For a few years I've been on a quest to find the BEST sharpening tools in the world.  Come to find out this is as hard to find as the BEST knife.  Who knew? :)  Now I have landed on a set I like (minus one stone).  I haven't tried a stone I didn't like.  All were recommended by good people on good forums like this one.  Therefore none of them were junk.  One thing that is a biggie when liking/disliking a type of stone is how messy is it.  MESSY ones are oil stone IMO.  messy ones are water stones.  Then you have stones you use dry.  Each has it's place in my world.

If you don't mind, list what you use and why you like it.  Hopefully this will help people searching for a good set but don't want to spend $1000 or more trying each type themselves.  In the past 6 years I've tried several types of stones.  A time or two I've tried a stone, loved it but sold it to fund another type.  Now the only stone I want but don't have is one I already used and sold.  But, since I used it I know what to expect and I know I want it.  This method of obtaining a "final set" gets expensive.  You can't sell a used stone for what you paid for it most of the time.  Even if you've only used it 10 or 20 times.  Anyway, I'll list what I have tried, what I think of it and what I have decided to keep and why.  Please do the same if you want to.  It may help someone.

My focus here is EDC pocket knives.  If you use kitchen cutlery a lot please include this as well.  I’ve noticed the sharpeners who deal with kitchen knives a lot are SERIOUS about sharpening.  EDC pocket knives don’t seem to require as much perfection.  I like to give it to them anyway. J

I used a medium and fine grit Arkansas stone set for most of my adult life.  Mainly the medium stone because after I tried to refine the edge with the fine grit stone the knife became duller.  Not knowing the problem was my skill I sort of decided the stone was broken. Lol  I didn’t know I had a toothy edge.  I just knew I could shave my arm and cut anything you normally use a pocket knife for.

TRIED:

SHARPENING SYSTEMS I’VE TRIED

DMT diamond products: Aligner system and bench stones:  I love diamond sharpening tools.  They cut fast, stay flat and last if you use them properly.  They require very little maintenance.  You can use them with or without water.  This is a biggie for me.  You need to use light strokes or you will ruin the stone.  This took some getting used to for me.  Trust the diamonds to be cutting even though you are using very light pressure on the stone.  The aligner system is really good with a couple of drawbacks but nothing you can’t live with. The biggest drawback for me is getting some blades to sit at a 90° angle in the clamp.  If it isn’t you will get a different angle on opposite sides of the blade.  It will still be sharp. 

Edge Pro sharpening system:  After using the aligner for about a year and having the Edge Pro on a wish list for 6 months a bag of money landed in my lap.  Dad says put it in the bank. Me says Edge Pro. J  This is a great system.  Much more versatile than the aligner.  You can use about any type of stone with the Edge Pro.  They just need to be mounted on a blank so the EP can hold them.  The best size IMO is the size that come with it, 1”x6”.  I also use my 2”x6” DMT stones on it though.  You can set the angle to anything you want between 10° per side to 45° per side.  This allows you to sharpen any knife and put the same angle on it that it already has.  This way you  can just touch it up and don’t need to re-profile the edge.  With the alinger the angle settings are 3 or 4 degrees apart.  This can be a bit of a pain.  Once the edge is how you want it you’re ok though.  But when  a friend asks you to sharpen his knife the EP is easier.  Of course the EP costs you at least 3 aligners.  What I like in the EP most is consistent repeatability of exact angles, flat bevels and it accepts any type of stone you want to use of the correct size.

BENCH STONES I’VE TRIED

Shapton glass water stones:  These stones are so wonderful I almost consider them a different entity.  I have a set for my EP from 500 grit to 8k grit (5 stones).  I have also used a couple of the bench stones but sold them.  You use quite a bit (or a LOT) of water when using these.  They cut VERY fast.  VERY fast compared to some other stones.  They also don’t wear fast so they last longer than some other stones.   Starting at 8k they produce a mirror finish on the bevel.  This also means the edge will be very smooth, not coarse or toothy.  I sold my bench stones because I want a set that isn’t as messy.  The EP and Shapton glass stones gets very messy but that’s ok when I want a what they can produce.  But for quick touch ups I prefer something needing just a little water or none at all.  If I sharpened for several hours a day I’d get the sink bridge and a set of Shapton glass stones if I wanted to free hand sharpen.

Water stones (other types):  I’ve tried a few other water stones and all work great.  The set that comes with the Edge Pro are great.  I found that even though you get to the higher grit stones they may leave a few random scratches on an almost mirror finish.  A minor point but one worth mentioning IMO.  From my limited experience other water stones fall into a class like this except for the Shapton glass.  There are other great high quality stones I haven’t tried though. Chosera for example.

Water stones need to be “flattened” or “lapped” every so often.  They will develop a hollow section in the middle of the stone over time and also get clogged.  This doesn’t happen fast but you need to deal with it.  I have a 140 grit diamond stone that I use to flatten my stones. It cleans them up to brand new and keeps them flat.  IMO the flatness is only really important if you are sharpening a lot of knives with long straight (flat) edges.  A plain edge 10” bread knife for example.

Ceramic stones (Spyderco):  I love the ceramic stones from Spyderco.  Sadly, I haven’t tried any other brands so can’t comment on them.  They have a medium, fine and ultra-fine grit.  I have the fine grit bench stone and 5”x1” stone.  I have the small one mounted for use on the EP.  I used to have the UF bench stone but sold it.  I am going to replace it soon but there’s no hurry.  It is only to satisfy the compulsive side of my nature.  The fine grit produces a VERY VERY sharp edge.  A bit toothy and a nice finish on the bevel.  Not mirror but nice.  You don’t always need mirror of course.  Maybe not ever, I just like it.

WHAT I HAVE KEPT

DMT fine and extra-fine grit 3”x8” bench stones.

DMT extra-coarse, coarse, fine, extra-fine grit 2”x6” bench stones.

Spyderco fine grit 8” ceramic bench stone.

Edge Pro system with water stones including a set of Shapton glass stones.  Also, stones I love are moldmaster stones from Congresstools.com.  These are supposed to be used with oil but I use water or use them dry.  These stones cut VERY fast and work great.  With an Edge Pro and a set of 4 or 5 moldmasters you have what you need.  The moldmasters are around $5 each.  The Shapton glass stones start at $30 each for the coarser grits and go up from there.

I use the Edge Pro primarily for setting the back bevel, main bevel or whatever you call it.  Then I free hand the VERY edge.  I call it the edge bevel.  Different people use different terminology which gets confusing sometimes.  I find I have a better “feel” for the edge using free hand.  Different people may feel differently about this of course.

For quick touch ups I want a clean system.  When I’m going to sit for a while doing lots of work I will use water and make a bit of a mess.  I made a “base” out of  a 12”x12” mirror mounted on a piece of ¾” plywood.  I put a ¼” wall around the edge to keep the water off the carpet.  I hope I never use oil stones again.  Then again you never know.

This is a pretty good start for this discussion I think.  I’ll talk about my thoughts on strops later.  Or someone else can start that.  I haven’t the energy at the moment. Lol  Strops can be a one strop simple thing or a multiple strop set with different grits of diamond pastes, sprays, compounds, etc.  It can be simpler than stones or  as complicated as you want to make it. Inexpensive or expensive as well.

I hope this interests some and helps some also.  I know there are people out there who are asking the same questions about sharpening tools I did and still do.  My answers are not the only ones I consider valuable.  Most of my experimenting came from recommendations from others.  This way I felt like the item was a good one even if it wasn’t my cup of tea.  Maybe this info and your info can help someone.

I didn't proffread this so any typos or statements that are hard to understand, please ask.