I've had people tell me the golden shells do not actually work, is this true?

How are these shells? Are they OK?

Thanks,
Paul.

The gold colored "Magic Makers" shells are junk, they don't work at all. The reason they don't work isn't as important as the fact that they don't work, let's just say that they're flat on the bottom and they shouldn't be.

The "Golden Shells" from School for Scoundrels are brilliantly designed, look fantastic, and work like a charm. They are among the benchmark commercially available shells out there.

(in a nutshell, and typically, Magic Makers tried to rip off SFS's Golden Shells, got it all wrong, and produced an unusable piece of trash in the process.)

What about the ones Penguin sells for $54 or somthing like that?

I'm pretty sure the one's that penguin sells are the ones previously referred to. If your willing to spend $54, double up and get the SFS gold shells, or any of their other sets for less.

I'm not willing to spend that, I'm getting I may be getting them and the sal dvd of somone on the Café who is selling.

Don't think Il take them though.

Get the s4s street shells $45 I'm saving for those

If you are just learning then the SFS shells are much easier to learn with. They can also be used much, much easier on a hard surface. The magic makers/penguin shells are not good. They are completely flat on the bottom and are poorly plated with the gold paint. With that said they can be used it just takes a bit more work, I have used them a couple of times and hate them. If you don't want to spend the money then just go to a grocery store and buy a few walnuts that are or similar sizes and buy a set of perfect peas from the school for scoundrels site and learn. Eventually you will want to get better props if it is a trick that you like.

There are two schools of thought on how the shells for Walnut Shell and Pea should be prepared. Both are legitimate and both have positive and negative aspects.

The SFS folks like the rear of the shells concave, thus allowing, supposedly an easier egress of pea from rear of shell. Like a lot of things it is what you are USED to that can make a difference in how you feel about this.

The other school is that Walnut Shells do NOT come with a concave rear portion and thus a shell that is flat on the bottom will appear more natural.

Note also that in Thimble Rigging, the exact same 'scam' performed with thimbles there can be NO concavity!

This is how I began: With Thimbles and thus when I eventually switched to Walnut Shells needing a concavity in the rear of the shell was just not necessary. The truth is that I designed the shells for Magic Makers and did so for two reasons. The first is simple: I am friends the the SFS guys and did not want to see a shell produced that was in any way a copy of theirs. Second, I MUCH prefer a flat bottomed shell! There is not one move that is done with the SFS shells that I cannot do just as well with mine. Certainly the side to side moves are going to be exactly the same as both sets of shells are 'essentially' the same on the sides. An argument from the SFS side could be made that the added slanting helps in side to side moves, but even a modicum of practice obviates the necessity.

Also, even though I love the SFS shells they are in fact a little heavier than I personally like. I have used the Golden Shells I designed for Magic Makers since they first came out and find I like them as much now as then and I have used most of the sets available extensively.

The fact is that it is really a matter of preference. The two styles of shells are VERY different! But, the numerous folks that I have taught over the years to use my style tend to like mine and the folks that started by using a style more like SFS tend to like theirs. Nothing odd about that.

As a change of pace if you like the shells go to the local 'sewing' shop and buy three of the largest metal thimbles you can find and try that. The patter possibilities are fun. It will also teach you the difference in manipulating a totally flat surfaced object for the demonstration, etc.

I have used the new harder more modern peas with Thimbles, but if anyone tries it and finds them difficult by cutting your own small peas out of green sponge. This is a handy talent to acquire as you can throw a set of thimbles and sponge pea together almost anywhere if you find you have lost or misplaced you shells before a show! I have also used those little tea cups that some Oriental restaurants use. Actually, the possible items for 'the shell game' is quite extensive. I even used bottle caps one time to great success in a impromptu situation. I literally tore off a small piece of a sponge I found under the kitchen sink and using my fingers tore it into a small, but serviceable 'pea'. Oh, when I say 'bottle caps' I am talking about the twist off ones from the large two litre bottles, not the smaller thinner ones.

All best,

Your effort to re-brand the Magic Makers shells as some sort of "alternative" preferred by some experienced shell workers is malarky.

100% of the shell workers I've spoken to consider the Magic Makers shells as absolutely useless but for decorating the mantle over your fireplace.

Poor design, sloppy cast pot metal, flaky gold finish, dead flat bottom...............garbage.

I have to agree with Mr Silverking here. I've used both and the scoundral shells are excellent, the Magic Makers (are they still around?) ones are pretty bad and I have real issues with how they were promoted in a way to try to get the well earned scoundrel business.

School For Scoundrels have outstanding ethics and brilliant shell design. They also do 100% more to promote the advance of the Three Shell Game with their DVD's, Perfect Peas, and other accouterments associated with the shells.

Magic Makers tried to rip off the concept of a golden shell from Scoundrels, used misleading advertising in the use of a name far too similar to the one already being used by Scoundrels, and put out a piece of unmitigated trash as a bad copy of the Scoundrels product.

The majority of magicians have solidly judged this "Golden Shell" issue as just another in a long line of poorly designed Magic Makers rip-off.

Magic Makers lost this battle (and many others) a long time ago. I'm surprised anybody would feel the need to continue to attach their name to a ship long sunk.

Don't get the one by magic makers. or anything by them for that matter