Shrink tubing

[fixit7]

What do you think of this?

Or should I go with the name brand stuff ?

Like 3M?

I looked for it but could find no multi size pack.

Andy

[MosherIV]

If you want good quality stuff - do NOT get it from unknown suppilers from Ebay.
(Unless someone here can recomend a particular suppiler on Ebay)

Use the usual electronics suppliers : Farnell/Element14 etc

You could try the hobbiest suppliers like Sparkfun.

They will have good quality stuff for reasonable prices.

[ataradov]

I never had problems with those variety packs. I'm not even sure what can go wrong here. You heat it, it shrinks.

I have only used it for low voltage stuff. Not sure if there are any issues at high voltages.

[Macbeth]

Before heat-shrink existed consumer level we all managed to solder wires without it (and still do). It's nicer than bare wire or electrical tape but not essential.
I'm assuming as a beginner this guy is not a linesman working on kV stuff. 

[Jwillis]

What you have there is good for most general purpose applications.But if your interested here's a PDF that shows an example of  varying types and applications from this particular manufacturer.
https://www.newark.com/pdfs/techarticles/alphaWire/HeatShrinkTubing.pdf 

[Brumby]

I never had problems with those variety packs. I'm not even sure what can go wrong here. You heat it, it shrinks.

I have only used it for low voltage stuff. Not sure if there are any issues at high voltages.

Same here.  I have used it on some 240V mains wiring on the inside of enclosures without any concerns - but those situations didn't have any real risk factors other than a careless "oops" by someone poking around.

High voltage and/or high temperature situations would need appropriate consideration, but for general hobbyist stuff, I have no real concerns.

[narkeleptk]

I like to buy bulk individual packages instead of the variety packs.  The variety pack is nice once but more then that you end up with to many sizes that you probably wont use.

[Brumby]

Good point.

Buy 1 or 2 variety packs at the outset, just so you have a range of sizes available.  Once you start using it, you will find you tend to use just a few of those sizes.  When you need more, just get the sizes you've been using, otherwise you'll be building up a stock of sizes you'll rarely, if ever, use.

Edit: Aside from size, there are also the colours that you find you will want to use more frequently, so variety pack purchasing will force you into using colours you may prefer not to use in a given situation or to accumulate them.

[Brumby]

Another thing to consider is the lengths supplied.  Just how well does the length of those pieces fit your usage?

If the pieces come in 5cm lengths and you need 4cm for a particular joint, then you will be wasting 20%.  Often, you wouldn't bother cutting it off so you'd just leave it as "extra" sleeving - but it still represents a waste.  If you buy a 1m length, then you can cut each and every piece to the exact size you need and not waste anything - except, perhaps, for the very last piece of that 1m length.

[forrestc]

I've bought several of these packs over the years.  Generally they all work.  I'm not sure I've ever had heat shrink which didn't shrink, even from potentially dodgy sellers.   Some are of course better than others.

I've recently just switched to the adhesive lined type for pretty much everything.   But again, by the time I'm heat shrinking it, I don't want it to ever come off.   This may or may not be a good thing for you.

[fixit7]

Another thing to consider is the lengths supplied.  Just how well does the length of those pieces fit your usage?

If the pieces come in 5cm lengths and you need 4cm for a particular joint, then you will be wasting 20%.  Often, you wouldn't bother cutting it off so you'd just leave it as "extra" sleeving - but it still represents a waste.  If you buy a 1m length, then you can cut each and every piece to the exact size you need and not waste anything - except, perhaps, for the very last piece of that 1m length.

Thanks for showing me to consider the length.

I do throw away a lot of 1/4 inch or shorter lengths.

[Cubdriver]

I generally get it from McMaster-Carr.  They have many different varieties, shipping is quick and the quality is good.

FWIW.

-Pat

[CatalinaWOW]

While I have purchased a variety of these things over the years, and never had one "not work", there is variability which may be important to some.  I have encountered ones which require more heat to shrink, and encountered some which remain somewhat flexible after shrinking while others turn almost rigid.  Colored versions have had a variety of shades of similar colors.  Since none of this was very important to me I didn't take note of the vendor, nor do I really believe any of the low cost vendors would be totally consistent.

If those properties matter to you, or others such as thickness, I would stick with major brand names and either contact their application engineers or read their literature to pick the type you want.  Then stick with reputable vendors who know the differences between the products.

[Brumby]

One more factor that can be important is the shrink ratio.  That is, how much the tubing will shrink when heated.

A ratio of 2:1 is the most common I've encountered - which is where the tubing will shrink to one half of the supplied diameter.  This is usually quite satisfactory for a lot of situations where you choose tubing which is only just big enough to slide over the target area.  If you buy any nondescript heat shrink, you should expect it to have a 2:1 shrink ratio.

There are other shrink ratios and I have seen 3, 4 and 4.5 to 1 - but if you check out Mouser or Digikey you will find a dozen or more all the way up to 6:1.  These higher shrink ratios are useful when you have a big variation of the size of the elements you need to cover with one piece,  For example, where you have connections to a switch and you want to encase the switch body and the incoming cable with a single piece.

There are some other parameters you might be interested in (for example - how thick the wall will be when fully shrunk), just to get a feel for what is available - but I'll leave you to explore the parametric search of places like Mouser, Digikey, etc.

[tooki]

I have encountered ones which require more heat to shrink, and encountered some which remain somewhat flexible after shrinking while others turn almost rigid. 

Do you have any recommendations for flexible heat shrink? I’ve run into the “almost rigid” issue when using heat shrink for strain relief.

[GreyWoolfe]

I've bought several of these packs over the years.  Generally they all work.  I'm not sure I've ever had heat shrink which didn't shrink, even from potentially dodgy sellers.   Some are of course better than others.

I've recently just switched to the adhesive lined type for pretty much everything.   But again, by the time I'm heat shrinking it, I don't want it to ever come off.   This may or may not be a good thing for you.

I have a stock of the evilBay stuff and it works to my satisfaction.  Then again, my level of satisfaction may be low compared to others.  I do like the adhesive but I have so much that at my age, it may be a lifetime supply.  If I ever need to buy again, I would probably go for the adhesive.

[CatalinaWOW]

I have encountered ones which require more heat to shrink, and encountered some which remain somewhat flexible after shrinking while others turn almost rigid. 

Do you have any recommendations for flexible heat shrink? I’ve run into the “almost rigid” issue when using heat shrink for strain relief.

Sorry.  I buy this stuff when I see a good deal -. at local stores, swap meets, on-line etc   It then goes into a bin.  It may be years before a particular bit is used and I have no idea by then of the source.  It is often unmarked, or has a resellers label.  Some of the differences I note may be simple aging of the material.  Shelf life on heat shrink is not a subject I have explored.

[David Hess]

If it says polyolefin and says 3:1 shrinking ratio, then it's good.
I fail to see 3M being any better, even I use a mix of them.

I always look for polyolefin.  It does not become sticky, can be molded it while hot, and is incredibly tough.