I'd love to see Joe zap-test that meter, we need to crowd fund one for him!
There's not much of a reason to run one. I've looked at a few ANENG meters and they perform poorly. Then again, if the 121GW is the golden baseline that had a problem with the grill starter and was total damaged at 2KV, the AN8008 made it to 2.5KV, the AN8002 to 3KV and the AN860B to 4KV. Not only that, alcohol does not appear to effect the lettering on the ANENGs where it will strip the lettering off the 121GW.
Yes, the layout of the 181A needs some help. I won't be showing details on DMM mods or how to make nitroglycerin on YouTube anytime soon. The world is filled with people who would attempt to sell kits and mod them themselves. If someone were injured, you know that they will not take responsibility.
You may remember a kid that died a few years back after watching a video on MOTs and playing with one at home. Who do you think the family blames for their death, the kid who had no understanding of the risks, the family who wasn't involved with helping the kid learn, or the YT channel that shows it? Three simple mistakes cost him his life.
Point well made and understood Joe. I've emailed UNI-T to ask if there is any improvement on the UT181A ESD protection since your video, if they respond I'll let you know here.
After all, their product safety is their responsibility, not yours.