Why you should buy quality electrical parts

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mcnoople

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A coworker sent me these links. They are tests on a certain off brand fuse. Keep this in mind anytime you are thinking of buying something electrical that is on ebay or looks good in a catalog. If you don't see the problem in the 2 videos then you should learn some basic electrical before you do anything to your car.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIyIsUgSw5Y"]10 Amp Fuse Testing - YouTube[/ame]

and

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t1OHWxkdx0"]Thermographic Recording of Fuse Blowing - YouTube[/ame]
 
The problem is not "why you should."

The problem is "where do you get?"

NAPA certainly is no longer the "go to" standard
 
Example.
The original Delfie US made ignition switch in my 92 truck lasted 18 years. In the last 4 years I've gone through 3 China switches and the 4th one is on its way out.
 
That's insane. I thought everyone knew you don't use HF for anything crucial?? Throw away tools only. imo
 
Back in 2007 I purchased Harbor Freight Fuses that I ended up using in my 2004 dodge Ram. I used a plug in type air compressor to inflate a lawnmower tire next thing I know my dash is smoking and there is a fire deep in the a/c vent I was able to put it out but it cost over $6,000.00 to repair good thing I had insurance to cover it. When I told them what happened the asked if I still had the receipt where I had purchased them from Harbor, Which I did have and gave them a copy. The insurance co said they were going to seek compensation especially since they had refused to recall the fuses as was recomended by some goverenment agency or consumer group. Don't know what ever came out of it. But do NOT buy Harbor Freight fuses. They were forced to make a recall after all this blew up on them by the NTSB. You can find all this info on GOOGLE.
 
"Ah, the old wrap the cigarette package foil around the fuse trick!"
 

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Holy crap, those videos were crazy! Ok, so a fuse is not just a fuse. Apparently some are not up to par !! Where is a good place to buy the quality ones?
 
65-440 said:
Holy crap, those videos were crazy! Ok, so a fuse is not just a fuse. Apparently some are not up to par !! Where is a good place to buy the quality ones?
Click to expand...

I certainly don't know. Where is a good place to buy anything decent anymore.

I usually get fuses at NAPA, but have no idea of quality. I do know they pop though when overloaded, but by how much, I dunno.

Those videos are disturbing.
 
Go to Radio Shack and buy some stuff to build your own fuses too.
 
It is good to evalute products to insure they meet required specifications. Specifications are often self governed. Lack of specifications often indicates hiding poor performance. As a product development engineer I did a bunch of testing. While many companies offer parts with the same part numbers and similar specifications, the difference in quality is often huge. Bill of materials are often very specific for reliable products. After much testing a few companies are identifed as favorites. With all the mergers, it gets more difficult these days.
 
That's scary enough I'm even sending it to my friends that drive Fords.
 
Not to go way off the topic but this reminds me of the true story of the father and son returning home from hunting trip and he blew a fuse and in order to get the truck running again he inserted a live 22 long rifle cartridge in the fuse spot and continued on their trip until the problem that caused the first fuse to blow caused the 22 long rifle to go off and it shot him in the calf and that in turn caused him to swerve off the old dirt country road and roll the truck killing him and his young son! So yeah cheap fuses and electrical problems can even cause death!
 
inkjunkie said:
perhaps you should create a "how to" thread....
Click to expand...

There are enough pics of bending little thingies ( stooped chit ) on the web already.
Some of us knew that fuses could pass a lot more current than their rating and recognized increased fire potential of plastic casing years before Harbor Freight came along.
The fuses they sold were only the worst of the bad.
 
Little Fuse is a good company. They also make very small transient protection products that protect circuits from ESD (electrostatic discharge). They provide excellent protection for sensitive circuits exposed by connectors and external wiring.
 
I worked in a salvage yard and small auto repairs all my life ,
and it is really amazing what people reely due in a fuse box.
u pay 4 what u get but u should have commen sence.
I even bought coffee with the change from fuse boxes
 
packerman16 said:
I worked in a salvage yard and small auto repairs all my life ,
and it is really amazing what people reely due in a fuse box.
u pay 4 what u get but u should have commen sence.
I even bought coffee with the change from fuse boxes
Click to expand...


Lol, it's as bad as people putting pennies under the old screw in fuses in their house. :banghead:
 
Obviously whoever is making these things think that changing the ratings is a function of color.
 
I've found McMaster, Digi-key and Mouser all carry decent stuff. You'll pay for it but they don't sell junk.
 
RedFish said:
There are enough pics of bending little thingies ( stooped chit ) on the web already.
Some of us knew that fuses could pass a lot more current than their rating and recognized increased fire potential of plastic casing years before Harbor Freight came along.
The fuses they sold were only the worst of the bad.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the laugh....
 
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