I've recently taken the plunge and purchased some Naniwa SS stones. I have, on the way, a 1k, 3k and 8k stone, and may add a 5k to the line-up if it seems advisable. Until now my honing has mainly consisted of doing 'touch ups,' using the Welsh tri-hone set consisting of a Dragon Tongue, Llyn Melynllyn and the purple slate advertised as 12-15k.

For the sake of practice I've been trying to get some factory-sharpened razors up to shave-readiness using these three stones; one Kamisori and one regular straight razor. I feel I've gotten fairly close but it's a long, drawn-out process using the Dragon Tongue and lots of experiments with slurry. My question: can anyone give me some advice on what to expect from the SS stones when I'm using to working with hard slate? Moreover can anyone suggest where my current stones would fit in this lineup? My feeling is the dragon tongue will be redundant, and I'm hoping it will be as I dislike the feel of it.

My hope is that I can use my two welsh stones exclusively with oil as finishers and touch-up stones. I much prefer the feel of light oil on these stones, but will this effect their ability to be used with slurry?

Lastly, can anyone recommend to me any useful extras to purchase to get the most out of these Naniwa stones? I considered buying a Naniwa flattening stone, but can't find any larger than the stones themselves. Will sandpaper and tile do the job for the time being? And would it be worth investing in natural nagura stones to partner with these hones?