Best balloon for non poppers?

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  • anon
    Junior Member
    • Feb 2019
    • 25

    Best balloon for non poppers?

    Hi just wanted to know what do other non poppers use?
    Currently I just use qualatex 11/16/18s really.
    Want to branch out to other makes and sizes (preferably 18" or below).

    Any suggestions and I really do hate random pops!
  • LoonerPlanet
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2018
    • 144

    #2
    Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

    As a rule, balloons with prints are very safe. They are inflated for the printing process and defective balloons tend to self-destruct.

    My choices for 18" and under include 14" Belbal (especially if you like a long neck), 17" BSA (which is made by Qualatex), and 18" Betallic or Sempertex (same balloon). Cattex 16" is OK, but a bit too round for my taste.

    However, what I really love is 17" Tuftex, but it has to be fresh. They are wonderful balloons with great colors and long necks. Be warned that old Tuftex balloons are unpredictable; the manufacturer gives a shelf life of 1 year.

    How do you ensure that the Tuftex are fresh? Buy them from one of the European sources, such as balloons-united, jenny loons or loonerworld. I've just purchased some from balloons-united and Jenny loons, and they feel like they just left the factory (plus they have imprints). I've also gotten really good quality Tuftex from saveonballoons.com in the US, but I've only tried them once.

    One nice advantage of buying from the European distributors is that they include free balloons that are under 18" and high quality.

    P.S. Lots of folks like Uniques and I have to say my latest batch with prints has been reliable. However, they are thin and I have had accidents in the past. They always make me nervous when I inflate them.

    Comment

    • BYGavia
      Senior Member
      • Dec 2017
      • 246

      #3
      Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

      Tuftex is a good brand. They don’t last many years in storage, though, so it’s important to get them from a reliable seller. Bearing that in mind, they feel great and stand up to quite a bit. I love the 17” and 24”, and I have heard great things about the 14”.

      The Unique 16” deserves a mention...I know they are not as strong as Qualatex or Tuftex, but I love how they feel when they are soft.

      Comment

      • BYGavia
        Senior Member
        • Dec 2017
        • 246

        #4
        Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

        LoonerPlanet mentioned BSA 17” — I can also recommend those as very durable and having great potential to stretch beyond 17”. Like the Cattex 16”, they are quite round, though.

        Comment

        • Meililoon
          aka lyckr
          • Sep 2014
          • 700

          #5
          Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

          BSA (think they're rated 18"?) is a solid choice if you can find them.

          Belbal are good, especially their 24"

          Tuf-Tex are amazing, but as others have said, they have to be fresh as they don't age very well.

          Haven't had much experience with them, but Sempertex seems solid.

          Unique can be risky, but they seem to have improved in quality in the last few years and when they're good, they're amazing.

          I have mixed feelings about Cattex. Their 16" are good, but too round for my liking and I've had several of their bigger balloons pop out of nowhere. Could just be bad luck of course. I still like their GLs and their 32" longneck.

          Comment

          • Seidenki
            Senior Member
            • Dec 2016
            • 203

            #6
            Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

            I will second BSAs - I think they are Qualatex's "outdoor" brand so they are pretty tough. But less pear-shaped than spherical. I hear they're popular with car dealers.

            Uniques can be hit-or-miss but it tends to be by batches. Printed ones (Mellyloon print on Uniques, I believe) are usually very good because they've been inflated most of the way already to be printed on.

            If Amscan started making 16"s I'm sure we'd be all over them: their 24"s are tough and long-lasting. These are the famous Party City ones! Sempertex appear to make the exact same size but I've not tried them; I wonder if one is re-branding the other.

            Comment

            • LoonerPlanet
              Senior Member
              • Nov 2018
              • 144

              #7
              Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

              This is one of my favorite discussions.

              BSA's are rated as 17", but they really are more like 18" to 20" (especially with multiple inflations). I used to think they were pretty round, but with the usual pre-inflations of the necks they can get the lightbulb shape. Attached is a BSA vs Tuftex photo. It is possible to get even longer necks.

              My only complaints about BSA's are that they lack the wide color choices of Qtex 16" or TT 17", and there only are few prints. Oh, and they come in packages of 72--a lifetime of fun for a nonpopper.

              Sources in the US/Canada include bargain balloons.com and Brody's balloons. I suspect there are others; they are manufactured for car showrooms. They are very tough and hold helium well.
              Attached Files

              Comment

              • BYGavia
                Senior Member
                • Dec 2017
                • 246

                #8
                Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

                Originally posted by LoonerPlanet
                Oh, and they come in packages of 72--a lifetime of fun for a nonpopper.
                Ain't that the truth. I scored a good deal on a bag of 72 a while back. Still going through 'em...

                Comment

                • LavenderLemon
                  Junior Member
                  • Aug 2019
                  • 16

                  #9
                  Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

                  Definitely the tuftex 24” mentioned above. They were the first ones I ever really interacted with, and honestly, they’re the ones I always seem to find myself going back to. I never have to worry about popping them, and I can keep one around for about two months (give or take). My husband and I joke that the translucent purple ones are indestructible, given how much abuse they stand up to without popping.

                  Comment

                  • belcatball
                    Junior Member
                    • Apr 2017
                    • 28

                    #10
                    Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

                    Lots of choices outlined above for 17" and 24" sizes. You can also put the 17" balloon inside of the 24" one and inflate it a little less. It will be tougher and if the outer one breaks it's not really a pop, more like a cracking sound. If the inner one pops it's muffled a bit. I use a Qualatex 17 inside of an Amscan 24 (hint, different brands might work better). You can extend this idea by putting both inside a stretch cotton pillow case, too.

                    Comment

                    • Seasider
                      Senior Member
                      • Jan 2016
                      • 207

                      #11
                      Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

                      I’m a non popper and I love the belbal 14” balloon - have used hundreds and have only had one failure which I was inflating on the electric pump!

                      Comment

                      • BalloonBoyUK
                        Banned
                        • Dec 2018
                        • 500

                        #12
                        Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

                        For me, as a strict non-popper, I'm a Qualatex fan, through-and-through. My favourites are the 36" rounds, but their 16" and 24" ones are fab too - though the 24" ones are now discontinued and are "balloon gold" for looners. Hence, they commend (sometimes stupidly) high prices online.

                        Comment

                        • anon
                          Junior Member
                          • Feb 2019
                          • 25

                          #13
                          Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

                          As im from the UK its hard to come by another other brand than Qualatex, I want to give the Belbal 14" and 17" a try. Thing is I live with my parents and its hard for me to even lie to them what I got in the post, let alone them random visits to your room to see if its clean

                          Comment

                          • palloncino90
                            Senior Member
                            • Jan 2018
                            • 391

                            #14
                            Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

                            I already posted this thread in the non-poppers section

                            I want to live surrounded of big and colorful balloons

                            Comment

                            • Tracy
                              Senior Member
                              • May 2018
                              • 196

                              #15
                              Re: Best balloon for non poppers?

                              Honestly, if you really want to minimize random pops, stick with Qualatex. To all practical purposes you never get an accidental pop with their 9" and 16" balloons. With the 11" if you neck them out decently you'll have about 1 pop in 50-100. If you get them full but not necked you'll be closer to 1 in 100.

                              Comment

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