I had the opportunity to play around with On Edge about a month before its actual release. It's good
to have connections. This is my honest review of On Edge.
You get two sets of cards, one
for learning and practicing, and another for actual performances. The "learning" packet has an
obvious gimmick, and makes it much easier to get the knack required to perform this effect correctly
and convincingly. Is it difficult to perform? No, but it does require some practice. Don't rush
this. Balancing the cards is not difficult as the cards actually make it easier than with regular
cards. You will want to do some acting to make it look difficult.
Can the cards be
examined before and after the performance. Well, some of the cards can be examined, but others
cannot. Like most magic effects, there is a gimmick. If you have intermediate skills with cards you
could easily do a packet switch and seemingly pass the cards out for examination and to let the
spectators give it a try.
Is the gimmick well made? Yes, but you still need to handle it
carefully as it can be delicate.
Does the effect looks as good inn actual performance as
it does in the video? Yes, but there are a couple of factors you need to take into consideration.
The video shows it being performed in various situations, and it can be done that way, BUT you must
also be aware of the lighting. Enough said about that. More experienced magicians will understand.
Is this a good trick for beginners? Technically speaking, it could be performed by a
beginner. Would it look as smooth and as convincing as it does in the video? It's possible, but not
likely. For this effect to look like the minor miracle it is intended to be does require the ability
to act, understand audience control, and have intermediate sleight of hand skills if you want to let
the spectators give it a try after you perform the amazing balancing act. For these reasons I
recommend On Edge for intermediate and advanced level magicians.
Is On Edge worth the
price? That depends on the magician. If you are a casual trickster then probably not, But if you are
a working pro and need a fun piece to add to your shows, then yes.
Is this something you
can carry around in your pocket and perform anywhere? Technically speaking, yes, you can carry it in
your pocket and perform it anywhere you have a flat surface and no wind. Again, you must be aware
of the lighting regardless of where you perform it.
I like On Edge. It has a lot of
potential and could be a real showpiece with the proper presentation. Without a strong presentation
On Edge will appear to be a mere novelty act more akin to juggling and balance than to magic. I
prefer a more magical approach rather than an amazing balancing trick.
66 of 67 magicians found this helpful.
This effect looks great and is a wonderful concept. However, this effect also requires a fairly
difficult set up and gimmicks galore. This is not something that is examinable and therefore it may
be good for stage, but not close-up or parlor. Additionally, this is not something that seems to be
instantly repeatable. For the proper setting, this trick will melt minds. You should not, for one
second, believe that you’re going to be properly performing this right out of the box.
20 of 20 magicians found this helpful.
Disappointed in this one. I buy far too much magic and this one will go in the drawer with others
and never be used. Positive - Yes it technically works
Negative - Very delicate to build tower.
Mosquito flies by knocks it over
Any table vibration and you are toast.
Tried for my
wife (first audience) and she noticed the gimmick in seconds.
It also uses a technic that I
deplore and will not use on stage. Not dependable...lots of you guys use this method but it is not
for me.
Its just not that "magical" but admittedly i did it with no back story or theme.
Overpriced....
Sorry....2 star at best and it goes in the drawer.
16 of 16 magicians found this helpful.
Lotsa squeezing is in order here. It took me 12 hours to get to 90% accuracy with the "training"
version and another 5 hours to get the "performing" version tweaked.
Pros: * Engineering
masterpiece with 3 separate "gimmicks" working in harmony: 5 Stars on this one
* Beautiful final visual; decidedly very memorable
* Lends itself to various
presentation scenarios; *can* look like you are authentically building a card castle
Cons: * Learning curve
* Risk: every build is fraught with things that can go wrong;
hard to suck it up when it comes tumbling down by accident and you have to move to something else
* Maintenance: 2 of the "gimmicks" require some constant monitoring and/or repair
* Cards not examinable and handling of some cards might tip off audience that something is not right
For me I wanted to use this as a finale to a card routine, but the risk of a spectacular
failure gives much pause.
10 of 10 magicians found this helpful.
I got this when i saw the trailer. I loved that after you do it, you can just blow/push it all down
on the table and take it away, unlike Balance, which is a fantastic effect but can’t let it fall
down the same way.
This is a great routine but I’m disappointed. It’s just not reliable for me.
Two gimmicks require constant monitoring and/or repair but the worst part is one of those gimmicks
is way too fragile and breaks too often. If it breaks, you’re stuck and can’t do the effect other
than just building the card fort, which in itself is tedious and very flimsy. That same gimmick
comes with Joshua Jay’s balance and it’s more durable there and even if it breaks there, you can
still do most of the routine, unlike On Edge.
It works for some people but it’s just not
dependable for me. I’ll just stick with Balance, which to me is a similar idea and more durable and
reliable.
6 of 6 magicians found this helpful.
Awesome, but the way this is made you can't have anyone looking at the cards.
6 of 7 magicians found this helpful.
Like all of Angelo’s magic, he leaves no stone unturned and has worked out every detail of this
effect to perfection. The trick works beautifully and is as easy as building a card pyramid.
Actually, it’s MUCH easier than doing it with a regular deck thanks to the ingenious method behind
this.
I would like to point out that although many of you are probably thinking magnets
are involved, there are absolutely no magnets used in the method! There is however a part that can
be extremely delicate, but it doesn’t hinder the performance the way you might think it would.
This is a most excellent display of magic and skill that makes sense unlike some other balance
effects of random objects. This seems natural and truly magical.
The only issue I have
with it is that the stack of cards you use to build the pyramid looks like a full deck when you
start and then it’s gone after having only used about fifteen cards. No one should notice, but it’s
a point worth mentioning.
Lastly, two different confrontations are taught so that you
can choose how extreme you want the final image of the balance looks.
Absolutely
fantastic and you should definitely own this and perform it!
5 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
Before moving on to the review, I would make a list:
Difficulty? Beginners;
Quality-price
ratio? 9/10;
Sleight of hands? No;
Reset? About one minute;
Stage, social or close up?
Perfect in any case;
Are the cards examinable? No;
Light/angle problems? No;
Is the
tutorial actually what you get? Yes;
Difficulty in setup-fixing gimmicks? Minimal.
So,
the trick is really innovative: as soon as I saw how it all worked, I was really impressed.
There are two cards with "extra gimmick". Of these, we have two versions:
- for training,
with ready to go gimmick and very easy to use;
- an official one, with gimmicks to "build" and
more challenging.
N.B.: this gimmick, which will come with extra supplies, is really easy to
make. Personally it took me 2 minutes and I have absolutely no particular crafting skills.
The
other cards, however, are unique and with gimmicks that cannot break or change, so no work
necessary.
There is no sleight of hands... the most challenging thing is really just placing the
cards delicately. The gimmicks will make building the castle almost automatic. For me it was
exciting just to make the pyramid with such ease!
As listed above, there are no angle issues,
it's great at 360°; there are no problems with the light, I doubt there are situations that reveal
something so well hidden.
Precisely for this reason, the quality-price ratio is very good,
although slightly higher than I expected. But considering the work behind it, the quality of all the
cards and the end result, it is absolutely worth it.
As you will have understood, the cards
cannot be examined. Some cards have almost no gimmick, but I would still avoid showing them.
This is the only time when if you are an expert, you have an advantage. In fact, by using a
routine that involves switching the cards as soon as they fall, you will end up clean and
examineable.
I'll also try to say some negative points:
I didn't understand why the
"official" gimmick wasn't ready to go like the training one. Although easy to build, that too could
have been ready for use. Furthermore, in the tutorial, for reasons I won't explain, there are no
clear images on how to do it. You must rely on the gimmick test and common sense. Btw everything is
easy.
To conclude, this is a true jewel of magic, an impossible balance. Everyone in their
life has tried to build a house of cards, many without success. Now you will not only have the
opportunity to build it with extreme ease, but you can almost make it fly! You will only have to
think about the presentation.
It's truly something that anyone, magician or not, would love to
have in their home.
6 of 8 magicians found this helpful.
Some of the cards are not gimmicked enough for them to stand on their own.....having difficulty with
the 9 & 10 to finish the second floor
4 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
This is a very cool effect, however, despite what anyone says this is NOT for the walk-around
performer. If you are a WALK-AROUND performer, give this a pass.
If you have any
experience at all working as a walk around magician, you will NOT be able to manage an audience
properly to pull this effect off. Even a person walking by (waiter, for example of restaurant
workers) is enough to generate a disturbance of the balance, especially during the crucial, last
phase.
Best suited for parlor, living room / friend performances, or stage magic. I was
explicitly told that this was suitable for walk-around performers and, as a walk-around performer, I
promise you, it is not. Do not be misled.
Again, very cool effect....the practicality,
however, reduces it's buying worth significantly.
3 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
Today, when you order "On Edge by Angelo Carbone", you'll instantly be emailed a Penguin Magic gift certificate. You can spend it on anything you like at Penguin, just like cash. Just complete your order as normal, and within seconds you'll get an email with your gift certificate.
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+click to enlarge
Looks great but has some flaws
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it works but not for me
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Absolutely genius!
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