I'm new to the forum, so I'm a bit late to the party, but I'll try to answer a few of the questions that were asked. You can use the clamp from the DMT aligner with any thick bench stone, or with thinner stones rested on a small stand (a couple of scrap pieces of 2x4 will do the trick). Here's a link to DMT's factory video showing how it's done - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUridlcjmZ4. As an FYI, DMT sharpeners are made in the USA.
I own a Wicked Edge, and I haven't been able to get the results that I've seen others get. I'm probably going to sell it to fund an Edge Pro. I've used an Edge Pro once, and I liked it much better. I may try a Chinese knockoff of the Edge Pro (available on Amazon) as a test to make sure before I sink $200+ into another US made system. Beyond the ease of use in my single test run, one of the things I really like about the Edge Pro is the ability use almost any medium sized rectangular stone. Chef Knives to Go has a huge selection, and tons of info. My only real issue with Edge Pro is that I've seen videos where the founder / inventor says that he doesn't offer diamond hones because they're no faster than alumina oxide ceramic. He further claims that knife steels will grab the diamonds and pull them out of the substrate causing rapid loss of performance. Both of those are the exact opposite of my long term advanced hobbyist experience, and the exact opposite of what everyone else I know in the knife industry has experienced. I'm also not sure that an Edge Pro is $100+ better the $13 DMT aligner clamp only paired with a couple of $40 diamond bench stones or a couple of $40-$60 Japanese water stones.
As far as Smith's sharpeners go, they're made in China, and they aren't much less expensive than equivalent DMT products that are all US Made. In side by side use my Smith's 4" dual side coarse / fine works, but my DMT DiaFold dual side coarse / fine works noticeably better. I'd rate Smith's diamond better than most quality ceramic, but not as good as DMT or Atoma diamond hones.
I own a Wicked Edge, and I haven't been able to get the results that I've seen others get. I'm probably going to sell it to fund an Edge Pro. I've used an Edge Pro once, and I liked it much better. I may try a Chinese knockoff of the Edge Pro (available on Amazon) as a test to make sure before I sink $200+ into another US made system. Beyond the ease of use in my single test run, one of the things I really like about the Edge Pro is the ability use almost any medium sized rectangular stone. Chef Knives to Go has a huge selection, and tons of info. My only real issue with Edge Pro is that I've seen videos where the founder / inventor says that he doesn't offer diamond hones because they're no faster than alumina oxide ceramic. He further claims that knife steels will grab the diamonds and pull them out of the substrate causing rapid loss of performance. Both of those are the exact opposite of my long term advanced hobbyist experience, and the exact opposite of what everyone else I know in the knife industry has experienced. I'm also not sure that an Edge Pro is $100+ better the $13 DMT aligner clamp only paired with a couple of $40 diamond bench stones or a couple of $40-$60 Japanese water stones.
As far as Smith's sharpeners go, they're made in China, and they aren't much less expensive than equivalent DMT products that are all US Made. In side by side use my Smith's 4" dual side coarse / fine works, but my DMT DiaFold dual side coarse / fine works noticeably better. I'd rate Smith's diamond better than most quality ceramic, but not as good as DMT or Atoma diamond hones.
