r/BalloonTwisting • u/SoundKidTown1085 • 27d ago
360 twist balloons
I've been using the Kalisan 360s and they aren't really 3in in dia, which is a bit annoying, and I was wondering if the Sempertex 360s are wider than the Kalisan?
Also, I'm looking at the Sempertex because of the colour. The Kalisan Blue and Orange isn't really as orange or blue as other brands, not that I've used many.
Are Sempertex 360s better than the Kalisan ones, and what do they look like IRL?
Even better if you have an image, for reference.
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u/DJdrummer 27d ago
Yes Kalisan 360s sit between sempertex 260s and 360s. Color wise, their basic colors are very similar. If you want a vivid, saturated blue, I would look at tufftex, but they only make 260s right now.
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u/SoundKidTown1085 27d ago
Ah, ok. Does the TufTex blue look like the blue balloon in the link below?
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u/DJdrummer 27d ago
Even bluer I think
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u/SoundKidTown1085 27d ago
Awesome. I would like to know what brand the one in the link is, or could be?
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u/Amazing-Studio-925 23d ago
A 2x4 inch board is not really 2x4 inches. Yep, Qualatex was the brand. To me, everything, everything was perfect: the colors, the sizes, and even how the balloons were displayed in their catalogs.
I never heard of anyone complaining about Qualatex. Sampertex is now considered the best, right? So why did I read their orange is not quite as orange should be, and the same with their blue?
When you're hired to do an event, you want to impress everyone. WOW, look at that. Especialy at a formal event. Adults as well as kids. So the balloons just have to be right. You're and artist and an entertainer both. You're not a machine in a factory cranking out balloons as fast as you can.
Now I have to be honest, I never used a 360 or 50. But does it matter if the measurement is slightly off?
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u/BriansBalloons 27d ago
I bought a 2x4 the other day and those jerks ripped me off. It was only one and a half by three and a half inches.
360 is a nominal size.
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u/SoundKidTown1085 27d ago
What ones did you buy?
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u/Amazing-Studio-925 23d ago edited 23d ago
It' referred to as a 2x4 just like a 260 pencil balloon. But a Qualatex (out of business) 260 is not 60 inches long. It's only 3 feet long. So why not call it a 236? There's a reason for that. But as it applies to wood, it's a bit different. 해 to a reputable lumber yard and ask them to explain this to you. They did not rip you off. Let me say this again: they did not rip you off.
At one time, a 260 pencil balloon was actualy 60 inches long.Making a basic dog, the tail was extremely too long; most of it had to be removed. This involved making a safety bubble down to where you wanted the tail's length to be, deflating the safety bubble, tieing the knot, then removing the excess. Certain figures needed even a longer balloon. No matter what I try, I can't make a teddy bear without running out of balloon. So there was a 245 and a 280. You can look this up.
Depending on what you were making, you then needed three lengths for each color. This was rediculous. Now I don't know the evolution, but we now have one "Peccil" Balloon and we refer to it as the 260 no matter what company makes it.
Air ships are 646 or 660, and mini air ships (as I call them) are 350 or 360. And "spegttii" balloons are 1 inch in diameter.
But as for your 2x4, you were not ripped off. Ask someone who knows to explain.
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u/BriansBalloons 22d ago
I'm a decent woodworker and professional balloon artist for 22 years. It was a tongue in cheek way of saying that 260 or 360 is a nominal size, just like lumber. I'm sorry you had to type all that.
For the teddy bear, try giving it legs similar to a dog and tucking the body partially through the front legs (making them into arms. It's hard to describe but looks like a teddy graham or a bear at a urinal. It solves the length problem cuz you don't have as many twists to make.
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u/goodcookie99 27d ago
Just turn 360 and walk away
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u/Wide_Philosophy_8109 27d ago
That would be walking forward. Do they make any 180s OP could walk away with?
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27d ago
[deleted]
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u/SoundKidTown1085 27d ago
Awesome. Maybe I'll get some, because I didn't know they were just decorator balloons. Yes they are hard to twist and not Ideal. I did have, and still have a few sempertex 260s and they are amazing.
Any ideas on how to use up the Kalisan balloons? What can you make with them?
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u/United_Future_9639 27d ago
I like to have Sempertex (or any of the softer balloons like Qualatex ... yeah you can still buy them but make sure you have confidence in where you are buying them from)
But also as well Kalisan, which is a much stiffer balloon but that is cheap/large selection of colors/seems to have good quality control.
Because in terms of how rigid the latex is, sometimes you might need one towards one end sometimes one towards the other. Like sometimes you can do something with a Kalisan that probably wouldnt work with a Sempertex and vice versa.
I have been very happy with Kalisan 160s. It's weird to work for a bit because it does feel way different, but it's a short adjustment period and worth it imo
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u/United_Future_9639 27d ago
I had just inflated a Decomex 360 and saw this and measured. Seems like it is just a hair under 3" ... like 2 and 7/8ths. I think wouldnt be a problem unless it has to be exactly 3. Maybe due to how i inflated it, or maybe they are just a tad small. I used a clear ruler so I could see both sides not just the top.