The Voice from the other side here.

I'd go with the 4000/8000 Norton first. Unless your blade is badly messed up it won't see the 1000 much and if it is badly messed up you can always go with the cheap sandpaper option to get it to where the 4000 can handle it.

There a re a bunch of reasons to have an 8000 grit stone in your arsenal:

Some razors and some guys do really well shaving with the edge right off the 8000 so thats worth a shot. Getting a comfortable shaving edge off the 8000 is a bit of a challenge but it is very possible with good steel and will teach you a lot about honing along the way.

Since there are a million finishing options out there some of which are not suitable for dealing with a 4000 grit edge you will probably end up with something in the 8000 class anyway if you want to try other things, like pasted strops, for finishing down the road.

The 4000/8000 grit pyramid method of honing is well documented and is the easiest way for a guy to learn to hone reliably.

Good luck whatever you decide!!!

Have fun honing