Thanks for the new comments, guys!
One of the reasons "they" sell those angle guides for bench stones is that some folks just can't seem to get the hang (or 'feel') for maintaining the same angle while attacking the stone--or steel. THAT is what takes hours (not necessarily years) of practice.
When I'm using a bench stone where I can have both hands free, I put one hand on the knife handle and my other thumb against the back of the blade. By keeping that thumb in contact with the stone, and the blade against the same spot on my thumb, I am pretty consistent with my angle.
Unzinators, the angle you use is dependent upon the type of edge you're working toward. When you do a little research on flat grinds, scandi grinds, and convex edges, you'll see what I mean. Some people call it a double convex, when you have a shallow angle for the bulk of the blade toward the edge, and then a more acute angle the last silly millimeter to hone your actual cutting edge. It's the most common grind found on production hunting knives, I believe, because it gives you a sharp edge without it being so thin as to chip easily.
A comment on the coarseness of the diamond lap of which PW spoke.
I'm on my second EZ-Lap. When I went to replace the 1st one, I found a half dozen 'knock offs' to the design. They looked identical, under different brands. A couple of them were so rough I wouldn't have used them on anything but a scythe, or a brush hook!
If you look at the professional culinary grade diamond 'steels', you'll find them in 3 grades: fine, medium and coarse. If you can't find a pocket model like the fine EZ-Lap, an alternative to PW's method is to use 80-120 grit garnet paper and spend about a half hour sanding the roughness off the diamond lap.
I have a diamond bench stone, and my EZ-Lap (the one in the vid) is every bit as fine as that one.
