Review of Baby Jade Rings and Coins by Alan Wong

Reviewed by Bernard Sim

I like everything in this set put out by Alan Wong except for one thing which comes as no surprise. I will talk about my dislike at the end of this review.

This trick is not new but it definitely looks better and makes more sense than the original one. Everything is small and cute. The Jade Rings are made of real jade; but we should probably call it Jade bangles as they are really Jade bangles for babies. Older Asians would recognize them easily but the younger generation would probably be not aware of these bangles. Nevertheless, these props do make a good patter.

The routine is quite standard except for the interesting patter. Alan Wong has also added a small subtlety to make the Jade look “normal”. The routine is easy to perform; a beginner will have no problem learning it.

Ok, for my dislike…. The MSRP! At US$95, the hobbyist would find it tough to spend such an amount on a single trick, the professional may think this trick as too simple to put it to use. IMO, I think a MSRP of US$30 would probably generate more sales. Of course, if the price is lower, consumer would not expect real jades. Actually, I prefer plastics than real jades, real jades breaks easily. Perhaps Alan should put out two versions, a cheaper one with plastic jades and a deluxe version with real jades.

Would highly recommend it if the MSRP is much lower.

Rating (not taking MSRP into consideration) 4/5

 

Review of Ultra Gum by Richard Sanders

Reviewed by Bernard Sim

I have to get this off my chest before I proceed with the review. The camera work on Richard Sanders while he is describing the effect is so irritating. There is so many meaningless panning and shaking of the camera. Ahhhh, that felt so much better after getting it off my chest. So, let’s proceed to the review.

This is a very clever, magical and visual effect. When I first open up the DVD box, I saw the included gimmick and I still can’t fathom how it works. After watching the explanations….. ha… clever! However, the preparation is going to be a pain. Though you can reuse the gimmick, you’d still need to replace it eventually.

Most of the routines use a bill. For us Singaporeans, I see a few problems. Firstly, our smaller bills are made of plastic, it’s nearly impossible to rip the corner with your bare hands, unless you are willing to rip a $50 bill. Secondly, contrary to believe that you can’t get bubble gum in Singapore, you can actually buy gums (teeth whitening type) in pharmacies, but I don’t think you can get the gums in blister packs, I may be wrong though. Nevertheless, you can still perform Ultra Gum using poker card, its still as strong as performing it with a bill.

There are many variations in the DVD, all of them are very strong and reasonably easy to do. There are no tough sleights involved; most magicians would be able to do this after watching the DVD.

Recommended 4/5

Review of Pierced by Chris Piercy and Merchant of Magic

Reviewed by Bernard Sim

When I played the DVD, it didn’t show me anything related to Pierced at the start of the DVD. Instead, I was shown trailers of other products; I think it’s a cheap way of “forcing” people to watch advertisements, but that’s just me.

Pierced is a signed card to balloon effect which looks rather convincing. In the performance segment, I felt that Chris Piercy was a little fidgety; it looks rather obvious that he was trying to shake the card inside the balloon to a certain position. Having said that, I think it is a rather well constructed routine. Every move in the routine is motivated.

You will need a little something that you can buy from magic shop in order to make this routine work. Every time you do this effect, you’d need to set it up again. Of course you can always prepare a few in advance.

Now for the downside, every time you perform this, you will need to pop a balloon. Some people may not like the sound of balloon popping, some may even be afraid of a balloon popping.  So, this effect may not be suitable for anyone.

If you work in a noisy environment, this effect may suit you.

Rating 3.5/5

 

 

Review of Minimax (Gimmick and DVD) by Edo

Reviewed by Bernard Sim

Minimax is a very small and ingenious gimmick for detecting magnets. This is probably the smallest magnet detector in the world. The gimmick is so small that you can hide it in a TT, Sanada gimmick, watch strap, sleeve cuffs and even your mouth.

Being small has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. The main disadvantage would be the battery. As the gimmick is small, you’d require a small battery to power it. The battery needs to power the sensor as well as the vibrator, so don’t expect the battery life to last you a long time.

When you buy this item, you won’t be able to use it if you have no magnetic objects to work with. A strong magnetic coin or a magnetic ring will work well. The DVD teaches you three basic routines and also how to change the battery.

The three routines are
1. Coin in hand

2. Coin under Card

3. Smell a coin

All these routines are easy to perform. Of course you can use this with other routines/ effects like Spike or even Outlaw’s “Scorpion”.

Handling this little gizmo gives me a sense of joy and wonder, I felt like a little boy with a new toy. If you are performing Charles Gauci’s “Eye to Eye”, it’s time to switch to this safer method. Recommended.

Rating 4/5.