If going to or staying with stones, I would say that the most important things are

Get 11" stones for a longer sustained stroke.
Get three grits, coarse, medium and fine.
Keep them clean.
Find a way to make your hands and body a fixture for consistent positioning and keep stones at same height.
And find a final strop or polish system that works for you.
Also remember that until you get a burr, you are not ready for a finer grit.

again just my 2 cents.

Last edited by michiganroadkill; 02/12/20.
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."
Albert Einstein

At Khe Sanh a sign read "For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the protected never knew".