As the OP "Vivi" says, "sharpening is as much of a hobby to me as knife collecting is." A number of people said, "I don't really feel that a knife is mine until I've put my edge on it." It is sort of like ammunition reloading. Some people find they enjoy reloading more than shooting.
Some introductory videos.
Blade Forums has a "Maintenance, Tinkering, and Embellishment" subforum, which is the place that sharpening is discussed. The stickies are recommended reading.
Take a look at the YouTube channels of Cliff Stamp, Michael Christy, Burrfection and others.
As a steel geek I need to put a steel to the stones to know anything about it.
I love the learning curve of sharpening. Half the reason I like trying all these different steels.
My YouTube subscription list is full of awesome sharpening channels: Big Brown Bear (Dead Box Hero), Michael Christy, Rough Rooster Knife Sharpening, Dean O, JDavis882, Jeff Jewell, and OUTDOORS55 are among my favorites. There's a deep well of knowledge there and conflicting styles, mediums, steels, goals, etc. Great stuff!
I used to like jdavis, but he has moved on since. Try HeavyHanded, and Jason B (both over BF) YT channel
These days I crave new sharpening gear more than new knives.
The more I freehand, the less I've been using my Sharpmaker the past month...after being so jacked up on it. I'm just finding myself much more effective freehand. Sharpmaker is strictly for a finishing touch.
Wish I bought a fine grit Spyderco bench stone instead of the Sharpmaker to go along with my coarse/medium grit bench stone. Oh well...we learn along the way.
It basically comes down to using a light touch, alternating sides every stroke, and (the hard part) keeping a pretty consistent angle.
Being overwhelmed with steel choice carries with it an obligation to sharpen so as to learn some of a steel’s properties. I enjoy this discovery, whether by freehand or Sharpmaker, ...
If you look at Michael Christy's videos, even he, a guy with a considerable amount of skill, takes his time. While he could impatiently rush through it and still get a great edge, he is meticulous, patient, and focused.
Probably the most ideal answer is to learn to free hand effectively. This opens up a lot more possibilities in both stone variety (and cost) and angles and convenience and so on.
There is absolutely no shame and zero wrong with choosing to use a guided system.
If you love your Spyderco knives now, you'll kick into an entire next level when you are using it with your own edge.
Tom's Knife Info / tom@mmto.org