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The Tarantula describes itself as the best ITR on the market today. This is true.

From the number of posts I have made you may notice that I am somewhat obsessed with levitation's, and so I ordered not one, but two Tarantula's in the post (though not at the same time). And I can say that it is the single best purchase I have ever made; it gets the BEST reactions of any of my tricks, and it is totally foolproof. People simply do not know how this is done. The illusion you create is just so simple and so perfect, you risk people literally believing you have some real mental powers.

The Tarantula levitation's (NOTE: NEVER EVER call them this. It makes the words "Tarantula levitation magic" far too easy to Google) is my single most requested trick, and I have developed the routine greatly, getting what I think is now better than the demo video itself - I hope you do not consider me arrogant for saying this. I shall first tell you what is possible with the single Tarantula, and then finally, a simple rundown of the workings themselves.

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The Effect: The Tarantula

A spectators coin or ring are borrowed. You hold it between your hands and spin it; it stays there, rotating very fast in the air. It hovers above your left hand (in my case, it can float over either hand you like) and then floats all the way up your arm, getting higher and up to your higher chest. It then floats down your right arm and hovers above your right hand. You can then spin your finger around the floating object, showing there is nothing attached- You can even make hoops with your fingers and have it float straight through them.. You can then click your fingers and it drops straight down into your open palm. The coin is instantly examinable (if you are skilled), and there are no strings or wires to be found anywhere around, either on the coin or on you. You can also levitate a ring onto someone's finger, although this IS risky, and I tend to only do it to my own finger, however it is an excellent party trick and can be pulled off in the right lighting.

In an advanced form of this routine you can run multiple rings around the floating ring, and you can also seal it in a glass box (goldfish tank).

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The IT: It uses Spider Thread and is very invisible and hard to see, it is also suprisingly strong and made of good kevlar. It is smooth and easy to use, and it comes with a locking mechanism, meaning you can having come out as far as you like, and then not release any more thread than you wish.


The batteries: They last for a few weeks each if you are careful, but they are cheap to refill and can be found at most watch shops. They are NOT SPIDER PEN BATTERIES, DO NOT TRY AND USE THEM! If you do they will break the Tarantula... worst mistake I ever made with it. These batteries can be bought for about £3 or less. I personally got them for 10 for £20 off a watch maker.


The durability: You must be careful with the device, don't sit on it, don't crush it. But it will not break as easily as many people make out; treat your props well and you will be fine.


The sound: It does make a sound when you real back in the IT, but it is so quiet no one has ever yet heard it.


The "hiddeness": The device is hidden extremely well, I cannot say where or how, but trust me, it is. In fact its hidden so well that I'm sure at one point they were actually considering hiding the ITR inside your underpants, because that's the level of stealth they've gone to to hide the device.


The method: Very ingenious. The illusions you get are brilliant, people honestly have no idea how you are doing it, and if you do it well you end totally clean. Yigal is brilliant.




Summary: The single best ITR on the market for any close-up workers. I cannot recommend it enough; the only downside is that you must be gentle with the device, but if you handle IT at all, you should know that by now, it is part and parcel of IT work.

Overall rating: 9/10

Note: It would have been 10/10, as the best ITR ever, but it can break. So it looses a point.


Tom
xx

Eshly,

Post something in the introduction section and tell us all a little bit about yourself.

Sure thing


xx

You might also use that little Search feature we have in that several reviews have been done on this thing. In fact you will find that most new items get reviewed here within a few days of their release.

Craig Browning wrote:You might also use that little Search feature we have in that several reviews have been done on this thing. In fact you will find that most new items get reviewed here within a few days of their release.

Apologize, but I hoped it would help someone
From now on I'll try and only review new things.

By all means review old things, mate, just repost it into the existing thread if its not new. That way you get all the opinions in one place, makes it easier to find

Good review though, sounds like a good effect.

Yeah, what he ^ said !

Is this a wise buy if one has never worked with thread before.

flaw07 wrote:Is this a wise buy if one has never worked with thread before.

No.

Then where should I start

flaw07 wrote:Then where should I start

Easiest and most practical would be loops, despite the limited range, but the curmudgeon in me would recommend just buying some loose IT - my first spool was from Mike Danata's down in Bournemouth.

If you can get used to the difficulties of handling thread by itself, then is and when you upgrade to an ITR you'll have a much easier time.

You should start by buying Steve Farson's Master Levitation System. (plus a bit of extra wax)

Its very good for those starting out in IT work, and the thread is some of the thinnest ever.

The Tarantula is good. The Tarantula is seriously good! I watched Yigal perform this at the 2010 Blackpool convention and bought one knowing I would just not rest until I could perform the 'Hovering' trick...
The DVD that comes with the device is truly excellent! It explains everything in detail and gives you all of the the routines, handlings, tips and advice you need. Some reviews I have read state the Tarantula is a toy or is extremely delicate - I have to disagree on both counts. It is a motorized IT reel that is simply a step change over any other IT reel previously available. Therefore, it is not for IT novices or beginners!
In my experience it is pretty robust and as with all such expensive props proper care and attention should be paid to it.

After I had practiced the basic handling of the Tarantula and making it fit
(which can take some doing!) I moved onto the trick of all tricks: The levitation of a ring and dropping it on someones finger.

The DVD recommends you practice with something more robust than the IT to get used to the handling and movements - great advice! You can see, feel and watch (in a mirror) everything you need to do and practice. I then hooked up the IT and had a ring spinning, hovering & levitating within a mornings work. It takes practice - but what good magic doesn't? And IT performances are tricky - it is not easy stuff to handle But Mesika has worked wonders. Worth every penny. If you want a truly 'killer IT routine' and are prepared to put in some practice then the Tarantula ticks all of the boxes!
A few extra tips - Batteries for the device can be purchased very cheaply off ebay so no need to shell out for expensive ones. The Mesika IT spools are also expensive - but again shop around on the net and the price can be significantly reduced (they can also be re-spooled with your own IT thread if you have time and patience!).
If you haven't used this device before then it may be a good idea when practising to hold the Tarantula in place with a small elastic band or some sellotape (if you have the device you will know exactly what I mean!).
Overall, a great device which allows some stunning effects to be created.
For me - worth every single penny. 10/10! Bravo Yigal!
TGR