Hi,

I was browsing the internet and various shops but was not able to find a duco reel. I would like to perform the silk through stand effect by Ammar. Can you help me out where to find this reel? Or is there another reel highly recommended for this effect? I read about Kirkendall and a few others, but I am not sure which one is really the best and where to get it from.

Any help is much appriciated. Thank you very much.

I was researching this same thing a while back.

By no means am I an expert on the subject but the (seemingly) closest one I came across in my research to the Duco reel (which is no longer made) was the Tango Ultimate Reel. Its higher quality and adjustable which seemed to be a plus...though I have not purchased one yet.

some more info here (though its out of stock):
http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/3835

Hocus Pocus has it in stock I believe:
http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/


Hope that helps.

Hi,
The El Duco reel is only selling by El Duco himself. So it have to come from Sweden.

The T.U.R. is a nice reel. The reel works and I'm satishfied about it.
Between the reels there is a big differents! And I can tell this from experiance.
My T.U.R is fine. I have done the effect and they can't see it. It 's amazing! Also de dvd helps to make the effect complete. The line is strong also the rewinding.
The rewinding is so strong, but in someway how more line, how more strength you need for doing the effect.

The differents about the rewinding from El Duco is much. The rewinding is so fast, strong and so easy and light! Its really amazing and a wonderfull piece of work. I through this is handmade. So that's why it is so expensive. It's every penny/dollar/euro worth!

You have to make a decission about the cost and and the many times you 'll doing this effect. Its a great effect but it 's a one trickpony. Make the costs it worth? Now you know exactly the differents and can make good decission.

Succes!

Guten tag! Memory!

I bought my first reel (P&L) in 1947. ($1.50 well spent!)

I have never, in 70 years had a th*rd break while performing. I had a dentist/magician friend who would "adjust" the spr*ng tension for me so that I could use reel(s) for different tricks.

(A REEL, I MUST DIFFER WITH OUR DUTCH FRIEND above, IS N O T A "ONE TRICK PONY"!) It's out of print, but a booK(let) was published,about 60 years ago on techniques. I think it was titled: "REEL MAGIC" (ALBENICE had made the Serpentine Silk popular!

Incidently! I don't believe that my friend Mike Ammar, invented the silk thru mike stand. It has been "around" for a long time.

When my late friend, George Kirkendahl, brought out the Kirkendahl Reel, I bought several, as my P&Ls were old. On the road, I always kept several backups.
(WalMart does not carry reels in stock!)

Currently, (well, I'm retired, but when I play a spot date, I use the silk thru mike AND, the serpentine silk) I'm using a p&L for the silk thru mike and, a Kirkendahl for the serpentine. I have the P&L adjusted for a stronger tension so the retraction is faster. Obviously, for the illusion!

I've heard good things about the TANGO, AND, THE 'TUR'. There are "cheap" reels available, ("Bill snatchers", etc.) but when the gaff MUST BE DEPENDABLE, you need to spend the $$$!

I wrote up my presentation for the serp. and the mike thru in my book. I also detailed how to fasten the the**d to the silk. I also wrote up how to 'twirl' the silk to a "rope like" configuration. 95% of the magicians that I've seen do the Serp., don't know how!

Froeliche Weinachten! (I'm a bit early!)

O

I even have an "out" if the reel does not do its job!

I'm about to be dubbed an "Der Alte" so, maybe, I'll tip it. It's really "nothing", but, it's "there", if I ever need it!!!

Thank you for all the information guys.

Vielen Dank Dick

El Duco was founded by Swedish magic inventor Christer Gustavsson (El Duco) in 1978. He passed in 2008. His company was sold to Gycklaren to a gent named Gay. Many of the El Duco products still exist on the site. The reel was actually hand made by a master craftsman in Sweden who was in his 80s and his health was fading. Hasn't made any in years (he may have passed now). The only way to get one is second hand and they don't come up very often. They got costly at the end, upwards of$250 shipped as of a few years ago. Gay told me they got pricey because what America was doing to its dollar. It's a lot for a reel but it's built like a tank.