The DMTs mini sharps are reasonably good, but I do seem to have trouble sharpening ZDP-189 steel (HRC of 65), which is very difficult to sharpen. I seem to get better results with a cheap diamond rod sharpener (powerfix) I picked up from a local discount store for about $4. It looks to be identical to the Gerber Sharpener available here;
It's most likely because the rod sharpener is a courser grit stone than the DMT you were using. When sharpening harder steels it really becomes necessary to start with a course grit and work your way down (depending on how fine you want the edge). If you try to sharpen a ZDP or S30V blade with just a Fine stone, you'll be there all day.
This is why I like the Diafold models. I find the Blue (Course) side can put a reasonably quick edge on most blades, then I can clean it up with the Red (Fine) side if I want a more polished edge. With ZDP I would even think about maybe going with the Black (extra course)/Blue model just to save time.
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