Betallatex 360 Balloons

By Rob Balchunas

A while back, I asked about Betallatex 360 balloons on the Balloon HQ mailing list. Shortly after that, a Betallic sales representative contacted me and offered to send me some samples. I decided to do some experiments to test out these new balloons and share the results with all of you. Betallatex 360s should be available to purchase in a couple months.

Size

I received a bag of 28 of their Testing Prototype 360s in assorted colors, along with some 160, 260, 6″ heart, and Link-o-Loon samples. I chose to compare the 360s to the only other balloon closest in size, Qualatex 350s. Prestige used to make 360s, but has since stopped making them. Right out of the bag, the 360 was noticibly longer and slightly thinner than the 350. It seemed exactly the same size as a Prestige 360. I then fully inflated the 360 and the 350 to compare them. The 360 was slightly thinner than the 350, and was about four or five inches longer than the 350. In the photos above, the Betallatex 360 is on top and the Qualatex 350 is on the bottom.

Test One: Poodle

For my first test, I tried to make a poodle with the 360 and the 350. I let the air out of both balloons, stretched them so that they snapped back and looked new again, and inflated them almost half way. I started with the 360. I twisted a poodle, holding the tail end of the balloon to prevent the air from moving into the tail too quickly. I was just barely able make a complete poodle with a pom pom on the tail. I then went onto the 350. I made a poodle in the same manor as before, but was just barely able to complete the back legs. I didn’t have enough room for a pom pom tail. I then twisted a poodle with a Betallatex 260 for comparison. In the photo above, the 360 poodle is on the left and the 350 poodle is on the right. The photo next to it shows the 360 poodle on the left and the 260 poodle on the right.

Test Two: Teddy Bear

I then tried to twist a teddy bear. I blew a new 360 and 350 up almost half way and twisted two bears. With the 360, I was able to make fold twisted arms and legs fairly easily. With the 350, I barely (no pun intended) had enough room to make the fold twisted arms and legs. I then twisted a teddy bear with a Betallatex 260 for comparison. In the photo above, the 360 teddy bear is on the left and the 350 teddy bear is on the right. In the photo next to it, the 360 teddy bear is on the left and the 260 teddy bear is on the right.

Quality

The Betallatex 360s felt pretty strong. The first yellow one I blew up was spotty (it had patches that were more translucent than others) but was still strong enough to twist.

I twisted the 260 comparison figures with the sample 260s I received. The date on the bag says 27/06/05. These balloons were stronger than other Betallatex balloons I have worked with in the past. There was a significant quality improvement in these. I also noticed that in the past, some colors were stronger, and others were softer, but all of the colors in this bag shared the same consistency.

Conclusion

The Betallatex 360s give you more room than 350s to work, so it is possible to twist basic animals with a single balloon. I assume that they will come in most of Betallatex’s colors, or at least all the current 160 colors. Thanks for reading. Rob Balchunas rob@balloonhq.com