I really really strongly encourage people to at least try hand sharpening. No guides, no flat surfaces, just a small diamond stone or rod held in one hand and your knife in the other. The results are usually not "scary sharp", but once you get used to the method, you can maintain a knife quite nicely at "usefully sharp" with just a small 1000-grit diamond sharpener.

Do not be afraid of ruining the knife. Knives are (most commonly) made of steel. Steel is pretty tough. As long as you work by hand in fine grits, the amount of material removed is ridiculously tiny. You will, at worst, scratch up the pretty surface. Which a.) can be restored in little time with the right equipment b.)is primarily an aesthetic issue and c.) is going to happen anyway if you use your knife in the real world.

It's only when you get into power tools and super aggressive grinding surfaces that you have a potential to "ruin" a knife. Use a fine tool, be gentle, and observe what you are doing, and there's no reason why you should need much to maintain your knife edge. That and be a sensible knife user. Awareness and caution when using your knife directly translate into time saved on sharpening. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />