Then yesterday it occurred to me , lol , I swear .... I said to myself ... Johnny , wtf are you doing ?! Why dont you just sharpen like you always did prior to finding out about sharpeners . Honest , sometimes I think my brain has serious issues . I mean for phucks sake , I learned to sharpen in cub scouts . Anyway , yesterday I grabbed a stockman , got out a stone and hit it with water ... did the circle thing on each side and then stropped on the inside of my belt ... and behold , a sharp af freakin knife .
I cant tell you why I got " stuck " thinking a sharpener was gonna be the thing . They suck , though Im sure you can get a knife sharp with one , though it might take an hour especially if the blade edge is hosed up a bit . Hell , it might take longer because they suck , truly
A side note ...
A while ago I bought , at tractor supply , a Cattlemans Cutlery Sagebrush Stockman and it was real cheap and nicely made . I keep it at my mas house on the dresser in my room just incase I forget to bring a knife [ which has never happened , btw ] . Anyway , that brand is made by a company called American Buffalo Knife and Tool [ ABKT] , which I believe are pinko bastids from china , but oh well . Shortly after buying the Cattlemans , I bought a mossy Oak brand stockman for super cheap , again at Tractor Supply , and it is as fantastic and a little beefier . Come to find out , that brand is made by ABKT as well . So , obviously I'm looking at the ABKT brands and lines Thought Id bring it up only because a decent quality cheap knife is always a welcome thing and figured to pass that info out
These guys carry more of their modern liner lock type stuff ...
https://atlanticknife.com/collections/abkt
These guys too , liners and fixed ..
https://www.bladehq.com/cat--ABKT--3116
These guys have a mix , though small ..
https://www.grindworx.com/cat--Cattleman-s-Cutlery--565 .... https://www.grindworx.com/cat--ABKT--561
ABKT website .................................... https://abkt.com/ .... Ill purchase an elite [ modern stuff ] and a Roper brand [l traditional ] at some point , probably the large toothpick

Anyway , if you see a Mossy Oak brand cheap knife at tractor supply , its an ABKT ... I got mine on sale for 5 bucks and its pretty killer . Feels like a vintage Old Timer but with a cheap stainless that actually sharpens pretty good and very fast