From FB group Building Transistor Radios 2018-08-27
Michael Kronsteiner
I would say that germanium transistors could not handle “high” currents because the designers were unwilling to use anything more than the cheapest germanium transistors that could barely do the job. In the 1960s there was the Workman “99 Power” that was in the TO-3 diamond metal case and sold for 99 cents. This was a popular replacement transistor. There were the AD161 and AD162 and the 2SB492 germanium transistors in the TO-66 or similar package but the makers were too cheap to use them. These could handle much higher current safely compared to the cheap output transistors on most consumer electronics.
