Hi all, my JOL Sho-Gun Wallet has finally arrived, and this little thing is a beauty. My WOW, Extreme Burn & Lubors Lens now have a new home. I have searched the forum and haven't found too many threads on this particular wallet, if I have overlooked such a thread please feel free to link this one.

As well as housing some of my favourite effects, this wallet will allow me to perform many other small miracles. If you own this or a similar wallet please feel free to post some of your favourite ways of utilising its features.

JOL IS the brand for wallets.

Yes I love the quality of them, I'm currently having a tough time (as I have mentioned on other threads) choosing between the hip billfold or the plus small for a CTW.

Just to clarify that I'm looking for CTW in addition to the Sho-gun I have.

I'd beg to differ mate having bought two of them quite recently (JOL card to wallet [small] and the Sho-Gun).

They are NO BETTER than many other wallets in the market place but are a significantly higher cost. It is also suggested on other posts that Jerry doesn't even make them personally any more - If so, maybe that is why there is an apparent dip in quality?

What I would advise people to do is SHOP AROUND for your wallet - and select the one whereby the quality is reflected by the price - and also ensure that it meets ALL your needs.

Someone says JOL are the best and people latch on to the statement. Well I adore Mercedes-Benz - but I certainly wouldn't advise anyone to but one from the period when MB were in bed with Chrysler!

I really do think some people tend to 'follow the flock' sometimes and make statements not based upon their own, personal experience. If that's the case, then it really isn't helpful to anyone.

Just as an aside; what are you using your Sho-Gun to do?

I don't use mine for 'Card to Wallet', whereas ideas of changing plain paper to money (as outlined within the instructions) appear to be very lame if I'm honest. This would clearly put the heat on the wallet as being gaffed; and the same effect can be achieved much more cleanly in the hands - even using the humble TT.

I actually use mine for 'Koran's 5 Star Prediction' - where a freely stopped at card, dealt by the spectator from a face up deck, matches the prediction card in the envelope inside the wallet. A MAJOR advantage of this wallet over the classic Himber is that I can leave the wallet in their hands - and it's appearance as a 'normal everyday slim bill fold (as you call it) is another of it's benefits over some others.

Just trying to put in a balanced review as I've knocked it in the post above; and I wanted to clarify the fact that I DO like this wallet - but just think it's a bit pricey and was a little disappointed with the quality - given that JOL are supposed to be the very best wallets within the magic community.

So come on guys - what do you all use yours for?

The silence is truly deafening..........................

I love using the wallet mainly for it's s*******g capabilities in regards to EB 2.0 & even the wow.

I have a JOL large PLUS wallet that I bought a SECOND time from the great Greg Dickinson at Blackpool...the first one was stolen along with a bag that I had...anyway...I use it ALL THE TIME! I do an amazing mental routine with a letter(included), card to wallet and card to sealed envelope...oh and I use it as a regular wallet...the only thing that this wallet needs is a change compartment...you know, to keep the change...but I prefer having an amazing wallet like that and perform miracles even if that means to get use to drop the change in my pocket...hehe...LOVE IT!If it also was a fire wallet I would vote it as the wallet of the century!....well it is the wallet of the century but I just wish it was a fire wallet too...hehe cheers!

Great to see some replies!

Apart from the Koran prediction, I use mine in a 3 way choice routine - whereby I put 3 everyday items on the table. I use my mobile phone, my car keys and the wallet. The Spec. then decides which item they keep, the item given to me and finally the item left on the table - no force of any kind and they can swap items around as often as they want. You can obviously build up the psychology/mind-reading angle in whichever way that you choose.

I then have a prediction written on the rear of my business card that outlines who has what - and of course, the wallet can be shown empty once the business card is removed (and given to the spectator).

Yep, it's a nice little wallet and I do like the fact that you can leave it in the spectators hands pretty stress free; something that you can't really do with 100% confidence with the classic Himber.

If you are interested in this presentation, can't figure it out or want further details of this, just PM me.

Barry, I have John Mendoza DVD and I used the shogun for both routines he explains in the DVDs. He uses a Bombshell and a Himber. One routine is Al Koran's and the other is a transposition of 1 card to 2 cards (don't recall the name).
I use also the Heirloom wallet that on top of been shogun it has secret pockets, however you can not leave the spectator to handle the wallet
Pablo

The Heirloom wallet is better than the JOL wallet. The quality is higher and the leather is nicer. The lining I feel is also better constructed on the Heirloom wallet.

The problem with anything using the Sho-Gun name is we own all rights to it. I purchased them from the originator years ago, and all this was documented by the way in a review in the Circular. We do things the honest way. That is for Merc Man who seems to take issue with Jerry. Hey, we all have to have an opinion. It's what makes the world go round. But all the rest using that name and design do so without permission or any rights what-so ever. That includes the Heirloom. In other words, knock offs. Now it all depends on your personal ethics.

The JOL Sho-Gun Wallet I recently received really is quality made. Its the first JOL I have owned and I'm impressed.

Regardless of being knock offs or not, if your wallet is as good as or better than the quality of the Heirloom, it's a great wallet In that regard, the JOL iteration is not up to the quality of the Heirloom or Knepper's KK wallet (the KK wallet is effectively 1/2 the gaff of the Shogun). I believe that the Heirlooms and the KK wallets are/were made by Tony Curtis. Top notch.

Jerry, sadly, doesn't make JOL wallets anymore and they are pants by comparison to his hand-made stuff.

My JOL mini himber was crap. It didn't even match the original for left side/right side mechanics if you know what I mean and it was much thicker and the leather awful.

eBayed and I'll only buy direct from Jerry in future. HE is still the master craftsman but sadly, the out-sourced JOL brand is average at best.

Here in the UK there are only 2 or 3 official sellers: Top Secret, The Magic company & WMS I believe. Are these outsourced too? Is there any way of getting one that Jerry has made, or is that just wishful thinking?

Ps Sorry for the off topicness but Wenger must stay! lol

Anything that is very glossy leather and with the JOL stamp is pretty much legit modern day JOL products. It's obviously mass manufactured with pretty low quality leather. Durability for the current JOL stuff however, is pretty good. I'm just not a fan of the chintzy look and feel of the leather.

I'll give him one more chance then Mal

And, Yes - the JOL stamped stuff from the likes of Top Secret are mass produced and not by Jerry! I nearly cried when I got my mini-himber - it was NOTHING like the original mottled leatrher FLAT wallet that Jerry used to make. (AND the 'business' inside was opposite to the original - which was of vital importance to me!)

Exactly Kissdadookie - a cheap replacement and I'm surprised Jerry put his initials to it.

Interesting that apparently I'm not that wide of the mark then regarding the quality aspect!

As I've put on another post somewhere, around 98/99'ish I bought two wallets from Davenports - a large CTW and a Himber. They were not stamped with the JOL brand BUT I was assured by Betty Davenport (a very honest individual in my experience) that they were hand made by Jerry himself for them. The quality was undoubtedly the best I've ever seen - I used them regularly until a couple of years ago; then sold them on quite recently as part of a bulk sale of props/books to a second hand magic dealer. What are the words in 'My Way'......"Regrets, I've had a few"? Well I can instantly think of two of them!

Realising that I need both of these wallets after all (I've now gone full-time pro), I have purchased a JOL CTW and a JOL Sho-Gun. Now, I'm quite pleased with these as they will do the job BUT compared to the two wallets I purchased from Davenports, the quality of these two new ones honestly doesn't put them in the same league. I actually got my Sho-Gun from Malcolm at Top Secret Magic - and within his advertising blurb he states [quote]: 'You all know what I think of Jerrys work... this wallet is beautiful'. To this end, you would assume that the wallet IS made by Jerry - not outsourced to a third party. Outsourcing inevitably causes a dip in quality - ask anyone in Stuttgart about the Polish steel that Chrysler bought in and the subsequent bodywork rust and front suspension failures they encountered to vehicles branded with the legendary and ultra efficient 3 pointed star marque! Sorry, I've digressed.

Look, at the end of the day I'm certainly not disappointed with either of my JOL wallets BUT I do think that people are saying they are the best not really knowing the full story or comparing them to the opposition. In my view, they are also quite expensive here in the UK for what you actually get and the instructions (one of my obsessions given my years as a customer of Ken Brooke) leave a lot to be desired.

Maybe Craig - you can confirm what's the story here as you market Jerry's products? The one that I have via Top Secret Magic carries your instructions so I assume Malcolm bought these from you?

Are your Sho-Gun wallets actually hand made BY Jerry himself?

Thanks, in advance, for your assistance clearing this matter up.