A lot of people can sometimes be purists about sharpening, but I think some of the new guided sharpeners get results that more or less remove the purist argument.

Learning to use a stone is always a good thing, and I have the same tri-stone thing from Smith's. I also have a little Lansky sharpener with the guides and stones on a rod.

If you want a real edge though, look for either a Wicked Edge or Edge Pro Apex sharpener. They speed up the process, and produce scary sharp results. Sure, some might call this cheating since it holds the angles for you, but the precision pays off in edge quality. They are pricey options, but you can literally take every knife in a collection to the top of it's ability.