# Fuse Questions



## monkeyboy (Jun 12, 2007)

I am looking at buying new fuse blocks for my truck and I have a few questions.

There seems to be three or four fuse styles out. Mini, Maxi, ANL, and AGL. I understand that some people don't like the glass AGL fuses, but is there a clearly better style? Something to avoid?

Is a breaker better or worse than a fuse under the hood? I know the breaker can be reset instead of replaced, but is it a good idea, or should I go with a fuse?

Thanks.


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## OldOneEye (Jun 16, 2005)

I'll run through the list. ATC is what you find in many fuses boxes of older cars. They are easy to find, easy to get ahold of, don't go very high up in values. Probably what you would find on the side of your amp if it has fuses. Normally its pressure fit.

Next is the AGU fuse (glass fuse). Similar issues, hard to tell if its blown, harder to find if you blow one, and relieves on a pressure fitting to keep it in. I haven't used these in some time.

Maxi fuse is similar to the ATC, just bigger (and bigger values). Probably one of the easier ones to use, but uses a pressure fitting in most applications to stay in (so a tight fit might mean you will need pliers to get them out, a loose fit means there might be some resistance there).

ANL used to be the most popular for under the hood (bigger applications) because they were the only ones that went up to 100 amps. They are big though, fuse holders are big. They typically are bolted down so you don't have to worry about having to yank them out of the fit is too tight.

Last but not least is the KF/Midi/Mini ANL fuse. Looks like an anl, only smaller, also color coded like Maxi and ATC fuses. Makes for smaller fuse blocks. Many are uses these in place of ANL by running two in parallel if needed. I'm using a fuse block with these in my own car and I like them a lot. 

There is also the mini-atc fuse. They look like an ATC fuse, only smaller. My car uses these in the fuse box. I have only seen one or two fuse blocks which use these (a Tsunami/Raptor and an Ixos). Looks promising since there are lots of values for the fuses (and smaller ones to boot).

Juan


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## monkeyboy (Jun 12, 2007)

Thank you sir. That helps a lot.

I know a few people didn't like the glass fuses, and I wanted to make sure I bought the right stuff.


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## OldOneEye (Jun 16, 2005)

I don't think I would use a glass fuse again. Look inside of your car, their is either ATC fuses, mini-atc and in some cases the mini ANL fuses from the factory. 

Juan


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

I buy fuse blocks like I'd buy a gun.

Spending a few extra bucks on the firearm is OK if it means the rounds are cheaper. 

My fuseblocks take ATC fuses and I could not be happier with that. I could be in podunk and buy operational fuses for a few dozen cents in any hardware store.


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## OldOneEye (Jun 16, 2005)

Do you use your gun, or own your gun?

Some people hope never to have to your their fuses.. Others sort of count on it (like guns).

Juan


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## effenay (Mar 2, 2006)

I used to hate AGU fuses. They seemed to fail for no reason, sometimes physically, sometimes due to apparent but inexplicable overcurrent. But recently an installer friend that I respect a lot pointed out that I had been using cheap fuses, and showed me the difference between a cheap fuse and a quality fuse. His stance is that AGU fuses are fine as long as you seek out good quality fuses. Unfortunately there are a lot of crappy glass fuses out there.

One thing to keep in mind about KF/Midi/Mini ANL/Mini Wafer/AFS fuses is that although they may all look similar, they don't always fit the same. For example, I learned the hard way that none of the dozens of Mini ANL fuses I bought from Knukonceptz will fit my Streetwires CBR44S AFS fuse block. The plastic part of the fuse is too large to clear the gap between the terminals. I'm not sure if this is simply due to differences between the Mini ANL and AFS standards (if there even are established standards) or if it's just a case of different vendors doing things differently, but it's frustrating nonetheless.


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## OldOneEye (Jun 16, 2005)

effenay said:


> I used to hate AGU fuses. They seemed to fail for no reason, sometimes physically, sometimes due to apparent but inexplicable overcurrent. But recently an installer friend that I respect a lot pointed out that I had been using cheap fuses, and showed me the difference between a cheap fuse and a quality fuse. His stance is that AGU fuses are fine as long as you seek out good quality fuses. Unfortunately there are a lot of crappy glass fuses out there.
> 
> One thing to keep in mind about KF/Midi/Mini ANL/Mini Wafer/AFS fuses is that although they may all look similar, they don't always fit the same. For example, I learned the hard way that none of the dozens of Mini ANL fuses I bought from Knukonceptz will fit my Streetwires CBR44S AFS fuse block. The plastic part of the fuse is too large to clear the gap between the terminals. I'm not sure if this is simply due to differences between the Mini ANL and AFS standards (if there even are established standards) or if it's just a case of different vendors doing things differently, but it's frustrating nonetheless.


It might be a case of different vendors (or one vendor) doing things differently. My streetwire fuse block is using monster cable fuses and there is no problem. 

As for the glass fuses, there are cheap ones and expensive ones, but at the end of the day the tension is what holds it in. I would prefer having something that is bolted down to minimize any chance of failure. Besides that, for the fuseblocks that use glass fuses, you have to have crazy strong fingers to pull a fuse out. Not for me.

Juan


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## Bluto Blutarsky (Apr 1, 2007)

I am using a binding post that I got from a 90s Chevy truck. I saw one on a new Silverado diesel the other day with those huge flat OEM fuses, pretty slick.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

i use agu fuses exclusively in my install. i just prefer them is all and i'm not pulling much current. havn't blown one in several years and never had a hardware failure.


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