I haven't had this problem before but higher end knives with far greater hardness are tougher to sharpen.
Sounds simple enough but I cannot get the knives anywhere near as sharp as when I got em. Took two years of use to dull em. I can (after several minutes) get a barely acceptable sharpness but not the razor edge the blade is capable of. I'm sure it's my failure to maintain the required angle but damn, a 4 degree margin of error is hard. Any tips on achieving this cuz trial & error ain't cuttin' it. Should I be pulling it against the flat part of the sharpener or the edges? Tried both, no difference. Must be a technique error.
You don't say what knife you are sharpening, so you are probably getting a few replies that are off point. So here is another one to add to that.
First, the person that suggested you use a sharpie on the bevel is leading you to the right idea but with what you've tried so far I'm not sure you are going to have much luck, because you have likely changed the bevel a bit in some of the spots. which is going to magnify the unevenness you have already caused on the blade.
If I was you, I would ask the mfgr (or google) and find out what bevel the blade has from the factory.
Once you have that knowledge I'd suggest a change of sharpening system. I too have many different sharpening systems, Spiderco, smiths, I had a lansky for a day and returned it. Each was good in their way, and If you had a serrated blade I would recommend the spiderco. If the blade is a plain edge however, I'd really recommend the worksharp precision adjust. It's inexpensive at $50 or less, you can set the angle in 1° increments, it holds the blade firmly, and allows the blade to be rotated 180 exactly to keep the sharpening paths on both sides of the blade parallel which helps with getting as sharp a blade as you can. It also has diamond hones so harder more expensive steels can quickly become hair popping sharp. And it has a ceramic finishing hone that you can polish the bevel to the point you can see yourself in it. Check youtube and you will find people swear by it. And there are plenty of videos where you can see it in action.
I would
not recommend the precision adjust elite. you get more hones and a carrying case. I got it for xmas from the wife and I really wish that I would have only gotten a case, I really have not seen a need to use any of the other hones so far. I have sharpened about 20 knives with it so far, and it makes it much less of a crapshoot how the blades will turn out. I have sharpened 154cm, s30v as well as plain old 420 hc and the diamond hones make short work of getting a very sharp edge. And since it is not freehand you are not at risk of changing the grind and you work the blade.
I would never suggest a grinder, like the kitchen one mentioned or the workshop version. you will ruin the tip of the knife unless you are really good at feathering it. I was not and ended up sending the knife back to leatherman for it to be reprofiled by them.