1000 Grit Stone ...

I have both the bester 1200 and green brick. The bester 1200 is a nice all around stone, but I would hesitate to recommend it as a stone leading into the green brick. The Bester does cut slightly faster than the brick, but I'm not sure it fits your progression. To me this is a one or the other option...

Not to push you in a specific direction based on my preferences, but I would focus on a lower grit stone (400-500ish) to use in between the 240 and brick, if you do indeed like the brick? Possibly, the issue is the jump from 240 to the brick is too high of a jump? A 4x jump(brick starts out around 1k), imo, is a big jump on low grit stones. Smaller jumps(2x) on the low end may just be the solution you are looking for.

To help you get the most from the brick:
Do you use a lapping plate? If not I would highly recommend getting one. Use the lapping plate to build up the mud on the brick before putting blade to stone. The "rough cut mud" will help with the speed of the brick. The 240 stone is fine for flattening higher grit stones where you will be washing off the mud to check that all your pencil marks are gone. Used as a lapping plate, however, will have a tendency to impart larger 240grit particles that are counter productive to the refinement process of you higher grit stones.

The brick is not a static 2k stone, but rather a stone that bridges a variety of grits as you work the mud. Rough cut mud, imo, is around 1k and as you continue work the mud you can get a much higher refinement level. Some claim in the 4k level, but in my hands I'm getting closer to a 3k finish.

My biggest complaint, about of the brick, and something to be aware of is it has a tendency to load(metal swarf gets trapped in the pores of the stone) more so than some other stones. This is distinctly noticeable by the stone itself, not just the mud, changing to a darker color. If this happens it cuts slow as molasses. Lapping, even in the middle of sharpening, may be necessary if loading is noticed.

For the novice user, I can not stress enough that stones react differently to different styles so your results may vary. Experience and experimenting with new ideas is the best way to learn how to get the most from each stone. Don't be afraid to try different methods(soak time, sweep style, pressure, amount of mud, etc.) to get the results that best fit your tastes/preferences.

 

Try the Naniwa Omura 150.

http://www.japanwoodworker.com/Product/156598/150-grit-Omura-Water-Stone---Naniwa.aspx

As unlikely as it may seem, you can jump from the Omura to the Green Brick of Joy.

The only downside is that the Omura will dish like crazy.

 

In that grit range I have the King Hyper Medium 1K, the GlassStone 1K, and the Mizuyama 1200. The King is a soft stone that's easy to learn on. It's a lot faster than the regular King, but it's not a particularly fast stone. The Shapton GS is a very hard stone, and cuts quickly. As a splash and go, it's terrific for a quick touch up. The Mizuyama, which I believe (but cannot confirm due to a vast international conspiracy) to be identical to the Bester 1200, is a medium hard stone that cuts very quickly. It's usually my first choice and it seems to work well with every knife I have.

 

The Shapton Pro 1.5 is an excellent all around stone. Has a better feel than the 1k but seems to cut as quick and dishes very slow.

 

Dmt mini plates are really really good for building up mud. A set of 3 different mini plates is only $20 off amazon.

 

I like the king 800. It's one of my go to stones for a while now