Steve Thomas

Kid’s Kards Kick!

I usually hate writing a review of a new item because if it’s a good effect and a good review, then EVERYBODY will go buy one. I’ll make an exception here. Ordered this from Elmwood Magic (their service is great, too) and absolutely love it. I’m a fan of the simpler things, and this, as you may have guessed is another incarnation of a Svengali Deck. The difference is…this one has a purpose and reason. The cuteness of the deck also adds a lot. The deck is shown as a hand-made pack of cards that a class/group of children made for you after you performed a show for them. You then (there’s a storyline) change it to a real (like a storebought) pack. You then do a brief mental effect, and since you feel bad about changing their handy work…you change it back to its original state. Nothing astounding about the effect, but the props and the story make the effect what it is. Now, that being said, DO NOT go buy one of these.

Steve Thomas

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Very well constructed!

I’ve had 2 of these for years now, and I have to tell you, if you don’t know where the gimmick is, you would be hard pressed to find it. The only thing I’ve noticed about different sets is that occasionally the 2 blocks don’t always exactly match in color. Otherwise, I highly recommend it. Especially if you can get 2 matching coins to go with it. Mine both came with small gold rings.

Here’s a hint…add a small, half-moon shaped piece of foam inside the gimmick (you’ll know what I mean if/when you actually have one in your hands) to keep things from talking.

Steve Thomas

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Winner from Zanadu!

I’ve been performing this for over 15 years…it’s one of the strongest card effects around. Everything’s examinable, it’s KILLER. I use a Himber wallet for the "extra card", and that adds to its power. Don’t overlook this because of its price or the manufacturer. I can’t emphasize enough the power of this.

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AWESOME prop…

This thing is KILLER. Get rid of all your old square circle props, get one that has a purpose and a real routine. This one has it all. And it’s decently priced.

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Abbott’s Daring Spring Trap

This is a very nice item in the right hands. While not an effect, per se, it’s great to use in a card revelation (which is what I do). It’s basically just a standard animal trap without teeth. If you want to do comedy magic it’s for you, if you want to do magick, you can use this and if you want to do geek, this will fit the bill. Very underused, but that’s good for those of us who do use it. While it’s a little scary the first few times, I recommend giving it a try.

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Richbark model of the Devano rising cards..

This deck, while not cheap, is worth the money. You’ll never have to replace anything “sticky”…if you know what I mean. The gimmick has “pinpoint” accuracy. I recommend this deck for the performer.

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Miller’s “Hard Seven”…

As a big fan of Clarence Miller’s magic, I rate this one pretty high. He makes everything one at a time, by hand, and I count that for a lot. The effect is pretty startling. Remove the inlaid lid from the small box, show the 2 dice. Replace the lid, shake the box, mixing the dice. Remove the lid, show the disarray, replace the lid, do the magic…voila…the dice show a 7. You repeat it twice, each time making the magic seem more difficult. Very nice and well made.

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THIS IS A GREAT, KILLER EFFECT!

I hate that anyone else owns this…I bought one years ago from Mark Trimble, and have loved it ever since. He made 2 models, one with a painted aluminum frame, and the “signature spot” on that one is a small rectangle on the back, the other (more rare) has a wooden frame, and the entire back can be signed. It’s an awesome transposition effect of the hand drawn pictures of the spectator and performer. I’ll recommend it so highly because it deserves it and they’re very hard to find these days.

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