The Best Desk Cable Sleeves

A cable sleeve is essential to keep all the cords gathered and moving in unison as your workstation is raised and lowered. The spectrum of cable sleeve closing methods progresses like this: Sleeves that self-wrap around cables, sleeves that close with a zipper, sleeves that close with velcro, and sleeves that require a specialized tool.

Having a sleeve with a shrinking wire wrap makes the process much easier and allows for a greater range of cords in the sleeve. A cord sleeve that closes with a zipper can be prone to stressing the zipper if the sleeve is too full. A wire sleeve that closes with velcro can be difficult because you need just the right amount of cables inside to line up the velcro and it isn’t likely hold well. The last, and worst, method is one that requires a specialized tool. This is a pain because it’s one more thing you have to keep around and storage is already at a premium with a standing desk.

Wire management sleeves are sometimes called “thermal cable sleeves” because some are designed specifically to prevent potential fires from overheated cables. These are often made from braided wire or other fire resistant material and are similar to other expandable or shrinking wraps. While most home office users aren’t generally using desktop equipment drawing enough power to potentially overheat their power cables, for enterprise customers where IT or Facilities is involved in setting up desk installations this is often a pre-requisite feature for any cable sleeve. In our reviews we note which expandable braided sleeves are rated for these professional installations.

Also, be sure to check out our separate round-up reviews of the best cable management kits, cable trays and cable management tracks to find the best components.

The Best Cable Management Sleeves

We rate the best wire sleeve options below.