beakman,
There are many factors involved in determining the "best" sharpening system. What is best for one person may not be for another.
Some things to consider:
1. What type of knife do you have and what are you using it for (there is a big span between a small pocket folder and a large chopping knife)
2. What kind of edge do you have (not every device can sharpen serrations, for example) and do you want to keep it
3. What type and quality of knife steel do you have (some steels are harder to sharpen than others)
3. Do you need to take off a lot of metal (many knives come with edges that are too thick for some purposes)
4. How much time do you want to spend sharpening (some systems are time-consuming to set up, with a lot of parts, and have a longer learning curve than others)
5. What degree of sharpness do you want
6. Weight and bulk of the system. If you need to sharpen your knives away from home, such as on a wilderness trip, then that will probably influence your decision
7. Cost, and how often do you sharpen (some devices last longer than others)
The best I've found so far, for what I need, is to freehand sharpen my utility/wilderness knives with Razor Edge hones and use the Spyderco Sharpmaker for my kitchen knives. I don't have or need one, but almost everything I've read about the Edge Pro has been positive.