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preston eakins Regular user battle creek, michigan 184 Posts |
I will be most honest I am the most frugal(cheap) person I know. I also know you get what you pay for and in the magic world your paying more for the secret then the props and with most porps/effects there are several that come by different names from different manufactures. that being said and I will start off with a few but please if you have a reason why any prop/trick/effect is really worth paying more then let me and everyone else here your opinion some of you that own your own stores might really be able to help in this. here are some off the top of my head
stratosphere aka strat-o-sphere aka joker tube. multiplying rabbits aka rabbits rabbits everywhere aka papa rabbit goes to town what’s next aka hoppin spots aka dubious domino (dubious domino is black with white dots as apposed to the whit with black dots of the other 2 and Fred Baish gave a good enough reason for me not to get the dubious dominoe as after some wear and tear you can see how the dots move but still what makes whats next more expensive then hoppin spots what is the best linking rings set? how about the zombie ? any other comparisons you can come up with I am not asking for the secret of the effects. I just want to know like many other shoppers am I saving money when I am buying the least expensive version??? |
spatrick Special user Tom Sawyer let me whitewash these 517 Posts |
Why would anyone buy a Rollex with two "L's" in the name????
S. |
othelo68 Regular user North dakota 174 Posts |
Preston,
These sound like question that would be good to go to a magic shop and ask. or if you don't live near one call one of your favorite online stores and ask them. if they don't know or are unwilling to help should you be shopping there? |
MagicB1S Inner circle Knoxville Tenn. 1039 Posts |
These are very good Questions and YES you get what you pay for... More importantly you should not shop by price but by manufacturer. MAK , Abbott, Chance wolf and Steve Axtell ( I realize there are a few more ) are some of the better prop builders. you are going to pay a bit more but you are getting quality. some coin guys can chime in with there favorites. Stay away from most of the stuff from India very cheap and poor quality. hope this helps
"There are Tricks To All Trades.... My Trade is all Tricks"
"An amature practices until he gets it right. A Professional Practices until he can't get it wrong" www.Themagicchest.webs.com bobswislosky@yahoo.com |
DWRackley Inner circle Chattanooga, TN 1909 Posts |
During the last century I had the absolute PRIVELEDGE of working in a magic shop and the phrase “you get what you pay for” doesn’t come close to describing the best way to purchase magic. FIND a magic shop, even if you have to drive a while, and become known there. A reputable dealer wants to keep your business and he will not sell you something that isn’t right for you. When he hands you something and says “this is better”, trust me, most of the time he is NOT just trying to up-sell you. There IS a difference.
We did maintain a selection of inexpensive merchandise (read: cheap) that we inelegantly referred to as “slum magic”. It was for the neighborhood kids only, and it was junk. Whenever someone came in who actually PERFORMED Magic, we had GOOD stuff that would work reliably and last more than a few performances. If he wanted to comparison shop, we could compete apples-to-apples with the best of them, but we didn’t let him walk out the door carrying garbage. Our good name was on the line. Buy the original product from the original inventor if he’s still alive, or if someone has truly improved on an old standard (as is often the case) buy from him. S. Patrick is bang-on when he writes “Why would anyone buy a Rollex with two "L's" in the name????” If a knockoff was actually quality goods, it wouldn’t BE a knockoff, it would be a NAME!!!
...what if I could read your mind?
Chattanooga's Premier Mentalist Donatelli and Company at ChattanoogaPerformers.com also on FaceBook |
Vick Inner circle It's taken me 10+ years to make 1120 Posts |
THERE IS NO COMPARISON!!!
Support the inventor, buy the original. If not, the original inventor may not release any more of their great effects! Also what about service after the sale? Buy from a quality dealer (See Denny http://www.dennymagic.com ) A quality dealer will not only help you purchase the right product for you, for your on stage persona and skill level, they will help you after the sale. After you learn the basics of the effect you can return to a quality dealer and they can help you with the nuances so important to presentation. Some guy in his Mom's basement with a website (who may or may not be in business in 6 months selling cheap rip off & knock offs) can't offer you that preston eakins, you are not saving money. You are wasting money!!! When that cheap made in India version breaks and there is no service for it, you have to buy another one and that breaks because it was cheaply made. You have wasted money and more importantly time Support the original inventor, it's the right and honorable thing to do. Buy the best you can afford. Nothing good is cheap and nothing cheap is good If you really want to save money, buy the plans and learn how to build it yourself. Come up with an effect and build the method for it Do the right thing, buy the best you can, support the creator
Unique, Thought Provoking & Amazing Magical Entertainment Experiences
Illusions By Vick Blog of a real world working magician Magic would be great, if not for magicians |
bicycle66 Regular user 108 Posts |
I agree with all of the above you need to support your local dealer they are dropping like flies. The online world is taking over I guess people can shop around more easily. With some of the coin gaffs that I've got you can see the difference and the more expensive the more deceptive they are and longer they seem to last for the most part. I would just read lots of reviews on items and choose what is best for you the creator needs to make some profit so that they can continue to dream up their effects. Mind you some of the mark up on some of the effects is in another galaxy but hey that is why you need to do your reasearch. Sean.
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Ejay New user 7 Posts |
I live in a capital city. The only local magic dealer here put himself out of business...by getting busted for dealing drugs. Not long after getting out of prison for that, he got busted again for prostitution, and racketeering. Since then, the mention of "magic shops" makes everyone think of him and his career. I have to use mail order/the internet for anything magical I want.
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othelo68 Regular user North dakota 174 Posts |
You can call most of the online dealers and ask questions. I've had good luck with this at the magic warehouse. if you can find a shop nearby there worth the drive go there and ask. or maybe a ibm or sam ring if your a member.
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