The Effect
Ryan Lowe's 'Gone'.
http://www.expertmagic.com/html/store/gone/gone.html. It's a coin vanish.
Cost
$20 as download, $26 as a DVD. In real money, that's £11.73 for the download option.
I guessed (rightly - phew) that I'd already have the specific additional bits and bobs needed for this effect. If you don't have them, they're available from a large number of magic shops and will cost you another, say, four to eight pounds (depending on something that inclines me to suggest that the eight pound option is the better way to go here).
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)
Hmmm... Some digital jiggery pokery is needed, but it's pretty much as untaxing as it gets. I can't imagine that anyone who has opposable thumbs and a mirror to practise in front of for a few minutes will have any trouble with the moves.
What they say
Instant Reset
Can be done anywhere
Visually Stunning
Brand new vanish techniques
Vanish a full size half dollar
What I say
Visually stunning, no doubt about it. To stand, hands away from your body, in a T-shirt (that's a T-shirt, not 'a short-sleeved shirt' - do it topless if you wish, in fact), vanish a coin, and immediately show that both sides of both hands are completely empty is hugely direct and baffling. Actually, it feels like a bit of an anti-climax to make the coin reappear - that somehow characterises what was a completely impossible vanish as, instead, a very clever bit of sleight of hand. However, there are qualifications. Yes, it can be done anywhere, but it's neither impromptu nor angle-proof. More of a consideration is the 'Vanish a full size half dollar' line. No, you can't. Lowe says explicitly in the vid that you can't do this - you can rather give the appearance of doing it by 'cheating'. In British terms (it's difficult, because I don't want to reveal anything), I could vanish any number of things the size of, or bigger than, a £2 coin. But I wouldn't actually vanish a £2 coin.
Overall
Well, I don't have Melt -
http://www.expertmagic.com/html/store/melt/preview.html - but I'd guess that both use a similar method - I was certainly able to down a very Melt-like effect using the Gone thinking. This happy accident possibly mitigates what some might think of as Gone being quite pricey for a single effect that doesn't include any materials. In the 28 minute video (which is a 218 MB download, by the way) Lowe does show variations, but there's a slight sense of crowbarring some of them in: a few require other, gimmicked, items, and I can't believe that anyone would do the coin into sponge ball transformation, for example, as the obviousness of the sponge ball appearing fatally distracts from the impossibility of the coin's disappearance. The inherent limitations also mean that, though I've been doing it all day with 2ps and 10ps, I'm happier doing it with a penny. Yes, it's not as impressive, but, still - Look,
it's completely gone!
OK: I'm glad I got this. The set-up such is that I could happily be at a party for an hour or so, say, before 'a passing coin, or absently finding one in my own pocket, reminded me about it'. Angles are an issue/restriction, but only in so much as you'll need to think and choose your spot, not a kind of cramped fear thing. I'm sure I'll be able to use it in utility fashion as well. It's a great effect, and one that I'll actually
do: I don't begrudge £12 for that at all - maybe some things out there are better value, but, my, there are a lot that are worse too.
Rating.
Effect/item: 9/10, Value for money: 7/10