fuses - the $39 ones or the 85 cent ones

I would like to stress the fact that the HiFi-Tuning fuses don't seem to be tested and approved by any agency here in the US, Europe or Asia.

There is a very good reason for common electrical products to be tested and certified by UL, SA, etc. This testing and approval process is what guarantees that a particular electrical product is in fact developed and manufactured following a rigorous standard. The only information I could find is that the HiFi-Tuning fuses are hand-made and tested in Germany, which doesn't say much about manufacturing standards, testing, etc. If they have had an independent testing and approval process, then they should convey that information for the user's peace of mind.

The main role of fuses is to protect your equipment and they should definitely be manufactured under some sort of oversight by an independent agency. Without this, there is little assurance that the product will actually perform its main role, which is again to protect your electrical equipment from failure. The sound characteristic of the fuse should not take priority over its safety role.

Forgive the redundancy, but a fuse should never fail to fail, IMO.

Agreed that a fuse 'should never fail to fail'.
I wonder what the truth of certification (UL, SA, etc) is?

A REACH: I suspect it costs a Bundle to get a certification.
YOU, the manufacturer pay for the tests and must supply all the samples. In the automotive world, that is how it is for motor oil. There is some non-certified oil out there which is also very good. A few types of Amsoil used to be like this.

Now, manufacturing can also be certified. The company I work for, in semicondutor processing, undergoes periodic Independent Audits. We are also ISO certified. If the HiFi-Tuning fuse folk are so certified, I would not hesitate to purchase there stuff....Of course, I still think that 39$ for a fuse of only anecdotal help is ridiculous. But, if they have undergone independent audits OR are ISO certified, than I believe the fuse would indeed act like a fuse.

It would than be up to the Lawyers to decide....in the event of some kind of failure causing damage to life or property.

As for being 'manufactured under some sort of oversight by an independenty agency' ?? I hope you Do Not mean Government? If those guys made cookies, we'd all be dead.

Magfan, not to pick on you again. But ISO does not guarantee that a fuse will work like a fuse. It is a process certification, not a product certification.

Very true about ISO.....and good catch!
ISO basically says that you 'say what you do' and 'do what you say'....In other words, you follow your own internal specifications and documents.
They could care less if it actually works!

I don't know how costly it is to have UL listed or any other certification, but during my search all 2.5A and 4A fuses have UL and SA certification, except of course for HiFi-Tuning fuses. For instance, the Isoclean fuses have UL SA PSE and CE certifications, the Littel Fuse fuses have UL, SA and CE certifications, and Buss fuses have UL and SA.

It seems to me that they pursue the certification in the market in which they will be distributed. I don't know the certification story of HiFi-Tuning, but if they have it, it is odd that they don't post it like everybody else.