In article -
september.org, says...

http://imgur.com/yIx0dC6

Original on the left, purchased replacement on the right.

Questioning whether these are equivalent for an old General Electric motor
starter overload (CR106).

Seems like slightly different approaches to get a bimetalic bend effect when
a specified current flows through each of these. One requires a resistance
wire to heat the metal, whereas the newer one incorporates the resistance in
the metal? Is that what?s happening?

Does the element do the physical ?tripping? of the OL, or do these do
nothing more than generate heat which heats up the separate mechanism that
opens N.C. contacts?

Thanks.

All they do is generate heat. The part that is heated is in the block
those things go in. That is where the actuall tripping goes on. It
trips a small switch and if you look at the block they go in you will
see the screw terminals for the actual switch. If you could turn them
so they are outside the block, nothing would actually be heated and the
switch would never trip.

If you look at the bottom of them, near the screw holes you will see a
set of letters and numbers. That tells the rating of the heater (a
chart will show the current range the overloads will trip at).

I think you will find that you have 2 that are of greatly different
current ranges. The one with the wire is a much smaller current rating
than the large flat one.