Magic: Product Review Thread?

[Ty-Me]

Originally Posted by Jolly Well

Self-Tying shoe laces sent to your inbox... I added a photo which I hope helps explain. If not, I'll make a quick tutorial vid or photo chain...

Jolly Well Can I get a copy also.

[Jolly Well]

Ok, getting a few requests for the self-tying shoe laces. Rather than repeatedly sending out the system via email I'll post it here.

What you need:

Retractable Keychain
Shoelace that matches your normal laces
Safety Pin
Clothes Pin, Bulldog Clamp, etc


Slide the keychain clip into the safety pin as in the photo.



Secure your extra shoelace in the rubber loop at the end of the thread as in the image.


You'll pin the key chain to the inside of your pants leg, behind the pocket. Pull the thread down to where the shoelaces extend from your pants and appear to be your normal laces untied. Your pants will need to cover the top of your shoes and hide the real laces.

Once you have them extended, you'll need to clamp the string. Put a clip inside your pocket and clamp the string through your pants. The gimmick is now set. Begin by moving your leg and foot around in rapid motions, during which you release the clamp and the thread retracts; pulling the laces up your pants leg.

I've found it best to keep your hand outside of the pocket when releasing the clamp. People may suspect a pull system if you place your hand in the pocket. It looks shady, so I recommend going from outside of the pocket. It's easier to be discreet, especially with the rapid leg movement going on.

Reset takes a few seconds, but the laces hang down low enough that you can reach them without completely raising your pants leg.

Also, when adjusting the thread, I find it best to extend it down and then step on the shoe laces. it gives you both hands to work on clamping the string, which can be annoying if you're wearing thick fabric pants.

If you have any questions, let me know.

[Fitzwilly]

Well done Jolly.

[in Harmony with Jesus]

Well, some of these reviews have been very helpful in making decisions! Thanks to all who post here!

Now, I'd like to add a review of a book I recently started working with.

12 Gospel Tricks with a Rope by Del Wilson

The book has some good routines that would be great visual lessons for kids & adults alike. It has 6 different routines - some with multiple tricks, some with only 1 - but a total of 12 different tricks that can be used individually with different patter or as the routine given. Some of these tricks are familiar to experienced magicians. But to an inexperienced magician in training like myself... well...
In some tricks, the hand drawn pictures are NOT very helpful & the explainations are about as clear as mud.

Overall, I'd probably rate this about a 3 out of 5 for a beginner.

[Jolly Well]

The Electric Touch from Yigal Mesika

A bit pricey at close to $200, but I think it's worth it. Probably not something you would want as a "clown magician" but for up close/street magic it's great.

With it, you can:

Bend Water
Move light objects - You can make spongeballs roll, Confetti will levitate, those halloween cardboard hanging skeletons will dance...
Light a flouresent lightbulb
Shock people
and so on...

A few downsides - the price obviously, it goes through batteries quick, and the intial set-up can be a pain...

[noname]

Originally Posted by Jolly Well

The Electric Touch from Yigal Mesika

A bit pricey at close to $200, but I think it's worth it. Probably not something you would want as a "clown magician" but for up close/street magic it's great.

With it, you can:

Bend Water
Move light objects - You can make spongeballs roll, Confetti will levitate, those halloween cardboard hanging skeletons will dance...
Light a flouresent lightbulb
Shock people
and so on...

A few downsides - the price obviously, it goes through batteries quick, and the intial set-up can be a pain...

Sometimes it sucks having a pacemaker. It prevents me from buying stuff like this, the Raven, the M5, the Trabucco Holdout and even the PK rings.

[Jolly Well]

Not fun. I'm surprised the magnet is the Raven is strong enough to mess with a pace-maker, or is it more with the pace-maker being sensitive than the Raven being potent?

[noname]

Originally Posted by Jolly Well

Not fun. I'm surprised the magnet is the Raven is strong enough to mess with a pace-maker, or is it more with the pace-maker being sensitive than the Raven being potent?

It is more that I have been advised by fellow magicians to avoid those types of things. Personally, I have never tried any of the above mentioned, but 1) don't want to buy something I might to able to use and 2) fear what can happen

BTW, I am unsure of the workings of it, but do you know if the "Zombie Ball" would be safe?

[Jamz]

A Zombie ball uses no electric or magnets so it would,nt cause a problem
It does take practice in front of a mirror to get it right but the effect is pretty good and kids love it

[Barry Daft (Mr. B. Daft)]

Also Zombie Balls are very simple to make, with everyday household objects. They do not even have to be zombie Balls it can quite easily be a Zombie Clown.