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dove-boy Special user Joe Yu (Stage Name) 545 Posts |
Dear All
Please advise if the Chair Suspension by Jay Leslie as compared with Jim Sommer from Klamms magic...which is a better version...pro & cons..? Also the version by Bill smith cost US$2500...anyone own this..what makes it so expensive....any addition feature..many thanks.. Warmest Regards JY |
Michael Messing Inner circle Knoxville, TN 1817 Posts |
I don't have the Bill Smith version but I do own an "expensive chair suspension" ($1,500 when I bought it.) The big difference between expensive chair suspensions and the Mak Magic and Jim Sommer's versions is strength.
The $400 models will not properly support a full-grown adult. They work best for kids who weigh less than 75-80 lbs. The expensive ones, like Bill Smith's, are much heavier duty. (Also, heavier to carry!) My chair suspension, made by Sandy Rhoades, will easily support 160 lbs. In my younger days, when I wasn't quite as rotund, it was able to support me easily. (Weighed about 160 lbs. then.) In addition, to support an adult rather than a child on the lightweight chair suspensions, you have to have the person lying with their shoulders past the back of the chair in order to keep the chair from tipping over. (See the photo of Jim Sommers on his chair suspension. His upper body is over the back of the chair rather than his shoulders and neck. http://www.klamm-magic.com/cgi-bin/web_s......atch=on) That's really not the way the chair suspension is supposed to look. I tried out a Jim Sommers Chair Suspension long ago and didn't trust it at all with a 120 lb. assistant. I sent it back right away. So the question is: do you want to use it with kids or adults? Michael |
brownbeauty Regular user 112 Posts |
Hello,
I own a Bill Smith "chair suspension" and there is no comparison to those flimsy chairs that the competitors make. The chairs are custom made and will hold my weight which is 195lbs. The chairs are very HEAVY duty yet by looking at them you would think they are just ordinary folding chairs. The board (heavy duty metal) is extremely well made! This prop is expensive however it is made for the discriminating performer who wants quality and doesn't need the fear of a lawsuit!!! I hope that helps! Rudy (brownbeauty) |
Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
I have Abbott's Chair Suspension, it is more stable then the metal folding chair models. It is geared for 120 #'s. I get great reaction from adults and children shows.
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dove-boy Special user Joe Yu (Stage Name) 545 Posts |
Hi Brownbeauty
Is Bill smith price the same still at US$2500? with this price you bought, does it comes with Encore Fiber Case...if yes, it must be a very good investment! Warmest Regards' JY |
A C Spectre New user Connecticut 75 Posts |
I had a Chair Suspension by Mak. It said it would hold up to 110 pounds but as stated above the performance value was seriously degraded when the assistant was much heavier than 80 pounds. I used to perform with my kids (until it wasn't cool to be seen with Dad) and they hated the thing. They could never get comfortable on it. The one time I used an untrained assistant from the audience the boy got so scared he climbed off the thing mid-performance. I ended up selling mine about 3 months ago.
A C Spectre |
brownbeauty Regular user 112 Posts |
The Bill Smith "chair suspension" is still $2500.0 It includes 2 encore cases and a instructional video tape.
Rudy (brownbeauty) |
Starrpower Inner circle 4070 Posts |
I really think that the serious drawback to the "good " (read "expensive") models is that they don't look like real chairs. If I'm working a room that has 200 metal folding chairs, it's gonna look suspicious when I bring out my own metal-and-wooden-slat chairs. That's about the only thing that's been holding me back from buying one ...
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Jack Murray Special user St. Petersburg Fl. 773 Posts |
My feeling is this: To use a chair suspension effectively, you MUST have both chairs on stage for other reasons prior to their use!! Audience participation effect, as a "step" onto or into another effect, or just to hold other props. If the audience sees these as "part of the on going show" they will pay little attention to them as "fake".
Jack Murray
Jack Murray
http://www.dream-illusions.com |
Magicduck Elite user Washington State 484 Posts |
I agree with Jack on this. When I did the effect, I would always find some excuse to have a volunteer sit in one of the chairs. Sometimes I would sit in the other and perform some sort of simple bit. That makes them very natural, assuming the chairs look fairly ordinary. That was the thing I did not like about the old "Abbott Chair/board suspension. I think the chairs look like something out of startrek. Angle back way too odd.
quack |
Magicol-1 New user Orlando 90 Posts |
I also agree on the lead in of having the chairs on stage. Though I don't use a suspension in my act I do use CW's Jumbo Card On Seat and as a lead in, I bring out the chairs and use them for Pavel's Super Walking Knot prior to card on seat, It just seems to flow beter.
M1 |
Lou Hilario Inner circle 2235 Posts |
I never like the version where you place a board in between two seats and wrap your assistant or volunteer with a cloth. It still seems suspicious to the audience.
My version is with the use of a harness. No boards. Just place your apparently "stiff" hypnotized assistant in between the two chairs, remove one chair and she is suspended. This looks more magical to me. The only drawback is you must have an assistant with strong legs and abdominal muscles to be able to support her legs for more than a minute. Aside from this is that you must be strong enough to carry a stiff assistant with her harness on. I carry her with another male assistant. Just like the sword suspension.
Magic, Illusions, Juggling, Puppet & Parrot Show ^0^
http://www.louhilario.net |
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