In article , ignoramus15841
@NOSPAM.15841.invalid says...
On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 13:01:34 -0500, Mike Marlow wrote:

"Ignoramus15841" wrote in message
...

You are right that it CAN be on a 20A circuit. It does not mean that
doing that is optimal for someone with a home shop (which is where, I
think, this panel fits best). That would limit the number of
simultaneously running devices. Think about someone running a
compressor, a dust collector, a shaper with a vacuum attached
to some strategic spot. When I think about circuit selection for this
panel, with a shop like that in mind, I think that 40A 220V would be
best. Any more is a waste, but having less would run a risk of not
being able to power up a fancy shop in the most effective manner.

I know where you're coming from but the mistake I think you're
making is that you are thinking of this device as a subpanel and not
as a power strip, which is what it is more like.

That each outlet has its own breaker, is a feature similar to what a
subpanel provides (protection for individual circuits). A power strip,
at best, protects the entire strip.

But the the breakers in this "panel" are not qualified for branch
circuit protection, so it doesn't qualify as a subpanel by any stretch
of the imagination, and if it were wired permanently to a breaker larger
than 20A would violate the NEC. Depending on its construction, it may or
may not be legal if permanently wired to a 20A circuit. The safest bet
is to use it as a good rugged power strip.

Ned Simmons