Fuses or Circuit Breakers: A question we frequently hear is, "What is better, a fuse or a circuit breaker?" It depends on the application.

 Fuses are always cheaper and they generally give better protection. That is to say, they blow quicker and with greater accuracy and dependability. The obvious advantage to circuit breakers is that all you have to do is flip a switch and your up and going again.

 Contrary to popular belief, circuit breakers do not last forever. After several trips, they become less reliable and eventually fail. In critical applications such as aircraft, fuses are often preffered, due to their reliability and light weight. In planes  a spare fuse is often mounted directly beside the one in use. Machinery manufacturers like fuses because they are cheap and take up less space. One problem, however, is that users may install the wrong fuse and then blame subsequent problems on the manufacturer.