Glass and ceramic tube fuses are often used to protect appliances and consumer electronics. As electronic equipment becomes smaller, the circuits and components become more delicate and easily damaged. Fuses are the preferred method of protection due to their accuracy, small size and reliability.

The time-delay, or "slow blow", fuses were developed for situations where acceptable momentary overloads are encountered, such as starting a motor. As the name implies, this type of fuse will carry an overload several times the normal load for a short period of time without blowing.