Switch-a-roo has the potential for being a good trick, especially if you watched the instructional video and played around with it. True, it is very simple in its construction but some of the best utility devices are exceedingly simple (ie. TT).

The only weakness that Switch-a-roo has is the color. If anyone happens to even catch a small glimpse of the inside of your pocket, the gimmick will jump out at them. Now, if you are relatively short (like me), this becomes a serious problem.

It is only for that reason that I haven't used Switch-a-roo more than I have.

But getting back to the original thread, the worst effect ever purchased would be Perrier With a Twist by Kevin James. As a stage or parlour effect, it has the potential to be very good. But it is a coin trick. As such, it must be done close up. In those circumstances you cannot control your angles or your distance from the audience. Yet the method requires it.

So as a result, I have never figured out when to best perform this potentially amazing effect.

Her you go,
Killer Red Caps
<http://www.dennymagic.com/cgi-bin/prodpix/004125.jpg>

Simple in effect but devastating in principle. Spectator places a small object under one of five red plastic caps. The magician or mentalist can be out of the room as this is being done. Caps can be mixed up and moved. It's up to the spectator. Performer comes into the room and instantly tells them under which cap the object is hidden. Pure and simple. Nothing used but the five red caps. Instantly repeatable. Do it over and over. This has been a great source of fun here at the studio. Fools them all!!! A great piece of mental magic that you can do anywhere, anytime.
Specifications
Magic Trick
By Monaco, Roger
From Bob Kohler
Price: $20.00
<http://www.dennymagic.com/cgi-bin/themes/Q1/graphics/buttons/buynowbarb.gif> <http://www.dennymagic.com/cgi-bin/themes/Q1/graphics/buttons/wishbarp.gif>

I use Perrier With a Twist almost every night at my restaurants with great success. The routine always gets a great reaction and has become a favorite.

For Jay Sankey to slow down and wait at least six months to release any old, I mean New effects or DVDs. If he'll do that Penguin willing I know he can really give us something special. I enjoy watching him perform and have many of his effects but lately, well you know. But seriously I would like Head Rush and Elevator 2 or whatever new addition Peter is working on! And for everyone who has bought The Expert Deck to send them to your nearest recycling center so maybe we won't waste anymore paper on weak trick decks that are nearly impossible to perform! Merry Christmas!

Posted: Sep 14, 2004 10:01pm
Also, for Ted Amberg to start releasing magic again. His Liberty Vanish would make a great Tenyo trick; I'd also like for Steve Fearson to come back. Again, Tenyo could really market his Final Cut (though probably in plastic) and his Pen From Anywhere I believe would be huge if Tenyo was behind it.

I bought worst trick today! Manufacturer is japanese magic company.
That's calld "Ring to Cardbox". That is a Bicycle Card Case which make any object appear in it!

When I open the package....I just found a slit at a card case..... Wow! Is this really $35??

Am I having a nightmare?

Posted: Sep 15, 2004 9:51am

-----------------------------------------------------------------
I have to mention my above post.
I'm not talking about Tenyo. Please don't misunderstand. Tenyo produce many great tricks.

Frog Prince, your post cracked me up. Im not laughing at you, I'm laughing at the nerve of those guys to sell something like that. Jeez!

Neoglobin, Yeah...
Now I have to exorcise a bad magic trics...

That's ridiculous for $35.

Was it an open slit or could you cover it?

Hi! Neoglobin! I finally found a secret of this item!

This card case is supposed to work as a Rattle Box! Before I dump this case, I tear it to pieces. Then I found a coin at double sided case! But this coin is sticking on the case by glue... Wow!!

An explanatory note and gimmick quality are inferior in quality. And The slit is so obvious. It's just a open flap at bottm corner of the case.

I think this is a rip-off version of "V** Box".

Now-U-C It Now-U-Don't. It looked great on the video, but once I got it home I never had any success with it...of course that was years ago, maybe I should dig it out of the drawer and give it another shot!

What's up with Protocol?
I have been eyeing this but have been cautious about it. Description seems too unreal and I would rather not get burned.

What didn't you like about it?

Posted: Sep 18, 2004 2:21am
Having read almost all of the posts in this thread I really don't feel so bad anymore about the hundreds of dollars worth of crap stashed in boxes in my basement.

Topping the list of the most worthless, useless effects I am embarrassed to have purchased is "Sure Thing" by Dick Zimmerman. It is a dice matching theme using 2 cups and 2 dice. The way it was described before I purchased it I thought I was getting some elaborate setup... especially for the price. What I got was two plastic "solo" brand cups and two crappy dice. Really. The dice weren't even well made. I was severely p*ssed when I got this garbage.

Regrettably, in the same shipment was #2 on my crap list. "Acid Madness" by James Rainho. This thing employs a russian roulette theme using test tubes and chemicals. Except the chemicals are not included. What's worse is the page in the instructions that tell you that the necessary chemicals you need to use this terribly expensive effect are generally not sold to individuals. You need ammonium nitrate and zinc powder.

In this day and age of terrorism paranoia it will likely be impossible to get this stuff without getting stuck in the FBI database or something. The description at Hank Lee's Magic Factory which sold me this crap for $60 say "What a powerful piece of mental magic! No harmful or costly chemicals used. Absolutely safe. You will love the method. Not to mention the effect! Comes complete with vials, jar, key, two stands, etc." Well if so, why won't chemical distributors sell the stuff to people... Please!

Easy Sensory Perception THE WORST!!!!

Pants...a load of big discoloured Y-fronts with dead elastic! I couldn't even give this a serious review...one look at the cards and the "secret" is out! don't even ask me about the box...to be honest, I would have sent it back if I didn't value the cost of a second class stamp so much over this trick...for shame!

I wish I could go into detail about the gaffs construction but even for this lame trick I wouldn't break an ethical magicians code...too bad, it would have been fun!

Omg..... I can't name one... theres sooooo many

lets just say... all gaffed tricks ive bought...

this doesn include gaffed coins n cards

Yes I too have had many horrible tricks that are easy to spot. Cant think of one in particular though right now

There are alot...but I recently purchased "Sharky"..a card trick using two decks, gaffs, etc....$25.00..what a punch in the cakehole and I had to buy the two extra decks of Bicycle they were not included. Terrible

My worst will probably be..my next purchase..whatever that is LOL

I totally agree with the Magi who said that he seen other Magi perform a lot of the above disliked tricks, and they did them superbly....the bottom line is, a lot of times, OUR presentation, our determination to present a good effect....at the same time I agree, there is a lot of junk out there, made by people just trying to score a buck....
one recent trick I bought that I think is a sham is "POLTER," it is immpractical...its in its 'baby stages" to say the least, and a total rip off to say the most....

A $250.00 remote controlled digital clock. the effect worked great except the little remote in your pocket made an audible clicking sound.

To change the time on the clock required clicking the remote several times.

In a quite Parlour setting it was a dead givaway and there was no way to silence it.

big disapointment,sold it.

Without a doubt, Steve Fearson's Station Manager (BS) Document. Unbelievable scam.

I may have posted a few of my least favorite here already a year ago. I'm not sure, but here it goes...

1. Just Think - I hate this. I even added 5 or 6 jokers to the deck, still no luck.

2 Future Mental - I know people who love this. Anyway it's more of a handling issue, plus on how you decipher what ball was chosen, a very astute spectator can pick it up. I've only done it maybe 5 or 6 times. One of the times someone said, well that's easy in how you know what color I had. On the other hand I've had someone like it highly. The handling issue I have, is that I don't like starting "dirty" in tricks especially with something of that size. Now a quarter in the trick "Quarter Squeeze" isn't too big and cumbersome. I paid like $45.00-$50.00 for it. I'd easily sell it for $25.00 though.

3. Cubio - Just not my cup of tea. There's not many presentational angles you can use with this. The "Wow" factor isn't high enough to me for my standards anyway.

4. Jump - I was very angry at this purchase, especially for the $95.00 I paid for it. I'm happy I got my money back. I felt mislead from the add in the Linking Ring Magazine. I haven't read it in a while. To me, I got the impression that some would place a cup and put a pen in it in front of you WITHOUT you ever touching anything, and that it would work. I also got the impression that you could do it across the room. When I saw the gimmick, I was like OMG, people can see that. To me it's very visible. I was still very wet behind the ears, and I'll admit, I thought that it used radio-active energies or properties. Like if you put liquid in the pen, then whatever in your pocket would make it work. I was very unknowledgable on methods then. I still am to a certain extent. Anyway I'm happy I got my money back.

5. PENominal/Pocket Charger - Very unreliable, and way to over-priced.

6. Telekenetic Timber - I know this have been highly praised by people such as Max Maven, but this was unreliable too. I'd wait 2-3 minutes and the wood, wouldn't even tip. I did all the prep work right. I double checked. I did what I had to do for the alloted time, and I had it at the right angle, and maybe 50% of the time it would work which is unacceptable to me.

7. The Block - This is even worse that The Teleketic Timber. I never wear sleeves when performing, and I perform standing. The device is too bulky. I saw a Fedko Tape "Platform and Close-Up Magic". I love there block. I like there disapearing deck too. I thought these blosks would be like the Fedko Tipping Block, in which one is, but it's unreliably as I said previously.

8. Oral Fixation - I love the effect, but the instructions are too hard for me to follow, and this is something you do NOT want to mess up, or you'll be busy for quite a while.

9. Mini Tambour Coin Production - Again you start dirty, and it's a bulky kind of dirty I think. When reading the instructions I kept thinking, and people can't see the ??? I didn't "buy" that I could get away with doing it. The prep work for my taste is too tedious for the end result.

10. Raven - This is a handling issue too. I LOVE the effect, anf think it blows people away, but after practicing it forever, I couldn't still "get it down". Great Effect however in the right person's hands.

11. Half Washed - The "Piece" is too loose, and it's hard to aline up. I also thought that that the washer could be examined. I pictured a "locking type of tightness" as in Scotch & Soda, that would come with a B*** R***. Also it doesn't always fall the right way.

12. ITR's - I'm cursed with these. No matter how gentle and little pressure I put on the thread it breaks still. Then no matter how hard I suck, I can't get the thread out. Again great effect.

13. Stealth Retractor - Again, I don't like being dirty. I hate having to hide things in my hands. I could see how this would really blow people away if you used a close friend as a accomplish so that your're as clean as a whistle.

14. Locking $1.35 Trick - I don't care for this because it says it can be examined. But I noticed myself if you shake it, you'll hear and feel something. Scotch & Soda, Lethal Tender, Nickles To Dimes, and others are SURE WINNERS to me.

15. New Wave Prediction - I thought this was a ripp off. A simple sleight or w** would work just as good, and even better.

16. EXactly - This reminds of of that Rich Marotta Prediction trick. You show 5 jumbo card, a person names one, and it's the one with the "written in advance X" on the back.

17. Perplexing Plaques - I've done this a few times, and people noticed how it worked. To make it worse at the Magic Shop I asked for Perspex Prediction, with the clip board. I had a lot of stuff in the bag, and I thought that's what they put in it. It wasn't till I was on the bus home, that I realized they gave me the wrong thing.

18. Get The Picture - This is a VERY awkward trick with it's handling. It can't be fully examined, and it hard to tell what they've drawn. It's not like you can put it in the envelope, to take it out again to try to put it in a different way.

19. PK Factor - Again I don't use slevves, and this is too bulky, and you'd need baggy sleeves for this to work, but then you could not move your arms around a lot because they'd see something.

Yes I know that's a lot of stuff, but I'm very picky. In some cases I even like the tricks but they're too awkward a handling for my taste. I'd be happy to sell anyone for 25%-50% off of what I'd originally paid for it. Ed, (Eddini).