4 Stars

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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What a great Idea!

So this is the classic brainwave effect, that of course we all love! But it has the added ruse that allows you to show the card box as red or blue when you remove it from your pocket instead of having a blank box or no box.

This is a great idea and adds a very nice touch to an already wonderful effect!

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Simple Method but Fun Surprise!

This effect is nothing more than a specially printed Credit Card and a switch but it works great and given our familiarity with plastic money is a wonderful way to reveal a chosen card.

I would use a Himber Wallet to perform the switch as opposed to the method they suggest. To be honest, what could make more sense than to actually have the credit card in a Wallet?

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I really like this Deck!

Just when you think you’ve seen all the trick decks out there, along comes X-Deck! This is almost a total home run. It is a very clean way to show that you had predicted what card they would mentally think of from all 52 cards in the deck. They can think of any one and you show that you had marked it with an X and with an alternate back.

It is better and easier to use than the Brainwave Deck because you can freely show the backs and fronts of the deck. However, the only problem I have with it is that they have made the deck look pretty obviously prearranged by the choice of cards that you can see when you fan the deck. With a little thought and some simple calcuations I’m sure there is a better way. I’m going to play with a deck myself to see. Once you remove this slightly annoying limitation then you truly do have a great idea that is simpler, faster and cleaner than Brainwave and then something that you will just start using all over the place!

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I Love Factory Printed Gimmicks!

This is similar to the FA-KO Deck and comes with an impressive selection of gimmicked cards factory printed on Bicycle stock. It doesn’t come with as many routines as the FA-KO Deck, but there are certainly some usuable routines here.

Plus it gives you some cool new cards to play with to invent other new routines!

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Better than I remember and a real fooler!

This is a nice little outfit from the medium priced Dove Pan manufacturers Morrissey Magic. I used to have this effect a few years back but didn’t have the instructions so missed half of the routine. And it is a whole new effect when you have the complete story!

Anyway, this is a classic cards across – spectator counts out 10 cards on to the tray and you tip the tray into the previously shown and ungimmicked empty bag (or their jacket pocket). They then count the other 10 onto the tray and cover it with the tray to ensure they can’t get away! Needless to say 3 extra cards appear in the bag and you are left with only 7 cards in the other spectators hands.

What is great about this effect is that the tray does all the work for you with ultimate ease. A great effect and a clean method!

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Looks good, but the quality is not quite there.

Howie and The Trickery have recently been producing some very fine items which culminated in the very, very limited edition of the Definitive Hole in One. So when this new piece came out I was very excited. Unfortunately, this new item is not quite in the same league as the others they have recently produced.

The frame is easy to set and is very reliable. There is a noise, but if you throw the cards at the frame (the preferred thing to do) it is perfectly covered. And the card appears instantly and is quite a surprise. But the finish is not up to the recent standards and to my mind this will detract from pure collectors wanting to buy this item. However, if you are a serious or a casual performer then this will probably not be an issue.

Having said all of this, the price is reasonable for the effect. I just would prefer to pay more for a higher quality item. But paying less for less, is much better than paying more for less as is so often the case.

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