Blade style fuses vs. Glass Tubes

[cghubbell]

I'm wondering if any of the electrical experts out there can weigh in on which style fuse to use for a sub panel. In my case I'm wiring in a sub-panel 12V accessories (stereo, VHF, 12V sockets, etc) and another for instruments.

Blue Sea makes two units which are functionally equivalent. One uses the plastic blade style automotive fuses (AT/ATC), and the other uses the glass tubes.

Are there any pros/cons to consider when choosing between the two fuse types, or are they literally 100% equivalent and equally preferable?

Thanks in advance,
Chris

[merc2dogs]

From experience, the blade style is much easier to find in most areas, and come in a larger capacity range.

As for similarity, a fuse is a fuse, whether tubular, blade, breaker, or fusible link. The only style I refuse to use, and replace whenever I find them are the self resetting breakers, if it blows I do not want it to reset until I determine the cause.

[mitiempo]

Chris

ATO - ATC, if only because the value is much easier to read. More durable and easier to handle as well. Breakers are my first choice though.

[SlowButSteady]

One plus for blade-type fuses is that they don't roll away; always a consideration on a boat. It's also infinitely easier to read the capacity on most blade fuses, even if you forget the color coding scheme; always a consideration for those of us with middle-aged (cough-cough) eyes.

[arf145]

Originally Posted by SlowButSteady

.... always a consideration for those of us with middle-aged (cough-cough) eyes.

Hey! What are you talking about, Slow.... er, hold on while I move the screen farther away...oh yeah, SlowButSteady? Middle-aged eyes are perfectly (cough-cough) good.

[SlowButSteady]

Originally Posted by arf145

Hey! What are you talking about, Slow.... er, hold on while I move the screen farther away...oh yeah, SlowButSteady? Middle-aged eyes are perfectly (cough-cough) good.

Yeah, I know. It's just that they use such small, indistinct print on everything these days. Fuses, traffic signs, eyecharts... they don't print anything properly anymore.

[tdw]

Originally Posted by SlowButSteady

Yeah, I know. It's just that they use such small, indistinct print on everything these days. Fuses, traffic signs, eyecharts... they don't print anything properly anymore.

Tis true, sadly tis true. I'm guessing a plot by the optometrists. It seems utterly beyond belief that in this day and age of high definition printers that we cannot get clear labelling on anything smaller than a billboard.

Of course everyone knows that optometrists are all Masons. It is beyond dispute that the Masons are Illuminatti and in league with the Aliens who live inside the North Pole.

And yet they (oh that menacing mob the THEY) still claim its simply old age. You believe that, you'd believe than men walked on the moon.

oh yes and btw, a friend of my cousins knows this bloke in the government who has confirmed that eye strain caused by small blurry printing is also responsible for erectile dysfunction in middle aged men.

[badsanta]

I found some replacement spade fuses at the local auto parts store that glow when blown. It makes it real easy to spot the bad one instead of pulling each one out. It was pricey, but I replaced them all.

[Maine Sail]

Of those two fuse panels I prefer the glass blade model as I like the wiring layout better. I install a lot of them. As for fuses I prefer ATO/ATC but choose the glass model only when using those particular fuse panels. The fuse ejectors are a nice feature too!