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The Effect

'Imagine...being able to hand out your business card in a way that your next client will remember for as long as they live. being able to do this anytime, anywhere and repeatedly...with your own cards! (No special print jobs) All this after having set up the effect way over ten hours in advance! Includes Custom Designed, Black Leather Business Card Wallet'

(for those who have read my Afterburn review, I apologise for the similarities, but there is a subtle yet important difference)

Cost

US$37.50 from www.penguinmagic.com + P&P from the USA (get a free "Jay Noblezada's Hot Leads Tips and Tricks")
US$35.00 from www.whiterabbitmagic.net + P&P from the USA (sadly nothing free with this one though)

Difficulty

1

(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)


Review

With trembling hands I ripped open the package to see the New and Improved Afterburn... how differently exactly could it be from the original... Would it live up to expectations?

I have already expressed the importance of getting business as a magician - word of mouth is in my opinion the best form of promoting yourself - 'the proof is in the pudding', and people who have seen you perform and been impressed are far more likely to want to hire than you than through simply finding your name in the phone directory. Thus giving out your details on a business card is essential to a working magician, for it enables your amazed and bedazzled spectators to get in contact to beg you to perform for them again.

Because of the importance of giving away your details, I am sure I am not alone in thinking that the task of distributing your business card should be done with as much panache as possible - and what better way than through casually turning it into a ball of flame, before cooly blowing it out to reveal your card, unsinged, and bidding adieu to your open mouthed spectators.

What you get with this effect is a dark brown genuine leather wallet complete with ignition device, leaving you to produce only your business cards and one other cheap commonly available product - available from your local off license or supermarket. The device is basic enough that instructions are not required, although are provided.

Upon receiving Jim Pace's Hot Leads, I must confess to being a little dissapointed. The sheer simplicity of the device and ignition system duped me into thinking it was, quite simply, not as good as my old faithful Afterburn had been. Then I tried it. And it worked. Again, and again, and again. For therein lay the strength of this new idea. It's brilliant simplicity made it for the first time a reliable 'card on fire' system. There were no more nagging doubts about perhaps the card would not light, or concerns about continually resetting the device - Now I could casually pull 20 cards from my wallet, and set turn them into conflagarations of flame one by one by one.... Further more, it meant that (unlike Afterburn) I no longer needed to invest in a new packet of flash cotton every fortnight.

That said, the Hot Leads system is not faultless. The ignition system has a tendancy to make a 'loud click' every time it is used, although this can easily be masked through talking while the card is produced. Furthermore, people are too stunned to see a ball of flame in front of them to think about such a detail, and I have yet had anyone comment on it.

A second problem is the concealing of the device. Unlike the Afterburn system, where the device is hidden within the wallet itself, the Hot Leads mechanism is on the outside, so some care has to be applied upon the production of the wallet.

Finally, as with all fire effects, I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of not performing them underneath smoke detectors - while I have personally not had any troubles, I can only warn you that being the cause of evacuating your residence will not go down terribly well with management.

Overall

It would not be unfair to compare the Afterburn and Hot Leads systems to an old Jaguar and a New Mini Cooper.... The Jag is expensive to maintain, more expensive to buy, has arguably a sleaker shape, can only be used once a month for fear of it's failing, although is seen as something of a classic.

The Mini on the otherhand is better value for money, fuel conservative, is as reliable as you could ask for, and has a certain suave modern cool about it.

For those able to follow my rambling metaphor it is for this reason that I use my Hot Leads every time I work. It has never failed to get a good reaction, while systematically drawing attention from others within the close area. Despite it's simplicity, it is a staple of my act, and should you be looking for a new flourish of a business card, I would unhesitatingly recommend this one to you (although bear in mind I have something of a strong affinity to fire!)... 10/10

Hi
i was really interested in purchasing hot leads, how difficult is it to master?
i haven't done any fire tricks so it's a first time I'm interested in that kind of effect. which kinds of business cards do you use? how do you make your own business cards?

Now I could casually pull 20 cards from my wallet, and set turn them into conflagarations of flame one by one by one

mr m hi me again, the quote meens its simple to use with no complicated setup and uses your own bulk standard printed bussines cards, even the ones you can get out of the printing machine for a few quid.

my question can it be used with plastic business cards as there is no soakup .

Can you use paper business cards for the effect or the cards will get burned?

thanks.

if your useing paper business cards then do a bill switch instead if you mean cards that come out of a printer home or comercial printers then re-read my first post ie yes you can.

thanks, where do you get business cards for printer? i don't even know which kinds of cards are these and i don't even know how to print on them. i don't understand which kinds to use. can you show me a picture?

add a location to your profile this will help us a lot.
in a lot of shopping centres there are machines that alow you to design and print your own business cards for around £4 for 50 pieces.
you can print your own business cards on your home computer useing business card stock avalable from woolies, whsmiths and most stationers, they will probably do a small business card design programe as well on cdrom to get you going.

the business cards that you're using, what are they made of? can you get free business cards with your own design?

thanks.

mine are made of plastic with embosed letters from premier plastics.
do an online search and you will find some companys will print your business cards free but you have to pay postage so there not exactly free but you can design your own.

Bought Hot Leads yesterday on the strength of this review and the 'say' of another local magician who owns Afterburn.

Whilst i though the item a little expensive for what you get the effect is very nice and therefore, as with so much in magic, you're buying the concept rather than the raw props.

Only criticism is the LOUD click, mine is VERY LOUD, and takes some covering.

I found it reasonably easy to conceal the mechanism and if you keep your right hand tilted slightly down and right as you open the wallet this helps.

You won't learn this in an instant, it takes a couple of hours work to get this off convincingly (which compared to some things is an instant i know). So if you're looking for a memorable way to give out your business card this could be for you.

my question can it be used with plastic business cards as there is no soakup

big al same question to you if you can help .

Hi Jason

Sorry, you can't use this with plastic cards, as you say, there is no soak up and i guess the 'burning' would melt the plastic cards.

I've had to trim my current card to use it but the next set will be made to fit this prop perfectly.

Regards

Al.

many thanxs i thought as much.