The Effect
What it says on the box:
The magician presents a small, red box, removes the lid and dumps out three one-inch, chromed, steel ball bearings. The box is put to the side of the table.
One at a time each ball bearing is not vanished, but turned invisible. The three invisible balls are touched together and in a burst of light, everyone goes back in time, back to the time when all three balls were visible and inside the box. The lid is removed from the box that has been in plain view the entire time, and the three steel balls are dumped out once again!
Keep in mind...
* The Steel Ball Routine can be performed surrounded.
* Everything can be examined, and the spectators will find nothing, since neither the steel balls nor the box are gimmicked.
* When the invisible balls touch, there is an actual flash of light which is a highly memorable moment.
* Over ten years of experimentation, study, and performance have gone into the development of this routine.
The Steel Ball Routine DVD will not be sold in stores...EVER! This will only be sold exclusively right here on my website.
http://www.steelballmagic.com/
This is a professional, world-class routine, by a full-time professional magician.
Every little detail in the routine has been addressed, worked out, and perfected for maximum impact on the audience.
Well known top professionals have not only been fooled by the Steel Ball Routine, but have endorsed it as well.
The Steel Ball Routine DVD was professionally shot in the studio in front of a live audience with two broadcast quality cameras. You can see and hear the reactions from the spectators.
Every move is explained in great detail with close-up shots of all the crucial moments. No expense was spared in the production of this DVD.
All of the psychology behind the moves is explained, so you don’t just learn HOW, but WHY I do the things that I do.
Cost
$97 from http://www.steelballmagic.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)
4 to 5.
Review
I first saw the Steel Balls advert on the back of Magic Magazine and it drew my attention straight away. The description of the routine sounded too good to be true and there is the added impact that not too may magicians will be performing this over here in the UK.
That was just over a year ago and since then I've been performing this routine on a regular basis with some great reactions from the audience. Even magicians enquire about the routine and when performed well it's a killer.
The DVD is very detailed and is shot in high quality. You get four bonus routines which in themselves are very good and would find their way into most people's working routines but it's the steel ball routine what counts.
You'll get the necessary ball bearings although to make them look as good as those in the video clip on the web site you'll needs some chrome polish and elbow grease but it's worth the effort.
After that, you'll then need to use your creative skills to make a number of the required props.
The box contains the template for making the small cardboard box to house the balls but the card supplied is rather thin in my opinion. I opted to purchase some ready made boxes from hobby craft and cover these in felt to make them look better. You can easily find ready made boxes of the right size to use and the box is NOT gimmicked if you think that the secret is there. It's not!
The DVD does teach in excellent details and you'll perhaps learn new skills such as sl***ing and po****ing which are the main sleights needed for the routine. The misdirection is SUPERB and is also covered in great details.
Now - the one disappointment is that the routine ends using a FISM Flash which may of you will know is no longer on sale. I've found a couple of instruction video clips on YouTube on how to make one but haven't given this a go due to my poor electronic skills and the fear of being electrocuted. You will be able to get all of the components from Maplins or similar though.
Instead, I've adapted the routine to use a d'lite and used the finish from Chris Priest's Protons routine and this works well enough.
Overall
This is a great routine - no doubt about it and when I bought it the exchange rate price was around £80.
You may think that's a lot for some chrome ball bearings but the package and the routine is easily worth the cost and wait in my view.
Forget all of the marketing hype on the web site about getting a free this and that - it's the steel balls routine what counts and it doesn't need all of the extras to sell it.
I've found a number of ways of improving the design of the basic items that you'll need to make and don't let that put you off!. They're easy and will take minutes to make out of materials that you will have at home.
It's just the lack of a FISM flash that can leave you a little disappointed.
Highly recommended but NOT NOT NOT for beginners
