hone to set bevel

Hello all,
I own a few razors that came honed. I've been able to keep them sharp but would like to try honing one from the get go. I have a two sided belgian hone and a swaty. What would be an economical hone to set the bevel with? I've seen the 1k/6k japanese hones advertised for well under 30 bucks and even the col. conk stone for under 20. Would either of these work well to set the bevel? Can I jump from a 1k hone to the belgian blue then the yellow then the swaty or should I use a 4k stone for the bevel? Or should I just break down and buy a 4k/8k Norton? Finally, what's a ballpark range for the amount of strokes needed with a 4k Norton to set the bevel, and is it so great mostly because it's a fast cutter?
Thanks,
Hardhead

Well, you can use just about anything to set the bevel, really. A belgian coticule, sandpaper with adhesive and a glassplate, waterstones, or Arkansas stones have all been used to set the bevel. I actually use the Colonel Conk stone to set the bevel on my razors, just because I've never been able to justify the expense of a Norton. A 1k waterstone would be a little bit low to set the bevel with, but you've got the right idea of using progressively finer grits to cut down on the total honing time.
The main reason why most users like the Norton is because they're fast cutters, they're widely used, and a whole honing regimen that works has been set up with them. You might want to check on the permanent help files here to see what a honing pyramid should look like if you're planning on using the Norton, and the search function if you opt for the other route. Hope this helps.

Thanks Howard,
About how many strokes do you use on the conk stone to set the bevel? I understand it varies but what's a ballpark figure for a modern razor with hard steel like a ti or stainless dovo or henckels? Also, I understand that you should look for the bevel to be of even depth along the blade and to reflect off the light, is this correct?
Thanks Again,
Hardhead aka Red

I have to warn you, it cuts pretty slowly. I think with my Mitchell straight razor I did about 40-50 round passes before it started to dig into a wet thumbnail, but I checked every 10 just to make sure. I then moved on to a small combination hone that has a brown natural hone in the 6k range, then to a 10k, and then a 12k.

As for the bevel, it should look even all the way on the razor (ie the toe bevel should match the heel) and fairly shiny. The thumbnail test helps tell you if the edge is ready to be moved on to a higher grit stone by the razor edge digging in smoothly at the heel, middle, and toe of the razor.

PS I forgot to mention that I have heard of people buying small Japanese waterstone slip stones and having pretty good results with them at a fraction of the cost of a Norton.