I've got a surgical black (vintage norton/pike) and a vintage norton/pike translucent that give me real nice edges with light oil when I use them.
Utopian said that he kept a rotation shaving well for 4 years on a barber hone. I don't remember if he specified the brand. One other thing to consider is that what might be satisfactory for one guy, in terms of sharpness and smoothness, might not be satisfactory for another.