How much extra do you think it would cost Uni-T to build the new super meter?
(compared to the existing one)
I'm have no idea what their engineering costs are, cost to tool a new board, line setup, changing test fixtures, changing procedures, buying parts..... Are they subsidized, what sort of pricing do they get .... Who knows. It's not as simple as saying they just sprinkle a few parts in. I would say your guess is as good as mine.
I'm not sure what the super meter would even be. I would start with the UT181A. I doubt they sell any where near the qty as their low end meters like the 61 and 139 but that's by far the best meter I have seen them offer. I would gladly pay another $50 for the UT181B that came with a spare battery pack, better materials for the LCD lens (scratch resistant), more robust case design (I do like the looks of it), meet the EMC standards / more electrically robust, added AC charger adapters, store the settings in the NVRAM, maybe add the 4-20mA as a percentage. Just having the meter certified for both standards would be fairly costly. The rest of what I would like to see is just fluff. And to be very clear, for them not to try and reduce the bit of quality I am seeing in the 181A I have today!
Really, I guess what I am suggesting is for them to make an effort to go after that Fluke 289. The owner of the one I borrowed for that review really liked that UNI-T. When I told him the price, he was floored. Then again, could they sell enough to make back their investment?
If they ever make the 181B, you can bet I will test it again.