I have to agree with Dylan 100% here. When I began honing I had the Norton 4/8 combo and a Swaty. Shortly thereafter I bought a Shapton pro 15k used. So I went to those because I had 'em. Randy told me that I should make sure I was getting a DFS at the 8k level and I began working on that. Over the years I've shaved @ the 8k level many times, with many different razors.
Many times I've thought to myself, if I didn't have any higher grit hones, synthetic or natural, I'd be perfectly content with the 8k. Like Dylan I got into this and it became a major hobby, so acquiring different hones and razors to experience them became a pursuit. If I had just been a dedicated shaver, not playing at the sport, I could be perfectly satisfied with the chosera 1k and the norton 4/8 , or the equivalent. OTOH, since I've got the icing, I may as well put it on the cake. :)