by magicands » Apr 28th, '05, 19:17
Hello everyone.
Ok, I just aquired the above effect from the USA and it is retailing for $199.99 (that's about £100.00).
The Sharpie you get can be used as a regular pen throughout the show and can be handled freely by anyone with nothing to see.
The killer with this pen is that at your command you can lie it down and make it turn through 360 degree's. Obviously this ability lends itself to the Mentalist or Psychic type of Magician, and would also not go amiss with somebody who performs in an Occult style. For instance have a few small objects and get one selected, lay all the objects down to form the hours on a clock face & place the pen in the middle which will act as one of the hands, the pen then turns and stops when pointing at the selected object.
Now I am giving nothing away here that is not contained within the advert I saw for the prop. There are no threads, magnets, reels of any kind used to operate the pen. It is under your control at all times and don't forget that it has been handled freely by spectators beforehand. You add nothing to the pen & take nothing away, it is always ready to go.
The pen is extremely well made and looks (as it should) like a regular Sharpie but it contains the hidden Magic which is also beautifully crafted and should last a lifetime.
But, and there is a but, once again & I keep saying this. It is not practical for a table Magician to use, firstly because there is never room on tables to create the effect & secondly the use of a Close up mat is recomended by the manufacturer in order for the pen to turn smoothly. As a walk round Magician or street performer the pen is probably at its best as the use of a tiled or smooth concrete pavement would be ideal.
So to sum up;
ON THE POSITIVE SIDE
EXTREMELY WELL MADE PROP.
EASY TO USE
NO MAGNETS, THREADS, OR REELS.
PERFECT FOR THE STREET MAGICIAN
SUPERB EFFECT (VERY SPOOKY)
UNDER YOUR COMPLETE CONTROL AT ALL TIMES
IS USED AS AN ORDINARY PEN BEFOREHAND AND IS HANDLED BY THE SPECTATOR(S)
ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE
NOT PRACTICAL FOR TABLE MAGICIANS (WHATEVER THEY MAY SAY)
SETUP INSTRUCTIONS OK BUT PHOTO'S ARE TOO SMALL AND BLURRY
EXPENSIVE (ALTHOUGH YOU CAN SEE WHY WHEN YOU GET IT)
WELL PACKAGED
And there you have it, I like it a lot but am unable to use it for the reasons I have stated above so this one I have will probably sit in my Magic room for a while before being sold on.
Take care everyone......................Magicands