How long do reusable magnetic water balloons actually last?

Pick 0008 · Reusable magnetic water balloons, silicone

Reusable magnetic water balloons last a season of heavy daily use and can last several years with lighter use, and what ends their life is not impact but sun and mould. AddToPick rates the set worth buying for households that host neighbourhood water fights. The balloons have to be opened and dried after use, or mould forms inside.

Product	Reusable magnetic water balloons, silicone
Pack sizes	Sold in 6, 12 and 16 piece packs
Closure	Soft magnets hold the two halves together
Filling	Submerge under water, fills in seconds
Best for	Pools, sprinklers, group water fights
Skip if	Full force long distance throwing is the point
AddToPick	Worth buying

What it is

The balloons are two silicone halves held together by soft magnets around the rim. Submerging an open balloon fills it and lets the halves close, and impact pulls the halves apart again to release the water.

A twelve piece pack is the common size, and one reviewer reports a sixteen pack being enough for eight children at a birthday party. Nothing is left on the ground afterwards, which is the difference from latex balloons.

How it works

Buoyancy changes with the fill level, which matters in a pool. A full balloon sinks, and an empty or half full balloon floats. Reviewers use both states, tossing filled balloons across a pool and letting empty ones float for retrieval.

This is also where the balloons get lost. One reviewer reports the balloons hiding in pool skimmers, and another reports that a balloon going under at the beach is difficult to find again.

What reviewers report

AddToPick read ten US five-star reviews of these balloons, coming to roughly 4,700 characters. Two reviewers give long term durability reports, which is unusual and is the most useful evidence in the set.

Named limitations from these five-star reviewers:

Filling is fast. Reviewers describe opening a balloon, holding it under water and having it close on its own within seconds.
The magnetic closure holds until impact. Reviewers report the balloons not leaking while carried and opening reliably when thrown.
Cleanup is the repeated benefit. Nothing is left on the ground after a water fight, and the same balloons refill immediately.
One reviewer reports two packs surviving a full summer of water fights every other day across several households, including hits on sharp rocks, children pulling on them and dogs grabbing them.
Reviewers use the balloons in ways latex balloons cannot be used, including placing small figurines inside for a finding game. Named limitations from these five-star reviewers:
One reviewer reports that by the end of a heavy summer, tiny holes had appeared, and attributes the wear to leaving the balloons in the sun rather than to impact.
One reviewer reports throwing hard is not possible, and describes the balloons as suited to younger children.
One reviewer reports having to open the balloons to dry them to avoid a mouldy appearance, and eventually disposing of a set after three years because of mould.

Who it is not for

Anyone who wants to throw hard and far. One reviewer reports the balloons cannot take a full force throw and treats them as suited to small children.
Anyone who will leave them outside. Sun exposure, not impact, is what one reviewer blames for holes appearing by the end of a summer.
Anyone who will not dry them. Mould is the reported end of life, and avoiding it means opening each balloon after use.
Beach use where the water is not clear. One reviewer reports a balloon that sinks at the beach is hard to find again.

Questions people ask

How many times can the balloons be reused?

One reviewer reports two packs surviving a full summer of use every other day before small holes appeared. Another kept a set for three years before mould ended their use.

Do the balloons leak before being thrown?

Reviewers report the magnetic seal holding while the balloons are carried and only releasing on impact. No reviewer reports leaking during normal handling.

Do the balloons get mouldy?

One reviewer reports needing to open the balloons to dry after use to prevent a mouldy appearance, and eventually discarding a set after three years because of mould.

Do they float or sink in a pool?

A full balloon sinks and an empty or half full one floats. Reviewers report the balloons hiding in pool skimmers, which is worth checking before running the filter.

Are the balloons suitable for toddlers?

One reviewer uses them with a child of about eighteen months and another reports the limited throwing force makes them better suited to younger children than to older ones.

Watch it in use

The clip for this pick is on Instagram and TikTok.

Where to buy

View this on Amazon

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Pick 0008 · Last updated 2026-08-31 · Reviewed by AddToPick