I've finally found the links at the top of the forum to purchasing balloons, turned off my ad blocker :roll:

Two questions which I'm sure have been asked many times but using the search facility has failed to bring up the relevant threads.

What is the difference between Sempertex and Qualatex other than price?

What would be a reasonable initial selection of balloons to purchase?

I'm going to be making a selection of basic animals/flowers to give away and also wish to attempt more complicated models.

I realise that having all the colours and shapes would be ideal and I'm also sure using mixed bags would soon leave me short of certain colours.

Cheers
Rob

Hi Rob

Qualatex vs Sempertex is always an interesting one. The best idea is to try them both and see what you think. Personally Sempertex balloons make my hands itch (goodness knows why) and I prefer Qualatex for workability and feel. That's not to Sempertex are rubbish, it's just what I am used to and personal taste.

Even though I use Qualatex all the time, I do sneak in the odd bag of Sempertex if I need to use a special colour.

As for which to balloons to purchase, in my opinion there are some essential ones. Certain colours and sizes I use by the bag full, others one bag may last me all year.

If you are new to ballooning (sorry I don't know what level you are) then a few mixed bags to experiment with is the best way to start.

If it is helpful, I have listed my standard range of balloons below. These are the ones I use the most of and always stock in my working balloon bag. I always buy single colours. If I plan to make something special at a gig I have a pocket for odd balloons like 321Qs undipped / 646Qs / other colours of the standard balloons.

260 - Blush - Dark Blue - Golden Rod - Grey - Lime Green - Mocha Brown - Onyx Black- Orange - Pale Blue - Pink - Red - Rose - Spring Lilac - White - Yellow

160 - White - Black - Blush

350 - White - Blush - Lime Green

5" Hearts - Red - White - Blush

5" Rounds - White - Blush - Black

A black marker

A white paint marker

Glue Dots

Scissors / Cutter

2 x Pumps (one as a spare)

I hope this helps.

If there is any specific model you see in any of my reviews or on my website drop me a PM and I will let you know which balloons you need.

Cheers

Darren

Thanks for you reply Darren.
That's around £300 worth of kit, a little more than I want to spend to start with.

I was thinking of an initial spend of around £100 and then build from there.

Hi Rob

I was in your shoes a few years back - yes it is a lot of cash. It's difficult to recommend colours, as it depends very must or the characters you want to make. People know I do nice blue or pink bunnies, and penguins. so I use a lot of blue, pink, black and white 260q the orange 160q. I and sure you will be different.

My recommendation, just for starters and little cost would be:

160q Assortment Carnival or Traditional

160q Assortment Character

260q Assortment Carnival or Traditional

260q Assortment Character

Assortment 6" Hearts    

Assortent Standard 5" Balloons

White 5" Balloons (for eyes)

Small Balloon Pump for 160q

2 x Reular Pump (as Darren says they do break or get lost/borrowed/pinched)

Black marker + Edding white paint pen

Cutting device.

Box, bag or apron to keep them in.

This should gine you 10-20 of a good range of colours, sizes and shapes.

As you get low, then order a whole replacement bag of that one colour. before you know it you will have 1000s of balloons. but you may well find that there are some you very rarely use (purple comes to mind with me)

Graham is very efficient, so when you get low he will supply very quickly, so you will not need any real back up stock.

As for Qualatex or Sempertex, you need to generlay to stick to just the one, black and whites are ok to mix, but many of the other colours do not mix. My personal preference is for Qualatex, as the range of colours is better.