first off, on the Lansky sharpener, i use the 25 degree angle for my EDC knives, and i sweep the hone from the base of the knife to the point in one smooth moton, i don't use the Lansky "multiple short strokes" motion, i also work one side of the knife until a burr forms (you can feel it) then i flip the knife over and cut it off by using the hone on the other side, maybe 2 sweeps or so
you really have to go by "feel", there's no magical number of strokes per side, sharpening is as much an art as it is a science
i use the Lansky to bring the edges back on badly abused knives, and i maintain on the Spyderco Sharpmaker, typically after a few cutting sessions, if the edge feels like it's starting to roll over, i grab my leather scrap and strop the edge a few times to realign it, most of the time that fixes it, if it doesn't, a few passes down the Sharpmaker will bring it back
from my limited experience sharpening, most steels will take a shaving-sharp edge, however they'll all "feel" different....
from my limited knife collecion;
generic "Stainless" (my generic butterfly knife and Gerber EZ-OUT) will take a sharp edge, maybe not shaving sharp, but reasonably sharp, they just won't *feel* sharp
420HC (Buck 110 and Kershaw Scallion) will take the easiest edge and can get scalpel-sharp, but will need more care to *keep* the razor edge (stropping and/or steeling to realign the edge), these steels will *feel* sharp, a little "toothy" but scalpel-sharp
VG-10 (Spyderco Endura and Cricket) and ATS-55 (Dyad Jr) Scalpel-sharp/scary sharp, so sharp you won't even feel the cut until after it's done, and the cut will be very clean, no ragged edges, very durable edge retention on VG-10, ATS-55 needs more touching up, these edges feel very *smooth* and polished, a little more difficult to maintain than 420HC, but not actually *hard* to maintain
Aus-6 (Spyderco Jester) honestly, i'm not happy with this steel, it's "fussy", when you get a nice sharp edge on it, it's great, cuts well, but the edge wears quickly and is very sensitive to breakdown, a "toothy" edge
CPM-S30V (Spyderco Native) has the durability of VG-10 and the "toothy" feel of 420HC, a little tougher to sharpen when it gets dull, but holds a good, sharp edge for a long time, doesn't "polish up" as well as VG-10 or even Aus-6, a good, solid, tough and reliable steel, yes VG-10 may be "prettier" and shinier, but CPM-S30V is a workhorse
personal preference (best to worst) of my "Supersteel" knives would be;
CPM-S30V and VG-10 (tie for first)
ATS-55
420HC
Aus-6
