Color Changing Lighter
Fantasio
Vernet
There are plenty of routines also for stage, for example: You show a red Bic lighter, push it through your fist and, at the same time, you pull from the bottom of the fist a red silk. Finally the lighter changed to white and the hand is absolutely empty.
Comes with two gimmicks: one to change a lighter to red and the other to change it to white.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Cool trick, well made gimmicks, good price, misleading ad copy and crappy instructions . . .
A borrowed lighter changes colors . . . cool trick.
The gimmicks required are light weight and can be carried with you anywhere you want - you only need to bring one. They're strong and will last quite a while I would presume . . . well made gimmicks.
For only ten bucks, this is a utility prop that you're very likely to get your money's worth . . . good price.
The ad copy claims, however, that you can change a lighter to one color and then change it back and hand out the lighter. Um . . . I'm not sure how you would do that with this gimmick . . . misleading ad copy.
The instructions are vague, less than a page long and not very clear. Further, they don't teach you the above mentioned effect of changing back. The handling taught for the basic effect is so vague that I basically just took a guess at what I thought they might be saying. Also, the instructions mention that this is perfect to do in conjunction with the vanishing candle. It then tells you to set up the vanishing candle and use the lighter to light the candle. Then do the color changing lighter effect using a different method. It never really explains how to really combine it with the candle . . . crappy instructions.
Cool trick, well made gimmicks, good price, misleading ad copy and crappy instructions . . . throw it all in a blender and you get a couple of cool gimmicks that you'll figure out how to use with your own methods. For ten bucks and the "silk" handling mentioned in the ad copy it's worth it. A big hit for crappy instructions, but still a worthy opponent for sure.
Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.
(Top ▲)
This is, in my opinion, a nice piece of business. It comes from the genre of magic I grew up on-Fantasio, and his candles. Very elegant, classy performer with equally classy props. I don't do a stage or candle act, but I do use a lighter and so do a number of people where I play. This makes sense to use as a secondary surprise effect, or, as a more deliberate trick where you pull the silken color straight out of the lighter. It's extremely visual and smooth. The gimmicks are solid, a bit snug, but are all that they need to be to fullfill the purpose. I have started to include bits like this, because they capatalize on opportunities-otherwise mundane actions that suddenly become magical. Like removing cards from a box, by the time the box hits the table, it has shrunken.
While I have not looked at David Ginn's routine, it's not a far reach to perfrom his classic color changing shoe laces with these gimmicks and a couple of bics. Lighters are not as easy to handle as pocket knives-at least not for me-but there's potential here to build some eye popping routines, using an object that is quite often times, laying around-or easily borrowed.
What's more, noone that I see-including local magicians, ever does anything with lighters-except to light flashpaper. so, while this isn't an 'edgy' piece of magic-it's defiantley not something that people are used to seeing. And, well, color changes are pretty. I like strong effects, but I never lose sight of color, charm, grace, and...elegance.