Soft arks are OK for bevel setting, I wouldn't buy the dan's soft ark because of the soft arks around, it's not as good as the natural whetstone soft arks (those are also cheap).
With all of the above, the stones have a wide range, which means that you as the user have to figure out how to get the stone to behave in the range you want.
if you have a soft ark and slurry it with a diamond hone, it's a very fast bevel setter if you're willing to use a little pressure. If you don't even abrade the soft arks surface, then it cuts more finely, but it's slow.
If I were to do an all ark progression on a budget ,I'd order the following (and I have no stake in any of these places).
* hard arkanasas or soft arkansas (not black, black trans or trans) from natural whetstone. what NW calls a hard is actually a fairly coarse stone if abraded, it's not a smooth finisher like their more expensive fine stones
* 8x2 dans black or trans
Both of the above arrive flat. I'd slurry one side of the soft ark, and then never slurry the other. I'd do my bevel work on the slurried side of the soft ark, turn it over and remove the scratches from the bevel work on the side that never gets slurried (nor lapped) and then go to the black or trans (that never gets slurried or lapped).
That'll give a finish, once the stones are dialed in, as good as any natural stone, with oil. In my opinion (and it's just my opinion), using water and soap on an arkansas stone does not provide the right feel. I haven't tried smiths or ballistol, my stones are all oiled. I have tried water and dishsoap a couple of times and didn't like it. The finer I want the stones to cut, the lighter the pressure and the heavier the oil. Thinnest I use is WD-40 (of course that's not an oil) and heaviest is light mineral oil. No need for anything heavier than light mineral oil.
Those of you wondering where you get mineral oil, a slightly heavier version of it is available in generic baby lotion. Unscented unless you want to smell like a baby.
Norton's honing oil can also be found at hardware stores, but it's expensive for what it is, and it's just light mineral oil (and a little lighter than baby oil).