I am new to escapes but I really love them. I want to do a sj escape but don't know which one is the best for a beginner with a beginner's budget. I know they usually sell for anywhere from $150.- $350 but advice would be useful. Also where can I find info on how to do suspended sj escapes? Also I heard from someone say that an ungimmicked sj is impossible to get out of. Is this true or has my friend been misinformed?

Hi there...

To begin with, I would recommend that you practice, practice, practice your standard SJ escape before even venturing into the suspended SJ escape arena. There is just too much that can go wrong. Your friend has been misinformed...it is possible to get out of an ungimmicked SJ, in fact that is all I use in my work. A good resource for you would be to pick up Volume 4 of John Novak's Escape books which deals with SJ escapes. That will give you a good introduction. You can buy both gimmicked and ungimmicked jackets at cannonsgreatescapes.com. Once you get your SJ, just practice like crazy!

Allan

Hi, if you do a search on sj escapes here at the Café you'll find loads of info on it which should help you out.

If you're new to escapes I wouldn't think about doing it usd just yet. You might want to get the Novak book on the sj or the Jay Lesly video, which can both be bought here http://www.cannonsgreatescapes.com/books&videos.html

As for am ungommicked sj being impossible to escape from, well I would say that your friend was right and wrong. Yes you can get out of one, but only if you know how and that only comes from putting in hours of practice.

The Humane jacket is nice to begin with, which you can get from PastorClyde at http://www.mighellsillusions.com (pronounced Miles I believe). I've bought many things from Clyde and I can definately recommend him for providing the highest quality service as well as some really nice ideas and products. You can also send him a PM from here on the Café, just search PastorClyde.

I hope this helps. But do search the rest of the Café too.

Ros

Clyde is great, he's a powerseller on ebay, and great prices and products.

Mighells illusions that's what you should search for on ebay stores

There are sooooo many of THE BEST EA's in the world on here, take advantage of it!

Perry

I strongly recomend cannonsgreatescapes.com. They are helpfull and know what they are talking about. Write an e-mail and tell them about your needs. They will give you some good advice. And I strongly advice you to get an ungimmicked one.

/Ark

I'd also recommend going for one without loops first.

I second that!

This is probably a stupid question but what are the loops on the jacket that you refer to?

On a original jacket there's loops at the belly (So-called belly-loops...) and at the sides. (Quess what they're called...) The arms are supposed to be threaded trough the loops which makes it more difficult to get out of the jacket. I, as Ros and Allan, also recomend to buy a jacket without loops - so the jacket will not be entirely ungimmicked. But there's nothing for the audience to find when they inspect it.

/Ark