I want to put together a set of hones that will take me from setting a new bevel, to REASONABLE polishing. (I don't feel the need to go to a 30k hone ever)

I've read the stickies, and I've read the wiki, and I've googled, and I've trolled, and there seems to be so many options for hones, and so many WILDLY different opinions on what the best setup for honing is, that it makes my head spin.

Cost is no object, but value is. By that, I mean that I don't mind paying twice as much money for something that is twice as good, but I don't want to buy a $200 hone that is only marginally better than a $50 hone. I hope that makes sense outside of my head.

I also have no interest in owning a particular hone just to say I own it. It's a tool to me and nothing more.

I understand that I'll need a 1000 or so for bevel setting, and I really don't need any coarser unless I'm fixing a trash blade.

Having read up on the various honing techniques, and having plenty of experience honing all sorts of other things, I'm more comfortable with the pyramid approach.

So, I guess what I really want to know, is if there is a real and compelling reason to get anything more expensive than a 220/1000 norton combo, a 4000/8000 combo, and an ebay barber hone (a real one, not a zeepk) for polishing.

I know that there are a lot of people around here who spend HUGE amounts of time and money collecting rare and "special" stones, and will go through a series of 6-8 different hones to hone a single razor, and that's not what I want.

I just want to take a blade that I've cleaned up, sharpen it, hone it, and finish it.