Before I say anything else, let me suggest something that will be far more helpful than my advice: go back out to the forum, look at the top, and click on the "sticky" thread at the top that says "Sharpening FAQ." It's very detailed and will give you a good grounding in the basics.
Now, you've read it and you're back, right? If you still have questions, here are my answers. They aren't much, but they're the best I've got:
1. Opinions vary, but Gerber is a trusted name. I find they're mostly pretty good knives, although for my purposes I think there are better ones for the price. If you like your Gerber, it must be worth its price to you, and that's all that matters.
2. I don't know the name "Smith" in sharpeners off the top of my head, but what do you have? Is it a flat stone? Is it one of those devices with a couple of rods at an angle? Or one of the ones with crossed rods so you get the "right" angle automatically?
Thing is, if it's a flat Arkansas stone of appropriate grit, then it's just fine. If it's one of the doohickeys. . . . well, I find most of those don't work very well. If you want something that helps guide angle, the two most recommended seem to be the Lansky and the Spyderco Sharpmaker. The Sharpmaker gets a lot more recommendations on these forums. I'm getting one myself but have not used one before. I have used the Lansky many times, and it works. It has its limits, though.
3. If you're just starting out, and you're trying to sharpen on a standard stone, you're almost certainly doing it wrong. That's OK! That's what's supposed to happen when you start out. If you want to learn to sharpen, having someone who knows how it's done SHOW you will make it possible to learn much faster. Learning this skill by reading THR is going to be tough.
4. We won't be able to answer this until we know what kind of sharpener you bought and what you're trying to do with it. Are you trying to get a shaving edge? A fairly "thick" edge that will hold up to rough use? It makes a difference.
OK, is the sharpener you bought one of the ones below? I have to admit, I wouldn't want to try to get a really good edge with either. You have no control over the angle you're creating. These are designed for people who have no interest in learning to sharpen a knife and are afraid they'll ruin one if they try to sharpen freehand. If you want to learn to put on a real edge, you need something better. The good news is that you can do a FAR better job with a simple stone or two, a leather strop (or an old leather belt and a little oil) and maybe an old steel. Ever get out to yard sales? Flea markets? You can get all three items for less than one of those cheap Smith sharpeners if you keep your eyes open.
