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Qualatex 14
Qualatex14
No longer manufactured

Mold type

Bulb

Color sets

Standards

Overall

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Size and shape

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Latex quality

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Reliability

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Durability

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Availability

Printdate

The Common Loon's review[]

Overall comments[]

Despite my sneaking suspicion that in the old days, 12" balloons used to be this size, I have to throw in a wholehearted recommendation for the 14" Qualatex, the 11's bigger brother. Flawless color, nearly nonexistent defects, and just the right size for everything, you can't possibly go wrong with these balloons if you can find them.

Size and shape[]

Face it, Qualatex, your 11" is just too small. I'm always a little disappointed at the lack of impact that 11"s make. 14", on the other hand, is a terrific size: not as much of a space-hog as 16" and much more dramatic than smallish 11s. The teardrop shape is spot-on, too: the neck is gradual enough to make a full-to-over-inflated balloon look natural. My only beef is that some colors seem to inflate smaller than others. More on that below.

Latex quality[]

Qualatex are top of the heap in color consistency, so you'll never find any uneven bubbly places or thin spots. Small bubbles happen very rarely. The price of this color consistency, however, is a hard balloon: Qualatexes, and especially 14" in my opinion, get very tight as they reach full inflation, and you know when you're blowing too far because the skin will ring like a bell! I did notice that the orange 14"s that I got inflated smaller than the other colors, but that may only be a fluke.

Reliability[]

Pre-stretch the neck a little if you plan to take it out all the way on first inflation, since otherwise the super-tightness at overinflation might give way before the neck is full. Other than that, Qualatexes are some of the toughest, most reliable balloons on the market today.

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