Will Investing in a Digital Balloon Inflator Help You to Grow Your Balloon Business?

Last week, I bought a sewing machine! It has been almost 40 years since I bought my last machine, and as you can imagine things have changed quite a bit since then! Did you know that the needle self-threads these days! Why am I telling you this? To show you why it's important to pick the right equipment for you and your business. 

While am not a tailor nor a dressmaker, I do enjoy making simple home furnishings, so I need more than just a needle and thread! 

This same rule applies to balloon inflators. In my last blog post - Which Electric Balloon Inflators is Best For You and Your Business - Part 1,  I talk about Level 1 and Level 2 inflators, both ideal for someone just starting out and also for professional decorators too! Many very successful balloon businesses work with the Conwin Air Force 4™ and the Premium Cool Aire® 4 inflators, especially those businesses that do large scale installations, balloon drops and organic style decor! 

So why should you go one-step further and invest in a top of the range digital balloon inflator? For me, it's all about which is the most time- saving, as well as provides precision and power. 

I have been working with digital balloon inflators such as the Conwin Precision Air™ and the Premium Twin-Air™️ Sizer ll for a number of years, and I really could not imagine going back to working without one.

Timesaving 

When working on air-filled decor we are, in most instances, inflating two balloons to create duplets. What could be simpler than pre-setting the size on your machine using the digital timer, placing the balloons over the outlets, pressing the foot pedal, and 'hey presto'! you have two balloons inflated to the same size in a matter of a few seconds! 

Precision

Although organic style decor is very popular, most professional balloon companies offer both organic and classic decor, such as the beautiful Rainbow Arch. Having an inflator that ensures that every balloon is accurately sized every time is invaluable! However, a digital inflator can still be used when making organic decor. I simply over-inflate my balloons and then allow a little air out until I obtain the desired size and shape that I am looking for.

Power

When it comes to power, there can be a huge different between inflators. The power of an inflator can also depend on the country that it is being used in. For example in the UK and Europe, machines work on 220/240v, whereas in the US and Canada the machines work on 110v which can have a considerable impact on how powerful they are. Having an inflator that is powerful enough to inflate all sizes of modelling balloons, including 160Q's and double-stuffed balloons is a huge bonus! 

As I have not worked with the new updated Conwin Precision AirV6 machine, I felt that it would be fairer to list the manufacturers product details to give an unbiased review.

Premium Twin-Air® Sizer

The only digital inflator designed to run continuously without overheating and accurately size latex including double-stuffed 5", and all modelling balloons for decoration.

Premium Twin-Air Sizer® II features & benefits

• Push button screen adjusts inflation time in seconds and tenths of second.
• Includes built in cycle counter that also gives the option to decrease count by one when required.
• New state-of-the-art digital printed circuit board (PCB) for better control and longer life.
• Immediate full pressure inflation with the foot pedal or on/off switch.
• Never needs recalibrating.
• Continuous inflation mode when foot pedal is plugged into the left outlet, or timed inflation mode when plugged into the right outlet.
• Includes padded protective carrying case.
• 120 volt for USA, 230V/240V for Europe, UK, and Australia.
• CE approved for Europe and UK.
• EPCS approved for Australia and New Zealand.
• 1-year conditional warranty.

Precision Air™ V6 Inflator

The Next Generation in Air Inflation!

• The Precision Air automatically sizes air-filled latex balloons without the use of heavy cylinders, noisy air compressors, or time- consuming templates. 
• Great for columns, sculptures and other air-filled decor. 
• Adjust the inflation time by tenths of a second for precision sizing. 
• Proper balloon sizing eliminates popped balloons, and ensures consistent costing and customer satisfaction. 
• Electrical unit includes a built-in, adjustable cycle counter that tracks the number of balloons inflated. 
• New model allows you to inflate a single balloon automatically or two different sized balloons. 
• Increase efficiency with the new Auto-Inflate Cycle function and inflate any size round and entertainer balloons 2” in diameter and larger.

If you are considering investing in one of these machines, I would say that you won't regret it! As a balloon decorator, you are only restricted by your limitations and one of our biggest limitations is time, especially when you work alone. Having a digital inflator will increase the number of balloons you can inflate within a given time, significantly giving you more opportunity and confidence to take on more work or bigger jobs! Your machine will pay for itself in no time! 

As I said in my last post, I will always recommend that if you are able to attend a balloon training course, event or convention, you should certainly do so. These events will give you the opportunity to work with all kinds of different equipment in order to have a full understanding of how each piece of equipment works and what works best for you! If you need any further advise, then ask other balloon professionals, they will be very quick to let you know what their favourite equipment is and why! 

Happy Ballooning!


Sue
www.suebowler.com

#suebowler

Which Electric Balloon Inflators is Best For You and Your Business - Part 1

Maybe you're just starting out, or maybe you're ready to take your balloon business to the next level! No matter what phase you're in, knowing which air-inflator to buy can be a little bit of a minefield.
Owning a hand-pump should be a given for your balloon business, as it is an essential tool in any balloon artists toolbox. However, having an electrical balloon inflator in addition to a hand-pump will enable you to significantly increase the amount of decor work that you can do.

Premium Balloon Accessories and Conwin  have both developed ranges of equipment for the balloon Industry. I use their products frequently and I want to feature their products in this blog as I feel confident in both their quality and usefulness to balloon artists like me!

I will always recommend that if you are able to attend a balloon training course, event or convention, you should certainly do so. These events will give you the opportunity to work with all kinds of different equipment in order to have a full understanding of how each piece of equipment works and what works best for you! 

Level 1: Basic Electric Balloon Inflators

Premium MicroAir®

This is a small, powerful and economical entry-level electric balloon inflator. 

It's perfect for inflating latex balloons that are 9" and larger in size.

The Premium Micro-Air has a push-down activation and an on-off switch for continuous inflation.

Available in 120 volt for USA, 230V/240V for Europe, UK, and Australia. CE approved for Europe and UK. This inflator is covered by Premium's 1-year conditional warranty.

Premium Mini Cool Aire®, “Dual Pro™” Inflator

This is another excellent beginner-friendly electric balloon inflator, and offers more even more features than the Premium MicroAir.

This inflator is not only perfect for inflating latex balloons, but is also good for air-inflating foil balloons with self-sealing valves. It inflates the foil balloon without causing any damage to the valves - which can easily happen when using inflation equipment that has not been specifically designed to inflate valved balloons.




This inflator has one speed for lower pressure and cooler inflation of foils and another for higher pressure, high-speed inflation of latex.
It has push-down activation and an on/off switch for continuous inflation.

It is available in 120-Volt and 230/240-Volt versions. CE approved. 1-year conditional warranty.

Level 2: Multi-Nozzle Electric Balloon Inflators

The inflators that I have featured above are both single outlet inflators - which means that you can inflate only one balloon at a time. Imagine how many more balloons you could inflate if you used a multi nozzle inflator!

Premium Cool Aire® 4 Balloon Inflator 

The Cool Aire 4 is a powerful inflator that can easily inflate 5˝ latex balloons and larger. It has three “Speed-Switch” settings: high-pressure for small latex, to low-pressure for large latex.

When you are not using all the nozzles, you can cap them to close them off, which will make the machine work faster. This inflator comes with high quality, padded protective carrying case. It also comes with two hands-free foot pedals when operated by multiple users. Ideal for inflating balloons for organic decor, balloon drops and arches.

120 volt for USA, 230V/240V for Europe, UK, and Australia.

CE approved for Europe and UK, with pending EPCS approvals for Australia.

1-year conditional warranty.

Conwin Air Force 4™ Inflator

Suitable for use with all sizes of latex balloons, this powerful inflator is well suited for many types of balloon decor jobs. It can be used with a foot pedal or continual-air blower, and is designed to maintain a fixed temperature and will not overheat on large jobs. It also has a Large Balloon Inflation Hose that can be attached to any of the outlets, and will quickly allow you to inflate 16″ latex balloons and larger in 1/3 of the time. 

Now you see why balloon professionals use these products! The Premium Cool Aire 4 and the Conwin Air Force 4 inflators are easily the most efficient way to inflate multiple balloons!

None of these featured air-inflators will accurately size balloons, so for precision inflation I would recommend using a balloon-sizing box such as the Qualatex^® Balloon Sizer in conjunction with all of these inflators.

To find out more about each of these machines, visit www.premiumballoon.com or www.conwinonline.com or talk to your preferred balloon distributor/wholesaler. 

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

Adding those little finishing touches to wedding decor!

I recently had the honour of decorating a wedding where the charisma and personalities of the bride & groom oozed from every corner of the room. Their love of traveling was reflected on each table showing a different photograph of their travels to faraway places, as was their enjoyment of fun and games  through the "guest book" written on wooden Jenga pieces! Every part of the wedding had their personalities stamped all over it, and for me it showed that a great deal of thought and love had gone into planning their very special day!

Finishing touches can really make a difference, they add the personal touches to a wedding and we can do the same when we create our decor!

Here are a few ideas that you can use to add that little extra touch when decorating weddings and other elegant events!

One of my first tips would be to find out what flowers will be featured at the wedding. Even though the wedding reception may be predominantly balloon decor, there will still be some flowers such as the bridal bouquet. I love to use silk flower heads to add that little finishing touch to wedding decor.


For me, balloons at a traditional wedding should be elegant and soft and not bold and over-bearing. If a colour is to be used, then it should be added carefully into the decor to ensure that decor remains elegant and graceful.

Clik-Clik Balloon Bond saved the day! - This is a top tip for all balloon decorators!

Last week I was thrilled to be a guest instructor working with Robbie Furman in Ireland for the first stop of his UK & Ireland BAPIA Tour.

Mr & Mrs Zebra Design created by Sue Bowler CBA using Qualatex Balloons,  Premium Balloon Accessories  and Clik Clik Balloon Bond

My allotted  time slot was after lunch, which was great as it gave me a few hours to play & prep working with some exciting products that had been supplied by the tours very generous sponsors before my demonstration! 

After unpacking all my Qualatex balloons that I had selected to use for my demonstration it suddenly dawned on me that I did not have a heat sealer for the 9" & 14" Microfoil™ balloons that I was using in my designs... now that was a very big problem as I was using these in all but one of my designs, and therefore I needed to find a solution.

'Balloon-Pops' - cute and simple air-filled balloon designs.

'Balloon Pop's©' - it's all in the name!

How many of us name our designs? Sure we sell 'Bouquets of Balloons' or 'Balloon Arrangements' even balloons on a ribbon & weight, but do you name each of your designs?

Balloon-Pop's© by Sue Bowler  

I recently did a little 'snooping' around the internet and viewed a variety of websites. I started with the floral market and checked out a selection of companies, the results were very interesting. Some the florists named each of their beautiful creations, making it really easy to identify and order, some simply gave their designs a number (a bit boring) and others no name or description at all, which made me wonder if I found an arrangement on their website that I really liked how would I go about asking for it?

I then looked at other retail businesses, let's take IKEA, they name everything that they sell! Many of us use the 'NOT' lamp for example and without having a name, how easy would it be for us to identify the lamp when we visit the store... probably not easy at all? Perfumes all have names as do cars... there really has to be something in giving  a product or design a name!