All of my hones except for my King 1K are smaller, handheld hones. I have no problem with them and they are easier to store.

I have the quarter Chinese hone as well as a small Tsushima Ocean Blue ($35). That and a cheap pasted paddle strop is all you should need. You don't even need both but it's good to have alternatives.

The quarter Chinese hone has 50% of the surface area of the full sized hone. The thickest is just less (who cares?).

I use a cheap $10 Ebay paddle strop for pastes. The Tsushima Ocean Blue is my favorite currently but the cut down Chinese hone works well too.