Let me preface this all by saying this is a wonderful gimmick/routine, BUT, there are some things you MUST know before buying it: things I did not know (which makes me mad). Remember all these people that "invent" tricks are really trying to "TRICK" us all into buying them. Once the sale has been made we can NOT return the item because we now know the "secret'!! That's a lose-lose for us consumers. Hence, the importance of these reviews. Okay: the meat of the matter.
You HAVE to do this routine on a cloth mat, towel, or some sort of porous surface. You can NOT do it on any sort of smooth surface.
You have to use cards in very good condition: old, dirty, crinkled, bent will NOT work.
You have to know how to make a breather card proficiently (instructions are given) and in order to do some of the more advanced routines you will have to do some basic sleight of hand moves and use a MARKED deck (which you have to supply).
Although three Magi's are credited with this trick, after watching the hour long DVD I got the impression that only two, Jon and Mathieu (a Frenchman with a heavy accent), are really behind it.
You get two plungers and a DVD in the box. What confounded me was the box was about 1/4" too narrow to hold the plungers! So they come out of the box all squished!! Why couldn't they have made the box a wee bit bigger to safely contain the plungers unharmed? Strange. Poor plungers!
Anyway, one plunger is used with an EXCELLENT routine outlined by Jon, and the second 'special' plunger is used for a routine supplied by Mathieu. I was not all that impressed with Mathieu's routine,but he gives you some neat ideas and the info necessary to make a special gaffed card that you can use to do a third routine.
All in all this is a very original set-up and I am glad to own it. As a novice there are some things I can do with the plungers right away. Some of the other stuff? Well, I may never be able to do it. The price is a lot higher than it should be. If it included a deck of cards then I would feel better. If it included the gaffed deck you need to buy for Jon's routine..then we would be golden. BUT, it does not so you will have to bite the bullet and pay up. These guys do get an A+ for originality for sure!Good luck and have fun!

After performing it about 10 times over the weekend (Jon's handling), I can firmly state that audiences do in fact love the tiny plunger!

I think the main reasons are that it's a weird object, it's "cute" and it's wacky. The playfulness really hits home with audiences. And don't think because it's light-hearted that it doesn't hit hard, because it does. They are genuinely amazed at how the plunger "knows" how to find the card or pick up the right number of cards called for.

Now why the 4 star review and not 5? Well, in terms of the routine and the value you get from the effect on people, it's definitely a 5 star product. However, there are certain requirements to effective utilization of the gimmick...

You need a cloth/close up mat (I used a paper napkin on a bar counter at one point in the night) if you're doing it at the table. It is possible to do most of the routine in the hands, but not all and I think the parts that you need a table for (like when Jon picks up four cards in a row one at a time) are genuinely interesting magical moments and losing them would lessen the "build up" of the effect. Also using a table makes everything seem more fair and you would lose that aspect doing it in your hands.

Lastly the condition of the deck you use is important. I usually perform in bars and so my deck can get dirty easily and that makes the gimmick work less reliably. If a couple of cards get dirty, the gimmick will still work but maybe you'll get a "misfire" once in a while. You can always blame the plunger if that happens (which is what I did) and get a laugh out of it (again, the personification of the plunger is one of the great aspects of Jon's routine), but it's frustrating to see it not work and be unsure if it will work the next time. If the deck is really dirty... don't even try it. Grab a new deck and the gimmick will work reliably.

Oh I didn't mention the other plunger (the one for Mathieu's routine. It's really clever. My friend was super confused by it for a long while. Great thinking!

Those criticisms aside, I still think it's a fantastic routine and is worth checking out if the two things I mentioned don't bother you. And even if those two constraints do bother you, I still think the reactions are worth finding the right time and place to overcome those issues and do the routine (if it fits your performing style that is!)

I'm an old guy returning to Magic after 50 years. I've purchased quite a few items from Penguin and am pleased. As to Tiny Plunger the cute factor is clearly an 11 on a scale of 10. But while the 3 men are great presenters, I was a bit disappointed to discover that the handling involved so many sleights that are standard fare for accomplished Magicians they are a bit difficult for lesser handlers. So the price seems high for a cute prop surrounded by standard but challenging moves. Bottom line buy it for the cute factor then use practice and imagination to make it work for you if you are a beginner like me.

To me this is excellent. Offbeat, not hard to learn, obviously packs small, everyone at least smiles and many are amazed when the plunger finds a selected card. You need a soft surface and a "newish" deck. You don't need a close up mat because you don't need a lot of space. I put down a cloth napkin " so the cards don't get dirty."

I just HAD to get this as soon as I learned about it and seen the demo, of course there are physics nerds and mathematicians that will understand how this works, but how often do you perform for them? Even after knowing how it works, it's still hard to UNDERSTAND how it works, so you'll fool novice and pros alike, I promise! This is one that will go with you EVERYWHERE, a can't miss item that will never go in that buyer's remorse junk drawer for unwanted items that never lived up to expectations!

I liked this a lot. The method is no where near what i was expecting. Great Routine with lots of magic moments.

First of all, it's JON Armstrong...not John

I watched Jon perform this at the Magic Castle and it just baffles and entertains like few things can. It's cute, it's funny and Jon's routine with this is one of the best things I've ever watched. This is magic people will remember and talk about!

I have not used this in any of my performances yet. I can say that I watched the dvd and was quite pleased with the routines and the brainstorming section. I can tell you that you have a worker here. I had no idea how this plunger was working until I watched the dvd and I was pleasantly surprised. Some would say this is over priced, but I disagree. You are getting a golden routine that audiences will love. I would never have thought of using this plunger the way that Jon uses it for magic. I probably would have never even heard of this plunger if not for penguin magic. Jon's routine is dynamic, efficient, and effective. I of course have already thought of the way I will perform this, but I will use a good chunk of his methods. I am not a fan of Mathieu's routine at all. In fact I didn't think his routine was dynamic in the least. He just does the same thing over and over and it gets old real quick. Too many magicians lack dynamics in their performances. I have my Bachelor's in theatre which is why I am conscious of this as well as many other things. Garret is just kind of there for the brainstorm session. I would say the main thing to take away from this is Jon's golden routine and the brainstorm session. Yes you can buy these plungers for a few dollars, but I would never have thought of what Jon has come up with. Brilliant, fun, and engaging card magic with this wonderful prop.

I'll admit this is a very cool effect and i love to perform it the only downside I'll point out is that it does take a little sleight of hand but its nothing to hard for a beginner to learn. overall is is a great effect and i do reccomend it to anybody who loves a good and easy effect.

OMG!!! there is so much to say about this but i wont take up our time. first this is so easy its not even funny. second its so much fun to do and people freak out over it. it took me all of 5 mins of practice to get it down. BUY IT NOW!!!!!