Thicker Naniwa SS That Come Without A Base

I noticed that Chef Knives To Go has the thicker Naniwa SS that come without a base. They're twice as thick as the ones that have the base, but they're not twice as expensive, so you get more stone for your money. Other than having to use a stone holder, is there any disadvantage to these?

Not at all and you don't have to use a stone holder. I sold my set but when I had them I used that rubber shelf waffle stuff that Lynn uses in his DVD. A folded paper towel under that to absorb water. Works very well.

I have a set of those.
I hone A LOT and these stones have held up very well. I never used
a stone holder for a year and a half. Just a folded towel.

I just recently replaced my 1k Naniwa with a 1k Chorsera.
Even after a full 1.5 years of heavy honing and LOTS bevel setting the 1k was still
pretty thick. I had probably lapped my way through 1/4 of it.

Yea, using the rubber grip matting like this Amazon.com: Grip It Shelf and Drawer Liner Black: Home & Kitchen works in place of a stone holder. I have been using what the Dollar Store sells.

Bob