Wire insulation - PVC vs Silicone vs PTFE/Silicone
I'd love to get some advice
Normally, the hookup wire I use for my LED projects is PVC-insulation (e.g. AlphaWire 3055):
However, reading online, a lot of people are mentioning using PTFE (Teflon) insulated wire for lightsaber builds, due to higher temperature resistance (compared to PVC, or even silicone wire), and thinner insulation.
Insulation Selection Guide (from AlpahWire)
The thinner insulation I get - as I suppose it'd be a pain to route thick-insulated wire through the tiny gaps in a hilt/lightsaber chassis.
However, the temperature resistance - is the expectation that any of the wire is going to actually exceed the temperature range for PVC (-40 to 105° C) during normal use?
Or is only for during initial soldering, and you don't want shrink-back of the insulation in case the soldering iron touches it?
(At least for me - I've found that if I strip back the wire, and don't let the soldering iron dwell too long on the wire, the PVC insulation doesn't really melt or even get hot. However, I'm not sure if there's some nuance here with lightsabers that I'm missing).
AlphaWire does have a similar Teflon-like wire I found:
Alpha Wire ThermoThin Hook-Up Wires are designed to withstand temperatures from -150°C to +300°C and are up to 35% smaller in diameter than PTFE options. These wires combine maximum performance with an exceptionally small and lightweight construction. Alpha Wire ThermoThin Hook-Up Wires are suited for use in oil and gas, semiconductors, industrial, and military industries.
However, it's a lot more expensive, so was trying to figure out if it's worth it.
For 22 AWG, the normal PVC wire I get is $82 for a 30m spool, whereas this high-temp option is $229 for a 30m spool.
And I believe I'll need to get it in red, black, and other colours - and both 22 AWG, and a thinner one (28 AWG?)
What do people think? What colours/gauges would you need for a lightsaber, and which insulation type would you go for?