Balloon Brands

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  • Cho
    Member
    • Mar 2019
    • 73

    Balloon Brands

    Hey guys,

    So I will propably buy some balloons (up to maybe 24 inches?) online soon, and I'm not sure which brand to choose. I've seen in a lot of your posts that you prefer many different brands sizes and prints. My balloon experience is mostly limited on discounter balloons and a couple of bigger ones from a special store. (no idea which brand)

    So now to my questions:
    Which brand and size do you prefer?
    How does it behave when you ride on it/overinflate it/neck it/...?
    And especially what makes it your favourite?
  • OverTheTop
    Senior Member
    • Dec 2013
    • 711

    #2
    Re: Balloon Brands

    Originally posted by Cho
    Hey guys,

    So I will propably buy some balloons (up to maybe 24 inches?) online soon, and I'm not sure which brand to choose. I've seen in a lot of your posts that you prefer many different brands sizes and prints. My balloon experience is mostly limited on discounter balloons and a couple of bigger ones from a special store. (no idea which brand)

    So now to my questions:
    Which brand and size do you prefer?
    How does it behave when you ride on it/overinflate it/neck it/...?
    And especially what makes it your favourite?
    My favorite balloons are Cattex/Rifco GL500s/GL700s/GL1200s, and Cattex 32" longnecks. They're durable, yet still stretchy and bouncy even beyond rated size, and particularly with the longnecks, it's fun to bounce on the bulb and watch the neck bulge out. Both Cattex and Rifco can usually be overinflated pretty easily - after stretching them out by inflating them to rated size a few times, I like to gradually push them past their limits. The latex gets tight, but retains its stretchiness, and even when overinflated they can still take a beating without popping. They're consistently good quality as well, I think I've only ever had one defective Cattex balloon, and it was a heart-shaped one, which are notorious for having defects and being difficult to inflate properly regardless of manufacturer.

    I'd recommend looking at Balloons United - they have a huge variety of brands, sizes, and shapes, and while they're more expensive than buying bulk discount balloons, they're high quality and the customer support is very good.

    Comment

    • Cho
      Member
      • Mar 2019
      • 73

      #3
      Re: Balloon Brands

      Thank you for your reply, but I don't think the GL's are worth blowing up by mouth for me alone. I'm in general mor interested in medium size balloons(16"-24").

      Balloons United looks very interesting though. Especially the selction is the biggest I've seen till now.

      Comment

      • wildheart
        Senior Member
        • Apr 2015
        • 859

        #4
        Re: Balloon Brands

        Qualatex is best for quality. Never had any problem with them. I’ve tried 11, 16, 18 and 24 inches. They have good colours and get tight. Belbal are a good choice too. I’ve only tried those in 14 inch though. They get huge necks. Tuftex seems like a good choice too, although I’ve heard they age a lot faster than other brands.

        If you like thin softer balloons, unique are your best bet. I’ve tried 12, 14 and 16 inch. They can be overinflated without problem, but are a little weaker.
        How big will it go? Only one way to find out...
        My website: loonerstories.weebly.com

        Comment

        • Meililoon
          aka lyckr
          • Sep 2014
          • 700

          #5
          Re: Balloon Brands

          Thought I'd quickly share my experience with the mid-sized balloons of different brands.

          Unique (16"): Very soft and have the potential to be overinflated quite big, but can be a bit unreliable. Sometimes they pop very easily.

          Qualatex (16"/18"): Reliable and durable balloons. They are very firm when fully inflated, but softens up a bit on multiple inflations (especially the 18").

          Tuf-Tex (17"/24"): Also reliable and durable balloons, as long as they're relatively new (they degrade a lot quicker than most brands and will be very weak when they get old). They become very soft after the first inflation and can get really big.

          Cattex (16"): Again a reliable and durable balloon. They're rounder than the other brands and don't get as soft as others (but still softer than Qtex). They can be overinflated quite a bit.

          BSA (17"): Very strong and reliable balloons. They can be a bit difficult to get a hold of (Loonerworld have them), but they're worth it.

          Belbal (14"/24"): Also good balloons. 14" might be a bit on the small side, depending on the purpose. I've only ever had one 24", but it seems quite strong.

          Comment

          • BYGavia
            Senior Member
            • Dec 2017
            • 246

            #6
            Re: Balloon Brands

            Here are my top choices:
            • Qualatex 18”
              • Riding: Nice and firm without being too firm, and the latex feels nice.
              • Overinflating: It’s pretty easy to tell when it’s fully inflated, but even then, it feels like it has room to stretch
              • Necking: You can get a pretty good neck, but it kind of blends in with the rest of the shape of the balloon.
              • Why I like it: It’s tough without feeling too hard. Plus, Qualatex balloons are very reliable.
            • Tuftex 17”/24”
              • Riding: The latex feels fantastic, and the balloon is fairly round but not too round, so air can escape into the neck. They’re quite durable, with the 24” being able to interact with much of my body.
              • Overinflating: With repeated inflation, it’s not too hard to get either size bigger. They do get softer and a bit more fragile, though.
              • Necking: is fun
              • Why I like it: Both are great for riding, being bouncy and strong. I love approaching the limit with the 17” in particular!

            Comment

            • craggy2012
              Senior Member
              • Jan 2012
              • 824

              #7
              Re: Balloon Brands

              My two favourite brands would be Cattex for large balloons like the GL’s and their rounds over 3 ft in diameter, or Qualatex for smaller sized rounds like their 24 or 36 inch sized rounds.

              Comment

              • PBK
                Senior Member
                • Mar 2019
                • 372

                #8
                Re: Balloon Brands

                Tuftex is by far my favorite brand. But, as mentioned above, they do not age well.

                Comment

                • ShredFox
                  Member
                  • Mar 2019
                  • 57

                  #9
                  Re: Balloon Brands

                  Hey Cho, since you're from Germany as well I thought this could be of interest to you: I've been getting my balloons from eifel-luftballons.de and I've been happy with that dealer so far. They don't sell the well known brands however, except some party balloons from Belbal, but they have good standard ones. Their non-branded balloons are apparently made by an italian company called Gemar, and I haven't had trouble with those so far - but I prefer standard sizes, so it depends on what you're looking for. I've had the Gemar 26cm and 33cm ones, they are of solid quality, have nice colours, they don't stink and they aren't expensive (5€/7€ per 100 pack). As far as I can say they aren't shitty retail balloons and they're definitely good enough to get burst I also saw that they sell 19" ones in 50 packs and even larger ones individually, but I haven't tried those yet. They sometimes have misprints on offer as well. Maybe you'll want to check them out.

                  Comment

                  • Mazilon
                    Member
                    • Mar 2017
                    • 31

                    #10
                    Re: Balloon Brands

                    Q18.. at rated size just the perfect balance between firmness and bounciness. I don't like to sink almost to the floor while sitting on a balloon. When I straddle the balloon, it's just the right size that I don't have to spread my legs to the point of discomfort, and if it unexpectedly pops I'm not sent crashing to the floor from too much of a height.

                    Comment

                    • Cho
                      Member
                      • Mar 2019
                      • 73

                      #11
                      Re: Balloon Brands

                      Thank you for your answers to all of you guys! ^^
                      I think I know now, what brands I want to try first. This thread was very helpful for me and hopefully for others as well.

                      @ShredFox I actually have never heard of that site in my "research" might give it a try someday

                      Comment

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