I got into the hobby earlier this year and got a sharpmaker. It is working very well for me at the moment.

It’s a really simple system and pretty foolproof. Gets a solid edge, too, and viable if not ideal for some things outside pocket knives. For simple maintenance on pocket knives, and just pocket knives, it’s a good one stop fix. A bit pricey these days, unfortunately.

If you’re comfortable with your grinder I’d still recommend investigating paper wheels. They’re so versatile.

As someone who sharpens almost entirely on stones and belts, I’m not convinced manual sharpening beyond the Sharpmaker is a worthwhile pursuit for most pocket knife people. Stones are usually more than a pocket knife really needs and difficult to learn. Few people routinely dull pocket knives enough to get properly good.

The armed systems work well but strike me as overkill, particularly on knives with premium steel. If someone is chasing that boutique perfect high finish edge, a pro can do that for a reasonable cost. There are exceptions, of course. Some people make sharpening its own hobby.