I free hand sharpen, I love the convenience of it ,plus I can get any knife so far, hair popping sharp...but I wouldn't mind using guides to get precise edges ,I think it would really elevate my edges so thumbs up to both methods
I do both. For quick touch up and maintenance, I freehand sharpen my knives on natural Arkansas stones (for my carbon steel blades) or diamond hones (for more exotic modern steels). When a blade needs more work done, I'll break out the DMT Magna Guide. I would love a nicer rig, but for me, the Magna Guide is good enough to git er done.