Looking for a relatively foolproof knife sharpener

[Mabouya]

By "foolproof" I mean something that doesn't require a lot of skill on my part to hold the blade at the same angle over and over again. I don't sharpen my knives often enough to build the muscle memory needed to do that properly, so guided would be best.

Other considerations are:

1) I'm willing to spend a bit more to go electric, but manual's fine with me.

2) I don't need to get them to "shave the hair on your arms" or "slice thin paper" sharp. Just basic sharp is good enough. If it can do better than that, then great.

3) Ideally, it would be good for both pocket and kitchen knives, but pocket and general purpose outdoor knives (so, around 25*) is most important.

4) My EDC knife (which goes in my pants coin pocket) is a teeny Opinel, with a 1.5" blade. Extra credit if the sharpener will also work on very small blades.

Final comment: yesterday I spent about an hour online checking out all the options (Chef's Choice, Work Sharp Ken Onion, etc) but finally gave up due to the huge variety. I'm hoping that there will at least some consensus here on where I should head.

TIA

[Mark Walberg]

The Edge Pro is a good choice along these lines.
https://www.edgeproinc.com
Easy to use. Does a pretty good job.
If you get one, be sure to get the ceramic hone, too.
It is really a great way to keep knives sharp between sharpenings.

[choke]

I like the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It's very simple to use, offers two different set angles and will do serrated blades. IMO it works well and is a good piece of gear.

[spopepro]

These are the only two options worth considering. Both are simple, fully contained, and have proven designs. The edge pro is more guided and is better for kitchen knives, and the spyderco is the one to get if you have knives with concave shapes. Please don’t subject your blades to an electric machine.

[j44ke]

Find someone to do it for you. A good edge will last a while. Add a couple knives to your collection and you'll have enough to manage cutting jobs while others are "in the shop".

Our local place actually accepts mail-ins. And they'll sell you a nice Kikuichi if you want.

https://warrenkitchenandcutlery.com

[Dave Thompson]

I’ve been using a Lansky kit to sharpen my knives since 1988. It does everything, from my Wusthof kitchen stuff to my Victorinox tiny pocket knife. Very easy to use for a mere touch-up or a full blown edge restore. About $35.

[32x20]

Do you have any problems with the Mk.1 scratching the side of your blade? When I first started looking into sharpeners I considered a WS, but found a lot of people saying that would happen (unless you taped the sides). My knives aren't expensive for fancy, but still I don't want to damage them unnecessarily (or have to spend extra time masking the sides).

It does mark the side of the blade some. It doesn’t bother me and I don’t think it’s doing any significant wear. I wonder if felt strips on the guide would prevent it?