Lately I've been playing around with removing the teflon jacket from the mil teflon cable and replacing it with heat shrink. It seems to reduce the 'memory' of the cable somewhat and improve the flex a bit. Maybe that would be a better option for the last 6-18" of cable.
I usually use 1804a for my stubbie xlr cables for the much better flex and was hoping the shrink would improve the cable handling characteristics of the silver teflon in that application. Especially the flex in short runs. I think it does that. I have some concerns about how this change will impact handling noise. The heat shrink is surely less bonded to the shield than the teflon. So I'd expect more shield movement during handling. Possibly some concerns about shield compromise if bent tight.
FWIW, I have both single pair and quad silver teflon. The quad is more flexible, though obviously more work to solder up, etc. That comp is Yet Another Listening Test I need to do...