The Effect
A classic trick, brought up-to-date with modern technology! Two USB flash drives, one red and one black are freely shown. They switch places several times, each more visual than the last, and then the black drive stretches to three times it’s normal size!
* EASY TO DO!
* FUN TO PERFORM!
* EYE-POPPING MAGIC!
* GREAT CLIMAX!
* PERFECT FOR STROLLING!
Cost
$30.0 (plus postage of course) from http://www.chadlongmagic.com
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)
It’s the venerable paddle move again. Really easy to do, but as with anything it’ll take a bit of time and care to perfect this move and get used to the props.
2/3
Review
This is a great little effect. I’ve always loved paddle tricks, but I couldn’t get my head around the classic ‘colour changing knives’ – it looks nice… but why would you be carrying a bunch of bladed weapons around with you? And why are they changing colour?? Using USB drives instead of knives makes much more sense to me – Everyone knows what they are and I’d wager a fair few folk already carry one around with them anyway. It also makes more sense from a plot point of view, ‘one colour for my photos and another for my music, oops I’ve brought the wrong one… shazam!!’. The routine supplied by Mr. Long uses this theme and is quick and easy and has an excellent climax which blindsides most people whilst still making perfect sense within the plot (take a look at the video demo to get the idea). The drives themselves are really well made and should last for ages. The lids come off to reveal USB plugs (non working, but they can be plugged in if you wanted to perform this impromptu at work), and the rubber material they’re made from is a real help when doing the moves as it’s so easy to grip (the ‘friction move’ described in the instructions is a delight to do). A band of grey rubber around the sides cuts down the chances of flashing and also allows a colour change to take place on the spectators hand. The whole thing fits in your pocket and resets immediately. The website also gives video tutorials on the moves, the routine and some bonus ideas.
"Chad has made the colour changing knives relevant again! I've been carrying Chad's set around with me for the past few months and I've found so many opportunities to fry some brains!" - David Williamson
Overall
If you like paddle moves you’ll love performing this. If you don’t rate paddle effects then I think this may be the trick to change your mind. Time to banish those old, negative memories of the version that came in your childhood xmas magic set – this is a grown up paddle trick that deserves to be seen and used. Recommended.
