In the last few years I have made a number of posts comparing Redefine Linking Rings with Owen Rings. Again they are very comparable except when it comes to price. The Redefine are less than half the price of the Owen and from my point of view equal. In the past Café members have talked about how well the Owen Rings sound, some say they ring like wind chimes. I have never found this to be true with either the Owen or Redefine. But I have to tell you that a few weeks ago on ebay I made a very interesting purchase. I bought a set of Merv Taylor Orb-Eternal 10 inch rings. Except for 1/16th of an inch thinner they look exactly like the Owen or Redefine. But these are solid seamless stainless and the 10 inch set is much heavier than either of my 12 inch set by Owen or Redefine. But then the Owen and Redefine are hollow stainless. Now for the best part, these rings really do ring like wind chimes. I purchased them from a gentleman who had them for nearly 60 years. I am just curious if any of you have a set of Merv Taylor and like them as much as I like mine.

Have a nice day, I am in Iowa and we are again buried in snow!!!

Walking Bob

I have a set of Merv Taylor rings, and used them for almost thirty years. I only moved to the Owen 15" rings five years ago when I started wearing a frock coat in performance--it dwarfed the 10" rings.

I love the Owens set I am using, but the Merv Taylor rings were my favorites.

I had Merv's set but they were too heavy for me. I had polio at age 27 and my right arm is still partially paralyzed.

Switched to Abbott's lighweights but they didn't ring, they KLUNKED... got rid of them and got Owen's 10 and 12-inch sets. Sold the 12s as I almost never used them.

I still have a custom set of Merv Taylor solid rings shaped like STARS.

A few times I used a set of 16-inch lightweight (maker unknown) for the Koran routine. But no more.

Porper just found a hollow alloy that rings like a bell. Been working on something with them, and his radical new locking key. Watch for a video clip soon.

For my bread and butter I use the 10-inch Owen rings (5-ring routine) but for Magician audiences a Perverse 4-ring routine using 2 singls and 2 ks.

Merv Taylor's company was absorbed by owen magic (merv's equipment and tooling). If you buy owen magic's 10 and 8 inch rings you are buying what is now the orb eternal rings. Owen also made other merv taylor equipment like card swords etc. agic Supreme The Finest In Magic.

Don

Not exactly. The original Merv Taylor Orb Eternal rings were solid stainless steel; Owen Magic Supreme currently makes only hollow stainless steel rings (which they call "Orb Eternal").

There was a time when Owen Magic made both solid and hollow rings, and those solid rings were likely comparable to the Merv Taylor rings. I don't know when they stopped making the solid rings, but I do know they were making them as late as the early '80s.

The eight and ten inch rings that Owen makes or made were always solid. They were the orb eternal rings originally. They later added the hollow rings 12 inch and above and called them orb eternals.

Since this thread was about solid rings namely orb eternals, I assumed we all knew that all 8 and 10 inch rings were and are solid steel if made by Owen.

I stand in my point that 8 and 10 inch solid rings from Owen are the Merv Taylor orb eternals.

Thanks Donal

I concur that Owen's 8" rings have always been solid stainless steel, but for many years they made both solid and hollow 10" rings. Today the only solid rings they offer are 8"--their 10", 12" and 15" rings are all hollow.

In any case, my post was not meant as a challenge; it was merely a collegial clarification.

The MAN that actually made the rings at Merv Taylor's was Fred Ricard (sp?)... And when Taylor shut down, Fred went to work making rings, and other metal bits at Owen until he passed away.

As a kid I purchased from arturo a fine solid set of 8-10" rings that are in a fitting box labeled enardoe. and one oversize. the ad on the box states "ring like a bell" and they do. these may be a notch up from an enardoe ring, if they made them, and not that there is anything wrong with enardoe. as the earlier post states he has rings that sound great but I do not think mine are aluminum as they are very heavy. maybe steel chrome plated or something. I am on a quest to find the best lightweight 10" set that have tone. I have assumed this means hollow. I have spoken with owen and learned of proline, redefine, mikame. and now porper. I have not heard one bad thing about owen quality, in fact all praise. but I am picky. I would now like to try a solid stainless as well to check weight and sound. I do the vernon 6 ring routine. sometimes helper, mostly not.

Skilldini:

Are you the Tim Wright skilldini?

The best ringers for my money were solid rings made by RNT. The Taylor were very durable and did not chip because of being stainless steel polished. But the RNT were carbon steel plated and made a wonderful tone.

I got a set of RNT2 rings (12") before they changed ownership. The rings were ok but the finishing left flat spots on some of the rings. And you need to lift weights for a month before you can use them.

Richard

My first set of grown-up rings was an 8" set of Enardoe rings. I still have them, and the instructions that came with them as well. The cover pages proclaims them to be "Enardoe Tru-Tone Rings"and the "ring like a bell" come-on follows.

They do indeed ring like a bell.

I also have a set of solid 12" RNT2 rings. (They're seconds; like Richard, I bought them during the time the company was changing hands). Even though they're solid stainless steel, they're no match for the Enardoe rings.

I'm currently using a 12" set of hollow Owen rings, which I like very much. That said, their larger gauge makes them a little less deceptive than the narrower solid rings. And, as good as they sound, they're no match for my Tru-Tone rings. Still, they were the rings of my dreams (Jack Sutherland let me handle his Owen rings in 1976, and I never forgot how they felt), and I can't imagine that I'll ever find another set I like better.

Wow, this is getting interesting.

I also bought a set of the 12" RNT2 solid stainless steel rings before the company changed hands, and I really like them.

Yes, these babies are HEAVY, but I expect that they should be able to troupe for a few years.

I have Abbott's 10" hollow rings, an original RNT 12' set of three with Tim Starr's 3-ring routine (great routine), a set of Delben Linking Coathangers with Ben Stone's "Coathanger Capers" book (Another GREAT routine), and another 12" set of solid stainless steel rings from Italy and also Tannen's Now Unavailable 3 ring anodized aluminum locking rings.

For trouping, the RNT2's can't be beat.........the things are WEAPONS!

I have several copies of the Endardoe's directions for the linking Rings.

I remember Frank Scalzo using Taylor rings and the finish of the routine was to drop them all to the stage one at a time. It made a nice impression and great applause cue.

Richard

I have a few sets of the old solid Merv Taylor 8" and 10" rings. The smaller ones are great for 3 and 4 ring routines done in small settings or tableside. Those 10" rings made from 5/16 solid stainless are heavy, very heavy. They're my favorite 10" rings.

I also have a few sets of 10" and 12" Owen rings. They are beautiful, completely invisible seams, with a nice melodic ring. And there is something about working with the lighter weight rings that makes them feel graceful and smooth in the hands.

I have some of the earlier RNT2 12" rings made from 1/4" rod. The thinner material does make for a pretty magical looking illusion when you do some of the slide apart moves. I also have some of the heavier ones, the later RNT2 12" rings made from the 5/16 thick solid rod. They are heavy, and when you hand one to a spectator they *know* they're holding a chunk of real steel.

They're all great rings, all a little different and all are excellent for their purpose.

Oh, I'm looking to sell one of my sets of 10" Owen rings, virtually brand new if anyone's interested. Not cheap, but probably less than Owen's current price.

Greg

I just found what I believe to be a set of Enardo rings just under six inches. Full set of eight. Note: Enardo was the dealer name for Ed Drane. Might consider selling 'em, as I only use the 10 inch Owen for my comedy routine and plan to use the locking/spinning Porper rings. See Porper demo them on http://www.petebiro.com

Does anyone have any more information regarding the Enardo's Tru-Tone linking rings? I acquired an 8" set, which do ring quite nicely. They are heavy, but these were made by The National Magic Company in Chicago according to the return envelope with the set, and the date on everything is 1950. I've found a similar photo of the same instruction set and rings set manufactured by Ring 'N' Things. Just curious if anyone has any history to share.