Well, I nodded most of the time.
Sorry, but a rolled edge is not a myth. I'll get around to proving it under the microscope for you some time later. In the mean time, realize that stropping would be completely unnecessary if a rolled edge were a myth. Stropping realigns the edge that has rolled over in minute areas in both directions away from the edge.
Well, that one is a bit more nuanced, but stropping is done to re-align the edge and so the force is almost entirely along the length of the strop and very little toward the strop.
There are differences between boar and badger brushes. Their performance with some soaps/creams can be quite different. I like them both but for different applications. The price difference does not need to be $180-190.
It is not a parlor trick but also causes way too many problems for beginners. For someone who knows how to do it and, more importantly, how to interpret it, the HHT can be a viable tool.
Yes, some would be terrible. There are so many soap-makers popping up and many probably figure a higher price will denote a higher quality. There are plenty of recommendations for great soaps in this forum, so you do not have to try them blind. Unfortunately, many of the better quality, and highly recommended, soaps do in fact tend to be more expensive.