1k/8k is not practical by itself. It's too big of a jump so you are going to need something in between. If you are going to be honing ebay razors, a good bevel setter is a must unless you want to spend a lot of time creating chipped edges. The grit number is only part of the story on ANY hone, so don't assume that anything labeled "1000" is going to work. Some will and some won't.

The Arashiyama 1k at ChefKnivesToGo is a very good 1k hone for half the price of a Naniwa Chosera. That and a Norton 4k/8k combo hone would be all you would ever need. If you want/need cheaper than that you can do it all on a decent barber hone like a Swaty but that is going to take more time to learn and to do.

Good luck with it whatever way you choose to go and you are right, this stuff does not have to be expensive, but some investment is going to be needed to make it work.