The Effect
What they say:
The effect is simple and straightforward:
The performer borrows a key from a spectator and has it magically and visually disappear from his hands, only to be found CLIPPED onto a clasp on a lace, which is tied around the performer’s neck! It’s even KNOTTED right above it! The key is released from the lace and is given back the spectator! Yes, it’s the borrowed key, and it’s THAT direct!
Cost
Available in most shops for about 50$ or 40£
Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)
Since I'm a complete beginner myself I have some trouble assessing the difficulty of trics, but since this requires no sleight of hand whatsoever I'd say it's a 2 for beginners and a 1 for more experienced magicians. All it takes really is some b*lls and confidence to do what you have to do right in front of the spectator. On the other hand, all misdirection is practically build-in the effect, so I presume that any performer with some experience could easily accomplish it without blinking an eye...
Review
Nothing much to add to the sales pitch really, it does what it says. A borrowed key disappears under a handkerchief or from your bare fingers and is then found hanging on a lace knotted around the neck of the performer. Not as 'spectacular' as for instance Third Degree Burn, but nevertheless an astonishing effect which seems impossible to the spectator: one moment it's there and the next it's hanging around your neck...
You receive the handmade gimmick and an accompanying 10-page booklet which covers two different methods to present the effect. The first method uses a handkerchief, in the second method the key disappears from your bare hands. The explanation is clear and 13 color foto's leave no room for ambiguity. The gimmick is of good quality and is supposed to last a lifetime, which I suppose it will if handled with the proper care.
No reset required, you can immediately proceed to the next victim if you want to. You start and end clean, no switches or duplicates involved. You don't necessarily have to borrow a key, any (relatively small) object that can hang on the lace (like a ring or an earring) will do (perhaps you can try with a piercing if the spectator can remove it...
). You can't hand out the lace and hanger for examination though.
Overall
The gimmick: solid, handmade, secret invisible, so 9/10
The booklet: clear and nice, so 9/10
The effect: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
All in all a great effect, relatively easy to perform and you can carry around the gimmick at all times if you want to, so probably an asset to any routine...
