What is a fast or slow hone?
How many laps makes one fast or slow? I know this won't be universal, but some numbers would help. I have zero means of trying out various quality hones, so I have to buy blind on the web. If a fast hone is 10-15 and a slow one is 20-30, even with the doubling of strokes and increased risk of a blown pass setting you back, I am looking at stones in the same grit range varying up to 4-5 times in price, sometimes much more. My Chinese 12K is slooow but cheeeap, as in I found 50 per side wasn't enough & 100 seems to work, but having used it, 1/4-1/3 that at ~3x cost would be okay considering what I spend on other sharpening stuff as a hobbyist.