Review on Ultimate Long-Lasting Sharpness: KING Stainless Sharpener by Ahmed Rowe

As a beginner I was looking for an inexpensive quality stone to learn how to sharpen my good knives. The instructions are illustrative and recommend holding the knife at a 45 degree angle and tracing it in an arc. I missed it the first time because I didn't pay attention to the packaging. The plastic angle included in the kit proved necessary as my ability to hold the knife at an angle was still immature. The plastic angle allowed me to get a consistent blade shape with the brown side and then sharpen it with the white thin side. After a few strokes I wash the stone to remove dirt and add water to the surface. I read somewhere that it's important to smooth the stone after (or before) use. I bought a diamond leveling "stone" that removes marks and scratches from the stone and restores a smooth surface. After sharpening my knives several times, I haven't noticed a significant decrease in stone thickness yet. Overall this is a good buy and I'm enjoying learning a new skill. Hopefully I can lose the plastic guide over time.