I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but it is as close as I can find.

Years ago, I saw Kevin James perform the severed hand illusion, and it blew me away!

So I purchased the effect from Hank Lee, or at least I believed it to be the same effect. It was called "It's Alive"

The prop arrived, I worked out a routine, and put it in my show, and got good reactions, but my observation is this: I believe the hand Kevin used was of a higher quality than the one I purchased, because the one I have could SURELY be made more realistic if they wanted to. From a distance, it's not too bad, but when I go out in the audience with it as my routine calls for, I wish it was Hollywood special effect realistic.

Does anyone know if Kevin uses the same one they sell at the dealers, or was his specially constructed to be as super realistic as possible?

If their is a more realistic version available, where can I purchase it?

This item was heavily ripped off by joke shop manufacturers. There were really, really cheap plastic versions available in novelty stores all over the uk. Badly made so anyone who saw it performed could immediately see how it worked. It saturated the marketplace and exposed the effect so magicians couldn't really use it. Pity.

I have one of the originals, and it is a nice peice. I bought mine from Kevin years ago and I think it was only like $35.00 or something. A fabulous deal and way under priced. I loved Kevin's performance of this on the magic Castle TV show. Kevin's model does look way way better and much more realistic than the ripped off version. But unfortunately I don't think Kevin manufactures them anymore. I asked him last year if I could get some more matching gloves and he told me that he didn't produce the product anymore. I guess I'll have a collectors item in the years to come.

P.

I saw one on Ebay long time ago, it was going for 450.00 and it sold!

That points out the deceptiveness of advertising nowadays.

If the magic dealers are going to sell these things, they should indicate in their adds that the one they are selling is a knock off of the original, rather than giving the false impression that they are selling the genuine article.

In my town, we call that lying.

And we hang people for it.

Phil,

What you say is a crying shame. (about the joke shop rip offs)


In Kevin hands (no pun intended) it is certainly no joke, but a real masterpiece.

I think it's sad that folks would take a beautiful effect like Kevin's and cheapen it so.

Makes me sick.

Now, I think everyone can understand why so many of us are getting upset over the knockoffs of John Cornelius' material and the Viking/Haenchen/Collector's Workshop material. Sometimes even the dealers do not realize that they are selling junk.

That would make me think that the Dealer's should do more research and be more careful about what they sell.

I agree - that cheap plastic one is not too usable. Wish KJ would reconsider releasing his to the magic fraternity!

Are the ones sold by hanklee, Kevin James originals?
Pls advice.

I have an "arm illusion" (if you can call it an illusion) and I got it from a toy store that was going out of business. I think it was a Kevin James, but I no longer have the cardboard backing it was attached to. I'm pretty sure it did have Kevin's picture on it, in full color, and came with a decent looking gloved hand with a sewn red edge border (made from molded foam-plastic, but looks real). I paid under $20 for it. Obviously it didn't come with the Kevin James gimmicked "box".

Was the entire thing, arm and glove and all molded in one piece? Did it use velcro to fasten it shut?

Impossible,

You just described an original.

I just found mine in storage which Kevin actually gave me years ago while I was living in New Zealand and he was touring. Mind is all one piece and looks incredible. I think the rip off ones had black gloves.

Is anyone interested in selling an original? I am interested in buying one.

Yep that's the original, the one with the red strip around the wrist.

I have one...

One million dollars....I wouldn't trade it in for the world. You know now that I think back and only paying $35 for mine from an ad taken out in the Linking Ring some 15-20 years ago(whenever it first came out, soon after Kevin's appearance on the Magic Castle production with Peter Scolari). I think it will be time to actually plaque the sucker!

P.

Hi Peter
A million dollars? you sure that's enough?
Just kidding mate.I am sure no one would part with an original but I am still looking.

Nice to hear that mine is an original. Now I can kick myself that I didn't buy the other 10 that were sitting on the shelf, with markdown stickers on them. Like I said, I think it was under $20! Somebody ought to track down the manufacturer (the owners of the mold) and see if will ever be manufactered again, or perhaps they might sell the mold. I agree, it looks pretty decent from a reasonable distance, and great on TV.

Matt

I too want to buy the severed hand like k.. james.

I'd be curious of Kevin quit marketing them because the knockoffs were so much cheaper and popping up in costume and joke shops everywhere. The knockoffs sold like hotcakes but were crap, fell apart, didn't look that good and eventually faded off of store shelves like all crap does. Now they are gone and Kevins aren't available either.

Yet another reason to support originals and not the knockoffs.

Best,

Tim

I would not buy one of the severed hand illusions now. America's Got Talent is one of the most widely viewed shows in the US and everybody seems to watch it. Piers really gave a description of what Kevin was doing and really exposed the trick.
It would seen un-wise to start performing it too soon.