My comment was not directed at you, just the the very first post made. I feel that we are in the same ball park, you should know your tools, but it does not take a lot to get to know an 8k synthetic stone. I really do not do that much work there, if there is something lacking am starting to I think i needed more work else where. I think an 8k is really only going to teach you in relationship to another lower grit stone. What one stones does for the other.
Anyway, should one learn an 8 k before going to more advanced stuff? I would say that going to the 12k is not going more advanced. It should be easy by that point. So why go down to the 8k in the first place? If you just have an 8k and that works then go for it.