Use a guided sharpening system (Lansky, Worksharp, Edge Pro)

Clamp the knife in a fixture that holds a sharpening stone at a precise, locked angle. Guided sharpening systems remove the hardest part of freehand sharpening -- maintaining a consistent angle -- and produce excellent results with minimal skill or practice.

How It Works

The knife is clamped in a holder, and a sharpening stone is attached to a guide rod that pivots at a fixed angle. You slide the stone along the blade while the guide rod ensures the angle stays perfectly consistent on every stroke. Most systems include multiple stone grits for a complete coarse-to-fine sharpening progression.

Popular Systems

Lansky Deluxe ($35-60) -- Clamp-style system with 5 benchstones. The knife clamps horizontally, and stones on guide rods are stroked vertically across the edge. Preset angle holes (17, 20, 25, 30 degrees). Excellent for beginners.

Worksharp Precision Adjust ($50-70) -- Clamp-style with a diamond, ceramic, and fine honing plate on a pivoting arm. Continuously adjustable angle. Versatile and well-built.

Edge Pro Apex ($200-350) -- Professional-grade guided system. The knife lays flat on a table, and the stone is on a long guide rod that maintains angle as you stroke along the blade. Produces the finest edges of any guided system. Used by professional sharpeners.

Hapstone ($100-200) -- Similar to Edge Pro, excellent build quality, uses standard water stones.

Step-by-Step (General)

Clamp the knife in the holder according to the system's instructions
Set the desired angle (15-20 degrees per side for most kitchen knives)
Start with the coarsest stone and stroke evenly along the full blade length
Sharpen one side until you feel a burr on the opposite side
Flip and repeat on the other side
Progress to finer stones, repeating the process at each grit
Finish on the finest stone or strop

Tips

A guided system produces results comparable to an expert with a whetstone, but with a much shorter learning curve
The Lansky system is the best entry point for beginners: affordable, simple, and very effective
For someone serious about knife sharpening, the Edge Pro Apex or Hapstone is a worthy investment
These systems work on all knife types: Western, Japanese, pocket knives, even scissors (with adapters)
Clean stones after each use to prevent clogging

Limitations

Slower than electric sharpeners or freehand whetstone sharpening by an experienced user
Clamping mechanism can be awkward for very large or very small knives
Higher upfront cost than a single whetstone