I only use (bench sized) whetstones for all my knives with a guided jig for whetstones (which was built for me by a user on another forum) which provides angle control and also very importantly pressure control. For the final (very fine) stones when I make a very fine edge I barely touch the stone.
I use Atoma 140, 400, 1000 after that I go on to DMD diamond stones 1000, 3000, 6000, 12000.
The DMD are resin bonded diamond stones and they are super fast and take about every steel. They eat Maxamet for breakfast. Here is a thorough review of the stones:
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://kochmalscharf.freeforums.net/thread/1511/dmd-diamond-stones
They are quite cheap and available here:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...inding-Stone-Whetstone-HT325/32716558253.html
After the DMD, I go to a Suehiro Gokumyo 20K (0.5 micron) and after that either a natural stone (for a long lasting edge), 0.25 micron diamond spray or 0.03 micron lapping film.