Why use whetstones instead of a dry grinding wheel

Don’t use a dry grinding wheel to sharpen your good carbon steel blades.  The heat which develops causes a loss hardness which reduces the tool life.

Low-speed (90 to 120 rpm) wet grinding wheels prevent heat build-up. Sharpening will take longer, but you have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’re treating your tools with the respect they deserve. The best wet grinding wheels on the market are based on a sophisticated system and are made by Tormek in Sweden. 

 However, if the prices exceeds your budget there is good news: with a good whetstone, a grinding guide and some practice,  you can achieve excellent results.

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Author Friedrich Kollenrott writes it is good practice to sharpen in three stages and recommends the following:

First stage:the bevel is ground with a coarser whetstone (about J800 to J10007 grit) until all signs of wear and damage have been removed from the cutting edge.

Second stage the bevel is honed, ie, ground a second time, but this time with a very fine honing stone (about J3000 to J10000 grit) that leaves a fine surface finish.

Third stage: the back is honed to remove all unavoidable scratches and any small signs of damage from the cutting edge, as well as the very fine burr that usually forms when the bevel is honed.

https://www.fine-tools.com/

 You can download his book here: https://www.fine-tools.com/pdf/sharpening-chisel-and-plane-blades.pdf

Why use Suehiro Cerax Waterstones?

Cerax waterstones are Europe's best selling water stones, with a very solid reputation in Japan and the rest of the world. Widely used across the woodworking and culinary professions; these stones are made from slow-wearing ceramic particles which act as the perfect abrasive for high carbon steel and tool steel alloy such as Vanadium and Chromium.

Grit Recommendations from Suehiro:

 

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https://www.suehiro-toishi.com/en/howto/