This has something akin to hot glue coating the inside, so when it's heated enough to shrink, that coats everything and seals it completely. It says it shrinks 3:1 and I'd say that's about right without measuring, and it's thicker when shrunk than I expected. Since it went on an outdoor cord, the thickness and good seal are both desirable. Won't know how well it holds up until it's been outside a while, but the initial results are certainly promising.