Hello /out brothers, I recently bought this sharpening stone from dicks sporting goods, it's the first real stone I've ever had and so far is putting a decent edge on some of my more often used knives.

Unfortunately there was no labeled "grit" on this one and the salesman in the hunting section didnt know either but it was only 20 bucks so I bought it along with some honing oil. What do you use to sharpen your knives? What is the best technique to use on something like this to sharpen a blade?

Also, following is a pic of a shitty knife I bought from Kmart that I've had for years. I know it's crap, but I found myself wondering, what makes a good knife a good knife? Like how exactly can I buy a blade and know I got some good steel? Thanks guys!