4 Stars

There is no doubt the title of this clever effect from N8 Quality Magic is very apt.  If you look at the test conditions that surround it, it does seem truly impossible for the chain to penetrate the bolt.  And amazingly everything can be minutely examined with no switches or magnets.

However, the downside is that this will take a little practice to get smooth – it is not difficult but it does take a knack.  If you put in a little time you will have an effect that is always ready to roll and will fool them for sure.

There are a few angle issues and this can only be performed with spectators in front of you.  Don’t get me wrong it is a clever method and I’m not sure you could ever figure it out if you didn’t watch the explanation video, but it will take some practice to get it smooth.

This is the Deluxe version made from Mahogany with a brass spike rather than the cheaper standard version with painted tube and wooden spike seen in the video.  They were made in limited quantities.

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This is a great looking item produced in a limited edition of 24 units from the new craftsman Damir Djanis released by George Robinson at Viking Mfg. It uses a clever and unique mechanism which allows you to show any of 6 numbers on the die in the box.

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You have to love these early items from Tricks Co. They are easy to perform with unique ideas and well made.

Another classic effect from the now hard to find Tricks Co. line with original box and instructions.

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Supreme released this interesting little card box in yellow c. 1966 and released it again in blue c. 1977. There is little difference, apart from color, between the two though the lid fits on slightly differently. But the size and depth are the same. This is the later blue version.

The 2 pages of instructions come with a number of ideas. The key difference with this card box when compared with more standard ones is that there is a small recess in the bottom and the lid is not connected to the base. If you want to really examine the box, this box allows you to fairly easily ditch the flap and card.

However, my favorite idea based on the instructions is a no move approach and to use a sheet of newspaper (or other paper should work) and you can then can do a seamless switch with no moves or effort and even match a freely selected card in the box. This is how it goes:

• Lay a sheet of newspaper down to secure the performance area.
• Have a spectator shuffle and chose any card (no force) without looking at it and place the card face down on the newspaper.
• Cover the card with the small box (to allow for an impression).
• Lift the box up and have them retrieve their card.
• Hand them the box and ask them to open the lid and compare the card in the box with their chosen card.
• It matches.
• The cards and the box are 100% clean and you didn’t do any moves.  I think this approach has some legs for sure.

Anyway, a different card box design that you don’t see very often that I know you need in your collection 🙂

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Although the ad copy for Make Your Choice doesn’t name the effect that it is a close-up version of, it is most likely Prestige, as they look basically the same to the audience, but use very different methods.  Make Your Choice works well and there is nothing to break or go wrong, but it does require a simple move whereas Prestige is automatic.  However, you need to have a little more distance to perform Prestige whereas you can be much closer with Make Your Choice. The gimmick for Prestige is a little more interesting and novel, but Make Your Choice still works fine as described.

In his review video David Dellman provides a useful product comparison of the two items. Thanks David!

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This is another rare Jack Hughes classic and is a great way to finish Card Go.

It is a great idea, but I found this a little tricky to do smoothly but we’ll see how it looks in the video after I’ve had some more practice.  It could easily be the age of the unit (almost 80 years!).

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This Mental Die is well made with very fine tolerances, but has no frills and is stripped down to work perfectly every time.  It easy to do and comes with an extra effect in the instructions that most people miss called Spectral Control which is a great way of performing the effect with some extra magic instead of simply determining the top number on the die.

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This is based upon Bob Ostin’s Dice Prediction c. 1953. And is quite similar to Nelson’s Mental Gimic. However, the difference between Bob Koch’s version and both the original and Nelson’s is that it uses gravity instead of a spring or rubber band.  This makes is less likely to break, but also means that it can make more of a sound and is less versatile. 

The unit is the most solid of all the versions I have seen and is very easy to switch out for other items such as billets, notes, and bills.

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This is a remake of Heath’s Mystic Tappit  – not sure why Jay Leslie spelt “Tappit” incorrectly  when he released this but it should have two p’s.

This is a functional version and Jay has included an extra phase which works well too.  But to my mind it is not necessary and just repeating the standard effect two or three times in a row is really enough to blow their minds.  This is one of the few effects that gets better with repetition.  And unlike the original bakelite tiles these colors will not fade 🙂

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This is a variation of R.W. Hull’s Pop-Eyed Eye-Popper Deck which allows you to force up to four cards instead of just one. I’m not sure how useful this is because you lose the easy of forcing which you are used to with the traditional version.

These are made by Steven Perry who is a professional card mechanic and does an amazing job for just a few dollars more.  These are not bulk manufactured, each deck is made by hand with meticulous attention to quality control and precision.

If you need any sort of standard or custom gimmick deck I suggest you contact Stevens Magic and I’m confident you will switch too, I know personally I’ll never go back to the mass dealer ones 🙂

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