Not everything at Buy Heat Shrink is made to shrink, and the Bentley Harris Expando line probably gives that away in the name. Unlike other products, this tubing is made to stretch to give a conforming, self-fitting and protective cover to a variety of applications.

It’s a tough, lightweight woven material with a wide range of operating temperatures, and can be used to protect cable assemblies, hoses, and wire harnesses from chafing, cutting, and abrading. It’s self-fitting over a range of different shapes and sizes, and is a cost-effective solution.

Perfect for your PET projects

Bentley Harris Expando PT is a tough woven material made of 10 mil polyethylene terepthalate (PET) monofilament yarn, hence the PT designation. It has a wide range of continuous operating temperatures, from 70°C to 125°C (-103°F to 257°F) and won’t melt until 230°C (446°F).

It can expand to up to three times its resting diameter. It’s resistant to gasoline, engine chemicals, and cleaning solvents, and is self-extinguishing, meaning that if a flame that ignited it is removed, it will stop burning under normal atmospheric conditions.

It’s available in a full range of resting diameters from 1/8” to 2½”, but is only available in black and with a four week lead time on all orders.

As an alternative, try BuyHeatShrink PET Colored Braided Sleeving, which is a high-quality, lower-cost alternative to Expando PT with an identical range of operating temperatures as well as a higher melt temperature — 260°C (500°F).

Like Expando PT, it will attain three times its resting diameter, but you can also get it in a wider range of sizes, from 1/8” to 3” in diameter, with 12 options versus Bentley Harris’ 9. You can also color-code your projects with your choice of black, as well as natural, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and fluorescent shades of green, pink, yellow, or blue.

The best part is that you can enjoy big savings with BuyHeatShrink, as well as order in shorter roll lengths for when you don’t need a thousand feet to do the job. On average, our PET Colored Braided Sleeving is over 42% less than the equivalent size of Bentley Harris. To top it all off, there’s no lead time, so no waiting for your BuyHeatShrink order to ship.

Don’t be a-frayed

The next step up in the line is Bentley Harris Expando FR, with the “FR” standing for “fray resistant,” meaning that the threads won’t unravel, come unwound, or split apart at the cut ends — although you do have to use a hot knife in order to cut them cleanly without fraying.

The physical specifications for operating temperature and melting point are the same. Its measured limiting oxygen index (LOI) is 28%, meaning that absent an ignition source, it will not burn when there is less than a 28% concentration of oxygen molecules (O2) in the atmosphere. At normal sea-level pressure, the Earth’s air only has 21% O2 levels, which decrease with altitude.

The high-quality alternative is BuyHeatShrink Flame Retardant PET Braided Sleeving, which is identified by contrasting tracers in its surface drawing out an X pattern. Although this product is only available in black, it comes at less than half the price of Bentley Harris, again with a greater range of available spool lengths.

If you’ve ever had a knit sweater start to unravel, you know how annoying something fraying can be. When your woven product is meant to protect important wires and cables from abrasion, cuts, and flame, it’s even more important to keep it together.

Whether you chose Bentley Harris or save with BuyHeatShrink’s fray-resistant sleeving, you can be confident that your project will be well-protected for years.

Taking it up a notch

But, as mentioned, there’s one big drawback to both brands. They can only be cut with a hot knife, or else the cut ends themselves will start to fray. That’s why both come in “plus” versions of the PT and fray-resistant products: Bentley Harris Expando PT PLUS and Bentley Harris Expando FR PLUS, comparable to BuyHeatShrink Fray Resistant PET Braided Sleeving and Non-Fray FR Flame Retardant PET Expandable Braided Cable Sleeving.

The added bonus here is that you don’t need a hot knife to cut the sleeving without having the ends fray. You can use a sharp pair of scissors, meaning you don’t have to invest in a specialized tool.

Otherwise, all of the specs and features are the same except that the Buy Heat Shrink Fray Resistant PET only expands to twice its original diameter. Beyond that, you can still enjoy the same savings as you do with our other Buy Heat Shrink brand products.

Tough, attractive, and practical, and particularly useful for automotive and industrial use where they can stand up to difficult conditions and protect your important wiring and cables, braided sleeving has got your assets covered, and will never leave you hanging.