Review by Richard M. Mendez for Amazing Jumping Arrow by Mark K. Young

Review by Richard M. Mendez for Amazing Jumping Arrow by Mark K. Young
Review by Richard M. Mendez for Amazing Jumping Arrow by Mark K. Young
4 out of 5

Amazing is an understatement…

This was my star paddle until I discovered Terry LaGerould’s "Baffle Bat" which actually takes this effect several step further; however, this paddle is still very practical and extremely visual! The only reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 is because of it’s tiny size which limits this paddle to close proximity. Aside from that its a must have for serious close-up illusionists. Comes highly recommended.

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Review by Steve Thomas for Locked Deck by Lu Brent, Gus Southall

Review by Steve Thomas for Locked Deck by Lu Brent, Gus Southall
Review by Steve Thomas for Locked Deck by Lu Brent, Gus Southall
4 out of 5

Winner from Zanadu!

I’ve been performing this for over 15 years…it’s one of the strongest card effects around. Everything’s examinable, it’s KILLER. I use a Himber wallet for the "extra card", and that adds to its power. Don’t overlook this because of its price or the manufacturer. I can’t emphasize enough the power of this.

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Review by Andy Martin for ESP Top by First Magic

Review by Andy Martin for ESP Top by First Magic
Review by Andy Martin for ESP Top by First Magic
4 out of 5

Well it’s Cheap but it works very well!

Ok this little ESP Top looks like a cheap little top – and it is! But it is better made than you would imagine and it can be used to force any one of the 6 numbers on its face everytime.

It works like the Spirt Clock Dial and really has some clean uses for forcing the numbers1-6. The audience doesn’t care that it is not made of brass!!!

It works every time too – though is better on hard surfaces.

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Review by Andy Martin for Knot A Chance by Royal Magic

Review by Andy Martin for Knot A Chance by Royal Magic
Review by Andy Martin for Knot A Chance by Royal Magic
4 out of 5

Nifty Little Rope Trick

This effect is a version of Bank Night with ropes. The Spectator gets to chose any two ropes out of the three that are available and of course the rope that is left has a knot tied in it, and a $100 bill tied in the knot!

It does not come with the box, but I found it lying around and thought it was stronger if instead of holding the ropes you were hands free and the ropes were all in the box up front. You can do it anyway you want.

Easy to do and surprisingly convincing!

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Review by Andy Martin for Smiling Assassin by Meir Yedid

Review by Andy Martin for Smiling Assassin by Meir Yedid
Review by Andy Martin for Smiling Assassin by Meir Yedid
4 out of 5

Wonderful off beat card effect!

When you are tired of doing the same old boring card effects this little gem fits in very nicely.

It uses very cute cards with smiley faces on the backs and a key chain size pistol which lets out a rather loud bang. The ending is a real surprise and guaranteed to get a laugh from your audience.

Great value, easy to do, and a little different!

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Review by Andy Martin for Very Wild! by Boris Wild

Review by Andy Martin for Very Wild! by Boris Wild
Review by Andy Martin for Very Wild! by Boris Wild
4 out of 5

Not a Wild Card Routine, But Still Wild!

Just to set things straight when I first saw this effect advertised I thought it was a Wild Card routine. It does have the similarity that 4 different cards change into 4 other cards, but it is called Wild because of it’s talented inventor Boris WIld!

Anyway, you cleanly show 4 cards back and front, turn two cards over – and still cleanly show back and front of all 4 cards, but when you push them together they have now changed to 4 Aces, and you can show all the backs too. There are no half cards, and the cleaness of the change is a joy to behold.

No real sleights, but a little handling practice is required to make this miracle perfect!

Very Wild indeed!

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Review by Andy Martin for Nut Box by Joe Porper

Review by Andy Martin for Nut Box by Joe Porper
Review by Andy Martin for Nut Box by Joe Porper
4 out of 5

Nicely made and clever.

This is a nice piece from Joe Porper. It comes in the easily identified hard wood case and is made in Joe Porper’s popular anodized aluminum style.

The effect is simple enough. You show the nut in the box and ask a spectator to thread the bolt into the nut. It clearly is very solidly threaded into the bolt.

You have the spectator unscrew the bolt and then you show them how using magic you can thread it instantly. And this is what you do, one minute it is not threaded on the bolt and the next second it is – no covers or anything to hide. The whole unit can be examined both before and after.

The box is a mechanical gem and has great potential too fool you. The only real problem I have with this effect is: why do you need the black box at all? Why can’t you just thread the bolt on the nut in an instant without the box? Of course that would not make for an expensive collector item, but it would look more magical. But enough of this heracy – the box is beautifully made and the mechanism is clever.

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Review by Andy Martin for Dice Cup (Metal) by Joe Porper

Review by Andy Martin for Dice Cup (Metal) by Joe Porper
Review by Andy Martin for Dice Cup (Metal) by Joe Porper
4 out of 5

Beautiful Dice Cup

If you are into dice stacking or you just like pretty utility items then this Dice Cup from Joe Porper is sure to please. This won’t make it any easier to actually do the Dice Stacking, but at least you will look good trying.

It is tall enough to handle 6 dice comfortably, made with polished silver metal, and wrapped with genuine alligator skin, and lined on the inside.

If you saw Fred Kaps do his simple Dice Stacking on his recent DVD you’ll know how cool and amazing it looks. And with a Porper cup how can you go wrong?

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Review by Andy Martin for Coin Wand by Joe Porper

Review by Andy Martin for Coin Wand by Joe Porper
Review by Andy Martin for Coin Wand by Joe Porper
4 out of 5

Professor Hoffman your Coin Wand is here!

Ever since I saw the Coin Wand in Hoffman’s Modern Magic (page 203 in my edition) I have always thought this was a cool utility device. Until this baby arrived I had never actually seen one up close.

The wand is nicely made and works very smoothly. It allows you to vanish and appear as many dollar sized coins as you fancy – without any difficult sleights or moves.

The choice of a Dollar coin as opposed to a Half Dollar is interesting: on the one hand the coins are clearly visible from quite a distance, but the downside is the wand has these unusual slightly flared ends to accomodate the size of the coin. I do most of my magic in close-up and parlour settings these days, so I would have preferred the smaller sized coins with less of a flare. However, if you are using this in the bigger venue then you probably won’t even notice the taper and you really benefit from the bigger coin. It is probably a small point, but worth mentioning.

Otherwise, this is another fine magic utility from Joe Porper.

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Review by George Guerra for Ring Vanishing Hank by Viking Mfg.

Review by George Guerra for Ring Vanishing Hank by Viking Mfg.
Review by George Guerra for Ring Vanishing Hank by Viking Mfg.
4 out of 5

Practical and "adaptable" prop!

I bought this because I own Khartoum Ring Fantasy and Tang Dynasty Chest so I needed a practical prop for the ring vanish segment of these effects. Well, I am very pleased with this offering from Viking. The method is simple and right to the point. I love the adaptibility of the prop in that the ring the spectator is feeling under the hank can be changed to what is best suited in anticipation of the performance. The vanish is effortless and rather quite convincing because of the method. A definite must-buy for any ring based effect where a vanish is required.

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