You may as well ask what you should have for dinner tonight! LOL! Your going to get a host of different recs...even with one brand! What are you looking for? A starting point? Middle range? Finishing stone? Really depends. I like them all! As Jason preaches, the Shaptons do perform best when used together. But I'm less strict about it than he. Using them with other brands will not tear a hole in the space time continuem! It will still accomplish what you are looking for. The 500grit is a fantastic stone. And I really enjoy the 1K. Others do not. The 2K is also great, but I don't use it. 4K,6K,8K....All wonderful! It sounds like you just want to try one. I would probably say try either the 500grit, or 6K. Will give you an idea of either the lower range, or the higher range. You will be able to gauge your opinion on the lineup based on using either one.