First please know I don't presume you folks can't sharpen. I get surprised all the time at how good people are at many things. That said we also have a couple generations now that never had their Dad or Mom show them how to sharpen a knife. I think this is why the serrated edge took off so well, even if one dulls the points some part of that gullet will remain sharp a bit longer. Here is my point that pertains to the non-serrated knife which I happen to prefer for my own use. The ultimate field edge is not the super fine hair splitting edge we might want on a planer blade or a surgical instrument. The best working field edge, as judged by both the ability to cut and edge endurance (how long the edge lasts in any given steel) comes right off of a stone that is around 320 to 400 grit. Once we have done enough sharpening to remove any flat spots or abraded dulling of the previous edge and can perceive a fine burr or wire edge along the length of the blade I am ready for the final step that determines how well the knife will cut. How one removes that burr determines how the knife will cut. For serious field work we want to carefully remove that burr on the same stone that did the final sharpening. Around here that is the Norton Fine India. The technique is to slightly raise the spine of the blade off the stone, just barely changing the sharpening angle so just the last bit of edge is touching. This way we are just abrading the last couple thousands of an inch of the edge. (if this explanation sucks, tell me and I'll change brands of coffee and try again) take a few "light, wispy" strokes on each side of the blade then watch for little pieces of bright metal on the stone. This is the wire edge coming off. This edge will just shave hair and give us the best EDGE ENDURANCE, that is it will last the longest in tough cutting conditions. A stropped or buffed razor edge will be initially much sharper but will not last as long. Yes you can also bend the wire edge back and forth until it breaks off but that also leaves a fine line of flat spots down the middle of the finished edge. Bend a coat hanger back and forth until it breaks and look at the actual broken spot, it's not sharp. The ability to abrade off the wire edge at the stone will depend on the alloy of steel and the heat treat. Yes, some steels sharpen much better or "more naturally" than others. This one reason I like the diamond stones in the field, they don't care what steel you have. These brief comments about sharpening come from many years of testing, with other knifemakers and very experienced users. We have tried to standardize a test, using very abrasive rope, that determines how well a given steel in a given heat treat condition cuts. Before we could test the cutting ability of steels we had to agree what the best possible sharpening was so that each blade could be sharpened for ultimate edge endurance. That part alone took a few years to sort out. The final edge we get right off the stone when viewed under the microscope looks like very fine saw teeth. For rigging or game work this is the edge I want and people far more experienced than myself will say the same. The best thing you can do if you want to practice sharpening is start with your kitchen knives, least favorite first. Look as best you can what the stone is doing to the edge and pretty soon you will learn a feel for what your doing. Keep your sharpening rig handy and use it weekly. this is a learned skill which like shooting can diminish with lack of practice. Sharp is the whole reason I started trying to make a knife, after near 25 years I think I'm getting close. All the best! Bill