Yea they are about the same.

 

No prob. I never charge for advice... just to fix mistakes!

Its great that you have a interest in getting things done properly. I know a lot of people who try to get by with the bare minimum or even less.
Unless you have a need for 240V gfi circuit protection (larger 1 hp and up pool motor or pool thermopump) I wouldn't spend big $ on gfci breakers as the much cheaper plugs can give you the same protection.
Arch fault breakers are a good idea and I definitely see them becoming mandatory for a growing number of circuit types in new construction but I wouldn't loose any sleep because I didn't have any.

Hey Sunbearing what is Zinnsco? I must admit I have never heard of it up here... we have Siemens (most popular) Square D, Cuttler, G.E., Westinghouse and those FPE stablock pieces of crap but I have never herd of Zinnsco.

 

Zinnsco was a popular brand panel in California in the 60's. They are notorius for not tripping when they are supposed to. The company went out of business and for a while it was about $170 for a Zinnsco breaker ( remanufactured by another company). Now they are available again at home depot under the Zinnsco name. When I get back from work later I'll take a pic of a zinnsco breaker and post it for you.

 

Thanks for the info. Sounds kinda like the old bulldog pushmatic breakers up here.