You will be completely amazed at the secret behind SEALED. It really is awesome! It is worth the money just to see how it is done! But realistically, i'll never use it in walk around performance. In fact i'll probably never even use it again. Be prepared you have to make the gimmick and it really is a long process (although the instructions are very clear!) However its just not reliable enough to use in smooth performance. If they begin to sell ready made gimmicks (even if it is a higher price) and they are reliable I will buy this trick again. Great secret, great potential, but its sad to say I won't be using this in performance :(

What a piece of crap. This is a great trick for a video with good editing, otherwise a completely impractical and useless waste of time and money. You spend hours putting it together for something you'll just toss in the trash where it belongs. You might as well tell the spectators: "close your eyes" or "turn around " when you have to put the the cards back in the box and set the gimmick. It's 5 hours of my life I will never get back. I want a refund.

So I received Sealed and there is a lot of construction to it, so don't think you will be practicing with it when you get it. And there is one part in the DVD where he is explaining about how to load the gimmick and it jumps to a dollar bill set up while he is still explaining how to load the card then jumps back to the card set up.

And you need the old style 808 Bicycle Deck (card box), which there is none in any of my stores. They all have the 10 of hearts on the back. I don't think I even have an old school 808 box.

Would be nice if the gimmick was built already and came with a new deck of cards (with the old bicycle box)

Penquin Magic should tell the customer more info about a trick they are selling along with the demo clips (ex/ a gimmick has to be built and it takes a lot of time to do it). It took me about 2 hours to build this gimmick and I still cannot get it to "fire" when I press the end flap. Wish the gimmick was pre-built and sold with the DVD. I wasted $35 for this thick and I can't use it. I cannot get the gimmick to work. Instead of showing how great the trick is, Penquin should give its customers ALL info about the trick and what is needed to perform.

Ok saw this and went ahead and got it. Watched the DVD first without touching any parts. Then went back and made the gimmick, it will take you at least an hour, mine, almost 2 hrs and when finished it does not work correctly. I don't know how far I can disassemble due to the complexity of it so not sure if I can fix it or not. Love the concept but I agree, this should of been pre-made. Not that I can't follow instructions, just so many variables that can go wrong even with constant rewinds and watching over and over. If you have patience and time and want a visual effect, grab it, however as one poster stated you cannot hand out the signed card which to me takes away from the magic.

In line with other reviews that have been posted around the web, the gimmick is insanely complicated to assemble. After several hours of working on the gimmick/assembly, it's not working. The gimmick should have come pre-assembled, which would have made this a joy to perform. Right now though, after hours of assembly, it's still not working right. Hmmmm....

I love gimmick magic and making gimmicks for magic. The thinking behind this gimmick is mind blowing which makes the effect incredible!
Menny does a great job on the DVD showing how to make the gimmick and everything is supplied. Take your time making it because a mistake could cost you.
If you are not a fan of making gimmicks, I would stay far away from this effect.
For those of you who are like myself, you will enjoy every minute of making this mind blowing gimmick and enjoy blowing your spectators minds while preforming it. It works great!

Menny, you are truly a genius!

Honestly, this looks like a great effect... if you can assemble a very complicated gimmick. My attempt to assemble the gimmick was futile, however I am thirteen years old. Overall looks nice in the trailer but I ended up throwing the gimmick out due to overwhelming assembly process ( for me ). Extremely disappointing.

The previous two reviewers have it right. You will say "ah" when you see the gimmick in action, and be amazed at the genious behind the materials and construction, BUT,.....it will take a long time to meticulously follow the clear and detailed instructions one step after step after step,....etc. -- that is where my "eh" began, but then, after you have the gimmick,sometimes a bit finicky, you still have to practice a couple of slights during the handling of the effect. If you are into instant gratification, forget this one. If your itch is to just learn the secret, you will be happy at it's cleverness.

Knock Knock
Oh, man, it is the housekeeper! Karen stops by once a week not because I am a rich snob but because I am a slob. This week I don't have time for the usual chit chat. I have a gig to get to. But it strikes me just then that it will give me one last test of Sealed before I dash off to a gig. So I go into “Punk Magician” mode.

”Hi, Karen, pick a card,” I blurt out as I open the door.
“Hi...ahhh...Okay”
“Sign it”
“Sure”
“Watch this,” I say while folding her card. “Bam!” I actually said Bam! Not my best performance for sure but Karen rocks back a bit in stunned silence as she stares at the card that has now melded through the cellophane.
“Oh wow! That is a great one, Erik!”
I smiled internally and resisted the temptation to flip two birds and say “F*%# YOU ITS MAGIC!”
My Punk Magician impersonation aside, the short exchange gave me all the confidence I needed to head out to the restaurant gig with confidence in Sealed. I wound up performing it nine more times that night and I can say with a great deal of confidence that Sealed has been an impressive addition to my repertoire over this week.

Now I realize that not all of you are destined to master some tricks. (after all true punks just stick to power cords and loud vocals) In order to not waste time I will just tell you who this is not for before we get into the gritty details. If you do not like to build stuff...stay away. If you are pretty new to magic ...stay away. If you hate practicing magic... Stay away.
So,now for the rest of us. Intermediates and above who don't mind assembling gimmicks and enjoy practicing as well as performing here is what you need to know...

Impromptu? - YES: As long as you have your cards with you.

Reset? - SECONDS: With practice and a casual demeanor you could probably reset in front of your spectators and they would not notice.

Angles? - 270: For the basic handling there is one bad angle that can easily be covered. Advanced handlings are more clean and impossible looking but also have more angles to cover.

Impact?- HIGH: Super visual, especially if you do more advanced handlings. I recommend putting more into your performance then the ambush I sprung on my poor cleaning lady but you don't need to over think this one. People get it ...and love it!

DVD quality?- GOOD: There is one glitch. For about a minute or two the audio continues but the film jumps to the wrong scene. Not sure about other sellers but Penguin magic has this glitch corrected already.

Gimmick quality?- GOOD: Before you build it you might be suspicious but after everything is assembled it should be pretty durable. I estimate busy pros who make this a center piece will get months out of the main gimmick. Semi-pros maybe a year and Amateurs it could last indefinitely so long as it is not mistreated. (And yes...mistreatment does include forgetting it in a pants pocket and running it through the wash)

Difficulty to build?- INTERMEDIATE: About as difficult as building a plastic model plane or car. I recommend watching the DVD all the way through once and then again while you construct it.

Difficulty to perform and practice required?- EASY IF YOU PRACTICE A LOT: Any intermediate should have no trouble but I do recommend lots of practice just to familiarize yourself with the gimmick. Along the way don't be afraid to make minor adjustments. Don't assume your gimmick is broken unless you have practiced over 100 times without improvement. A lot of problems you will encounter will be solved with minor adjustments to the gimmick(s) and the way you handle them. When getting into advanced handlings you will need yet more practice. This time it will be less of familiarizing yourself with the gimmicks and more practicing timing. The good news is the basic handlings should blow away laymen. Just focus on advanced handlings if you want to use it for filming or to impress other magician friends.


What is included?- Everything but common household supplies.

Pocket management?- GOOD: Fits in a pack of cards but takes up some space in there. You might need to carry an extra deck if you plan other effects that use a full 52 deck stack of cards but for most “pick a card” effects you should not have a problem.

Overall thoughts: I LOVE THIS! Is this for beginners? No. Is this for magicians who do not practice? No. Is it fun to practice? DEFINITELY! So practice won't be a problem for most because you will have fun playing around with this anyway. Do spectator's react? Absolutely! Both in my professional work and casual work it has been a big hit over the last two weeks. The practice required could be a turn off for some but it is honestly one of the most visual effects I have seen all year. Combine that with the fact that it is easy to carry around and it resets fast and you have an effect that should tick off a lot of boxes. Whether you are impressing your next client or ambushing the cleaning lady Sealed comes through for you!