I had the same question/issue for yrs...then chef told me that knives don't need to be sharpened much at all unless they've been abused or lost their temper, like thru a dishwasher or other source of heat.
The best edge can be maintained by using a steel. Either the round ones that you get in a kitchen store or the newer oval-shaped diamond steels.
They work by straightening the edge that's already there rather than removing metal.
I have been using these and my knives have never been sharper.
I only use a stone or ceramic when the edge needs to be re-ground. Not for maintenance.