Todd,
I believe one could make an argument that freehand can be fast.
I followed the progress of other posters on this forum and bought a better tool rest and a CBN wheel, actually two. I had a bad experience with my old Tormek rest and ended up purchasing a Stuart Batty rest and Stuart Batty angle setter. “Robo Hippy” also makes a rest that many like. Robo Hippy posts on the Turners Forum on SMC.
If one wants to sharpen fast Todd,
I think “freehand” hollow grinding on a CBN wheel can create a bevel that just about anyone can “freehand” sharpen. Particularly if they start out working along the length of the edge. Maybe the “more advanced” sharpeners make the hollows and others just maintain those hollows.....
I learned to make hollows, even cambered hollows, in plane blades first. Once I learned to touch those hollows up by hand, using hard, waterless, Spyderco stones. I found it easy to adjust to sharpening chisels and other tools regardless of whether there was a hollow grind or not. For me the immediate feedback on CBN wheels was what I needed to be able to actually see what was going on. Believe it or not the cost to my plane blades was negligible, as I could see immediate results.
I have multiple blades for most of my most used planes, but those blades may have multiple cambers. As a result, unlike Brian above, I tend to sharpen as I go. Hitting 10>20 passes on a waterless stone usually does not slow my work progress down as much as a dull blade does. I find that not having to change the tool I have developed a feel for during the work may out weigh the time spent maintaining “sharpness”.
I am currently experimenting with Buffalo hide and charged Buffalo hide as a method of maintaining sharpness vs grinding.