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Steve Dela Special user U.K. London 961 Posts 
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The best cups I have ever used are Auke Van Dokkums!
wow these are very good! they will last for ever no daubt. http://www.cupsandballs.nl worth every penny and will take a full size tennis ball as the final load! hope this helps Steve Dela P.S they do matching chop cup! |
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Ron Giesecke Special user Redding, Ca. 947 Posts
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bwalder New user Austin, TX 46 Posts
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Could go on forever about the Riser cups, Gazzo/Animal, Sherwood, JES, Van Dokkum, etc, etc - but they are all high quality high-priced items.
If you want a GOOD set to start with, although the Morrisey ones are OK, I would actually go with the Bazaar de Magica (sp?) copper set. Nicely weighted, well-sized, and well designed with a good-sized attic - and as cheap - if not cheaper - than the Morrisey ones. 
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James Harrison Special user Ontario, Canada 762 Posts
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The impact is the same, and the audience (most of the time) are not impressed by flashy props. in fact, the more ordinary-looking, the better. I believe David Williamson (check me on this) does it with coffee cups. Killer effect! Actually, if you read Michael Ammar's book on the cups and balls, you'll actually read that David Williamson didn't like the result that came from using the coffee cups. To him, it didn't seem magicial enough. I would say get the best you can afford. The cheaper cups are less exspensive, but you get what you pay for. I'm saving my penny's for some Gazzo cups. Man I hope they are still around when I have enough for them. Has anyone seen Johnny Paul do his Cups and balls? Truely an excellent routine to watch. And excellent audience management! |
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Pete Biro 1933 - 2018 18558 Posts
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Johnny Paul's routine is one of the best all time routines... (not for the street, tho)... that is why I manufactured the perfect cups for Johnny's routine.
If you have not seen it, get the low cost video from http://www.stevensmagic.com (I think it is the cups and balls teach in tape)... Then order the cups!!! 
STAY TOONED... @ www.pete-biro.com
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WandSpin New user 59 Posts
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Johhny's routine is great. uses a chop cop as one of the cups.
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Jeff Dial Special user Kent, WA 533 Posts
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On 2003-09-29 14:19, WandSpin wrote: Actually there are no chop cups in Johnny's routine as his cups pre-dated and were the inspiration for the Chop Cup. My source is Pete Biro so it must be right. 
"Think our brains must be too highly trained, Majikthise" HHGG
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Pete Biro 1933 - 2018 18558 Posts
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Johnny Paul used a 2-inch sponge ball with a cup designed to "grab" the ball off the top of another cup, and it would "dislodge" when placed down "smartly."
He designed and had a limited number of cups made. Joe Stevens, who owned the rights to the Paul Routine sells the correct cups to do this, that I had manufactured. By coincidence the metalworker's father was the one that made the first cups for Chop Chop (Al Wheatley) so named "The Chop Cup." Wheatley saw Paul do his routine and it gave him the idea for the Chop Cup.
STAY TOONED... @ www.pete-biro.com
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Ron Giesecke Special user Redding, Ca. 947 Posts
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I'll say it now. The first person that designs a set of aluminum cups that are fatter, with a low center of gravity (like a paul fox cup) will make a killing.
I am loathe to understand why all aluminum cups have to be tall and gangly, just waiting to sail off the table with the slightest bump. The JES cups are virtually identical to the Paul Fox cups. If could do it, I'd make Paul Fox-ish aluminums and outsell everybody else. I'd even buy a set from myself. |
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Tspall Regular user Lumberton, NC 147 Posts
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I just bought an aluminum set from magictricks.com and they are very nice! I'll admit they probably aren't the best set you could ever buy but they feel very solid and sturdy. The price was also very reasonable (a little less than $20).
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Steve Oxford Regular user Churchville,MD. 155 Posts
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Has anyone bought the Magic Makers cups yet? I saw the ad in Magic magazine and they look sweet. I'm sure the quality will be top notch like their other items, but no one seems to have them yet. Where are they????
S. |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24315 Posts
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On 2003-09-18 01:09, MJ Marrs wrote: I wonder how these fellows wearing the Rolexes are going to know that your Morrissey cups did not cost $200. If they are wearing Rolexes, chances are they have a real job and aren't working magicians! I don't think I would take my Sherwoods to ANY party. As far as I'm concerned, they are "cabinet" pieces. I've had more damage done to fine props at parties that were catered for people wearing Rolexes than I have anywhere else EXCEPT renaissance festivals. Seriously, a set of Johnson cups or any other nice looking set of cups is perfectly acceptable at ANY party. Besides, is the magic about your cups or about you?
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Lee Darrow V.I.P. Chicago, IL USA 3588 Posts
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Bill, on the cups quality issue and the Rolex Raiders, I have to respectfully disagree with you.
Quality is obvious to the eye, even of someone who is not on the inside of our art. One does not do the fun, Inc plastic cups (the three colored ones) at a party at the White House unless there is a very specific reason for doing so that relates directly to the prop iself. While I agree that damage to props occurrs, that's part of the price of doing business. I also learned a long time ago that the better quality the prop happens to have, the more reliable it will tend to work, the more durable it is and the more impressive it will be to the audience. However, I also agree that certain props are collector's items and, as such, should be protected. That's why I have 2 sets of the heavy copper "It's A Man's Cup" sets from Magic, Inc. They are pure copper, weigh a ton and I have one for performances and one for show. It's costly, but when I bring them out, the audience usually gasps at their beauty and quality. But I could be wrong, too! respectfully, Lee Darrow, C.Ht. http://www.leedarrow.com
http://www.leedarrow.com
<BR>"Because NICE Matters!" |
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videoman Inner circle 6750 Posts
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It's costly, but when I bring them out, the audience usually gasps at their beauty and quality. Wow, really???? Your audiences physically gasp at the sight of your cups??? You must have one helluva magnificent set of cups!!! But seriously, no offense intended, but I find this rather hard to believe. These must be magicians or someone who could appreciate your cups. You could show most lay folks a Sherwood cup and they would go "yeah (yawn) so what's the big deal, its a cup?" Who are your performing for, native African tribes? LOL jusst kidding. Best, Bill
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thumbslinger Elite user This is a good number: 458 Posts
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I'm just now getting back into learning cups and balls and get this: for practice use I found three votive candle holders at Michaels (a craft shop) here in LA which were marked down to $1.50 each.
They're a little shorter than a typical Paul Fox cup but are a heavy glass chrome coated on the outside and have a shiny metallic magenta color on the inside. They don't stack cleanly with a ball hidden, but as I said they're for practice and are working fine for now. Then, I found two heavy brass candle holders from India in a shop for $3.00 with a recessed hole in the base - opposite the bowl of course....a trip to a hardware store for some magnets and voila...chop city! The chopper looks like an antique that costs a ton and the votive candle holders look marvelous sitting on top of a nice, svelt black surface.!! 
Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed and Tommy Emmanuel are all you need to study to learn to play guitar.
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24315 Posts
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On 2003-12-20 14:16, Lee Darrow wrote: I wouldn't take a really cheap set of cups to any party unless it was one where I wasn't getting paid enough to risk taking a decent set. However, I would take my Van Dokkum cups just about anywhere. They are quite beautiful and as close to indestructible as you can find. Every time I show them to anyone, even just as a curiosity, they remark about how good they look. They are solid stainless steel. I do like the "It's a Man's Cups," but they aren't my favorite for performance. I like to use a bit larger ball than they will hold comfortably, especially for the final loads.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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KirkG Inner circle 1391 Posts
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Ok Here are my two cents. And I may ramble. What you pay for the cups is irrelevent! Penguin, JES, Paul Fox, all will look the same to the audience. David Regal gets good mileage out of the $2.00 plastic set by Adams. See his routine to understand why.
Whatever cups you use, should fit your performance style, personality and perhaps time frame. When I work at Ren Faires and most everywhere, I use my tarnished copper Danny Dew Paul Fox cups. While no one gasps, the are intrigued by these unusual cups. I have used the Ring and Things Aluminum cups and no one ever complained and all still gasped when the hamster made his appearance(hence the need for the taller cup). When I perform for the Tuxedo set, I want all my props to look polished and clean, so I am attracted to the Sherwood cups. I am saving my money and will get a set. My wife may beat me to it and buy a set for me, gotta love her. She once tried to order me a set of Stainles Paul Fox, but they were sold out. Since then I have handled a few stainless cups sets and I don't care for them. This is a personal taste thing, the weight is just not right for me. I also find the Johnson cups too heavy. If I was going to recommend a cup, I would recommend the JES cups as they are a pretty good copy of a Paul Fox. They are a good weight and can either be polished or allowed to tarnish. I favor the tarnished look myself. I don't like the look of tarneshed brass so that let's out the Johnson cup in my book. The Penguin cups I would only buy if you can handle them and choose the set you want, to insure they work well. The Paul Fox style maximizes the impact of the final loads due to the optical illusion that the load is bigger than the cup. Although you cannot fit a full size tennis ball inside, they also make more of an unsitely bulge in your pants pocket. Never load from your side coat pocket unless you just don't care what you look like. All of these cups could be plated with silver or copper or whatever, to help you get the look you want. I was about to engrave and silver plate a set of Paul Fox so the arrival of the Sherwood cups on the market was fortuitous. I have handled two of those sets and they are a pleasure to work with. I would caution and recommend that you don't use the balls that come with the set unless you have extreamly large hands. One inch balls are fine and fit most hands better. Of course this all depends on the routine, but as a general rule, that is my recommendation. I also encourage tightly woven crochet balls, not the fuzzy loose knit style that is around today. Kirk Grodske |
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Lee Darrow V.I.P. Chicago, IL USA 3588 Posts
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Videoman (Bill), yes, they actually look at those monsters and show some surprise and make impressed noises. The "It's A Man's Cup" are massive copper cups that, when polished, look like red gold.
They weigh a ton and make a wonderful sound when uou ping them with a wand or the like. However, I don't use them all that much as I have a custom set of combo cups in heavy copper that I often use as well - engraved and antique looking. Take a look at my web page for who I work for. It's not primitive tribals, that's for sure (though some of them sometimes ACT like they are!) Some companies that you might have heard of - Amoco Oil (now BP), Oprah, Serta Mattress, Siemans, Sandals Resorts, Discover Card Services, McDonald's, Weber Grill, the Chicago Bulls, KPMG - you get the idea. No flame, just info.
Kirk - I agree, the cups should fit your style, as I said in my post (sorry if I wasn't all that clear on that) But, in working for high level corporate types, I want my props to look like they cost a small fortune - it helps justify my fees!
To each his (or her!) own. But I learned a long time ago that if you want to make money, you have to look like you HAVE money. Happy holidays, Lee Darrow, C.Ht. http://ww.leedarrow.com
http://www.leedarrow.com
<BR>"Because NICE Matters!" |
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MJ Marrs Inner circle Los Angeles 1123 Posts
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Another thing to consider is how you feel about your props. One of my best friends is a medical doc. He spends all day writing. He could just as well use a $3.99 Papermate instead of his $200 Pelikan. However, he likes the look and feel of the more expensive pen, even though there's no difference in the writing.
Even if the folks I work for couldn't see the quality of my skill, presentation, and props (they can), I'd still go for the best. Afterall, I'm not doing magic just to make money. There are lots of ways to make dough. I love magic (and my Sherwood cups)! Sometimes you do what makes you feel good. Do I need a therapist because of my obsession with quality magic props? Maybe. But I know that my doctor friend has spent thousands of dollars on his pen collection. I look at myself as a professional as well, so I try my best to pay attention to detail in all areas of my magic, even my props. Merry Christmas!!! 
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Mr. Muggle Special user 999 Posts
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One thing that I've learnt is that quality lasts through the years, and IMO most audiences can see quality in our props. So I won't use something I see as cheap unless there is a perfect reason for it.
For myself, I like to give my audience the best impression that they have purchased quality in hiring me over another performer. However like Kirk said, the most important thing to do is to have your cups match your style. But then again in retrospect sometimes non-congruent items do work in your favor. Take the Benson bowl routine for example- I don't know many people who would do it with a $500 china bowl (no matter what style they had) at a high class party. But I have seen top quality performers do the routine with all sorts of props from wooden bowls, to hats, to Kleenex (sp?) box covers. So in the end, I guess its back to that old thing called personal preference. To each his own, after all IMO our own unique personal philosophies are usually a contributing factor to our differences in magic & performance style. MM
"Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it because you're not really looking. You don't really want to know the secret... You want to be fooled." - The Prestige (2006)
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Posted: Sep 27, 2003 11:27 am 
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