On most Meltric devices, the circuit is broken simply by depressing the pawl. Doing so releases the energy in a spring-loaded operating mechanism, which instantaneously breaks the circuit and ejects the plug to the 'OFF' position. Contact breaking time is about 15 milliseconds. The quick break mechanism is automatically reloaded when the plug is re-inserted.
Spring-loaded ejection system ensures a quick break of the contacts.
In contrast, the disconnection speed of pin and sleeve and twist type devices is dependent on the users motion when removing the plug.