I was crap at sharpening to start with, I could get a knife sharp but it was ugly and as uneven as all hell, went to a lansky and it got better but still a tad wobbly then the spyderco sharpmaker, works ok but still easy to make mistakes, and that one mistake leaves a big ugly scratch in your blade, then tried Japanese water stones, found these are good for a scandi edge (and chisels) but not for a hollow ground blade, tried a scary sharp and this works well but it’s a tad toothy, which some people like.
Finally I bought a wicked edge, I go from 200 grit diamond to 60000 grit diamond, slowly working through the different grits. When I finish I have a mirror edge, that literally splits hairs.
Once there I try to maintain it by stropping.
I find the guided system best for me, I wobble too much without it, I know some guys claim they can do it freehand, but I can’t.
Since getting this system I now charge to sharpen knives.
All depends on what you want and how much effort you want to put into it.