I see that there is a broad price range. Are the cheap ones any good? Should I use water or oil?
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I use diamond plates to sharpen all my knives and they range from very coarse to very very fine. The DMT branded ones are very nice and uniform as are the Eze Lap branded ones. There really is no end to the ampunt of knife sharpeners out there! Synthetic sapphire also gives a very fine edge.
I have never used oil for any type of sharpening. That is just me, I don’t like the mess that goes with the oil 
With diamonds I don’t use water except to clean them. But YMMV.
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more importantly than the stone is the angle used. and be consistant with every stroke. practice makes perfect. i only use oil on the last fine stone . get a leather strop to take the burrs off your blade as the last step. my grandfather taught me how to sharpen a knife. i can shave with all of mine. i have scars to prove it! mine has 3 stones in a triangle pattern set on a wood base. don’t remember the brand. its 35yrs old and still works good.
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I mostly use the wet / dry sandpaper .
Using the stone just as a platform to put the paper on.
The 2000 grit paper and a leather strop with compound,to maintain that edge , after profiling
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I agree that you need to keep the correct angle when free hand sharpening. It is also something that takes practice to get good at. Also stropping is a very good step to use to keep a blade sharp without the lose of material you get with actual sharpening. I have some different systems to sharpen with that helps to hold the angle for you but in the end I usually just freehand sharpen.
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youtube has some good vids to show you the technique of sharpening. the older ones are more informative.
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Well, my secret is a new blade in my box cutter…… 
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I know how to sharpen. I need advice on what to use to sharpen since there are so many choices. For example, look at all the choices on this website: Sharpening Stones
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They’ll all work. And they all have strengths and weaknesses. Japanese water stone are probably the easiest to use, as they cut faster. This gives more immediate feedback and less time to make mistakes, get tired, frustrated, etc. But Japanese stones wear out faster and need to be re-flattened periodically; also you need to soak them before use. Diamond plates are also very easy and fast, but the diamonds eventually wear off, especially if you use a lot of force. On a large plate, you will still get a good long life out of it, but I have worn out pocket diamond plates. Sandpaper is affordable and flexible, but I find it a little tricky to use on small blades. I start on synthetic oil stones and finish on Arkansas because I like them and for sentimental reasons, but the Ark stones cut slowly. The slowness makes them less suitable for the harder steels. Also, the synthetic and Ark stones need to be reflattened, but very infrequently.
Whatever you get, make sure you get the largest you can afford, as things will go faster and smoother. I recommend at least a 6" length, but 8" is much better. Also, be sure to get a range of grit sizes. My biggest mistake in the past was only having a fine and extra fine stone. Works great for touching up, but if your knives ever get more than a little dull, it takes forever to get the edge back, you put undue wear on your stone, and you get tired and make mistakes. Also note that water stones use a different grit rating system than everything else.
Some good choices for those starting out would be a 1000/4000 combination water stone (add a finer and coarser stone later), a set of coarse, medium, and fine diamond plates (add an extra fine later), or one of the tri-hone systems with two synthetic and an Arkansas stone (usually a soft, so add a hard Arkansas later), or a collection of sandpaper with an appropriate base (I get better results with wet/dry). A strop is also not a bad idea, but is optional. I’ve only recently started using one; my knives got to shaving sharp without it, but the strop makes for a smoother shave.
As far as oil vs water, they both work fine. Water can (and should) be used on any stone. It’s even better with a touch of detergent or Windex added… Oil should only be used on Arkansas stones and artificial oil stones. I find the mess of oil isn’t too bad if used properly (only a few drops once the stone is charged). If you use oil on one of these and decide it’s not for you, you’ll need to give it a good long soak in your degreaser of choice.
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I ordered a large diamond whetstone. 400 on one side, 1000 on the other. My knife isn’t that sharp out of the box. I can get a decent cleft or bark graft cut into the stock (slowly), but can’t get a straight cut on a scion. I’m going to sharpen it today to see if it helps.
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For Christmas I got a KME sharpening system with diamond stones. I’m terrible at sharpening knives freehand. It would probably help if I would practice more. This allows you to put a razor edge on by holding the same angle. Haven’t used it on my grafting knife get. However, I used it on all my kitchen knives and I could shave with them after. It’s a little expensive, but it’ll probably outlast me.
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Which one did you get?
This is the one I got. There’s a few others that are similar. I did quite a bit of research beforehand and am happy with this choice. Edge Pro is supposed to be good too. There’s accessories and finer stones/strops you can get for it if you want.
KME Precision Knife Sharpener System with 4 Gold Series Diamond Hones - Base Included https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010ESF0AW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hOwzEbQX4CC6H
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Hi Vlad,
I sharpen a lot and have been doing so for a very long time. I used natural Arkansas oil stones for many many years. About 5 years ago I switched over to Japanese style water stones and I will never go back. Water stones cut much, much faster than oil stones.
I sharpen everything from knives to chisels, archery broadheads, razor blades, straight razors, dental implements and just about every other thing you can think of. You can shave with my chisels.
I like Shapton Kuromaku stones more than anything else. They cut fast, stay flat for a long time and last a long time.
https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=shapton+kuromaku&qid=1583717389&sr=8-1
I would start with a 1000, 2000 and 5000. Maybe get a 320 also.
I also like King stones which are a little cheaper. I think Steven Edholm (skilcult) uses them in his videos.
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I keep a set of these in my grafting bag. It gets my Tina folder sharp enough for me, I can shave my fine arm hairs with it. Only takes a minute or two to touch up. My forearms only grow 20 hairs or so, so not many chances to test 
https://www.amazon.com/DMT-D2K-Dia-Sharp-Diamond-Mini-Hone/dp/B000S5SD9M/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=DMT+D2E+2.5-inch+Dia-Sharp+Diamond+Mini-Hone+-+Extra-Fine+DMTD2E&qid=1616643473&sr=8-6
I should add, that I rarely do more than 10 or 15 grafts at a go. Usually just catch an hour or two here or there for some topworking to add a variety or two.
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