I got this in the other day. I have to be 100% honest. I can't see the justification of this costing almost $200.

I assumed I would be getting all props set up and ready to practice/perform. This is not the case at all. You have to make the props yourself.

Now I have no issue making props BUT at a price point this high I would assume these are made for me. The routine is a nice one but not worth the price tag that comes with it.

I was very disappointed in this purchase. I would strongly advise that you guys spend the extra time to make the gimmick instead of having people pay top dollar only to realize they have to make it themselves.

2 stars because it's a nice idea and effect but everything from the cheap cardboard box it comes in with the poor quality DVD and then finding out that I paid almost $200 for a few silks that I still need to spend an afternoon to make myself was extremely disappointing.

This is my new opener, I love this routine as it is excellent! It's visual, sets your character and it is funny!

UNFORTUNATELY the high price is completely unjustified.

I know some magicians hate DIY. I'm on the fence and I don't mind a little DIY. In fact, I can understand the need for DIY in some cases; perhaps you'd need to DIY it based on your own particular preferences or even body measurements.

However the DIY in this case is ALL the same. Anyone who performs this would have to DIY this the SAME way anyway, so why don't A&P magic do it for you?

It's like you buy a deck of cards and you need to construct the card case yourself.

Like, seriously?

For those who argue that you're paying for a 'routine'...I'm sorry but what routine? The 'routine' offered is pretty much the same 20th Century silks routine of years gone by. It's a classic. Yes, they added the Prisoner's silk to it as a kicker plus the few lines of 'fake explanation'. But does that warrant the $175 price tag?

For the price you pay, you'd at least expect things to work as it should out of the box. Even the silks don't feel that high quality unfortunately.

Sadly, this product feels like a quick cash grab by the creators. Maximizing profits and minimizing outlay.

I wish it were different because I DO like this routine.

This is a very good updated version of The 20th Century Silks with some new additions and twists that will even make a seasoned magician go Whoa! The DVD is very detailed for the preparation and performing of the routine. That being said, I feel for the price of this "KIT" compared to the actual cost of the contents, they could have at least had the gimmicks that make it work prepared in advance rather than making you do all the work. I also think they could have included the few extras they suggested rather than making you go shopping again for them. I know that we in a way paying for their research and seasoned experience testing and performing this but how much of a profit do you need to make? Other than that, if you put the patience into getting everything prepared, you will have a great routine to use.

As far as the effect is concerned, it is one of the most visual things you can do with silks. I give it 5 stars. Very practical, not so difficult, "packs small plays big," etc.

However, when it comes to the props you receive, I am even reluctant to give even 1 star. I will tell you exactly what you get because there is no secret about it.

-Instructional DVD (with very bad quality. I had to replay it several times to understand what Puck was doing)
-20th century silk set
-three 24" silks
-a fingertip

That's it. You have to build the props on your own. The one I made worked on my first try, but I think I have to make it again to make some adjustments. If you perform this routine even once on stage, you'll get your money worth it. That justifies the price of the set. Still, I think they should have done a much better job with the product they're selling.

This is a high quality effect right out of the working repertoire of two of the hottest workers on the scene today ( both appeared on America's Got Talent ).

The props are the finest and the teaching gives great detail on how to make this a showpiece.

You WILL use this in your shows!

The rethinking and routining around the 20th century silks really shoots this thing into the 21st century. It's funny, it's fast paced, and it makes sense.

The package you get contains several silks that are necessary for the illusion. You get enough silks for both the first phase and the second phase. They are not constructed. Assembly required.

I was almost ready to get angry at this product, until I got a friend of mine to help me out. I am not so handy with fiddly silks.

Once it's made up, it's a KILLER routine. The first phase can be done completely to music. The second is by far my favorite- the prisoner's silk looks and feels beautiful. Puck and Alexander have rethought this effect until they made it a worker.

The silks are decent quality, and the instruction is pretty good. Puck goes above and beyond the call of duty and shows some really nice tips to make sure that the prisoner's silk works, every time.

All in all, even with some assembly required, I would highly recommend this visual and beautiful performance piece with silks.

This is probably THE perfect opener to your stage/parlor show! The method is diabolical, and the effect is super, super visual! I hesitated buying this because of the price, but I just had to have it. I'm glad I bought this. All of Scott Alexander's routines are gold!

You will need to spend time to prepare the gimmicks. Some would have liked to have everything prepared in advance wich is not the case. I think it's a good thing to let us prepare the gimmicks by ourselves. It helps us to get more familiar with the trick and understand it's working. The price is quite high but the routine that Puck and Scott share is SO GOOD, it's everything that you want in a good stand-up magic trick : funny, extra-visual, a new and original concept with an ending that is just memorable.

Very visual very easy And funny !
Congratulation i love it !