I'm thinking of a couple of things:
- The Sharpmaker rods may be clogged. I wash them in the sink with warm water and Comet like the video suggests. I use a nylon scrub pad with the Comet on it. Inbetween cleanings I've been wiping them with Hoppes #9 and sometimes with Simple Green on a shop towel. The Hoppes leaves an odor (that happens to be ok by me but not by my wife). Another thing that works well is the Mr Clean sponges you can find at Home Depot.

- Your angle is possibly wrong....that's why the sharpie is recommended. When you're stroking the blade with light pressure, you should be able to feel the edge being ground against the stone. I'm guessing you're sharpening the shoulder of the edge...as opposed to the edge of the edge Improper angle or clogged stones. Or both.

Each to his own, but I still recommend sticking with the Sharpmaker (since it's a bird-in-hand right now). I don;t think it's the device that's failing you. Keep trying....clean stones and increase angle. Good luck