Free hand sharpening or use gadget.

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
 
Freehand.... for the focus and discipline. Is my preference.
Jig for the angle on hair shears.
 
I like my Hapstone for precision that I personally cant seem to maintain by hand.
 
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.

I am thinking of buying the DMT Dia-Fold Magna Guide Kit, but can't decide between it and a Lansky System. An advice?
 
I can't speak to the Lansky, as I do not have one. However, the DMT system works quite well for my uses. I primarily use it to set a final bevel to the edge and then freehand sharpen on either my akansas stones or my Venev bonded diamond stones (as appropriate for the steel being sharpened). I find that the DMTs remove a lot of steel pretty fast so they're great for setting that bevel at a consistent angle. It works best for short knives, but I have done large knives like my Skrama by sharpening in sections about 3" long, moving down along one side, blending the sections. Then flip the knife over and do the other side the same way.
I think both the DMT and the Lansky will show some variability in the angle from one side to the other. The DMT certainly isn't perfect and I would expect more from something a bit more expensive, but it is good enough for me and with a bit of patience and care, it will produce a perfectly acceptable edge.
 
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