Seriously, the adjustable changes the blade exposure which does indeed affect the shave. That said, a blade is locked into position in a razor obviously and cannot get any closer to a face unless pressure is applied. It only goes to say that different blades have different hone angles which indeed can affect a shave in relation to the exact razor used regarding its blade gap and exposure. Then you have to factor in user + and - variation on any given stroke as we are certainly not cyborgs capable of holding the razor in a perfectly positioned angle throughout each stroke. I think most of us have figured out the "sweet spot" on our favorite razor, lest they not be a favorite. (No shit?
)
That said, I think the key ingredient is a blade that has a platinum and/or other alloys hardened edge that is coated with some form of PTFE and with a hone angle that suits our favorite razor. Of course, that includes proper prep & technique which if not done properly throw everything off kilter. A blade is not something "sentient" and I do believe the key factor is that many are misinterpreting smoothness as sharpness as
Gillette discovered decades ago after expending tens of millions of dollars in R&D.
(Sound of stepping down from soapbox)