The Spyderco Sharpmaker is a wonderful system. I used a similar system made by Smith, but the Spyderco Sharpmaker allows me to choose between a 20 degree or 15 degree angle. I also purchased a set of diamond rods for it which work well if I need to reprofile a blade. My days of using a free stone were left behind back in the '70s when I got the Smith ceramic rod set.