Automatic stropper for modern DE blades?

Curious if you guys think that this device might work with today's DE blades.

http://tinyurl.com/2hnqb5

If your not familliar with the device, it has two leather covered wheels and a metal bar that you place the blade on. When you crank the handle the wheels spin away from the center of the blade and the blade flips over after each rotation. Cool looking device, and if you can strop the first shave off the blade to get to the prime 2nd shave right away I'm all for it!

The general thinking is that they won't work well on a modern blade. Sharpening a stainless steel edge requires more than leather to affect the edge. The older blades that were made of high carbon steel were much easier to sharpen and the device did work, at least to a degree.

My grandfather had one of the twin-plex blade stroppers that he used for decades. They produce a servicable edge on a carbor steel blade, but today the twin-plex's are little more than a curiosity. In their heyday, they were valuable in stretching out the service life of a razor blade --important during the depression of the 30's when costly blades could be reused, and during the war years where subsequent war-time shortages due to rationing led to reuse.

I doubt that they could put an edge that would be comparable to todays blades, and probably wouldn't do well stropping todays harder, gummier stainless steels. This topic comes up from time to time; it's a nice bit of nostalgia that technology has left behind.

-- John Gehman

Also modern blades have coatings on them which would be worn off by these devices.