Yes sir, I think the red DMT is the best general purpose. You can add a strop loaded with green compound if you want a more polished edge. A stropped edge will be sharper but smoother and will dull a bit quicker. I prefer the DMT brand over any others in the diamond sharpeners. In my experience the DMT stones that have the diamonds embedded in a perforated plate on the plastic base last longer than the DMT's that have the diamonds embedded in a flat piece of steel. The colored DMT's will shed grit initially but will settle in after a bit and stay the same after that initial grit loss. At least mine have for about 15 years.
I like waterstones and think they do a great job. The difference is that you will never have to flatten a DMT,or soak it,and it will last a whole lot longer. The DMT will clean up with just soap and water and you can use it either wet or dry but if you want to wet it you just splash a little water on it and you are ready to go.
DMT makes some nice larger double sided stones but I'm cheap and just buy the 6" model that works for everything including my 10" knives.
IMHO a real good sharpening set up would be a red DMT, a green compound loaded strop, a traditional steel from Dexter Russell, and as fine-smooth of a ceramic rod as you can find. The steel is important because most times when a knife gets dull you don't need to sharpen it. It just needs a few strokes on the steel to bring the edge back to hair popping sharp. It's my opinion that most people sharpen their knives way too much and actually wear them into a thicker portion of the grind causing them to require even more frequent sharpening. I bet even my kitchen knives that get used nearly every day are only sharpened a half dozen times a year. Most steels that you can buy at places like Walmart aren't worth buying. The DR is an inexpensive steel that is fairly good quality.
