Personally I think honing has the least to do with it. It's either honed shave ready or not. Barring wire edges and other faux edges were talking a well formed edge to begin with. What I think matters is good steel or at least resistant to wear. Stropping Matters a lot. Shaving matters a lot the more proper scything motion and less push cutting you do on your face will affect the razor damage done by your beard. Well crafted razors made out of great material and cared for reasonably will shave for a good long while.