on the stones, I might spend several hours sometimes.
Geez. What kind of steel and what kind of stones? I am curious.
As for the OP you have a couple of choices. You can learn to sharpen on stones. Many good Youtube videos. Search for Cliff Stamp, Steel Drake, and Calton Cutlery. If you can't learn to sharpen from those guy's videos (which I doubt) maybe you just flat can't and need to move on. Up until youtube came along I could half azz sharpen on stones and used a Lansky jig. Then I learned the pieces of the puzzle I didn't know.
You can get a sharpening gadget. Jigs, mini belt sanders, pull throughs etc. Eventually you are going to need a way to "thin" or lay back the edge and some of these limit you on that. The better jigs are the KME and Edge pro.
Problem is that good sharpening stones and gadgets are expensive. So the third choice of something disposable could be just the ticket. I call em "glorified box cutters" but they certainly would solve your problem. Sell off your good knives, get a glorified box cutter and buy something else nice with the balance of the money.
A lot of knife makers offer a sharpening service. You can send a Buck in and they will sharpen it for you for a few bucks.....no pun intended.
