Sorry you are finding the Gatco Tri-Seps a challenge, but it was never meant to replace something like the Spyderco Sharpmaker. The Tri-Seps is a pocket-sized field sharpener, which is what I have recommended it for, the Sharpmaker is designed to be used at home, or at least not designed to be carried into the field. It's heavy and bulky. I and many others I know who have used the Tri-Seps or the similar Lansky Dog Bone have not had any problems sharpening with one, though one cannot expect a short, handheld sharpener to hold an angle as exactly as a Sharpmaker with a large rigid base designed to hold fixed angles. That's unrealistic. If you can use a flat stone effectively, just lay the Tri-Seps down flat and use it that way; it becomes a small stone in that mode.