My daughter wants to learn balloon twisting. I'm kind of thinking of doing it with her. I have several books and DVD's. Qualatex cost me about 10 cents a piece. Is there anywhere that I can find really cheap balloons to practice with?

they don't have to be pretty or last long, they just have to be good enough to learn.

I get them from the dollar store! $1.00 +tax for 18 of the balloons!

Hi Rik:

You're paying way too much for your Qualatex Balloons. You can go to http://www.larocksmagic.com and get them for $4.50 a bag (100 count). I would not recommend cheaper balloons, as you're bound to get a lot of popping.

Ron

It looks like you are right Ron. at that price well, I don't need to look for cheaper. Actually with the popping the cheaper probably becomes more expensive.

I agree. Don't ever use dollar store balloons. They are very cheap and you can't teach people when they pop just from blowing them up. Even at 10 cents a balloon isn't bad when you consider learning with a quality product.

Daniel. You should be using Qualatex. I will give you the phone number where you can get them at a reasonable price when I see you on Wednesday.

Thanks bill. cya wedensday

I was just suggesting them for practice. That is all I use but mainly due to the fact that I hardly ever do balloons.

When you factor in shipping costs, Qualatex cost per balloon is actually closer to 8 cents each.

Buy in bulk to get a better price!

I totally agree that QUALITEX is the ONLY way to go!

=Frank=

I go to http//www.tmyers.com They have Qualatex for same price as Larocks.

Peter

Another option is to get the Qualatex balloons locally. Here in Phoenix, I contacted a balloon supplier and asked if they would sell to me. The only requirement was for me to bring in a business card my first time, so they could verify that I was a performer, and not just part of the general public trying to save money on a party. They're a wholesale company, but still about the same price as La Rocks or T. Myers. I agree that buying in bulk is the best way to go, if you can afford it.

Ron

OK, a dumb question (and yes there are dumb questions, I've asked a million of them )...

What is bulk? I know T. Myers sells in 100 packs, but when I think of bulk, I normally think about the bins at the supermarket when you get a bunch of no-name candy, nuts, grains...

I would also suggest if you are serious about twisting, register on the Qualatex site. You’ll get their catalog plus quarterly magazine (at least I think it’s quarterly).

Also, the difference between the cheap dollar/party store balloons and the Qualatex is unbelievable. After you twist with a quality balloon, you’ll never go back to the cheap ones even for practice.


Dave

OK, you guys are absolutely right. I found that my local magic shop sells them for $6 for a hundred. That's a couple bucks more than the cheapest, but I'll spend the extra couple of bucks and support my local magic store.

My daughter now has Twisty's DVD, 600 260's, a package of hearts and a package of bees.

...oh yeah, and a pump, she's asthmatic.

By bulk, it means more than a few bags. I usually buy 2000 balloons in one shot.

Saves on shipping too. But I also buy from a friend who is a retailer, so I get a cheaper price.

Ballooons to you has qualatex cheaper than tmyers.

They have saved me a lot of money over the years and they are quite prompt with shipments. Their minimum order is one bag. Here is their link. http://www.btydirect.com/

Balloons To You
2152B Chennault
Carrollton, TX 75006

To Order, contact them at:
1-800-636-4887
Dallas Area: (972) 788-5022
Fax: (972) 960-9432

Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday 9:00am - 6:00pm cst

Established in 1981 as a Qualatex Distributor

I am sold to qualatex... When I am performing. when practicing twists I like to use the cheaper ballons and I'll tell you why: The cheaper ballons forces me to get a better control of my grips and twists, witch in turn allows me to handle the qualatex ballons better when I perform.

It works well for me!

I buy qualatex. Never used anything else. Why mess with quality?

Comedy Writer Guy

PS Check out t.myers 260 blaster pump -- very solid

Be careful when buying any balloon, even Qualatex, from certain sources. TMyer and Larock's stand by their products and practice sound stock rotation so that you don't wind up with old, brittle product. Other bulk balloon services (and you know who you are) will get a shipment in, toss everything in a bin or on a pile and pick them out as orders come in. If business is good, you get fresh balloons. If business is slow, they'll scrape the bottom of the 6-month old bin before reordering...and you pay the price. Stick with the reliable sources...even if you wind paying a buck or two more overall.

I generally order around $400+ in bulk Qualatex balloons every month or so. Discounts at that level are generous and TMyer and Larocks have yet to let me down over several years.

Skip

Great advice!