Price$35.00
Media TypeDVD
CategoryGeneral
Date AddedJun 04, 2014
Deceptus
Strange, Jimmy
Merchant of Magic Ltd (V)
(Based on 2 reviews)
Deceptus is quite simply one of the best object penetration magic tricks available to magicians. You can throw common borrowed objects straight into a soda can. Rings, signed coins, lighters, and that's just the start. The borrowed object really is inside the can!
The spectators can see their item through the drink hole, the only way to get the item out is to cut open the can!
Deceptus comes with a special gimmick that does the hard work for you. You learn multiple handlings to suit all skill levels. There is also an instant reset method where you melt the borrowed item from the can without having to cut open the can.
This is TV magic brought close up and practical, straight from the working repertoire of professional magician Jimmy Strange.
Warning - Not suitable for children
You will be cutting open a metal soda can, so this item is not suitable for children. It's vital that you wear suitable hand protection when handling a sharp knife and cutting open a can. We don't want anyone to hurt themselves. Deceptus is sold for information purposes only, and recommended for professional use, as you need to be careful and responsible when cutting open a metal can. You need to ensure the safety of your spectators and dispose of the can correctly at the end of the performance.
'I fricking Love this thing!'
Alan Rorrison - Consultant to Troy and Dynamo
'The BEST object through can ever! Period!'
Gerry Sims - Official DC magician and consultant to Troy
Questions and Answers about Deceptus
Can you drink from the can at the start of the performance?
Ben does cover how he likes to be drinking from the can as he approaches a group, drains the last drop and uses the can for his opener. Chris Webb suggests having the can on the floor or planting it near a bin, pick it up and pour our a little soda to empty it, before using the can. See the included DVD for details.
Can the can be inspected before and after the trick?
When Jimmy Strange performs Deceptus, he lets them handle the can at the start, then hands it to them to check that the object really is inside. This sort of controlled inspection works perfectly. He then cuts the can open himself for health and safety. We don't recommend that you give them the cut open can afterwards as a cut can isn't safe for them to play with. They are getting a very close look at it as you cut it open. Ben Williams goes into great detail about 'over proving' and how to avoid that.
Can I use any type of soda can?
The included gimmick works with most popular cans worldwide, However, some soda cans may not be suitable. We use Pepsi cans in the US and UK to perform Deceptus. Most cans are of uniform design, so it takes seconds to test out a few of your favourite soda drinks to find the one you like best.
How should I present Deceptus?
Let them play with the soda can at the start, do a penetration, show the can, as you are showing that their object really is inside (it is) and then carefully cut the item out. End of trick. More than that would be anti-climactic.
Can you reuse the can?
You could reuse it, and Ben Williams covers how to do that on the DVD. The gimmick is designed to be used over and over again. We suggest you use the opportunity and cut the item out. It freaks them out and cans are cheap. If you need more, the event bar will probably have them. You can quickly prep more in the events green room, or a quite corner.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
I was slightly skeptical about this for some reason but I cannot remember why exactly. I think it was because I thought to myself something along the lines of this being just another one-off effect that would only be suitable for the YouTube magicians. Boy was I wrong!
You get a very well made gimmick that should last forever and a DVD. The menu is easy to use and gives you a chapter-by-chapter layout as well as the option of playing through everything at once.
The host is a magician who may be familiar to some - Ben Williams. He starts by introducing the effect and its history, then gives a quick overview of the gimmick and how it works. He then shows you what you need to set up the gimmick and exactly how to do it properly. It is not hard to do. He also talks about how the cans differ from country to country and that some may not work the same way as the UK cans do. In that case, he shows you a few alternative ways to set up and use the gimmick.
Following that is a section of "performances" which are just clips of different objects being penetrated into the can in various settings. No real live performances or even studio performances, which would have been nice to see but no big deal. Some people may say that the first penetration you see in this section cannot be performed that way. Actually you CAN, but you would not really WANT to, at least not in a live performance. That said, the trailer, this performance section and the ad copy are all 100% truthful.
The rest of the DVD is Ben showing you how to do the "jewelry" handling and some "non-jewelry" handlings, a section of different ways to penetrate the objects inside the can, an instant-reset method, a penetration where the object starts on the palm of a spectator and goes into the can (which is very strong!) and a section on bonus ideas and handlings. There are also a few credits given where necessary, both by Ben in parts of the explanation sections and at the end of the disc.
The production quality is excellent - very clear and crisp audio, it was well-lit and the teaching was very, very good - Ben did a great job!
You can do this effect just about anywhere you want with any object that will fit inside the can. The objects can be borrowed and there are lots of ways to incorporate this effect into a set. It does require a set-up so it is not impromptu, but in the right conditions it can be made to 'appear' impromptu. For the most part it can be done surrounded except for one little moment. It is very easy to do once you understand how it works and it looks every bit as good as the trailer.
5 stars for a great quality gimmick, excellent DVD with fantastic teaching instructions and a strong, solid effect.
You get a very well made gimmick that should last forever and a DVD. The menu is easy to use and gives you a chapter-by-chapter layout as well as the option of playing through everything at once.
The host is a magician who may be familiar to some - Ben Williams. He starts by introducing the effect and its history, then gives a quick overview of the gimmick and how it works. He then shows you what you need to set up the gimmick and exactly how to do it properly. It is not hard to do. He also talks about how the cans differ from country to country and that some may not work the same way as the UK cans do. In that case, he shows you a few alternative ways to set up and use the gimmick.
Following that is a section of "performances" which are just clips of different objects being penetrated into the can in various settings. No real live performances or even studio performances, which would have been nice to see but no big deal. Some people may say that the first penetration you see in this section cannot be performed that way. Actually you CAN, but you would not really WANT to, at least not in a live performance. That said, the trailer, this performance section and the ad copy are all 100% truthful.
The rest of the DVD is Ben showing you how to do the "jewelry" handling and some "non-jewelry" handlings, a section of different ways to penetrate the objects inside the can, an instant-reset method, a penetration where the object starts on the palm of a spectator and goes into the can (which is very strong!) and a section on bonus ideas and handlings. There are also a few credits given where necessary, both by Ben in parts of the explanation sections and at the end of the disc.
The production quality is excellent - very clear and crisp audio, it was well-lit and the teaching was very, very good - Ben did a great job!
You can do this effect just about anywhere you want with any object that will fit inside the can. The objects can be borrowed and there are lots of ways to incorporate this effect into a set. It does require a set-up so it is not impromptu, but in the right conditions it can be made to 'appear' impromptu. For the most part it can be done surrounded except for one little moment. It is very easy to do once you understand how it works and it looks every bit as good as the trailer.
5 stars for a great quality gimmick, excellent DVD with fantastic teaching instructions and a strong, solid effect.
(Top ▲)
Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Jim Bridger by Johnny Horton
Deceptus by Jimmy Strange Review:
One gimmick, one DVD and $35 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Effect
Anything that will fit into a soda can, can be magically inserted into the can. It doesn't have to be able to fit through the mouth.
Method
A little bit of sleight of hand, a PK ring and a clever, super smart gimmick. There is one major problem with the method, however. In America, soda cans are made out of aluminum, which, as you know, isn't exactly magnetic. There are work-arounds covered in the DVD, but it's not as clean as the version with steel cans - apparently in the U.K., cans are made of steel, not aluminum. If you have access to steel soda cans, then this thing is a no-brainer . . . get some. The end. If, however, you don't have access to steel soda cans, we've got a couple of things to discuss.
For Aluminum Cans:
Even though your can is not magnetic, there are still two handlings you can use: the PK ring version and the non-PK ring version. Yes, even though your can is not magnetic, the gimmick is. The problems come in when you have to prepare the can to be able to work with your gimmick. It's still doable, but the set up takes longer and it's a little bit more of a pain to set up another can.
For All Cans:
The gimmick is smart, well made, and a beautiful concept. That said, there are some considerations. First, you have to set up the can well in advance. You need some time alone with a sharp blade, a protective glove (and some glue dots if you're using aluminum cans). The other catch is that you can only have one can set up at a time. At the end of the effect, you can either magically remove the penetrated object, or you can cut the can open to remove the object.
In the case of cutting the can open, you have to now prepare another can for your next performance. This is not a 2 second job. There are, however, some things you can do in advance to prepare the cans. This is not covered in the DVD, but basically, you can prepare several cans in advance to be ready to receive the gimmick. Then once you've destroyed one can, you can then go set up the partially prepared can with the gimmick. It still takes a little time, but much less.
If you're strolling from table to table, I would recommend magically removing the item rather than destroying the can to remove it. All of the prep work is pretty straight-forward, but it is a little bit more of a pain for the non-steel cans. It's not enough of a pain to make me not recommend it, but just be aware of the fact that you'll need a little more work to be able to do this.
Any standard size soda can will work just fine. There are some cases where the gimmick is a little smaller than the can. This is ok. In those cases, I just wouldn't hand the can out to be handled. However, even in this case, it can still be shown on the top and bottom. Whether they're aluminum or steel, it will work just fine. The only catch is that with the aluminum cans, you have one more step of preparation; but it's still totally doable.
One last thing to consider regardless of can type. There are both PK ring versions and non-PK ring versions as I mentioned. They both can be done with either type of can. However, in the non-PK ring version, you cannot remove the object without cutting the can open. So if you don't want to destroy the can each time, you'll need to use a PK ring.
Ad Copy Integrity
Ad copy is solid with a couple points of clarification. They refer to the can being examinable before and after the effect. That's somewhat true. I would choose the word "handled" rather than "examined" by the spectator. The gimmick on the can is very smart and well hidden in plain sight.
The other minor point is the claim that "Ben does cover how he likes to be drinking from the can as he approaches a group, drains the last drop and uses the can for his opener." Keep in mind that this is all acting and that there's no soda actually in the can. However, as mentioned in the ad copy, there is a handling where you "find the can on the ground" and there is some liquid in it. This claim is accurate. Due to the nature of the gimmick, you can't have liquid in it if the can is upright, but on it's side, no problem.
Product Quality
The gimmick is well made and works great. I tested it on the aluminum cans and it works just fine. The DVD is excellent. They cover tons of handling tips, ideas, presentations, etc. It's well shot, well lit, well mic'd and easy to navigate.
Final Thoughts
For $35 bucks you get a well made gimmick that allows you to do some powerful effects. Plus, you get a lot of tips, routines and presentational ideas. It's hard to give this a bad rating. The only real negative in mind mind is that if you don't already own a PK ring, you'll need to purchase one.
Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.