Review by Andy Martin for Production Chest by Mikame Craft
5 out of 5
One of the Best Mikame Pieces!
This is a very clever and beautifully made piece from Mikame Craft. It is more sturdy than some of their other pieces and the production method itself is very convincing.
This is certainly more than a tip over trunk and you can freely show all around and then open up doors on the top, front and sides and there really looks like no place to hide. The load is very generous for the box size and I think you will be delighted with the design and finish of this marvellous piece of magic!
If you are looking for a production box, you would do well to consider this your first choice.
Review by George Guerra for Hale Chop Cup by Woodmagic Studio
5 out of 5
My Favorite Chop Cup!
I have owned this gorgeous chop cup for a long time, but never put it up on Andy’s site. I am surprised as it’s my favorite chop cup in all my collection. Howard Hale did an incredible job segmenting the various exotic woods that make up this cup. First is a dark red African Padauk that is half of the cup, followed by a narrow band of Zebrawood, and, finally, American Red Oak. Each wood is separated by a total of three beaded bands of Wenge, the last making the lip of the cup. The blend is an incredible display of varying colors and grain patterns.
Howard made an accompanying wand with the same woods in the shape of a large chop stick…very distinctive. Overall, the set is a true beauty to behold and perfect craftsmanship noted throughout. It’s too bad he is no longer in the business of making magic…it was great quality magic that will be definitely missed.
Review by Andy Martin for Wandering Mummy II – Danis by Francois Danis
5 out of 5
Finally François Finds His Groove!
I have slowly but surely been more and more impressed with the young craftsman from France: François Danis. Some of his early works were just good, but this newest version of his Wandering Mummies is fantastic and easily his best work to date. I have had many Mummy sets, but at this point this is my favorite.
This is the first version of his Mummies that uses Mahogany and Samba for the carrying case and walnut for the caskets and the difference shows. The finish on this set matches Mel Babcock at his finest, and is even close to the ultra fine tolerances of Alan Warner. One of the really wonderful things about his work is the unique artwork that is used throughout his creations. He also offers you a number of choices of designs for the finished work, making every piece truly custom.
These Mummies also come with a very well written routine by Ian Buckland. Most Mummy routines are pretty bare bones, but this one blends all the moves together and makes the whole effect become much more of a miracle with an interesting storyline too.
All in all a truly wonderful set that should be in all collections!
There is a new standard that I am starting called The GG Standard for those highly prized items that are suitable for only the finest collections. The standard is named after the collector whom I know only accepts the very best into his collection.
This, my friends, certainly lives up to The GG Standard! It is truly beautiful and unique. Very well done François, and congratulations on making a tired, old Mummy fan get excited about your new Mummy! I look forward to seeing how much further you can grow.
Review by George Guerra for Cameroon Ball Vase by Colin Rose
5 out of 5
Turned Magical Art Beyond Comparison
Can a magical apparatus leave you speechless on first sight? Very few are that good. I have always been an admirer of apparatus built from fine exotic woods. There is just something about the color, grain, and feel of wood in an apparatus with magical qualities. Two people come to mind in this category…Mel Babcock and Alan Warner. Now, take a big step towards Art worthy in a collection of any fine art gallery or museum and these vases from Five of Hearts Magic take center stage. The artists behind these unbelievable vases are Colin Rose and Paul Coker.
The Cameroon Collection is a new series to be available later this year with its hallmark being that all its pieces will be turned from the finest African Padauk. This Ball Vase stands 7 inches and is the First Issue Ball Vase in this Collection…a gesture from Sharron Rose, Colin’s wife, after a query I sent her a few weeks ago. She responded by moving forward the plan to add this vase to the Cameroon Collection, which already had released a chop cup and set of cups & balls with matching wand. The vase is so gorgeous and flawless, I have no words to describe my enthusiasm when I first saw it. The base has an Ebony hallmark with a five of hearts playing card engraved on it…beautiful!
As can be seen I have become a avid fan of this company’s products. The pictures, I can assure you, only give you a "glimpse" of the quality craftsmanship that goes into these vases.
Most highly recommended…wood magic just doesn’t get any better.
Review by Andy Martin for Ancient Paddle Set No. 3 by Francois Danis
5 out of 5
Wonderful Magical Story Telling with Paddles
When I first received these paddles from the talented young French craftsman François Danis my initial reaction was great quality but they’re all the same! Well first impressions can be very deceiving! Of course when you receive a box of paddles like this you immediately compare them to Chance Wolf’s amazing Paddle Craft Set. These paddles are not the same but they still are wonderful. The materials used are not as good as Chance’s – in fact very few paddles are. However, where François really takes off is that he uses the paddles to tell stories and by so doing makes the magic bigger, bolder, and certainly more memorable than doing some quick moves with a paddle.
As we have come to expect from François the artwork is amazing and the quality of these paddles made in beautiful Walnut is superb. The display box is made from a cheaper oak plywood, but it still looks good. One of the things that is becoming obvious to me is that the choice of wood makes all the difference. If possible pay more to upgrade the woods used. Currently François’s prices are low to average and if they have to go up a bit to pay for better woods, then I think it will be worthwhile. Of course you can never go wrong with Walnut!
In, this set you have stories involving the Curse of Tut Ank Amoun which is a great story telling piece and tells of how the Great Pharaoh was poisoned and always returned to his sarcophagus. It is like a paddle version of the Wandering Mummy trick! There is a story from Greek Mythology about the fate of the heroes with Perse, Ulysse, and Hercules and the role of the dice, which again shows a wonderful slant on how paddles can be used for a complete effect rather than a quick trick. Finally, this set comes with a chalk paddle to draw whatever symbols you fancy upon – or you could do something like the wonderful routine of Jimmy Rogers: I’ll Start Again.
All in all this is a lot more than just a set of nice paddles it is magic storytelling on a stick!
Great Job François, if you had put it all in a walnut box I know this would be in The GG Standard. In fact, I believe because of the unique way you are using these paddles it does deserve a place there anyway. As I play with them more the quality is certainly there and just because they are not Paddle Craft does not mean they are not beautiful and worthy.
Review by Andy Martin for Cha Am Drawer Box by Magic Wagon
5 out of 5
Easily The Best Drawer Box I have Seen!
Wow, the Magic Wagon guys have done it again! This drawer box would be fantastic if it was just a normal drawer box that looked this good. However, they have added a very clever mechanism that allows the drawer to be totally taken out both before and after the load has been ancomplished!
The mechanism is so well hidden once you produce the item you can pull out the drawer show it all around and show the inside of the cover too. There are no external pins or slides. It really is an incredible piece of woodworking.
If you then factor in the beautiful Teak case and interior and the Teak/Maple top you have a true wonder.
Review by Andy Martin for Geisha Paddle Set No. 8 by Francois Danis
5 out of 5
Storying telling of Epic Paddle Proportions!
This newest set of paddles from the French Craftsman, François Danis, takes story telling to a whole new level. With this set he uses all six paddles to take you on a magical journey through Japan in the Middle Ages, and what a great ride it is!
I have never seen paddles woven so extensively into a patter presentation, and I am very impressed. What I think is particularly cool is you now have a reason for these funny shaped pieces of wood – they are your story boards to explain and enhance the story. What a great idea!
These particular, paddes are made in Mahogany and the box is made in oak plywood and painted a crimson red with gold trim and symbol on the front. A very striking display to be sure.
François has been slowly, but surely growing on me and I feel quite certain that he will be around for a long time to come, and we will continue to marvel at his fresh take on beautiful magic.
Highly Recommended, and amazing value (at least for now)!
Review by Andy Martin for Multiplying Bottles by Harries
5 out of 5
The Best Bottles around today!
The Multiplying Bottles is one of those routines that magicians think is obvious, but to lay people it seems amazing and plays very well. I had a set of Multiplying Bottles a few years ago and they were wonderful. Unfortunately, they were almost impossible to find, and many people contacted me for information. These new bottles from the established Swedish frim, Harries are probably as good as my old set and certainly represent the best bottles I have see available today.
They look and feel amazing! The routine that comes with them is also probably better than the fabled Ken Brooke routine and you don’t have to try and hunt down his classic booklet – which seems increasingly hard to find anyway. These bottles also have the liquid compartment feature where the glass fills up with wine at the end.
This is the time to try this classic, and with these bottles you cannot go wrong!
Review by Andy Martin for Ultimate Ring Grinder by Chance Wolf
5 out of 5
Grind Away Wolf Man!
Ok so the only thing we have come to expect from Chance Wolf is incredible quaility and innovation with props that you can really use. Well Chance has done it again! What a wonderful bright prop with all the right buttons and switches and everything so solid you know it will not only last a lifetime, but it will not let you down on the night either.
If you ever need to vanish a ring and want to make it more of a feature then using this Ultimate Ring Grinder is the only way to go. The word "Ultimate" is used a lot, just like the word "Awesome" – neither of which should be used lightly. This is the ultimate ring grinder for sure, and the Grand Canyon is still awesome. Whether it be for Ring in Gumball, Nest of Boxes, or one of a million other places – there is only one Grinder to use and that is the one from The Wolf Man!
Review by Andy Martin for Mysterious Winebodega by Harries
5 out of 5
Harries has so much great Stage Magic!
Harries really are a dying breed of old time dealer with great magic and great quality. I have said before they are not quite there with Milson Worth or Chance Wolf, but if you want to perform Stage and Parlour work you could easily choose a whole act from their offerings and be delighted with all the items.
This piece is basically the old Himber Vanishing Bottles and it looks and works better than the original. In effect, you show 6 different bottles of booze to the audience and then take out one bottle covered up in a tube. The audience try to guess which bottle you have and they are all wrong since it has changed into a (much smaller) bottle of pop and when you show the "box" that the other 6 bottles are in it breaks apart and is clear to everyone that all of the other bottles have vanished!
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