idea about the eyebrow pencil sharpener, though. Dollar tree sells some kind of eye liner pencil that comes with a sharpener. If the sharpener works, that would be worth a dollar even if you pitch the liner.

Everyone has already given great recs for your items, so I will just comment on the pencil sharpener. I have not used a pencil sharpener in years, maybe decades. I use mechanical pencils, aka automatic pencils, that do not need sharpening. You just click the button and there is a constant feed of fresh sharpened lead. The lead refills are inside the pencil and last a really long time, longer than a standard pencil will. I think it takes me a year to use up the pencil and its refills that are inside the pencil. You can buy more lead refills at very low prices. And you don't have to work with that short stubby length a pencil will get after some sharpening. They don't get chewed like regular pencils either!

I personally like the Pentel "Quicker Clicker" cause I like the side placement of the button which advances the lead, and that it comes in different lead thicknesses, with .7 being the most common. I use .5 sometimes for finer pencilling. Everyone has individual tastes on mechanical pencils - some like mechanical pencils with a rubberized cushy handle, or some like the advance button on the top, or a thicker or thinner barrel, etc.

I buy the box of 12 for my whole family. They are sold everywhere like Walgreens, Target, etc. You can buy one or two to see if you like them.

Pentel Quicker Clicker Automatic Pencil

I like Writersblock's suggestion for the dollar sharpener, but I can't vouch for the quality. It occurs to me that the endorsement I gave for the makeup ones were for sharpeners bought at the fancy makeup counter in the fancy department store, with the fancy makeup pencils. The sharpeners themselves weren't expensive, but it may be that the fancy makeup companies care more about you having a perfectly trimmed pencil with no splinters and a sharp-sharp point.... They're better than the ones I've tried from the art supply store.

Can opener--vintage Made in the USA SwingAway. I own three of them. The new ones are made in China and reviews on it are kinda' iffy. I keep buying the vintage Swing Aways when I see them at garage sales.

EZ DUZ IT can openers have good reviews (very similar style to the SwingAway) and are made in the USA. That's what I would buy if I couldn't get my hands on a vintage Swing Away.

Pencil Sharpener--Old school wall mount crank style, vintage Made in the USA. I have two, both from garage sales. I've never had a razor style sharpener that was worth a hoot; I would have misplaced it anyway. The wall mount ones are kinda' hard to lose. ;-)

Kitchen towels--I like vintage linen ones for drying dishes. Otherwise, whatever kitchen weight terry cloth/ waffle weave that I find at garage sales. I have a few bar mops and those are nice, too.

Peeler--I have a Kitchen Aid and a Cuisinart brand. Both work very good but neither one has a tip for digging out potato eyes so I quit worrying about the eyes and just peel over them. I like the Cuisinart one better; the handle on the Kitchen Aid one is a bit too thick to be comfortable in my hand.

I pretty much agree with Ci_lantro. I have kitchen towels are made of a bamboo blend (I think) or maybe all bamboo. Anyway, they have similar properties to linen and will dry glassware without lint or streaks. I use them only for glassware and crystal, however.

If you are buying a new can opener, make sure that you buy it in person at a store and try it out before you buy it. A lot of the new ones have gears that do not line up properly, and you can tell this only when you try them out.

I seldom use vegetable peelers, as I only scrub the vegetables and do not peel them, except occasionally Russet potatoes, but normally I only bake these and then I do not peel them. I never peel Yukon Gold potatoes, and those are the ones I use most often. I do peel cucumbers, at least partially, when using them for sushi, but any peeler will work for that.

I use electric pencil sharpeners instead of manual, and I use a lot of pencils. What kind of pencils are you sharpening?

Not sure why i have so many peelers. I think i was looking for quick long strips for my quick pickles...for carrots and other veg. I went on a hunt a few years ago. Maybe it has been 5 yrs. If you peel a carrot and keep peeling the same side you get long wide slivers. I add to cucumbers in a quick 24hr pickle for sandwiches...

I thought my OXO was long ago broken. There it is, the all black one. The Zylizz are fine, far right. Usually what i go for. The Titan, (sp) on the left are fine and sharp. The 'old fashion' in the middle, like what i've used for years like my mother and Grands...just picked that up in the Bowery in NYC a few months ago in a restaurant supply store. The cheapest and the most sharp.

The OXO actually has some rust spots. So cheaply made as most OXO is and probably China using a cheaper stainless blend.

The Titan does the best quick long slivers. For overall good peeling i like the simple 'ye olde' just like Ma. For arthritis i would use the OXO.

I don't open many cans but have the Swing-a-Way mounted in the pantry. And this one in the barn...great reviews.

Kitchen towels for everyday wipes and kitchen counter cleaning i use the cotton terry from Costco. (HomeDepot has them also). A pack of 50 lasts forever, probably a few years. I have a pack on a shelf above the washer/dryer and grab a half dozen 'freshies' every so often. The older ones are washed with jeans and tough loads and are used for floors, some in each bath for sinks and floors...then get sent to the garage for car washing and grunge cleaning. A good cycle through system. I even wrap them damp around a mop head. Nice and nubby. The fresh kitchen ones get tossed in the bleach load. Nice and big about 12 inches square. Maybe 14".

Rarely use p-towels. One roll maybe every three months. (ugly stuff like dog puke)

I have dozens of pencil sharpeners. Every flavor. Really depends on the pencil that needs sharpening. Soft or hard leads. Different densities of colored pencils/drafting tools. None are very expensive. Some collect the shavings in an attached container and some good ones will deposit all over the counter so best used over a garbage can.

OXO and Zyliss gadgets have been good for me but I must say, I when it comes to the 4 gadgets you listed, I had to kiss a lot of toads b4 finding a keeper. Some were cheap, no brand versions and my quest was for so long that I stopped keeping up with brands and just said a tiny prayer that my new purchase wasn't cr@p, ha. I bought many of the gadgets b4 finding a good one. I tossed the bad ones, no sense in cluttering the drawer.

You didn't say what type of pencils you need to sharpen, and, as someone else mentioned, that would have an influence on the type of sharpener you need.

I strongly recommend a Prismacolor hand held sharpener for colored art pencils. They are not expensive and work extremely well. Mine is small, takes up little room in the pencil case, but is big enough to be easily found. It's enclosed in a plastic case that collects the shavings, so can be used anywhere without concern about scattering shavings everywhere. I tried to look it up online so I could post a link to it, but couldn't find the exact one I have. I've had it about 10 years or so now, they've apparently changed the style. I really like the looks of a 2-hole one they have now. Also, Staedtler is another trusted name, and theirs looks like it would be good, too.

I don't have any recommendations on the other items you ask about. I hardly ever use canned products, my can opener is an electric one that I love. Very rarely use kitchen towels, either. My favorite vegetable peeler is one of the "old timey" all metal ones that looks much like the third from the left one in Sleevendog's picture. Prefer it over all others I've tried.

Rusty

Paper towel redux--I wrote that I used Bounty--but I meant Brawny. Well, they both start with a B.

1. a really good simple potato/carrot/vegetable peeler

Get ceramic blade peelers. They stay sharp forever. You need both "Y" peeler and straight blade peeler, depends on what you are peeling.

2. a manual can opener

I have this one for many years:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/414VBK4YKZL.jpg

3. good brand of absorbent kitchen towels

Paper industries use more water than any other industry, not to mention chemicals. I have 50 shop towel in white and 50 in red from Home Depot. Cheap! White for clean, and red for dirty. They get washed in the cloths washer. They are 12" x 12", also good for pot mitts. No more guilt feelings messing up the earth.

4. good small manual pencil sharpener

Look into mechanical pencils. No more sharpening.

dcarch

1. a really good simple potato/carrot/vegetable peeler

I love the Kyocera Adjustable Ceramic peeler. I have had it for many years and it works wonderfully. I can shave ribbons of carrots for salads, etc.

2. a manual can opener

I have a Rosle Can opener. It is really a lid lifter more than anything else. It does not leave sharp edges and cannot image how any one could get hurt with a can opened this way. What it does is break the glue seal between the lid and the can body. You lift the lid and you can replace the lid and seal the can almost with this method. Great item and I have given it as gifts for house warmings.

3. good brand of absorbent kitchen towels

I started my collection of kitchen towels with the Williams Sonoma kitchen towels. I have not purchased them in years so I can't speak to the current quality. I know that I purchased some from Crate and Barrel many years ago that looked like the Williams Sonoma but they were not the same quality. I would second the dcarch's recommendation for the Home Depot shop towels. I use this as my outdoor grills towel and they work wonderfully. For beauty, I would get a set of the Williams Sonoma towels but for everyday use, I would get the home depot shop towels. I have over 200 Williams Sonoma towels that I purchased over many years and we rarely use paper towels in my home. I also have a mix of linen towels too. Rococogurl on the Laundry Forum recommends Metis based kitchen towels. She buys vintage fabrics and sews them into the appropriate size.

4. Good small manual pencil Sharpener

I recommend the Kutsuwa Stad Pencil sharpener. Great because you can adjust the size. I love Jetpens because I have a pen and pencil obsession.

I second the recommendation of Staedtler hand-held sharpeners; they work beautifully on colored pencils.

Wow! Lots to digest..

I'm not going to try to answer individually, but appreciate hearing all of your favorites.

The first two items are for daughter. She doesn't like my vegetable peeler (I love it) which is the skinny one like Sleevendog's third from left. She has one shaped like the Oxo Good Grips, but it's a Faberware and very dull, so she will probably go with the Oxo-she likes the shape/hand hold. I have never used a Y shaped one and cannot imagine how it works. It just seems like it would be so awkward. I've got to try one just to see what I'm missing and maybe get one with a ceramic blade.

We both have the Swing Away can openers (both made in USA), but hers doesn't work very well. Mine does. With all your suggestions, she has many choices.

The pencil that I'm usually trying to sharpen is just a #2. I have a Staedtler hand held, but sometimes it just eats the pencil and never gives me a nice sharp point. I have one of the good old fashioned wall hung ones packed away somewhere, but not really a good place to mount. I will try my expensive makeup counter one-it's sure not doing a good job on my makeup pencils! The Kutsuwa is an interesting one and gets good reviews. I do use mechanical pencils at times, but would still like to use my lead pencil.

The kitchen towel suggestions are great! I love linen and linen/cotton mix and that vintage one homepro1 linked to is a gorgeous piece of fabric. I also like terry and do use the bar mop type for cleaning. What I'm searching for now is a nice looking towel that is also functional. I usually pick them up here and there and that's hit or miss. I would really like to find ones that I like so well when they wear out I could just go online and order so many "XYZ" towels. From your postings, it looks like Williams Sonoma and Crate and Barrel are places I should look.

Thanks to all for taking time to share your favorites. It makes it much easier to narrow down and select one and I trust your reviews much more than ones on retail websites.

If you're looking for particularly pretty towels, also try Sur La Table. They don't forget to make them functional. :)

I like the Oxo peeler, too. I'm still looking for a good manual can opener to replace my old one - I'll try a suggestion or two from above.

My favorite paper towels are Marcal - they're 100% recycled and are also absorbant unlike some of the other recycled brands. I think I got my fabric ones from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

No idea on the pencil sharpener. I have one bought recently for my colored pencil coloring books, but it's packed for moving.

Vegetable peeler - I think I have 5 or more. Including an evil device meant for peeling and slivering up ginger that I always cut myself on. I mostly use an oxo or a cheap Y peeler.

Can opener - I need to get a better one. Mine usually just creases the metal without actually cutting. I clearly don't open many cans because I haven't replaced it.

Dish towels - I use some combo of paper towels, terry cloth and cotton sack towels and a stash of crocheted sink/counter wiper uppers from an industrious family friend.

Pencil sharpeners - We have an old school wall mounted one at the shop. At home I usually resort to a penknife. I would love to find a wall mounted one at a yard sale.

When I was 14 I went to boarding school. My grandmother (who ran away from her boarding school) was worried about her country bumpkin eccentric granddaughter knowing what all she needed to live among civilized humans and produced a daunting list of the accoutrements a civilized young woman (circa 1917) would need. Think high neck flannel nighties and bathrobes. And then for my birthday she gave me a bright orange, angular, Italian electric pencil sharpener. She was a professional illustrator for whom a very very sharp tip was important.

Lizbeth, the Y-peeler is worth having for one thing: peeling eggplants. Makes it very easy. I prefer a straight one or a paring knife for everything else, but the straight one is not good at peeling eggplants. At least mine isn't. I see there are adjustable ones but I don't have that.

The best straight (as opposed to Y) peeler I've found is the Kuhn Rikon Piranha.

Very aggressive, engages the peel well. I've never been comfortable with Y peelers.