ErinT I have had the Lansky setup for 9 years now and love it. It will get your knives every bit as sharp as the Sharpmaker, I own one of those as well. With the clamps systems they are a little more time consuming but you get real consistency in the angle. Which I am a little too shaky too reprofile with the Sharpmaker or a bench stone so it works out great for me.
A couple of tips on using the Lansky system I learned the hard way. Put tape, I use 3M packing tape as it doesn't leave any glue residue, over the blade where the clamp will be going to prevent the blade from being scratched. This is of course especially true with coated blades and even then if you clamp them tight it will still sometimes scratch or moosh the coating.
Next tip, using a up and down and back and forth motion with the stones instead of the sharpmaker style just front to back. If I remember correctly the instructions used to say something to this affect but I don't recall. I have found lots of this to cut alot faster but with the fine stones the finish will not appear as consistent but stropping cures all that. Also when reprofiling do not just sharpen one side until you get a burr as this will produce a semi chisel edge, by that I mean the edge you sharpened first until you got a burr will be wider than the other side. The directions say something about going some number of strokes on each side but I don't remember.
I always use diamond stones to reprofile edges as they cut so much faster and I go about ten strokes each side. With the extra coarse diamond stones this does not take that much extra time and the edge looks better, but I am a perfectionist. Once the edge angle is set with the diamond stones I just sharpen til you get a burr with the other stones on each side.
I sharpen my smaller knives to 600 grit then strop them on a leather belt I bought at Wal-Mart with flitz and Sears rouge as recommended above. For me this produces a toothier edge which slices very well for me, I have tried the ultra fine stones (1200 grit) and they just get too smooth for me. This is of coarse my own preferrence but I do recommend you try it as I think I have tried about every edge finish I could think of.
Now with the large chopping blades I sharpen them with the ultra fine stones and then strop them to a high polish, just as Jerry Hossom recommends, and also have had great results espcecially with simple carbon steels like INFI, A2, 50100, etc. S30V when used in a large blade also like this high polish, though when used in smaller knives I again like the coarser edge for S30V.
Garageboy after 9 years of use I have gone through one set of diamond stones and I have to replace my medium grit stone finally as there is not enough left to flatten it back out anymore. So I would say they have held up amazingly well, far better than I would have thought for the price they cost.
