Renting is not just a way to spread out the cost. It is a different product, and it suits a different kind of business.
Rent when
- You only need weekends — You pay for the weekends you fly and nothing else.
- Your staff turns over — Nobody has to be trained, because nobody touches it.
- You run several sites — One phone call covers all of them, at the same rate.
- Weather risk worries you — Down for weather means no charge, and no lost balloon.
- You want to try it first — Week to week, stop any time, no contract.
Buy when
- You are outside Phoenix or Tucson — We cannot service it, so owning is the only real option.
- You fly it constantly — Daily year-round use eventually favours owning.
- You travel with it — Trade show exhibitors need it in their own trailer.
- You want it printed once and kept — Artwork is included in the purchase price.
The honest arithmetic
A blimp costs $1,526 to buy, plus $135 shipping, plus helium. Blimp service is $297.25 a day. On paper that looks like ownership wins after a handful of weekends.
That arithmetic leaves out the parts that actually decide it: someone has to fill it, someone has to watch the forecast, and someone eats the loss if a balloon goes in a storm. Rented, none of those are yours. Owned, all three are.
Which is better depends entirely on whether you have a person for that job. Most businesses think they do and find out they do not.
What you are renting
The same equipment we manufacture and sell. Polyurethane, not PVC, which is why it holds its shape and survives sun that turns cheaper balloons brittle.
Balloons are 5.5-foot spheres. Blimps are 13 feet with two large printable sides. If you want your logo on a rented blimp, ask. It changes the lead time, not the daily rate.
More at arizonaballoon.com.