entry level sharpening

First one, yes, second one JESUS CHRIST NO. Those pull through sharpeners are made at one specific angle and you will pull every knife through one and the same angle all the time, ruining the bevel... Also the carbide part just EATS metal, removes so much you can see huge steel shavings. Fuck that shit and fuck it to hell, unless you're a housewife there's no excuse to buy a piece of gear as dumb as that

My 2 cents.
www.amazon.com/Lansky-Deluxe-5-Stone-Sharpening-System/dp/B000B8IEA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391470290&sr=8-1&keywords=lansky+sharpeners

LMAO... Im only a weirdo on days that end in "y"

Stones are NOT the only way to sharpen by any means, but it IS a skill every knife enthusiast should learn, A real knife enthusiast should WANT to learn how to hone their blades every way possible. But there are hundreds of ways to skin a cat and not everyone prefers to start with removing the head.. 

Knife obsessed. Yes. thats me.

Cardboard is mostly cut at home or at the workplace, job dependent. If your only worried about cutting cardboard then use any sharpener you want, youll likely always be home..... But WOOD, VINES, WEEDS, BRUSH.. all dull a blade. If you are in the woods for several days camping.. especially if using a cheaper steel it WILL go dull after hard use. For the people who stay in their homes, or never go out to the woods for more than 1 night then correct you never need to learn anything, heck you could prolly send you knives for professional sharpening a couple times a year and be set. But if your like me and go out in the bush for several days to weeks at a time, chopping and splitting wood, making traps and triggers, building shelters and so on, knowing how to sharpen your blades is essential. 


As for the OP, for what you are wanting and asking for id say the crock stick set is a great option, and looks small enough that it would be easy to carry with you in the woods if you needed to. I think the Smith's 2 stone sharpening kit is another fabulous option but since you say your not real into knives the crock stix will be an easier learning method. 

I started on stones, that's why I recommend them. Dad taught me to use an Arkansas oil stone when I was 5 or 6. Then, he taught me to use the Loray system, which is a forerunner to the Lanksy system, a couple years later. After I learned them, I sharpened both our knives using either way. I guess I am partial because that is how I was taught.

Is sharpening on a stone hipster?

nah