I just got a set of these - I have to return them, as one of the gimmicks is broken and not attached. I am very surprised though by the amount of rattle you get from the weights. I saw a comment once somewhere that they weren't as smooth as others but I didn't realize that weight would rattle in there like that.

Have others here found that to be the case with Mikame sticks - that the weights do not fit snugly in the diameter of the sticks and therefore any sideways movement makes them rattle very loudly. Maybe I got sent a knockoff counterfeit or a just a defective set that was assembled improperly.

If the Mikame are all that noisy I think I am going to want to return these for some other brand. I like the look of the sticks since they aren't trying to be an old time Oriental thing. But I am definitely not going to want to have to worry about the things rattling during performance.

Anyone have suggestions on nice sets in the $150 or less range?

Thanks!

I had the same experience about six months ago! You, my friend, got a set of Mikame knockoffs, as did I. I reamed the magic dealer out for it and after I gave him all the details I sent them back for a full refund. I had exactly the same situation you describe, one didn't work...I literally had to bang the heck out of it to get the weight to move....I hope you sent yours back for a refund! I have a friend who owns a quality set of Mikame sticks and he loves them.

Give your dealer H**L for selling knockoffs!

So the real ones are smooth and don't rattle? I know the dealer and trust him, I called him and he admitted he didn't check them before sending them out like he normally does (I will give him **** about that!!!) and told me to send them back and he will make it good.

I am looking for a very good quality set - so now I don't know if I should have him get me something else or if I should insist he gets me a genuine set of Mikame. Is there any rattle in your friends? Hell I have seen Adams plastic ones that are quieter than these.

What also surprises me, there is nothing in the packaging that indicates these are Mikame. Plain white cardboard box, dark blue textured lid with a sticker says "103 Chinese Stick". Inside there is a double-sided photocopied page showing the routine but everything is Japanese (I presume) and I see nothing indicating the source.

How do you know the genuine ones?

These, any little movement and I hear the weight rattling inside of the stick. Sounds like people would hear it in all the way in the balcony!

Get Kovari sticks, http://www.kovarimagic.com/Catalogue/Wor......d_1.html or if you want to upgrade $$-wise check those at http://nnmagic.com/magicitems/okitonielsenpage.htm#chinese

The Okito-Nielsen Chinese sticks are the smoothest-working Chinese Sticks made and are simply FABULOUS!

I don't have the Kovari sticks, but I have the Kovari pom pom pole (prayer stick?) and it's the best. I have to believe his Chinese sticks are also very good and probably better than the Mikame. And the Kovari sticks are probably even less expensive than the Mikame sticks, at 60 BP. But I've also heard good reports about the Mikame sticks. At least the real ones anyway.

I have used the Kovari bamboo sticks for maybe 20 years and they are fabulous. I "played" with the Nielsen Sticks and they are probably the best made, EVER, but you wouldn't want to bang 'em around like I do.

I bought the Kovari sticks in 1981 or 82. I used them in over 2800 shows.. including amusment park shows for three years.. endless birthday parties, and more schools shows than you can shake a stick at.. well ove 3500 shows in all.. and other than replacing the tassles because they got dirty.. they STILL work and look new.

I finally passed them onto my new protogé... and I'm sure he'll get a lifetime of use out of them.

The best money you can spend on a set of chinese sticks... really. and since the "bamboo" is plastic.. there is NO chance of it drying out.. or splintering.. and it's pretty much indestructible.. as my park shows proved..

I have a set of the Mikame sticks. They have an atrocious rattle. On the other hand, they're big, and they're smooth-running. I like that they appear to be solid square wood blocks. Nothing about them says 'tube'.

I strongly believe the ones I have are genuine Mikame items (the dealer is reputable), and they are packaged exactly as Conjurer213 describes - textured blue box lid with an untextured white base, "103 Chinese Stick" on the label, and Japanese instructions.

I guess it depends on how much the rattle matters to you. I'm not too bothered by it, but then, I'm an amateur and I don't work with a mike.
Those Nielsen sticks sure look nice though. The engineering sounds amazing - brass weights and tubing, teflon bearings...

The pictures of the Okito-Nielsen Chinese Sticks on the Norm Nielsen website really don't do them justice, they are stunningly beautiful, but more importantly, the action is as smooth as silk. I've handed mine to seasoned performers who own and use Owen's Chinese Sticks, and they were absolutely blown away by the quality.

I highly recommend them to performers who demand the best.

The Okito-Nielsen Chinese sticks are the smoothest-working Chinese Sticks made and are simply FABULOUS!

The best I have ever owned. Getting ready to purchase my second set next month for a backup in case I ever need then and can't get them.

I don't have a set of the Kovaris or the Okito-Nielsen Chinese Sticks, but I've heard nothing but great things about both.

I do have a genuine set of Mikame sticks, and like them for how they look. They do however, talk a bit, and have to be handled with kid gloves to avoid a rattle. They are smooth, and react well with a minimum tilt.

I still love my Haenchen sticks, although I realize they are becoming quite scarce. I also have a set of similar sticks made by the original Precision Magic. These are arguably better than the Haenchen sticks in working and manufacture, and are more contemporary looking in black and silver.

I'll tell ya, for the money (I believe around $75.00), you can get a wonderful, workable set by Zanadu (Ming Dynasty Chinese Sticks), made out of real bamboo. These bad boys are as smooth as silk. Sure, they aren't as durable as the Kovaris...but, another option.

Lastly, check out Randi Rain's Chinese TNT Sticks... http://store.randirain.com I have no idea if they are good or not, but the price is right, and for me, this is the most logical extension of the Chinese Sticks principal I've ever seen. This set is ripe for story telling and gags galore. Dynamite fuses getting shorter or longer...c'mon. If you can't weave a story out of that...

And, her Dollar Store Doll is the best Pom Pom Pole I've seen. Genius.

Hi, Conjurer213.

You can to to my site http://www.LotaBowl.com (a huge search engine for magic supplies), and search for Chinese Sticks

There you can sort by price, dealer, etc. I just now ran a search for Chinese Sticks there and got a whole bunch of relevant results, in all price ranges.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Thanks!

Best regards,
Jim

Wow! Awesome site jimvines! I bookmarked it for future use, which I anticipate to be a lot. What a great tool!

Thanks for your feedback, Wizard of Oz. I'm glad you like my new search engine for magic supplies!

I like to think of LotaBowl.com as the world's largest magic catalog.

Every magician has searched for magic props on laymens' search engines - and we're always disappointed when those search engines don't really give us what we're shopping for.

For example, if you try to search for "vanishing bird cage" on a regular consumer search engine, you'll get results about the history of the vanishing bird cage, videos of it from youtube, and a few dealers. Before http://www.LotaBowl.com, if you really wanted to have a look at the whole magic marketplace for a certain product, you'd have to go from dealer site to dealer site, one by one.

The database updates itself weekly.

My best,
Jim

Amen brother. Thank you for giving us this gift. I mean that.
It must have been a lot of work - and probably a labor of love, not profit. So, on behalf of the magic community, I tip my wizardly cap to you.

Yeah, that is way cool.
This needs to be posted where everyone here on the Café can know about it.

Thanks for the hard work.

Definitely a great search engine. Thanks for posting it. Also, I too have a set of Nielson's Chinese Sticks and I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed. I think the weights are too sensitive. On one hand, it's nice because they don't take much to engage the weight mechanism. However, this unfortunately can cause the tastles to start moving unintentionally if you're not paying close attention... and I mean "close attention!" They are very very touchy... Does anyone have a similar issue or have I received a bad set?


Thanks,

Nate
http://www.SeattleCorporateMagician.com

This is the feature all Chinese Sticks have been striving for in a set. It is not bad, but good, or great feature. Are you saying you have been using the old poorly made sets, that you think that is the way they should work. I hope not.

Sounds like you need to take it out of your mind that this is a self working trick and do some practice with the sticks. Get very familiar with your prop. It will pay a lot of dividends in the end.

Quality props like Nielsen's are made correctly and work correctly. This is as it should be, you see, the audience should not notice at all any difference in your handling to make them operate. That is what the Nielsen set does.

Enjoy your wonderful props and practice and get to know them, intimately. Have Fun!

Aceofillusions:

"Sounds like you need to take it out of your mind that this is a self working trick and do some practice with the sticks. Get very familiar with your prop. It will pay a lot of dividends in the end.

Quality props like Nielsen's are made correctly and work correctly. This is as it should be, you see, the audience should not notice at all any difference in your handling to make them operate. That is what the Nielsen set does."

He's right.........these are THE BEST made, are exceptionally silky-smooth in operation, and yes, are exrememly sensitive by their nature and design.

The Okito/Nielsen set requires PRACTICE.......LOTS of PRACTICE...

but then again, so did my mis-spent youth practicing back-palms in front of a mirror for hours and hours and days on end.......