Vanishing Sharpie – Sansminds Creative Lab

Product description : To be fair, I don’t like Sansminds, I don’t like their marketing approach, I don’t like the fact they lie on trailers, I don’t like many of their tricks. However, they have something called the “Worker Series” which has many good products, which can really be performed in the real life, not just on video. The Vanishing Sharpie is one of them, they have released the Vanishing Pen a long time ago, and people have asked for a Sharpie version of it. It’s now reality and really well made ! The idea is simple, put a pen between 2 layers of a napkin and just crush it in a ball, showing that the Sharpie has disappeared !

Price and where to buy it : This is sold at $55 and you can find it in nearly every Murphy's magic « partner » shop !

What you get : You get a quite big DVD case, with a nice artwork and of course the “Worker Series” label which should be the only things you buy from Sansminds ! Inside, you’ll find a DVD, really well made with several live performances as well as the explanations. It’s well shot, well edited, simple and to the point, really refreshing to see this kind of DVD ! You’re also getting the gimmicked Sharpie which is amazing, I have no other word : it looks like a real one, if I’m placing it next to a regular Sharpie, you can’t tell which one is which. I’m really surprised with the quality they achieved, it’s an awesome work. Overall, the price is a step but the material you receive feels great and will work perfectly well !

Teaser : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0uldZ0EflQ

The pros and the cons : Here is the core of my review, let's begin with the cons, as I will usually be doing, I prefer to keep the good things for the end.

THE CONS :
– As I said, the price may be considered as a step, it’s not cheap but for the quality of what you receive, I understand why it’s priced so high.
– If you want the Sharpie to write, you’ll have to load it before each performance. I don’t think the writing phase is needed but you’re warned.
– I saw that some printing of “Sharpie” on the gimmick can be erased after some performances, I don’t have this problem but it’s something that can happen.

THE PROS :
– Wow, the Sharpie really looks like a true one, that was my main fear with this, would the gimmick looks and “feels” like a real marker. And I can tell you 100% yes, it’s amazing.
– You don’t only get the grey part but also the nib and the black part of the Sharpie, which adds to the realness of the trick.
– The vanish of the pen is instant and really powerful, people are reacting really well to it ! They don’t know what to expect and they’re completely surprised when you slam the pen in the napkin they’re holding.
– It doesn’t take that much pocket space, just carry the gimmick with you, you just have to use a regular Sharpie for your regular routines and then you can just pull out the gimmick to freak everyone out.
– People can feel the ends of the gimmick so they can confirm it’s a real Sharpie, not something made out of foam for example, I do think this is a nice little convincer.
– I really like the routine provided, the way they switch the real Sharpie for the gimmick is really good in my opinion !

Overall rating : This has to be the best Sansminds product I’ve seen in a long time, I’m really pleased with it and I can see a lot of people using it, 3.5/4 hearts.

As for the difficulty level, this is pretty much self-working, I would say 1/5 stars.

Similar products : The Vanishing Pen by Sansminds is a really good trick too ! You could combine both version.

If you liked this review, make sure to check all my other ones on my website : http://lesavisdalexis.wixsite.com/reviews

Thanks, Alex. Nice review, as always!
I have a question: what do you do with the "dirty" napkin? Just put in in your pocket, finish the trick(s) and then immediately leave the table (or group) to reset? I would imagine you standing there or walking around for a long time with a big rolled up ball in a bulging pocket of your suit doesn't look very good and even makes people wonder: "If it's vanished, why put the napkin in your pocket and keep it there?". And one more question: how fast would this start to wear down if it's crumpled up a lot of time?