With knife sharpening, there are a few important, fundamental things that need to be done, otherwise you are going to get less than optimal results. Two of these are: One, setting the edge bevel on a coarse stone, and Two, finishing the edge bevel. I am going to talk briefly about finishing the edge bevel, and how I have found a way for me that works consistently, on steels that have carbide volumes of D2, S30V, ELMAX and less.
If I can, I prefer to finish the edge bevel using feel, but because of a health condition, I can always do that, so I have another method of finishing passes that I like to use. After the edge bevel has been set, and the bridging or medium, medium-fine, and fine stones have been used to refine the scratch pattern of the coarse edge bevel setting stone, I like to use a Ultra-Fine hone like a Spyderco UF Ceramic Rod or Dan's True Hard Black Arkansas Stone, preferably using oil on the stone(I will also use in this order, a water, dishsoap, oil mix, water and dishsoap, and finally water. I find that oil give a keener edge). I start by using ten light foward passes per side, crossing the scratch (angling the knife blade at a 45* angle to the stone, or going for tip-to-heel instead of heel-to-tip) pattern every other pass. Once per ten passes per side I will use very short passes, then cross the scratch pattern using very short passes. At the end of the ten passes per side(PPS), I elevate the angle, do five light forward passes, one at a straight on to the stone angle like normal, one with the scatch pattern crossed at a 45* to the stone, one short pass, one short pass with the scratch pattern crosses, and then a normal angle to the stone pass. I repeat this ten PPS and five elevated passes until I reach the desired sharpness. I yoy want to use a strop, I find that sharpening on a stone after stropping can increase sharpness and retain slicing aggression. I will either use a pasted strop or a plain canvas/linen and leather strop. What I do is after the first set of light forward passes is strop with two PPS on a pasted strop, crossing the scratch pattern, or on a plain canvas/linen I will use 30 PPS. Then I will do another set of ten and five PPS, then strop using two PPS on the pasted strop or 30 PPS on the plain leather, followed by another set of ten and five PPS. The blade should be tree-topping sharp and easily pass a HHT2 if not a HHT3/4/5. It should also slice paper towel, both folded over and not folded. You can also use this method with a Spyderco Sharpmaker or Lanksy CrockStix.
If I can, I prefer to finish the edge bevel using feel, but because of a health condition, I can always do that, so I have another method of finishing passes that I like to use. After the edge bevel has been set, and the bridging or medium, medium-fine, and fine stones have been used to refine the scratch pattern of the coarse edge bevel setting stone, I like to use a Ultra-Fine hone like a Spyderco UF Ceramic Rod or Dan's True Hard Black Arkansas Stone, preferably using oil on the stone(I will also use in this order, a water, dishsoap, oil mix, water and dishsoap, and finally water. I find that oil give a keener edge). I start by using ten light foward passes per side, crossing the scratch (angling the knife blade at a 45* angle to the stone, or going for tip-to-heel instead of heel-to-tip) pattern every other pass. Once per ten passes per side I will use very short passes, then cross the scratch pattern using very short passes. At the end of the ten passes per side(PPS), I elevate the angle, do five light forward passes, one at a straight on to the stone angle like normal, one with the scatch pattern crossed at a 45* to the stone, one short pass, one short pass with the scratch pattern crosses, and then a normal angle to the stone pass. I repeat this ten PPS and five elevated passes until I reach the desired sharpness. I yoy want to use a strop, I find that sharpening on a stone after stropping can increase sharpness and retain slicing aggression. I will either use a pasted strop or a plain canvas/linen and leather strop. What I do is after the first set of light forward passes is strop with two PPS on a pasted strop, crossing the scratch pattern, or on a plain canvas/linen I will use 30 PPS. Then I will do another set of ten and five PPS, then strop using two PPS on the pasted strop or 30 PPS on the plain leather, followed by another set of ten and five PPS. The blade should be tree-topping sharp and easily pass a HHT2 if not a HHT3/4/5. It should also slice paper towel, both folded over and not folded. You can also use this method with a Spyderco Sharpmaker or Lanksy CrockStix.