In short, Cheap Chinese Crap (CCC) blade fuses are unsafe to use.
Just like Anderson plugs, which The Doc discussed here, blade fuses have been overrun by Cheap Chinese Crap. Avoid buying Cheap Chinese Crap, it can be a matter of life and death.
CCC blade fuses are commonly sold on eBay and Amazon. There is a reason why they sell fuses for a few cents each and quality fuses can cost a $1 or more. CCC fuses do not work properly, and they pose a real danger to those who use them. They are unsafe to use.
Fuses, to be safe and effective, need to be built to a specification and certified to perform in accordance with that specification. Cheap Chinese Crap doesn’t. In the case of a catastrophic fuse failure your car can catch fire and be burnt to the ground or you can be injured/killed or have your expensive equipment destroyed. While catastrophic failures are rare, you do not want to be the unlucky one, when it can be avoided.
Saving a few dollars buying CCC fuses is not worth it. If a CCC fuse damages a car’s wiring loom, the repair bill can run into 1,000s of dollars.
Problems created by CCC fuses
Poorly made fuses can have one of more of the following problems:
- incorrect manufacturing tolerances, so the fuse does not fit properly in the fuse holder. Poor contacts can mean your device will not work or it create shorts, and in worse cases scenarios fires;
- not meeting the rated performance specification. For example, a fuse rated at 5 amps does not blow until 12.5 amps; way beyond the specification, risking fire and damage/destruction of the device the fuse is supposed to protect. Here is an eye opening video, where CCC fuses do not work as rated: https://youtu.be/bVKuYOA3F2E
- use of inferior materials, meaning the CCC fuses may melt and catch fire. Another eye opening video here were CCC fuses, when they blow, often melt the plastic fuse cover: https://youtu.be/tDuJx1qciBg
Both videos show how dangerous these CCC fuses can be. Minimise your risks, avoid Cheap Chinese Crap.
What to buy
Buy fuses which are certified to perform to specification and have a rating marked in white on the back of the fuse (5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20 amps, etc). So only buy fuses with the white rating from a reliable dealer. Do not use fuses which do not have the rating painted in white. All the fuses in The Doc’s car have these rated the fuses from factory. Car makers understand the importance of rated fuses and use high quality fuses when making the car. You should do the same.
Quality rated fuses are made by LittleFuse,, PEC, Jeng Feng (Taiwan), Bussmann (who source from PEC and JF) or Prolec. The Doc buys his fuses online from Swe-Check, a fuse specialist. Quality fuses normally come with a specification sheet.
The Doc was not always so informed and has wasted money on CCC fuses (now happily thrown in the garbage, with a lesson learned). This post is to stop you making the same mistake. While this post concerns blade fuses in cars, the main points apply to other CCC fuses. Avoid them.
Tip: all components in a car’s 12 volt electrical system should be good quality, Australian made copper wire, tin-plated copper (not brass) crimp terminals, genuine Anderson plugs (not Anderson style plugs), quality certified fuses (not CCC), etc.