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Bounce House Buying Guide

Bounce Houses have emerged as safe, fun alternatives to trampolines, and are quickly becoming a party tradition. From inflatable fun centers, to backyard rentals, to the garage, bounce houses are popping up like mushrooms!  At Blast Zone, we want you to be happy with your bounce house or water park.   We back that promise with exceptional quality and service, but ultimately, you need to choose the Bounce House that is right for your family.  This Bounce House 101 Buying guide shows you how inflatable bouncers and water parks work, and what to look for when purchasing an inflatable.


How do Bounce Houses Work?

Most quality Inflatable Bouncers and Water Parks fall under the category of Continuous Airflow.  This means that an air blower continuously pumps air into the Bounce House or Water Park while the inflatable is in use (If you want to blow it up by mouth, you're in the wrong place!).  Air escapes through the seams and the porous materials.  You will hear air "breathing" out of the inflatable, or even see bubbles in water slides and water parks. This is perfectly normal, and not cause for concern.  Beware of cheap knock offs.  There have been a number of recalls due to low-cost knock offs.  Blowers require power in order to inflate the bouncer, and must be used in areas that have power readily accessible.  If you don't have power for your bouncing party, you will need a generator to run the blower.

Within the continuous airflow category, are two primary types of inflatables: Commercial Grade inflatables and Residential Grade inflatables. 


Bounce House Features

There are tons of different styles and themes for bounce houses, but they all boil down to a few main features.
  • Bounce Floors!  If you're buying a bounce house, this will be the most important feature.  Make sure you get a bounce house that has a floor big enough to house all your kids, and strong enough for your intended use.  The Superstar Party Moonwalk has tons of room for big bouncing parties.  The Play Palace has a commercial grade floor for heavier and older kids.
  • Slides!  The second most common feature of inflatables are slides.  Many bouncers have slides there for aesthetic or safety purposes only.  To get a slide big enough for kids to actually slide down, you'll need something at least a few feet tall.  See the Misty Kingdom Bounce House.
  • Water!  Inflatable water toys and water slides are continuously winning awards.  They keep kids cool and occupied during warm times.  The Crocodile Isle is an awesome water park. Blast zone also has items like the Rainforest Rapids Amusement Park  that can be used as water parks, or used dry.  Bounce houses can be used year-round.  Water-only items will get you 6-9 months use a year.
  • Climbing Walls & Obstacles! Kids like to climb almost as much as they like to bounce.  Some items will have more interactive features like climbing walls.  The Sport Center has a climbing wall and a basketball hoop.
Once you've chosen your features, it's time to learn more about the types of inflatables available.


Types of Inflatables

Residential inflatables use woven oxford cloth as the primary material.   This cloth makes them much lighter, weighing in at as little as 30 lbs, and starting as low as $200.  There are numerous specs of oxford material.  Cheaper oxford runs when punctured, rendering them useless.  Blast Zone uses exclusive X-Weave Oxford, with a very high burst-strength.  Because of the arrangement of the threads, the material does not run, and holds up for much longer periods of time.

Because of the lighter weight, residential inflatables are much easier to set up, take down and transport.  Residential bounce houses can be used for years, if properly cared-for.  These inflatables are not recommended for commercial use, or rental. 

The most important criteria with oxford bouncers are stitching, material quality and weave.  Steer clear of bouncers that are not double stitched with commercial stitching.  Also, be careful with materials, and only buy from reputable companies.  Cheaper materials may not have the proper pvc coating, or may not be balanced weave, and will split at the seams.  All Blast Zone Bouncers utilize balanced weave materials.


Commercial Inflatables are made of PVC tarpaulin material, and are designed for continuous use scenarios.  These Bounce Houses, Slides and Water Parks are commonly used by rental businesses, churches and rec centers, day cares, etc.  While commercial inflatables can be used for home-use, they are expensive, commonly starting at over $1,000 and running as high as $20,000.  Additionally, they are very heavy, typically weighing well over 150 lbs for small units.


Blast Zone Bounce Houses and Water Parks use both types of materials.  In order to keep Blast Zone Inflatables strong and lightweight, oxford cloth makes up the "non-stress" areas.  This means that components that get bounced on, pounced on, pulled on, yanked on and jumped on are either crafted with, or backed by commercial grade material.  But to keep our inflatables lightweight, components of non-stress areas are made with high-tensile interwoven oxford, which by itself is strong enough to handle the bouncing and pouncing.

All Blast Zone bouncers, Slides and Water Parks are double and quadruple stitched to further reinforce the strength. The seams on our slides and bounce floors also receive "over-stitching."  This means that areas where material is sewn together has another strip of material sewn over the seam, further strengthening the seam.

Blast Zone Inflatable Bouncers and Slides are designed for the rigors of home use.  We do not recommend them, however, for commercial use or rental.  For uses such as rentals, rec centers, day cares, churches, and other applications of continuous, regular use, we recommend commercial grade inflatables (coming soon to Blast Zone).



Why I Want to Buy a Bounce House

Bounce Houses are everywhere! It's hard to drive through your neighborhood on a weekend without seeing a rented jumper in someone's front yard, but rentals can be cumbersome, and costs add up quickly. Buy a bounce house If you think your kids will use the bounce house more than once, or if you find yourself continuously renting inflatables.

If you love providing your kids the inflatable fun, but are tired of renting hassles, it's time to consider purchasing a home use bounce house, moonwalk, water park, obstacle course or combo.

Home use inflatables are quickly emerging as an alternative to costly and inconvenient rentals, and quality jump houses can provide continuous fun, safe play for children. Due to the introduction of new forms of materials, inflatables can now be manufactured for moderate home use, at prices 80% lower than commercial inflatables.

While these Jump Houses and Water parks are not suitable for heavy and commercial use, they are perfect for regular backyard bouncing. Blast Zone uses an exclusive, balanced interwoven material for added strength. This material advantage makes Blast Zone Bounce houses stronger and lighter than other home use materials. But Blast Zone goes a step farther, and integrates the same materials used in commercial bounce houses in stress areas such as larger bounce floors and slide surfaces.

About Blast Zone!

Blast Zone is a US based designer and manufacturer of toys, inflatables, and more. We own our factories exclusively, and produce superior, long lasting products!  Blast Zone products use a combination of commercial tarpaulin material, integrated with an exclusive interwoven, breathable oxford cloth, making our inflatables affordable for home use, and strong enough for a long life. 

Most of our inflatables ship right to your door via UPS, whether you buy direct, or from our authorized retailers.  Each inflatable kit includes a UL approved blower, a bounce house or water park, easy setup instructions and a carrying case. 

Setting up a Blast zone bouncer is easy: Unroll the bouncer, attach and turn on the blower, stake the inflatable down, and bounce away!  Take-down is just as easy!

The mission of Blast Zone inflatables is Simple: Provide Fun, Safe products at affordable prices. We utilize commercial materials in stress points in our inflatable products to ensure a long product life. Our engineers evaluate every item for safety, and integrate any safety measures possible.

We do not use unsafe climbing surfaces or slide heights, while we integrate heavy duty safety netting wherever needed. Our inflatables are balanced and durable. 



Why Shop With Blast Zone?


Whether you're shopping directly with us, or through on of our authorized retailers, rest assured you are purchasing the best quality items available for home-use.  Blast Zone and Blast Zone retailers only utilize secure internet transactions.  That means your data, and your purchase are both safe from fraud.

All Blast Zone items are in-stock, unless otherwise noted.  if your item is out of stock, we will UPGRADE YOU FOR FREE to the next item.  We understand the urgency of our items for birthday parties etc, so we SHIP SAME DAY WHENEVER POSSIBLE.