4 Stars

It is Portable and Affordable and Works, but a bit flimsy.

I have always loved the card sword effect and when I saw Jay Leslie advertising this effect, I thought I’d give it a go. The size of the sword makes is suitable for smaller gatherings that a fullsize card sword is just not suitable for. The method is different from other card swords I have seen, and works well. I don’t believe you would be doing this for close-up, but for parlour or stage it would be fine.

However there are two problems with it: you cannot show the sword from all sides, even in motion, and the sword itself is a bit flimsy and I personally would have preferred to pay extra for a slightly more solid sword.

It is still a worthy attempt, and you should find yourself using this.

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Great Gimmicks, but takes some handling!

It is easy to have the belief that when you buy gimmicked coins you won’t really need to do any sleights. In the case of this effect it is not true. The gimmicks are very nicely made, and create an impossible effect. However, to do this convincingly requires a fair amount of practice of some standard sleights.

Of course, once you have mastered the moves you will have an absolute miracle on your hands and feel pretty proud of yourself at the same time!

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Great for Hobbyists – just don’t open a Store with it!

Making up decks with short cards, narrow cards and rough and smooth is great fun! Until this unit came along there really wasn’t much of an alternative but to get a professional unit to do your card cutting. Of course if you had the cash having one of these would be best. However, not many people have $700-$2000 spare to spend on a card cutter.

I have made up three decks with this card cutter and found it to do a fine job. It is not very flexible because you are unable to change the size of the cut you are making – if it is not one of the 5 templates that come with the unit. Most hobbyists want to create short cards or strippers, and as long as you don’t want to increase the depth of the cut this will do a fine job. You have to be careful and hold the card steady but it is certainly possible to create a svengali or stripper deck with no problem. And is quicker than you would imagine – about 30 minutes should see you done with a complete deck once you get the hang of it.

I was unable to create a Chameleon deck (where you have cards in sets of 3) as the short cards were not short enough and gave me incomplete results.

But if you need to shorten odd cards for packet tricks or make up some standard decks you should be fine and it is great fun to experiment. This unit will not round corners either so you will need something else to do that, and the instructions provide a number of options. You can get them from an office supplies store or pay twice as much for this one!

I hope to be able to get a proper card cutter one day, but until that happens this will keep me happy!

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Classic MAK with a very magical Finish.

This is a well made, bright and colorful effect that has a very magical finish. The set-up is straight forward and the working is smooth with no real issues and it is easy to perform.

Basically in effect you show some rice that you pour into the center canister. Then you show an orange and place it under the right hand Tube and under the left hand tube you have some checkers which can be seen to be separate.

When the Magic happens everything changes places: the orange goes to the center canister which can now be turned upside down and shown empty. The checkers appear where the orange was and the rice appears loose uner the tube where the checkers were. The changes are quite amazing to see and are easy to acomplish. The only downside I find with effects like this is an entertaining patter line.

This is classic MAK Magic in a nutshell and for many magicians this is just what they are looking for!

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Huge Load Capacity!

This production effect from Ickle Pickle is a very convincing way to produce a large load.

You show the box which you say you use to store your Magic Wand and show the clear box empty. Then you place the lid on the box, remove your magic wand and chant your magicial incantations and when the box is lifted it is filled with whatever your little heart desires.

This is a great way to produce candy for kids parties, or money, a smally bunny or almost anything else – the load capacity is almost as big as the box itself! You could even use it to switch billets for a question/answer type effect. The top and base of this box are made in wood, and the clear acrylic insert is rigid and solid and will last a lifetime. To release the load is simplicity itself and ther are no springs or catches to worry about.

The only downside I have with this box is that the finish is slightly marred due to the sticky plastic that is applied to the box during storage – it seems to be applied to the box even before the paint is fully dry as you can see an impression of it on the box. This could just be my copy, but it is a shame because it spoils an otherwise fine paint job.

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Anyone for Tennis?

Stephane Bourgoin decided he wanted to produce Chop Cups – and produce them he did! This is the third of his offerings – and the cheapest too. It is not as nice as the other two – for two reasons: 1) the surprise finish is not as distinct from the rest of the routine and 2) getting the ball to stay in the cup takes a bit more practice due to the shape of the ball holder. However, when you produce such strong effects, one of them has to come in last!

For the money this is a wonderful value however, and if you are on a budget but still want a new routine for your Chop Cup you could do much worse than spend your money on this. Get all 3 and have a Chop Cup Party!

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Naughty but Nice!

This is the old 3 card monte with a surprise ending and patter about the little Dutch boy who plugged up the Dam to save his village. Not suitable for all audiences, but great for table hopping with known friendly audiences!

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