I think the Lansky set up is probably the best thing going for someone not used to sharpening knives. It's not all that hard to use once you get the hang of it. Other than a top of the line electric sharpener of some sorts, you may be hard pressed to find something that will do a consistent job, plus, be small enough to take to the field. You can learn and practice to sharpen by hand, but it can take a while to get your skill down. In the mean time you will be chasing your blade angle back and forth until you do. Some folks like the carbide angle bits you drag you blade across, I don't, that's just me. I've seen more blades damaged by these. Also if you see some guy at a knife show with a carbide bit on the end of a metal rod, and wants to sharpen your knife for free...run. Stay away from these, they hog a ton of metal off your blade.