Heat Shrink! This week, for my one-minute tool review brought to you by the Cools Tools blog at cool-tools.org, I’m going to show off this $6 assortment of color coded heat shrink tubing I found on Amazon.

Of all the things I have in my electronics toolbox, nothing gets my kid more excited than seeing me use heatshrink. The stuff is honestly magic, plus there’s usually fire involved – so bonus.

If you’re unfamiliar, these are plastic tubes you slip over connections that shrink tight when heat is applied. It’s a pro way to keep wires and components from shorting into each other. It’s a real life saver when you’re splicing two wires together and you want that splice to be sealed up like the rest of the wire. You just cut the length you need, slip it on before you solder, and then heat it in place when you’re done, either with a heat gun, a mini butane torch, or even a lighter or soldering iron if you’re in a pinch.

Heat shrink is one of those tools that I totally take for granted until I show it to someone who’s never seen it before and it blows their mind. This 200-piece multipack is a great introduction, through it doesn’t include the really fat 1.5” tubes needed for that Pi enclosure. It works on an Adafruit Trinket though, and for basic wiring you can’t beat the price. I’d pay that much just for the case it comes in.

As always, you can find more Cool Tool reviews here.

Update 4/19/18:

Since writing this original post, my love of heat shrink has not diminished. If anything, I love it all the more after getting this great butane torch, which makes quick work of shrinking it up.

One thing that did change is that the specific assortment featured in the original video is no longer available on Amazon. The link in the intro here is to a comparable set, but really there are a bunch out there and it’s all more or less the same stuff.

Also, for what it’s worth, you can pick up an all-black assortment of heat shrink at Harbor Freight for a great price. Having colors is great for keeping colored wires organized, but from what I understand, the black variety generally holds up better to weathering, light exposure, and wear and tear.