I kind of get what you are getting at...I think.

When honing, you can tell a LOT about a blade and once you are done with the finisher you will know if will shave well or not...especially if you look at it once and a while under magnification.

One of Robert Williams razors gave me a booger of a time a couple of days ago, but it's because it was a 1/4-1/2 hollow, a bit of material had to be removed to re-set the double bevel it had, and it was HARD. I knew it was going to shave well before I stropped it.