I had been looking for a spirit bell effect and found this one at Solari Magic with free shipping. The quality is very good and the bell is louder than most I had seen. I am going to use this in my halloween shows. The price has been reduced and right now there is free shipping. It also come with a small case for protection. If you watch the video you will see how much louder this one is than most of the ones out there. Free shipping is until the end of September. You can see the spririt bell here.
http://bobsolarimagic.com/shop/Spirit%20......d=spirit bell&category_id=0

I think it looks very suspicious. Maybe its just me

The neat thing about this is you can clearly see there is no wires, strings, etc due to the clear acrylic. Actually it can hang by a piece of thread if you wanted to change out the chain.
The way I decided to present this for kids is let let someone pick a card and instead of me finding it I let an invisible man find it. Or have someone draw a picture and show the cards to the picture. When the selected card is shown to the picture the bell rings.

It looks like a 1970s ornament to me... not an "authentic" spirit bell...would kill the atmosphere in my opinion...

Mark me down as a BIG fan of the Wenger Spirit Bell ( http://nickwengermagic.com/Bizarre%20and%20Spooky.html ) It has a marvelous old look, operated in amazingly spooky manner - and can be constructed right in front of the spectators. As a matter of fact - they can assist in the assembly!

Rhett

I very much agree. This is the best spirit bell by far. I just recieved his Spirit Bell Box & love it!! IMHO Wenger is a true artist.

Umm, what about an ordinary looking hotel counter bell that is actually an RF controlled spirit bell? Dome can be removed to show insides: http://www.taylorimagineering.com/products/death-toll.php

Christopher

I tried to include a photo, does not seem to be working.

CT

Gee, I wonder how a bell would ring attached to a large plastic box.

Let's see:
Magnet powered
Electronic powered

What good is remote control when the mechanics is inside a large box under the bell.
The remote control means nothing when the mechanics is right in front of you.

This was made by someone who does not understand what magic is all about. It is suppose to have no logical way for the trick to be activated or accomplished. This is just so apparent.

You mentioned "kids", kids are smarter then adults. They will tell you how it is done.

The base looks FAR too thick and to me too suspicious.

I suggest you guys wait as something far better may be in the offing.

Pretty nice video of performing with this bell. Starts out explaining this was a door bell over a door. Pretty good presentation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZkilFu5uYY I know this was at a magic shop but it worked out pretty good.

Throughout the years I have build many such bells...here are a couple..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNxxys_ME4c


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM1xSfVFY-o



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAVZ5FRt_EA



Chuck Caputo

I agree with Bill. Why the big box under the bell. I built one years ago with the guts in the table. I would place a piece of glass on the table, next a tripod of 3 brass rods with a hook at the top, hang the bell, place a round cylinder of glass (from an old Coleman lantern) around the tripod and then a piece of glass on top of that. This isolated the bell and with the r----e make the bell ring. The kids today are smarter than you think.

I have Christopher Taylor's hotel counter bell. It's extremely well made and functions perfectly. It's an excellent piece to have without having to worry about it not working at the wrong time.
I give this a 10/10. It's perfect for me.

Christopher Taylor's hotel counter bell look's great, shame I just can not afford any of the spirit bell's on the market,but if I could I would go for this one.

I purchased one of the Spirit Bells being orginally mentioned on ebay for $100. At that price I felt the risk was minimal. Looks aside I will say the unit is very well made and as mentioned the bell rings louder than others I have or have seen. I am a fan of Anverdi and the prop has a very Anverdi feel

I have started using it as a kicker to a routine with the Burmese Bells. That prop is made with a clear acrylic tube and brass bells and this spirit bell looks great with it.

The design of this prop makes it very easy to transfer the "guts" to another table etc. I am planning on purchasing a second unit cheaply and building it into an antique book. I will then have a super reliable Spirit Bell that will be at home in any scenario.

For performers looking for a unit to use in a lighter presentation such as a lie detector, etc, I would not hesitate to reccomend this. They are poping up online new very reasonably.

Cheers,

John

So a 21st century spectator has to conclude that either this bell above the plastic box platform is electronic somehow or a ghost is ringing it. Even if someone doesn't say it, they will be thinking it.

IMHO....The very best spirit bell is made by Cesaral. Nothing to be seen, no need to hang the bell on anything, spectator holds the bell themselves, rings on command via remote control, sound is loud and clear....doesn't get any better or spookier than this.....

Still time to get some prior to Halloween! Contact me for info!

Here is a compilation of reviews about my Cesaral Spirit Bell:

http://www.cesaral.com/CesaralSpiritBellReviews.pdf

I hope it helps your purchase decision....your audience deserves the best

Cesar Alonso (Cesaral Magic)
www.cesaral.com

Guys, am not slamming any other bell, I have a few of them and they are all great. Just saying this is well made for the price and for someone doing a light presentation or looking to make a version that fits a routine it is a great low cost option.

Sorry for giving info from someone that owns several versions. The world of Spirit bells is obviously competitive