I'm overwhelmingly glad and grateful for all the things I've learned about freehand sharpening (Thanks!! largely to BF and all it's knowledgable membership). My own freehand skills are arriving at a comfortable place that's very rewarding.
Having said the above, I'm still somewhat amazed at how effective a simple V-crock sharpener can be. Much of the 'touch' and 'feel' aspects learned in freehand sharpening are still greatly rewarded in using something like a Sharpmaker, and lately I've even been re-bevelling blades on a compact 'Field Sharpener' V-crock set from A.G. Russell, which includes some great diamond rods with the kit. It's just too convenient and easy, and I find it difficult to not reach for it frequently.
And I still find a DMT Aligner clamp to be very useful as well, especially for bigger grinding or re-bevelling jobs on large or very thick blades, using a DMT Duo-Sharp bench hone. The fatigue that always comes with heavily grinding big blades is an error-generator in trying to maintain a steady hand, so the guide keeps things in line, even when the hands start getting tired.
David
