Sugru Review – Hack Things Better!

Ever since I was a little boy I have been hacking, breaking, and fixing things. Not necessarily in that order. Whether it was a toy I had, a discarded electronic device I dug out of a dumpster, or a computer. I have always had a compulsion to either fix things that are broken or modify them to suit my interests. It is for this reason that I have a great love for tools and a very deep admiration for people who create ingenious ones.

Sugru is very much an ingenious tool, and deceptive in its simplicity. It is essentially an air-curing silicone rubber putty that has the consistency of modeling clay. Simple right? Indeed it is but, the magic doesn’t lie in strictly what Sugru is, but more in what you can do with it. Imagine an inexpensive substance that can be sculpted by hand at room temperature to any form desired, will adhere to most surfaces, and cures to a strong but pliable rubber overnight. Now imagine what you might do with that substance.

I’ve been playing with this stuff for a few days now and I’ve done everything from improving a cheap Cat 5 Ethernet cable by molding a jacket over the clip to making neodymium magnet toys. I’ve actually had fun sculpting custom grips onto some of my hand tools. I even used this stuff to insulate and permanently bond wires together in lieu of solder and electrical tape. Best of all it doesn’t leave a mess.

The product itself comes sealed in individual pouches to protect it from the air until you’re ready to use it. Once you’ve opened it you have roughly 24 hours to mold it into whatever you wish before it sets. Anyone who’s messed around with Play-Doh as a kid will know what to do here, just use your imagination! And much like the previously mentioned doughy substance Sugru comes in many colors that you can chose from when ordering.

Sugru has a motto, “Hack things better”, and whether you take this to mean that you can use it to hack out fixes for things or just use it to make your hacks better you are absolutely right. I’ve seen a ton of uses for Sugru on Instructables and around the web. If any of you guys have used it then please share us in the comments! I look forward to seeing some nifty hacks!