Some things to consider:

1. Not all pushmatic panels & breakers are 50 years old. I've seen several that were installed in the '80s and one that was installed new in 1990 -- though I suspect it was new old stock. (Does anyone know when they stopped producing Pushmatic panels?)

2. The research that I've seen on older electrical equipment found that old breakers generally continue to work well even after 50 years of service. (FPE and certain other troublesome brands excepted -- they generally performed poorly from the get-go though.)

3. The lack of AFCI breakers for Pushmatic equipment doesn't bother me. If someone wants AFCI protection, he can always install a small branch panel to handle the AFCI circuits. However, old Pushmatic breakers (like all old breakers) are obsolete in one other important regard. Their current interrupt rating is at least half that of modern breakers. If I owned a home with a Pushmatic panel, I'd want to install a new replacement breaker in the main position(s). That way if the utility sent a high voltage fault my way, the panel wouldn't blow up.

4. I really like the Pushmatic design. The breakers were very reliable and the panels were stout and roomy. Besides, how many other residential panels could boast bolted bus bar connections (besides Frank Adam, which was pretty much gone by the mid '50s)?

- Jim Katen, Oregon