Will Royas Deluxe Balloon Twisting Kit with DVD, Inflator and Balloons

This DVD kit is a good deal, however if Will would have added a little more personality and smiled like he enjoyed making balloons and teaching, I would have given it 5 stars.The pump is just OK but the balloons are high quality and you get 48. The DVD is over 2 hours and he teaches you many animals and other shapes. Once you learn the basic dog, the rest come easily. I have learned to make several animals and will continue to learn more. My students are eagerly anticipating pirate swords which I will learn next. The giraffes are popular and the girls love hearts the best.I must say that I am having so much FUN that I will continue on after I finish this DVD and buy other DVD's and books. I have just ordered the Klutz book of Balloon Twisting which teachers non-animal shapes like flowers and bikes. I also plan on ordering the second DVD in this series featuring S. Frank Stringham.

It's just as described however my son said a lot of the things they teach are the same over and over. He wanted more of a challenging kit I guess. It's a nice product though and works well.

We purchased this as a New Year's Eve activity for our family--2 adults and children ages 8, 10, and 14. We had such a great time, and every one of us enjoyed it. The DVD instructions are very good. The instructor starts with basics, then adds on new little techniques in each short segment. We were making all kinds of dogs in just a few minutes, and soon making other creatures--reindeer, bunnies, parrots in a ring. We also made some awesome, funky hats and some swords. Our 8-year-old was a little slower than the rest of us, and we would stop the DVD sometimes to show him what to do, or we would rewind if we wanted to watch over again.It was magical for me, a thoroughly jaded middle-aged parent, to whip out a balloon and twist up a cool balloon animal. Perhaps the biggest fan and most devoted DVD watcher was our teenager, who yes, does get bored with stuff sometimes, so this is really saying something. All the kids have continued to make animals for days. They show their friends how to make animals (including teen friends). We have a giant graveyard of animals in the corner of the room that the kids could not bear to throw away until today, more than a week later. (And then popping them is so much fun, too.)I almost gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because the balloons that come with the kit are not as strong as the Qualatex balloons we purchased separately. In reading other reviews, I knew this might be a problem, so I purchased Qualatex balloons in addition to this kit. If you are going to purchase additional balloons, you might be like me--wondering what size to get. Most of the animals are made with size 260 (which means 60" long and 2" diameter). For the hats, get size 160 (60" long, 1" diameter).But overall, the instructions were great and that was worth every penny. We had a blast. Such a party.

I tried to play the video on several of our dvd players and every player showed that the video was not readable. This is crappy if you are trying to learn how to twist balloons. I was using it to refresh my skills.

This was my first balloon purchase. I wanted to learn a few basic twists to entertain kids and make funny hats for my friends on their birthdays - nothing professional. If that sounds like you, this is an excellent purchase.The DVD is pretty good. I wish some of the twists were done slower or from a different camera angle, but the learning curve is pretty simple and after 2 or 3 trys you'll see what he's saying. This is a common problem with balloon twisting instruction - it's tough to "show" since your hands are always in the way. I had initially planned on just watching YouTube videos for instruction, but after seeing some of the instruction that's on there I am glad to have the DVD.The pump is good, I agree with other reviewers that these balloons are just alright. You'll have plenty to get you started, but once you buy some better balloons you'll realize these pop easily. Just don't get discouraged if you're popping lots of balloons on your first few tries - you might need better technique, but you also might just need better balloons.This will get you started, and while no component is the best in it's class, everything's servicable. For the price, I say 5 stars. Thanks for reading!

I ordered this for a gift and do not have any feedback on it as of yet. It looks like what I wanted. However, my biggest complaint is that the different parts, including a DVD, were just tossed in a bag and mailed. Like I said, this was a gift and I had to find just a plain box to wrap it in. This did not look good. I thought it should have been packaged. I'm hoping the DVD made it OK. I do think she will be happy with the product if it is OK.

I was looking fo rsomething non-electronic so I was disappointed that there were no paper instructions only a DVD. This requies a computer just what I was hoping ot avoid.

The actual dvd came with a pump and some random coloured 260s.The packaging was not in a box which made it look cheaper.As other commentors had advised getting another pump, I purchase the Qualatex pump together with this DVD.I found that I had difficulty pumping the balloon till full with the pump that came with the DVD. It was much easier with the Qualatex pump.For the DVD, the instructor really start from basics on how to fill a balloon and how to tie the balloon etc.While he gives detailed instructions at a decent pace, I found myself rewinding a couple of times to learn how he did some of the twists.After learning the basic twists, I fast forwarded the DVD to those designs I am interested in, rather going along in sequence.I would recommend this kit to those just picking up balloon twisting (like me).