talkmagic.co.uk

Banachek / Dela PK SHARPIE

http://www.magic-mirror.co.uk/PK%20SHARPIE!.htm

£20 post paid in the UK

Difficulty: 1/5

They say:

The Performer claims he can move objects simply by staring at them and urging them to move. An “ordinary” Sharpie® is placed on the edge of a table or on top of a wine glass as the performer stands away. The pen starts to move and eventually falls. * No Magnets * No Thread * Performer stands as far away as he wants * Speed can be different every time.

Totally Examinable
Completely Self Contained
Also Writes


I say:
Yup!
That's the "puppy"! Does what it says on the tin.

This is a well constructed PK prop. Totally normal looking (silver bodied) Sharpie.

I'm not sure as to Banacheks association with it but I get the impression Steve Dela (a talented award winning young magician) has effectively credited Banachek within the name of this product as Banachek's PK Pen is probably the inspiration.

The instructions are clear and to the point. What you do with it is up to you.


Overall:
This type of PK pen is very startling for most people. You can be feet away and the pen will topple...ingenious stuff.

The Sharpie is the perfect pen for this as we all tend to use them.

The action is a bit faster than most PK pens of this type...good news for many.

I love it...a great keeper

Rating: 9 /10 Simple, effective and very useful! £20 might be a tiny bit of a strain for some...but you get what you pay for...quality

can it be handed out for examination...i have my own version that ive made...mind you it took me a blimey while to get it to work properly but mine cannot be handed out...wuts the deal

It is very examinable. TOTALLY innocent looking in every way.

PM'd you Tom...

You say that this effect does not use it. I think I can produce the same effect using it - even with a borrowed pen.

What is the specific advantage of using the PK pen over the other method? Any thoughts or ideas?

I wouldn't know, but how about doing it from across the room? Putting the pen under a glass? No IT in the way...

Kati

Kati, thanks for the suggestions.

Using IT across a room is still possible, but I don't think it can be done impromptu.

However, it might be difficult to present such an effect as "you" moving the pen if you are standing somewhere completely different. Personally, I would rather avoid such a setup since you are competing for attention with your prop. This would confuse the audience and they don't know whether they are supposed to look at you or the pen falling from the table. Either way, you will lose the game ...

The other suggestion to put the pen under a glass may actually be combined with IT - first you do some "regular" effect using floatation, then you "demonstrate" that you did not use some sort of wires/threads/whatever to achieve your miracle by showing that the pen still moves if such tricks are excluded. This can be a very powerful illusion and even fool magicians

kati across the room will be possible with this pen...the secret is ingenious and one that no one would ever think of...that being said you can leave the country and the pen will still do wut it does...

another nice idea with the PK Sharpie is the Banachek idea... basically, if you balance the Sharpie on a light plastic or foam cup (the disposable ones) then when it topples, it will also take the cup with it.

Liam.

It seems expensive for an average sounding trick. Also now all these special pens seems to be Sharpies these days. If I saw someone get out a Sharpie I would instantly be suspisious even if I could examin it afterwards. I think I would only really be interested in this trick if it was a borrowed coin.

the versatality of a sharpie is just amazing...virtually every magician uses one as they always need to prove to a spectator that they in fact are really seeing the same card or coin or object...the sharpie would allow a spectator to sign an object without their signature disappearing and so then youve successfully convinced them...so basically if someone added a bunch of effects to a sharpe the magi can easily use the sharipe throughout the night and then even performa couple of effects with this seemingly convincing instrument of choice

I don't get it. Isn't a Sharpie just a marker pen? What makes it better than any other marker pen? (I'm talking about just a pen here by the way). My point is that If I saw a someone performing this trick then I would instantly think there was something up with the pen, it's the only explanation. So even though it's examinable I would still not be impressed.

But really I think gimmicked pens like this are fine but I don't think it should be the center of attention. It's just saying "oh look what I can do" when it's obvious that you are doing nothing at all, if you were the other side of the room or out of the room that is. As then it just looks like a magic pen, not a magic person. If you were doing this trick I would suggest not going to the other end of the room as it detaches the magican too much from the "magic".

Mahoney wrote:I don't get it. Isn't a Sharpie just a marker pen? What makes it better than any other marker pen? (I'm talking about just a pen here by the way).

Nothing really...but what makes Bikes better than other cards? A Sharpie is the definitive brand of marker pen...writes on anything, no problems...I would say that a Sharpie is removing suspicion...

Kati

I don't think it should be the center of attention

Exactly! To the average spectator it's just a pen or marker and nothing more, it's only to Magi like us that there is any significance. If you work it right, the audience will see you using what seems to be the same pen for different reasons, only you will know you have an array of the things in your pocket! By all means use another brand or style of pen but it's unikely that you'll find the same wide choice of specialist versions.

If you want to add to the audience viewing it as a normal pen, then just use it as such. Use it on another effect - with a signed card or something - and let the specs freely handle it before you do the effect. Leave it on the table and treat it as if you haven't paid so much for it.