You're right, it's immensely satisfying to get a good shave off a razor I honed myself from butter-knife dull to smooth and sharp. And you can get great shaves off 8k; if you'd visited around 2006-2007, not that many guys here honed up into the really high grits yet.
But _how_ you get there can so be a worthy part. I learned to shave, for many weeks, off razors honed by experts. Then, I learned to refresh them on the 8k (returning them to the experts when I'd screw them up). Eventually, I got good with the 4k/8k and began working up bevel-less blades from 1k. Now I'm at my goal: great shaves from tools I prepared myself.
Best of luck!