Jared, it's hard to go wrong with any of the Spyderco models in general. The
Manix 2 has a nice stout frame, the ball bearing lock and a thin leaf shaped blade. It's actually slightly thinner stock compared to the
Paramilitary 2 as I recall. Either one of those models would probably serve you well.
As far as the steels go, some folks report the S110V as being a bit chippy...but
Jim Ankerson has a different perspective you may find of interest.
Regarding the Sharpmaker...If you don't let the knife get dull before performing periodic maintenance, you can get by using the
Sharpmaker with the standard stones. I recommend just using the brown stones for a slightly coarser edge which works well with high carbide steels. Also, you can get the
diamond or
CBN rods to augment the ceramic rods.