Heatshrink Size - What kind of heatshrink and size should I buy?
This is another question that gets asked all the time. There is a few things you need to know about heatshrink to make a good choice.
1.Shrink Ratio - what this means is how many times smaller the shrink will get once it has been heated from its original size. The smaller the shrink gets the tighter the hold will be on the shrink and wire. So, the lowest shrink ratio you will want is 3:1, but the best ratio you cant get is 4:1.
2.Wall Thickness and Glue or no Glue. - Wall thickness refers to the actual thickness of the actual heatshrink it self or the actual materials size, again smaller is better with this as any added thickness to the shrink will make the shrunken diameter larger. So thin walled will be your best bet. I have also seen and used glue lined shrink myself, and although it seems like a great idea, it becomes messy and almost always has a thick wall on it, so right away it goes outside the parameters of what a good heatshrink should be.
3.Precut or not Precut - This is a personal choice but most pro sleevers will tell you right off the bat - get the precut and save yourself some time and allow yourself to get a clean look. It is not really cheaper to cut it yourself when you factor in how many time you may need to fix your sleeving. If you need some longer lengths then buy a small amount of it for the special parts.
4.Shrink Size and Length - For the most part the best diameter for shrink is either 3/16 in or ¼ in, this will allow you to get your shrink over most sleeve and wire combos if you have the right ratio. For length you will want to use what most pro sleevers use and that is 15mm, if you buy the precut most places already have it cut at that size.
With that all being said, what Heatshrink do I recommend?
I suggest you look at MDPC Heatshrink as it has everything we listed above as well as high melting point, what I mean by that is it will take a great amount of heat before the actual shrink melts. Also it comes in many color choices. It can be found at:
http://www.mdpc-x.com/
Otherwise, I would suggest getting this ¼ in 3:1 thinwalled heatshrink from this link here:
http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=6890391#tab=Specs
It has a cheap price and is a great product.
