Originally Posted by
sidmind
You asked about speed of progression, without mentioning budget or any other factors so I will answer based on that only.
It is well known the Chosera stones cut very fast, if not the fastest. I use a Chosera 1k, Chosera 3k, Snow White Original 8k (Which is really a Chosera 8k), SS12, GS20 You can't get much faster than that, depending on the sharpie test which I do when I first start I sometimes start with the Chosera 3k. The 1k through 8k is the slowest part of the progression, and gets faster as you move up. So getting fast cutting stones at those lower levels is important.