there are many of these types of sharpening systems on the market. all of them do a decent job, some may be faster than others, but what it all boils down to is your personal preference and your budget. I've used an OLD unit for about 20 years now, it was made "pre-Lansky", probably in the late 70's. the stones are a little worn, but it still sharpens my knife good enough to shave the hair off my arm. If you use your knife for normal use and don't gouge stones or cut nails with it, it won't take that long to dress the edge up when you need to.