Your premise is correct. The edge is a product of the honing sequence, the final finishing hone, and any pasted and clean cloth and leather strops used after honing. Also, a flat paddle or bench strop will impart different characteristics than a hanging strop as the hanging strop flexes during use.

As long as you are happy with the edge after stropping (no matter what your tools and technique), keep shaving with the razor. When stropping alone no longer gives you the edge you desire, take the blade back to your finishing hone for a quick touch-up.

I understand that some people can go for several dozens of shaves between touch-ups using only unpasted strops; I cannot do that. For my tough beard and sensitive face, I can only get 4-6 shaves between touch-ups. Beyond that, the edge is not keen enough to slice through my beard without tugging. I keep my finishing hone on the counter in my shave den so I can grab it quickly if an edge does not quite meet my standards. Everyone is different, so you have to do whatever works best for you.

By the way, as you purchase more razors and more hones, you may find that the steels in some razors respond differently to hones. While I use the same finishing hone for most of my razors, I need to use different finishing hones and techniques on other razors in my collection to achieve the edge I desire.