What’s the best one out there? I’ve always used a stone but want to move to something else.

Kinda depends. But, the one I use most is the 110 volt motor with 2 different stones.

Providing you already have the edge geometry you want, a ceramic rod is hard to beat

Ceramic rods do a great job of sharpening knives.

I use 2 ceramic rods in a V Block that holds them are the right angle. I just hold the knife straight up and down and pull is across the rods alternating sides. I can't remember where I bought it, but it wasn't very expensive, came with two sets of rods.

I bought and use the motors that the guys at the gun shows use. But, then I generally finish with some oiled stones.

BTW, if you want to it to cut, use high carbon steel blades. They take more care and maintenance than stainless but are worth it.

V-Sharpe Wart Hog best I have ever found!!!

The wife was cutting up my recent doe today, so sharpening was gonna have to happen. A couple of real expensive Wusthof knives needed a good edge, and the small filet knives she used had to be resharpened after she finished. And my Griptilian needed to be brought back to razor sharp. I used a Very Fine diamond plate, then a hard black Arkansas stone and then a leather strop. That’s usually enough if the blade isn’t too dull. The big Wusthof was dull as a butter knife (not really), so I had to use the coarse diamond plate, then the Very Fine, then the oil stone and strop. Those German steel knives will really take a good edge. The filet knives took a while to get sharp, and they were stainless. Dave’s stainless vs carbon steel edge holding must be right.

I’ve made a lot, probably many 100’s, of knives over probably 50+ years but never to sell. More of a hobby. The best steel I’ve found was from industrial hacksaw blades and they aren’t stainless. They take and hold an edge. They also rust so they need more care. You hand wash and dry them. They are also, I have found, more brittle than stainless. Various sites on the web sell knife making billets.

No way I’m going to try to make another set of serrated steak knives.

Stainless is good for everyday kitchen use and Boy Scouts. But, if you want to cut something other than on your plate, get something that takes a little more special care. Look for high carbon steel on the web.
Due to arthritis
in my back, I can no longer bend my back forward when knife making. And the back braces are fairly useless.

As far as sharpeners go, I started out by using an Edge Pro Apex, and it worked really well, just a little slower than I wanted with the volume I was doing. Wicked Edge has some really good sharpeners also but I don’t have any firsthand experience, just listening to some other knife makers. I now use my 2x72 grinder but that’s not really a cost effective option for most people

I use the work sharp precision pro and you can split hairs. But…$249

I’m about to order a wicked edge

I like the Lansky System.

For what some of those cost you might look at Tormek sharpeners.

I typically use my bench grinder with paper and sissel wheels coated with polishing compound.. but you have to be careful doing that... its easy to take off a lot more steel than you intended if youre not paying attention..

In the kitchen when I just want to touch something up, Ive found the Warthog V-Sharp to be pretty much idiot proof and super effective at putting a really nice edge back on your blade.. Its my go to tool for keeping the butcher and chefs knives sharp and I'll occasionally touch up my hunting knives and other blades if they just need a quick resharpening...

https://warthogusa.com/product/vsharp-a4-knife-sharpener/

Diamond stone. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, a smith's from academy is fine

I've used the Lansky for a long time, wasn't satisfied so I gave to a friend. I had it for several years. I have a brand new still in the box Elite sharpener still in the box Work Sharp. I saw a gentleman at Cabela's sharpening his knife using a Wart Hog sharpener. He sharpened my knife to shaving sharp in just a few minutes. Needless to say I bought one the next day at the gunshop I visit quite often. My right hand took a whoopin when a tire blew up as I was airing it up. Been over forty years ago probably. Dr's said it would never be the same and would more than likely be useless in a few years. I still have use of it but my grip is not very strong. With very little grip it is hard to hold a knife at the same angle consistently to get a really sharp edge. The work sharp changed that. Highly recommend them!

Yeah
I use those for a touch up after using a knife if it's not dirty.
Bought a half a dozen or so from SMKW some years ago.
Good inexpensive tool

Mostly use the $2.99 whetstones from harbor freight for a
serious honing when needed
Proper butcher steels and ceramic rods on a handle for
touch up.

Used to be every gun and real sporting goods stores sold
genuine natural arkansas stones of the various grades for
very reasonable prices.
I haven't seen any for a very long time unless I just overlooked
em

I used to use various oilstones for sharpening chisels, handplane blades, and knives. I did Ok, but went to a woodworking school some years later, where part of the course was sharpening. They used only diamond plated followed by a leather strop. That really changed my thinking, so I got the necessary diamond plates, added a hard black Arkansas stone to the process. This has to be done by hand, so if that won’t work for you, get something that plugs in. Some folks just never can get the skill to sharpen by hand. But, it’s really just like anything else, in that practice is required, along with some tolerance for frustration.