There are many ways to sharpen knives. I guess your question is whether to use the steel that comes with knives, or a stone. Steels are only to straighten the edge, which is stropping. They won't sharpen a truly dull knife. For that you need a real sharpening system, of which a whet stone is one. The edge of a knife will get wavy with use - that's what the steel is for, to true it back up.
