Plain Enamel

This is the famous purple/brown insulator. This insulator was one of the very first insulation’s to be invented and used as a magnet wire insulator. People who are not accustomed to working with this insulation type, will find it to be very resistant to solder. Soldering with this insulator will often require removal of insulation film by way of abrasion. It is not very resistant to synthetic solvents. This is one of many .0002″ thick insulation’s. It is also very inconsistent in its overall thickness across length of wire, making for an unpredictable element. Those un-controllable variables can often be attributed to the musical ability of a pickup. Sometimes the flaws are what make something great.

Formvar

This is one tough form of insulation. This wire insulation type is sold with one of two different film thicknesses; .0002 = normal & .0004″ = heavy. I feel like I almost never encounter the single build formvar insulated wire. Formvar wire is known most of all as being very tough. I feel that it is a little less consistent in film thickness when compared to poly, but it is much more durable. Some of the most famous pickups ever made were wound with .0004″ heavy formvar wire. A solid choice for rewinds and clones of single coil pickups. can also help to produce a big and very clear sounding neck humbucker.

Polyurethane

This is a very consistent wire insulator. It is strong and resistant to damage. Soldering is very easy. It has the option of being purchased as a normal thickness coating (.0002″) or as a heavy thickness coating (.0004″). Because of the consistency in build, poly insulated wires allow for the individual winding the coil to have more consistency and this will help to keep specs in check from spool to spool. This will help one to be able to predict the output to turns ratio more than other insulators. At least this is what I’ve found.

Polynylon

This is a very consistent wire insulator and maybe the most durable of all the insulation types that I use. Available in a multitude of colors, Brown, red, blue, green, orange, black and probably even more colors than the ones I’ve listed here. It is strong and resistant to damage. Soldering is still very easy. It has the option of being purchased as a normal thickness coating (.0002″) or as a heavy thickness coating (.0004″). Because of the consistency in build, poly insulated wires allow for the individual wraps to lay moderately close together. This will help one to be able to predict the output to turns ratio more than other insulators.