I don't know about "stoop so low", there is also the ongoing maintenance of adding water/electrolyte (and keeping it from freezing and properly evaluating the short and long term effects of antifreeze, -16F today) to consider as well. If I had a dyno, and a megasquirt, I might experiment with it and a bottle of O2 and H2 (and a steam generator). I might do a whole lot of other experiments too
But by and large the zealous conclusions and claims preceded the proper quantification of procedures and results, that is what HHO, in the common vernacular, has become.
Allthough one potential practical application I really like for HHO is a homemade hydrogen torch