I have not used this yet since I have just ordered the flash cotton which is required to operate the
device. I assume it will work as described. There are two points regarding the device which I
don’t think are clear in the advertising. Admittedly this is a SansMinds project so that is not
surprising however Penguin could have added a note to their ad copy. This device uses a small
sliver of flash cotton to ignite either the flash paper The device has to be loaded with this flash
cotton between each use. I feel on the promotional video it gives the impression that you would use
this in a walk around setting and nearly everything used in a walk around setting is done multiple
times during an evening and requires nearly instant and invisible reset. Practically speaking this
needs to be reset out of sight of the spectator. It does not take an especially long time but I
can’t imagine using this multiple times during a strolling gig. It is most appropriate for a single
use parlor setting. In addition of course make sure you have ordered flash cotton in addition to
flash paper.
10 of 12 magicians found this helpful.
Its cool, its fun to have, I can tell its going into my magic drawer though. The reload sucks on it.
MAKE SURE YOU ALREADY HAVE FLASH COTTON AND FLASH PAPER you will need those. Idk I wouldnt get it if
I knew it was like this. But hey it does "work".
3 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
2 faulty units so far; the original order and the replacement thimbtip ignitor pro, neither ignitor
coils ever glowed at all after their full charges. Light blinks like it's good and then nothing..
Great customer service so far though. Lucky number three for the win? Everything seems so top notch
too, what a shame neither of them have worked.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
When I can get it to work, it does what it’s supposed to. The problem is the reliability of the
device. I gave up and bought a remote ignitor (cheaper price too).
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Wouldn't buy unless you see a place in your routine before hand. . It does what it says when you
need it to (for the most part)... But I bought without a definite use and can see it in my drawer
not getting used
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Too much set up and preparation.May fall off if not the right size for an individuals size.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Like many of you i've been disappointed with many tricks/gimmicks/methods over the years. I now
usually wait for reviews before buying. For some reason i was super excited for this thing so i
didn't wait. Now I'm writing a review for those of you like me waiting for a review.
PROS:
It really does work for what it is designed for. Igniting flash products seemingly at will.
CONS:
Not a big deal to me personally but you do have to do a quick reload for each use.
Probably 30 seconds tops. Also the instructional video says to load it with flash cotton (hope i can
say that). I tried this several times and each time it was shooting a small hole through the flash
paper but not actually igniting it. I'm instead loading with a tiny piece of flash paper and that
works great. That about sums up my thoughts. Overall happy with the purchase.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
I love the concept of this device and It fits very comfortably on the thumb. My biggest concern is
that it's only worked 20 percent of the time for me. I've done 20 firings and the flash cotton
(which is used to ignite the flash paper you hold in your hand) has ignited 100% of the time but it
has failed to ignite the flash paper 16 out of 20 firings. I've tested a variety of flash paper,
flash bills, etc. The times it has worked is when I've had almost a half inch to an inch length
wick of flash cotton sticking out of the thumb.... which kind of defeats the purpose of a what a
thumb tip is used for in the first place.... concealment.
1 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
If a spectator says do it again, you can't. It takes time to reload and do it once more...and what
I mean by time is you have to go into a stall of the bathroom. You think from the video it can fire
off multiple times, you cannot. It would have gotten a single star, however, surprisingly from sans
mind it is a well built gaff. I mean, when have they updated and produced a better made Vapr.?
If someone would build one that heats an element in a steel core tube that pokes flash
paper, and retracts back into the thumb tip, it would be the final answer. So this should not be
for a pro...pros use workers and this is not it.. the second time around you still have to pull out
your lighter. One and done here.
Think smoke cube vs smoke screen...one is over
priced...less functional, the other a third of the cost, way more functional...to the point I
purchased 3.
1 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
Didn’t work at all complete waste of money Never performed because I couldn’t get it to work in
rehearsal