DMT diamond stones - These are quite nice, there's something about freehanding that just makes you feel good about yourself when you're done. Sitting down, relaxing and just working the blade to develop your burr, repeat etc going up in the grits. By the time you hit the strop your edge is going to be popping hair just by running it over the tops of it. I can absolutely get an edge sharper free handing with DMT stones than I can with paper wheels, but the level of sharpness difference is not really noticeable unless your job is removing print from newspaper and splitting hair. It also takes quite a bit longer than the paper wheels, but you feel like you've accomplished something. I don't know about everyone, but it's rewarding to me to take something dull, spend the time and turn it into a freaking laser.
Silicon carbide(a.k.a. crystolon) bench stones that are dished from use are great for applying convex edges. The worn, hollowed(dished) area's sides will essentially do the blending directly behind the edge.
