Author: reviews

I’ve always loved the flash appearance of cold hard cash in a crystal casket, and I think audiences love it too!  The first box I purchased was the 6″ square Crystal Casket by Ickle Pickle back in 2000 and I’ve tried various others since.  My most recent performance was in 2012 with Dave Powell’s Victorian Balloon To Dove Chest, and although I really like the look of Dave’s chest, I found the remote feature temperamental.  Luckily the manual release works perfectly every time 🙂

So recently when I saw a great deal on an original Crystal Money Chest by Owen Magic Supreme I had to leap on it.  This is easily the best money chest on the market.  Loading is a breeze – I loaded over 100 bills into this bad boy without issue.  Try that on any other chest and you’ll struggle for sure.  Although this is not a close-up item, I created a quick demo video to show how good it looks stripped right back with no frills.  Now imagine in a real performance setting on stage with some music or patter and you have an utter miracle on your hands.

Highly Recommended for everyone who loves getting gasps from the audience!

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This was originally devised by British magician, inventor and craftsman Ron Pilkingon aka Scott Christian (for Scottie’s Workshop) c. 1950 and was based on an effect called Bow Wow tie in a 1940’s Demon Telegraph.  This version was built c. 1996 and sold through Practical Magic in the UK.  When Practical Magic showed the whole line of Scottie’s Workshop at their first ever IBM convention in Eastbourne they won the Best Dealer Stand prize because the range of props was so colorful and unique.

This item is similar in effect to Harries Bow-Tie Mystery or Supreme’s Tiddly-Hi-Tie but was devised before those items and the method is different and in this version the tie disappears from the box and appears attached to Tommy’s neck as he stands embarrassed behind a toadstool (or lily leaf – you could choose either, this one came with a toadstool).  The vanish and appearance work very well and are easy to do.

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My good friend George Robinson is still producing beautiful magic after over 45 years.  I hope you’ll keep doing it for many more years George as I love your creations!  This wonderful little box is a perfect melding of two of his best items:  The Euro Card Box and Psychic Sword.  It works perfectly and is always under your control.

Highly Recommended for lovers of quality magic everywhere 🙂

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Another well made beauty from the highly productive Magic Wagon team.  If you are a fan of the amazing matchbox penetration you will love this bad boy.  There is no denying this effect is very well made, clever and a fooler.  The only issue I have with it is finding a routine that makes it entertaining instead of just a clever puzzle.  The matchbox penetration has the  exact same issue – coming up with a interesting routine is the tricky part.

Still for lovers of beautiful apparatus that doesn’t require any sleights or moves you can’t go wrong with this item.

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So I’ve seen quite a few switch board effects and I must say how much I like this one.  I’ve used the Wellington one many times with great impact but even the close-up version is fairly large.  What I like about the PVL Switch Box is that it is small and easily fits in my close-up case and yet the routine is interesting and really quite amazing.

Also, because the box is clear and can easily be handled by the audience members there really is very little heat on the box.  It just does amazing things.  This is truly one of the few electronic items I will work with these days and works perfectly every time.  It does take a little more memory work than the Wellington one, but not by much and after a few rounds you’ll quickly get used to it.

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Wow what a pretty little box this is! Easily the most beautiful Lippincott box I have ever seen.  I believe Mark is still creating his beautiful magic, but don’t think he has website which is a shame because more people should get to experience his craftsmanship.

If you ever were looking for the definitive Lippincott Box, you have now found it!

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Beautiful Table.

I’ve always fancied one of those tables they use in the L&L videos and now finally I have my very own Jim Zee Close-up Table.

What a beauty it is too, large enough for any complex card or close-up illusion and beautiful enough to keep my wife happy. It even has a little drawer at the front for cards and other smaller items. Hard to find these days, but worth the search and the price.

Highly Recommended for the magician who already has everything else!

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This is the second Jim Zee Close-up Table I have and it is even prettier than the first!

I’ve always fancied one of those tables they use in the L&L videos and now finally I have my very own Jim Zee Close-up Table.

What a beauty it is too, large enough for any complex card or close-up illusion and beautiful enough to keep my wife happy. It even has a little drawer at the front for cards and other smaller items. Hard to find these days, but worth the search and the price.

Highly Recommended for the magician who already has everything else!

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One of the most popular and mechanically perfect items from the amazing, and still unbeaten when it comes to really incredibly engineered props, Richard Gerlitz.

Watching this slow motion penetration is quite breathtaking. Like many of Richard’s masterpieces the method and mechanics used to bring about such a beautiful illusion is as rewarding as the effect itself. What I really appreciate is how easy the set-up is. Once you’ve watched the video once you are golden and you have a really beautiful “push button” illusion that looks amazing. There are no electronics to worry about and you can set the unit up and it is ready to wow them at the drop of a hat.

Another Highly Recommended masterpiece from Richard Gerlitz.

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I’ve always loved the Spirit Hand effect and although I’ve tried a few the best one is the Thayer Quality Magic one (which of course became Owen Magic Supreme).  The key to this effect is that it has to look authentic.  The props, the mechanism and the movement.  This version even looks better than the more recent boards from Owen’s because it has the benefit of age.  It just looks perfect and works perfectly with no possibility of detection.  The board is clean and nothing is added or taken away, and yet the hand raps on the board on demand.

If you ever wanted to perform some sort of seance or communicate with the other side, this is the tool to use. Highly Recommended!

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