Rick,
It won't take 20 years to see the return on investment. :-) In terms of getting started quickly and economically Scary Sharp is good. But, over the long haul stones are cheaper and better. The higher grit stones (3000 and up) should last most people a life time. FWIW, I bought a complete set of stones (200, 1000, 4000 and 8000 w/nagura) for about $100. The lower grit stones (the 200 and 1000) were incredibly cheap at under $20 each. The 8000 cost somewhere around $60. If you buy more than 3 stones from Japan Woodworker you get a 10% discount. It's not mentioned in the catalog so it was a pleasant surprise when I ordered them over the phone.
Layne