Most of the people reading this are driving 70's soft suspension, wormgear steering diesel MB. Sometimes early 80's soft suspension wormgear steering diesel MB
Even more marginal, the guy hammering the weight that is X onto the wheel...

Unfortunately not.

Most are from the '80s and the suspension is anything but soft. A casual ride in one of them would clue you into that tidbit. They are definitely sensitive to couple unbalance and the only way a bubble balancer works if if you're very lucky and both the wheel and the tire are very accurately manufactured.

One additional possibility for the use of a bubble balancer is presented if the driver is insensitive. There are plenty of members on here who would tolerate a 1/2" shake in the wheel and not even comment on it. Bubble machines are fine for them. If the vehicle moves under it's own power from point A to point B, they're good. They only come here when it won't move at all.

Anyone taking odds as to when the drunken Mel Gibson tirates will start?

When I was a Kid back in the lat 1950s Bubble Balancers were used at Gas/Service Stations, likely better made than Harbor Freight ones.

Cars drove at about the same speeds as they do now and were not impeded by as many Traffic Signals either.

I have been using a Manual Tire Changer (Harbor Freignt Again) since the early 1990s and I don't have My Tires Balanced at all unless I have an issue with them.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel