So, I got some Naniwa stones from SRD and bought a couple of Gold Dollars to practice on. I had to "hone the shit out of them" to get a good edge. However, after one not-so-great attempt, on the second try I got a really nice edge and the Gold Dollar gave me a better shave than my sight unseen razor. There is also a small sense of accomplishment in shaving with a razor that you worked on yourself. Watching various videos and seeing that there is really no one proper way to hone really helped.