Hello ladies and gentlemen!

Many of you might remember an effect that came out a couple of years ago called A.E. - Artificial Experience by Peter Eggink. It was a unique approach to the 'Pencil Thru Bill' effect that was remarkably visual.

Some criticized it for the method at work, while others praised it as a wonderful effect to use with 'Just Passin' Thru'. Regardless of which side of the fence you were on, there was no denying how visual it was, and I for one was fooled when I first watched the demo video.

Well, Peter Eggink has taken it upon himself to redesign his original. In doing so, he completely re-invented it with A.E. 2.0. This new version uses a completely different method than his original creation. It is, so far as I know, a completely new method in regards to this effect period. I have never seen a pencil thru bill that uses this method. Nor have I seen a pencil thru bill that is this deceptive...

The basic effect is well known to magicians; a pencil is thrust thru a bill, leaving it unharmed. The pencil is then laid inside the folds of the bill, and melts through slowly, again leaving the bill unharmed. The difference with this one is the completeness of the illusion, and the deception. I would be lying if I told you I wasn't completely floored when I saw the demo; it looked that good.

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I am privelaged to have recieved a pre-release copy of A.E. 2.0, and having recieved it, I thought it would be fun to be the 1st to write a review of this effect.

When you see the demo video, you will certainly be fooled; the effect looks remarkable. It really looks like what it should look like, and that is a good thing.

Now, something I feel you should know going in is that there IS a gimmick involved. The gimmick will require a few minutes of your time to manufacture, but once done, will last a long time. As well, the gimmick is really not what you would expect from a routine such as this, it is completely unorthodox. Some will like the idea, some will no doubt hate it, but Peter has structured the routine to ring the gimmick in and out fairly smoothly. There are certainly better ways than what is taught, but for those that need it here and now, Peter's method is certainly satisfactory.

On the DVD, Peter does a good job of teaching what is going on. The explanations are clear and concise, and thorough enough to make learning fairly painless. It is obvious that English is a secondary language to Peter, but his command of the language is better than some native English speakers I have met.

There isn't a lot of fluff on the DVD; Peter gets right down to the brass tacks of the routine, and teaching it to you, so the DVD is fairly short; under 20 minutes. But, those 20 minutes are spent giving you detailed instruction on the construction and routining of this effect.

All in all, if you are interested in pencil thru bill effects, check this one out.

EFFECT - It is a pencil thru bill, so you know what it looks like. It is, however, angleproof, which is always a plus with these types of effects. 4/5

METHOD - This is an exceptionally clever method. It isn't perfect; I have a few reservations about it, but through several performances, my reservations seem to be unfounded, this simply works. 3/5

TEACHING - Peter is a good teacher, and it really shows on this DVD. He goes into detail on every aspect of the routine. He does slightly gloss over a switch, but the switch is so simple, it doesn't require a great deal of attention. 4/5

PRODUCTION QUALITY - I was certainly impressed here. Although most of the DVD is a simple one camera shoot on Peter, the lighting is perfect. As well, through a few portions of the explanation, there is an over the shoulder camera which really helps. There is some great music throughout the DVD, which never gets intrusive. 5/5

OVERALL - I am sure that many will get this, and discard it immediately. However, those that take the time to assemble it (which only takes a few minutes), and actually TRY it will be rewarded with a unique handling of a classic effect that will fool everybody. Reccommended. 4/5

Okay so this really is a completely new concept, and the pen really goes in the bill ? And the things you need to construct a new gimmick is fairly easy to get or what ? And how big is the gimmick any info on that? Overall it seems like a nice effect, that I will watch out for

Demo looks great! Though it seems that bill can't be handed out for examination. If this is the case, misled is superior. It is absolutely essential that you hand out the bill at the end. I have performed misled enough to realize this.

I agree with David on this. The bill must be handed out at the end. The demo does look amazing though.

Why can't you hand out the bill? It says in the description that you use a borrowed bill. Obviously you have to give it back to the spectator that you borrowed it from.

Best,

Al

Where can the demo be seen?

Hocus

Strange choice of bill for the demo; where did you find the bill?

If I'm not mistaken it was a British £5 note but from around 20 years ago! It's been a long long time since the Duke of Wellington graced the blue note.

I don't know the method so I should not have spoken that soon. However if a bill switch is involved then it certainly is not as clean as misled.

Hi guys . . .

I think this is a very nice idea for pen/pencil through bill. I have not purchased the DVD, but I think it's VERY VERY good. Peter has always been a clever thinker.

As far as the gimmick is concerned, I think that you might be able to have people touch the bill looking for slits or holes, but you wouldn’t be able to completely hand out the bill for examination.

I think for the walk around performer this is a wonderful trick, mainly because it can be done surrounded. You can’t do that with Misled, or the other variations of Misled.

Regards,
Greg Rostami

I really like how the first phase looks!

However, am I the only one that thinks that the final phase of Just Passin' Thru and Misled is visually more impressive than that of AE2?

Hey guys check seconds 58-59 of clip.

the pen suspended itself from lying on top of the ledge! Weird............

plus, under laws of logic, it is not really possible for you to hold the tip of a pencil and spin it around with the bill thrusted through, BUT NOT fold down nor dislodge. That's not LOGICAL.

Surely loos clean, but VERY, very weird.

Mickey,

I noted that discrepancy as well. But I believe it will fly by most people, and as such, no one until you, has mentioned it.

I personally saw it on my 3-4th watching of the video.

I like how this one looks.

Take care,

Logan

Is it impromptu trick or not? I saw a video and Peter Eggink´s presentation is very similar to D. Copperfield´s way doing that.

If you can't give the money back - it's a good way to make a tip I suppose

So can any purchasers shed some light on this?

Can you borrow the bill, then afterwards hand it out for examination, without switching bills?

Im sure you could switch the bill if its gimmicked. I have no problem in doing this. Or switching the pen. All you have to do is justify your actions and words, and the spectators won't suspect a thing

Ok. Hopefully this will answer some questions. I have AE2. Yes, the bill, pen or pencil can be borrowed. Yes, they can be handed back to the spectator.

One thing you need to keep in mind, is that nothing is going to be perfect. Most of all a magic trick. All tricks have a flaw. If they didn't, they would not be tricks but miracles. You need to except these flaws up front. If not they will bite you in the rear end. Except them and move them around so they end up in the last place the spectator will expect.

Misled, Misleading Misled, Just Passing Thru and AE2 all have their advantages and disadvantages. It really comes down to preference.

Ok, to start there is a gimmick. Remember nothing is perfect. However it is introduced in a very clean manner. A little practice and thought will go a long way. As far as making the gimmick this can be done in just a few minutes. When done you will be able to carry it with you where ever you go.

The video contains an intro, performance, manufacture of the gimmick, introduction of the gimmick and clean up. And some other suggestions. All of this is clearly explained.

The advantages in my opinion are this effect can be done surrounded, is very visual and is easy to do. It is close to self working. This allows you to concentrate on performance.

I am pleased with this product and would rate it 4 out of 5

I realize that this thread is about a year and a half old, but I just discovered A.E. 2.0 and am doing searches before I buy it. If I'm understanding this correctly, the BILL AND PENCIL can be borrowed and subsequently handed out for examination. My only remaining question is how smooth the performance is and if AE 2.0 resets quickly (for walkaround or repeating) or if it has those limitations. I'll bookmark this thread and update it with more info once I own it.

I think Misled is smoother as far as handing out the pencil and bill after the trick is done.

But AE's advantage is you can use a pen. It’s tough to borrow a yellow pencil.