A medium voltage load break switch, comprising: - a main contact; - a knife, wherein the knife is configured to rotate about a pivot point to connect to and be in contact with the main contact and to rotate about the pivot point to disconnect from and be spaced from the main contact; - a vacuum interrupter, wherein a fixed contact and a moveable contact are in a housing of the vacuum interrupter, and wherein the main contact is in electrical connection with the fixed contact; and - a lever, wherein the lever is configured to rotate about a rotation point of the lever, and wherein the main contact is spaced from the lever; wherein a shaft of the moveable contact is aligned along an axis of the vacuum interrupter, and wherein the shaft of the moveable contact is linked to the lever; wherein in a closed configuration, the knife is in contact with the main contact and spaced from the lever, wherein the lever is at a first rotational orientation and the rotation point of the lever is at a first distance from the fixed contact measured in a direction parallel to the axis of the vacuum interrupter and the moveable contact is in contact with the fixed contact, and wherein current can flow through the main contact directly to the knife; wherein rotation of the knife about its pivot point in a first rotational direction transitions the switch from the closed configuration to a commutation configuration, wherein in the commutation configuration the knife is in contact with the lever and in contact with the main contact, and wherein current can flow through the main contact directly to the knife and flow through the main contact and through the vacuum interrupter to the knife; and wherein rotation of the knife about its pivot point in the first rotational direction transitions the switch from the commutation configuration to an opened configuration, wherein in the opened configuration the knife is spaced from the main contact and spaced from the lever or in contact with the lever, and wherein the lever is in a second rotational orientation and the rotation point of the lever is at a second distance from the fixed contact measured in the direction parallel to the axis of the vacuum interrupter that is greater than the first distance and the moveable contact is spaced from the fixed contact. - a main contact; - a knife, wherein the knife is configured to rotate about a pivot point to connect to and be in contact with the main contact and to rotate about the pivot point to disconnect from and be spaced from the main contact; - a vacuum interrupter, wherein a fixed contact and a moveable contact are in a housing of the vacuum interrupter, and wherein the main contact is in electrical connection with the fixed contact; and - a lever, wherein the lever is configured to rotate about a rotation point of the lever, and wherein the main contact is spaced from the lever; wherein a shaft of the moveable contact is aligned along an axis of the vacuum interrupter, and wherein the shaft of the moveable contact is linked to the lever; wherein in a closed configuration, the knife is in contact with the main contact and spaced from the lever, wherein the lever is at a first rotational orientation and the rotation point of the lever is at a first distance from the fixed contact measured in a direction parallel to the axis of the vacuum interrupter and the moveable contact is in contact with the fixed contact, and wherein current can flow through the main contact directly to the knife; wherein rotation of the knife about its pivot point in a first rotational direction transitions the switch from the closed configuration to a commutation configuration, wherein in the commutation configuration the knife is in contact with the lever and in contact with the main contact, and wherein current can flow through the main contact directly to the knife and flow through the main contact and through the vacuum interrupter to the knife; and wherein rotation of the knife about its pivot point in the first rotational direction transitions the switch from the commutation configuration to an opened configuration, wherein in the opened configuration the knife is spaced from the main contact and spaced from the lever or in contact with the lever, and wherein the lever is in a second rotational orientation and the rotation point of the lever is at a second distance from the fixed contact measured in the direction parallel to the axis of the vacuum interrupter that is greater than the first distance and the moveable contact is spaced from the fixed contact.