talkmagic.co.uk

Hey guys!

Since being cruelly-infected with ID's chronic CUPS, over a month back, I've probably spent in excess of £300 in that short time.

We don't seem to have a 'Best Effect of 2007'-type thread here at present, so I thought I'd try something a little different, to help me decide what my next purchase should be:

Bearing in mind that my 'thing' is close-up and mentalism-type effects, I'd like folks here to suggest what I should buy next.

I have only a few criteria for your helpful sugestions -


1) The item should have been available for at least 3 months (No "latest, greatest, Must-Haves)"

2) The item MUST have been reviewed here, on TalkMagic (you should provide a link to the relevant review)

3) You MUST own this item yourself, use it regularly, and explain why it is one of the gems of your collection

4) The item must cost no more than £70.00, and be readily-available to the UK

5) The item must be either a complete effect, book or DVD (no utilities, or magazine subs thanks)

6) Only ONE suggestion per member is allowed, so choose for me carefully!



After 2 weeks, I'll compile all suggestions, and throw everything together as a poll; whatever suggestion gets the most votes....I'll buy!

So - c'mon folks...help me satisfy my CUPS, and spend my money for me

EDIT: Please note - this is NOT me saying I have no clue what to buy (I have tons of ideas!)....it's a 'light entertainment' thread, which will hopefully produce a lot of fun arguments, whilst providing everyone with plenty of links to what members here feel has been one of their best-buys of the year!)

Rob

Rob,

I highly recommend you pick up a Paul Harris Screwed Deck. If you do card work. This is THE perfect opener. The effect description and review is here:

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic20360.php

I use this regularly, and it is one large ascending reaction from spectators the whole time. It is one of those rare effects that gets reactions even before the effect is started! It may be a bit pricey at around $50, but it is well worth it... The secret is ingenious and fun to perform, and the gaffs supplied are very well made.

I used one about 2 years ago, lost it, then was generously given another by Mr. Crozboz.

Afterwards, you can immediately go into your card routine, and that is why this is the perfect card opener.

Michael Kras

Not thatyou should be encouraged, but Die Cipher 2 is exactly what you need.

1) The item should have been available for at least 3 months

(No "latest, greatest, Must-Haves)"

Oh, much longer than that. I have been using it for several years.

2) The item MUST have been reviewed here, on TalkMagic (you should provide a link to the relevant review)

Yep

3) You MUST own this item yourself, use it regularly, and explain why it is one of the gems of your collection

It packs small. It looks innocent. I have had it examined to high heaven and it works. It makes you seem like you can read body language, muscle read or whatever presentation you want. (oh and there are no electronics to go wrong)

4) The item must cost no more than £70.00, and be readily-available to the UK

Pah! I laugh at your £70 budget. You would have £60 left over (actually I have no idea what they cost these days but it is definitely not more than £20 and probably much less)

5) The item must be either a complete effect, book or DVD (no utilities, or magazine subs thanks)

yep. A complete effect (but a whole routine)

6) Only ONE suggestion per member is allowed, so choose for me carefully!

Why would I suggest more? This is all you need.

After 2 weeks, I'll compile all suggestions, and throw everything together as a poll; whatever suggestion gets the most votes....I'll buy!

Goodness me. Don't listen to a poll. Listen to me. What do "they" know?

So - c'mon folks...help me satisfy my CUPS, and spend my money for me

CanI have the change?

I like bananafish's suggestion. The version I have is stainless steel and came with not only a die, but also a sort of ESP cube, with the five Zener symbols, plus a triangle.

I actually think that version is more effective, deceptive, and fits the idea of a mind reading test more closely. Oh, and it's easier too.

But maybe that's just me...

I personally would suggest that if you have spent that £300 quid in little over a month that you need not buy anything new as it would be extremely unlikely that you have learnt to a performance standard all you have bought.
My suggestion would be to keep the £70 and practice what you have and if by some compulsion you really need to spend the money give it to charity.
I too have had this compulsion to buy new books or dvd's every month and you soon come to the realisation that you have maybe watched or read it once and tried one or two effects before moving on to the next exciting unwrapping ceremony.
I would say before going out and getting more stuff to look at all your purchases, question which ones you have throughly learnt and if then you can happily say that all you own has been absorbed then think about your next purchase and think what is has to offer you as a student of magic and its usefulness within the personna you perform as and in the environment it will be performed in.
Obviously this applies to all who buy effect after effect including...no especially myself.
It has been said on here many times but it is true. It is better to be a master of several effects rather than being a dabbler in many. How much we buy has no reflection on how much we know or how much we have mastered magic

get a Derren Brown Book...been reading Absolute Magic today...tis a real gem if you haven't read it! Cost me £70...and from only reading a quarter of it, it is already worth the price!

Hi Rob,
I have just brought the full facts of cold reading by Ian Rowland, I'm about half way through at the moment. Since it fell through the door I picked it up and haven't stopped reading it, If your interested in adding readings within a mentalism show this is absolutely brilliant, honestly I cant praise it enough but it just depends whether this is you sort of thing or not. Plus I have heard that it is the only book on cold reading which a certain Mr Derren Brown endorses so it has to be good .Link below.

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic9813-0.php

Hi Rob

I'd recommend a Black Tiger Deck, a Gaff Tiger decks and the Army of 52 DVD.... Only kidding :lol:

The only mnentalist related routines that I've bought recently are Marc Oberon's Bang On and Devin Knight's Far Sight. The former will leave you with no change whilst the latter will leave you with plenty.

From the two, my recommendation is Far Sight

I was going to recommend Beyond ESP 2, but you already have it

Thanks guys, for your kind and considered replies so far

Michael K - Screwed Deck looks very nice indeed - just the kind of thing I would consider myself, had the review not passed me by; onto the list it goes!


Simon Die-Cipher - Hmm...at first glance, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about this one. On one hand, I don't already have any dice-related effects, and on the other, I'm not much of a gambling routine type chappie.

However, the following comment of yours, from the review, seriously turned my head:

bananafish wrote:One way I like to do it is to tell them to answer "No" to each of the next questions, and from their body language you will be able to deduce the number.

Then ask.

Did you choose the number 1?
Did you choose the number 2?
Did you choose the number 3?
Did you choose the number 4?
Did you choose the number 5?
Did you choose the number 6?

Amazing take on the effect - you make me hang my head in shame at my lack of foresight: Onto the list this baby goes


Part-Timer - Where abouts did you buy your version from? Whilst this may seem, potentially, to shout "dodgy dice" more loudly than the 'real dice' version, it's always nice to have an option!


Greedo - Many thanks for your sage advice; it's nice to have my quest to buy whatever comes out as the most highly-recommended tempered by some words of restraint

Of the kit I've bought over the past five or six weeks, I've divided it into three categories:

Absolute Knock-outs (Ie Strange Travellers, Kioku, Outlaw Wallet)

Reliable Workhorses (Ie Relic, Scorpion, Ladybug, Quantum Leap, Superfly)

So-so, Meh! (Ie Homicide Triology, M5, Mercuring, Nailed)

Whilst I'm in no way saying that the last category consists of duff effects, these are the ones that simply don't suit me personally, and which I cannot see myself effectively performing, persona-wise, so these are all being sold/recycled

From a presentational point-of-view, I do pretty much devote all of my spare time to the routining and practise of the former two categories, so I have no real qualms that I'm neglecting the core of my work in favour of the next purchase


Chris - Absolute magic - A good, solid suggestion (a book - at last!! ). However...sadly this doesn't meet with my Number 4 Criteria - if it was readily-available, I'm almost certain I'd have it by now

So, sadly, I can't really add this to my list On the up-side, that means you get to make an alternative suggestion!


Lindz - Cold reading - Hoorah! - another book (they're like busses, aren't they?! ), and this one DOES qualify. Whilst I only do a smattering of CR so far (mainly in conjection with Kioku or Reflections), I'd love to use more - onto the list goes this cheecky little puppy!


Dat - Far Sight - Funnily enough, I bought Bang-On yesterday

Far Sight looks interesting, though seems kinda' like it's main presentational vibe is designed primarily to be a magician-fooler (though I'm sure it plays strongly to a general lay-audience too!)

Oddly, I couldn't - for the life of me - find this item on Danata's website (Does that site even have a search function? All I seem to be able to do is select a category, and then have to scroll through miles of effects )

Assuming this is in-stock...onto the list it goes!


THE LIST, AS IT STANDS SO FAR:
Screwed deck

Die-Cipher

Full Facts of Cold Reading

Far Sight


Once again, thanks for everyone's suggestions so far - keep 'em coming, as my quest continues

Rob

For the record - I would say stay with the Die versiion of Die Cipher and not the ESP symbol version. I have both, but only ever use the die.

The reasons are simply that everyone knows what a die is so it seems more innocent (even though it is made of brass/stainless steel).

There is a good reason why it is brass/stainless steel as well by the way as this means that it couldn't be tampered with. Designed for test condition testing etc.

Also with numbers there is so much more potential for body language reading type presentation.

For example. I want you to count from 1 to 6 slowly for me.
Ahh. I see. As you said 3 there was a slight smile on your face/glint in your eye/your eyebrow raised just a fraction etc.

If I instead said, please name all the esp symbols one at a time - they wouldn't have a clue what to say. Fortunately numbers are more known to people than esp symbols.

I know some prefer the esp version - those are a few of my reasons why I don't.

and for the record. It is NOT a gambling effect or dice effect (although I am sure if you had enough you could probably stack them.)

robstanley1 wrote:
Chris - Absolute magic - A good, solid suggestion (a book - at last!! ). However...sadly this doesn't meet with my Number 4 Criteria - if it was readily-available, I'm almost certain I'd have it by now

It seems to be available at inernationalmagic.com for £70


Ok, seeing as I gave you cups ( you really shouldn't have kissed that fatedul night ) I think it's only fair that I feed it

Harry Lorayne's Apocolypse

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic18053. ... ry+lorayne

535 effects

Oh man.. These books have so much information!! Seriously mate.. you could add so many great effects to your arsenal. Some variations on exisiting classics, meaning you can repeat effects using different methods, and no doubt some brilliantly clever new stuff you wont have seen.

Just one of these books cost £51.99 but will last you a while and you will know where to shell your next £50.. second volume enit

bananafish wrote:Not thatyou should be encouraged, but Die Cipher 2 is exactly what you need.

I'd 100% go along with that, I used to use mine a lot.

My routine involved coupling it with a PK match. I'd get the spec to put the (loaded) Die Cipher on the tips of my fingers then I'd put a PK match on my palm. I'd indicate six 'compass' points around my palm which corresponded to the six faces of the die. The match would mysteriously stand up (you know how it's done!), wiggle around a bit then lie down in the correct position to reveal the number of the die. The Die Cipher lid could then be removed to show the 'psychic match' was correct... double miracle! Always nice to combine multiple principles, helps throw them off the scent I find...

Ah - my old CUPs-Master puts in an appearence:

Mr. ID - Apocolypse - Looks to be a damn good mix!

Onto my list it goes:


THE LIST, AS IT STANDS SO FAR:
Screwed deck

Die-Cipher

Full Facts of Cold Reading

Far Sight

Apocolypse

Keep em' coming chaps

Have you considered buying some of the Black Hart stuff, all great effects and good value.