Reviews

I really enjoyed creating the website for the almost unknown German Craftsman Willi Wessel, I uncovered so many amazing tricks that I was not aware of.  Although Willi has retired and is no longer building magic he did make this special version of his Paddle Waggle for me as a thank-you for the site.  I was very happy because it turns out this is my all-time favorite paddle effect!  If you ever get the chance to purchase any of Willi’s rare and amazing magic, jump on the chance!

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I’ve been trying to track one of these bad boys down for a while.  This is Eric Lewis’ wonderful Savoy from his book A Continuation of Miracles, built by his son Martin Lewis at Magikraft Studios in 1993.  Martin has made a few improvements to the original design, and the finished product works flawlessly and is a real beauty.  What most impressed me when I finally saw this up close was how small the unit was and how much better it is than the Mikame version (which, unlike many items built by Mikame Craft, was actually credited to Eric and Martin Lewis even though the last name spelt incorrectly).

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This is a beautiful version of Eric Lewis wonderful effect Locked Book Release from his book A Choice of Miracles, built by his son Martin Lewis at Magikraft Studios in 1993.  This version really looks and feels amazing and unlike the P&L version it uses real books instead of blocks of wood styled to look like books.  The books can be freely displayed and the pages riffled to show they are real.  This effect works using an old block release method and although I’d be the first to admit it takes a little finesse to make it smooth, when you put the time in you’ll have a beautiful effect that looks really stunning in your collection.

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It turns out that just because your wife can jump into a Zig Zag box 16 years ago, doesn’t mean she can do it again today without some practice.  So although my wife was almost able to demonstrate the full illusion when I was taking photos she could not quite make the full zag this time around.   Next time we try she’ll be more prepared, but in the meantime what a beautiful version of Robert Harbin’s finest hour this Zig Zag is.

Built by the perfectionist John Pomeroy in the 1970’s, it stands 69″ high and breaks down into two fiber cases.  John Pomeroy was a prolific Builder, Inventor & Performer as well as owner of GEM Magic Manufacturing.  His quality was equal to Owen magic and many other fine builders.  This beautiful custom built Zig Zag Illusion by John Pomeroy is one of the best versions of this stellar illusion I’ve seen and is a typical example of John’s fine craftsmanship. John was so inspired by Harbin’s Zig-Zag Illusion that he suggested 35 improvements for its construction all of which were endorsed by Harbin and the two corresponded up until Robert Harbin’s death in 1978.

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This is my first item from Walter Sheppard and these boxes are amazing!  Very solidly built, beautiful bright colors and something that really looks amazing on stage and in your collection!  These are second only to the Richard Gerlitz’s Butterfly Boxes and a lot cheaper, but it is close for sure!

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This box might resemble the standard Buddha Boston Box released by Chazpro, but it is much better!  Built by hand from a solid block of brass by the talented Omar Ferret, not only do they look and feel great, they have the amazing PLUS feature where the base has a false magnetic cover so that you can show the base whenever you feel like, and nothing will be seen.  I don’t know of any other Boston Box that has this feature, and what a neat idea!

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A wonderful classic piece of magic from the great German master Tony Lackner from the early 1980’s. The little guy just sits there headless and alone until the chosen card is waved over him them he jumps out and impales the card! Visually great and surprising to the audience!

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One of my all time favorite card impossibilities from the master inventor Rob Bromley, beautifully crafted by Magic Wagon under the watchful eye of Tony Curtis.

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One of my all time favorite Collectors’ Workshop effects and back on the shelves after a long absence. The new watch is slightly smaller than the original, but that makes it easier to handle. Still looks beautiful. A great item.

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This is a deluxe version of possibly Magiro’s finest hour: Hydro Die. It was created in a limited edition of 15 in Germany I was told. You place the submarine clearly in the bottom of the container, fill it with water, say the magic words and it disappears with out trace. Works really well and large enough to be seen in a parlor setting but it could be performed in a formal close-up setting (assuming you could find the water).

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