These are two different products that get sold as alternatives. They are not really competing; they solve different problems.
Helium flies, cold air stands
A helium balloon is on a tether at 120 feet, above rooflines and trees, visible from a long way off. A cold-air inflatable stands on the ground on a blower, enormous at fifty feet and invisible at five hundred.
That single difference decides most cases. Distance means helium. Impact on your own forecourt means cold air.
The running costs are opposite
A cold-air inflatable needs mains power and the fan runs every hour it is up. There is a cable, a socket, and a breaker that can trip.
A helium balloon needs no power at all, and loses about one percent of its gas a day. So helium costs you gas and nothing else; cold air costs you electricity and a power run to wherever it stands.
Shape freedom goes to cold air
This is where cold air wins outright. A blower-driven inflatable can be moulded into almost anything: a cow, a sumo wrestler, a monster, your actual product.
Helium shapes are limited to what holds gas efficiently and flies stably: spheres, blimps, and hot-air balloon silhouettes. We build cold-air custom shapes up to about 25 feet, quoted per project.
Night is the deciding factor for some
A helium balloon can carry an internal LED kit, $309, and stays up overnight without anyone present.
A cold-air inflatable generally comes down at close of business, because leaving a fan running unattended is not a plan. If your customers drive past after dark, that matters.
Ask for a quote. Call 1-800-791-1445 or email sales@arizonaballoon.com and tell us the size and whether you want it printed.
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