Chosera 1K
Naniwa 2K
Naniwa 5K
Naniwa 8K
Naniwa 12K
C12K
Naniwa 2K
Naniwa 5K
Naniwa 8K
Naniwa 12K
C12K
A lot of European honers use a bevel setting stone and then just pastes in progressions to hone a razor. I've never tried it but it seems similar to what you're mentioning.
i think the naniwa set is definately a reliable option, but if i were looking for the absolute cheapest way, i doubt i'd go that way... Of course, i jumped into the shaptons right away, so... Lol
Papafish, test it out!
I'm only just, just starting to get into honing (with a Coticule, no less), but I'm really surprised more people aren't recommending the Norton 220/1K, 4K/8K, and a Chinese 12K. That makes me feel better about my choice.
Norton set and Chinese 12K or whatever you want to call it.
Nortons are wide so it's easy to keep the blade flat (not an easy thing to learn on a skinny Coticule, which is all one can get for not too much money.
Plus it's easier to do a progression on varying grit of synthetic hones vs using a coticule w/slurries of varying consistencies.
Especially for someone that is first starting out, it's tough to know how thick of a slurry to use, how many strokes it takes, and when to dilute, when to move to just water.