This is an interesting DVD. Joel Bauer has an abundance of energy and it is interesting just watching and hearing him. The effect itself looks pretty good but it seems specifically geared to smaller newletter type papers. He says it can simply be modified to any size newspaper but my attempts have not worked for me. It would be nice if the DVD discussed preparation and demonstration of other size newspapers and not just newsletter type papers.

Ive played around with a few torn and restored newspapers slydini tear, baxt, better newspaper tear gene Andersons torn and restored newspaper,alex elmslys torn and restored newspaper,newsflash 2.0 and pat pages 10 second newspaper tear and alan shaxons torn and restored newspaper but i must say gene Andersons torn and restored newspaper will always be the grand daddy of all torn and restored newspapers but i like slydinis and Anderson's and alex elmslys and saxtins versions as well what i like about joel bauer's torn and restored newspaper is how simple it is to make and i like the fact you can reuse the gimmick over and over and i like the instant reset so if you want to do a torn and restored newspaper you can do and you want a easy to make gimmick and need instant reset pick up a copy of Joel bauer's trade show torn and restored newspaper.

If possible I prefer a larger newspaper and flash restoration like the Gene Anderson version or Axel Hecklau version "Newsflash" , but for ease of preparation and quick reset the so-called "Joel Bauer Torn & Restored Newspaper" is good to have as a back-up. I'd highly recommend the DVD . [BUT I wish this were an instant download. One-trick DVD's are kind of a waste, imo.]

I had this DVD about 8 years ago, but after I learned the preparation I sold it. I don't remember exactly how Joel phrases it on the video , but he vaguely alludes to the version he is showing as being originated by Alan Shaxon and I think he mentions a few other people ( maybe Patrick Page and Slydini ?) as having an influence on "his" (Bauer's) approach to the newspaper tear. From what I can find from reading about the history of the various versions of Torn & Restored Newspaper this is basically the same as Alan Shaxon's version. (which may have been inspired by Patrick Page's "10 Second Newspaper Tear") So , Joel should have been clearer on the crediting . Maybe he does actually credit Alan Shaxon (I can't remember precisely) but my recollection is that he's a little vague on the crediting. Anyway, the credit issue aside , this is a very strong version of the Torn & Restored Newspaper and once you get the hang of the set-up you'll be able to easily prepare it and the re-set is very fast . Highly recommended . And Joel's typical blarney is entertaining. Some people can't stand his 'hustle-hustle' bluster , but I find it funny.

I had the great pleasure of being a partner with Joel in a business for over three years. During that time we conducted over 50 2-day training events. Joel always performed some magic. When he presented his Torn & Restored Newspaper the audiences went wild. It is so visual, so clean, so unbelievable - plus Joel's incomparable patter always won the day. Up to that point I personally had been performing the Anderson T&R Newspaper and I loved it. That changed. What I like about Joel's version is that it is much easier to set up and can be reset reasonably quickly. For a trade show performer or someone who does multiple show this is a killer effect.

I performed this years ago, but I lost the tape. (Yes, tape. That tells you how long ago it was.)

I docked one star for the video quality: it's poor, and Joel's style is grating.

But the tear itself is practical, easy to do, and it looks good. By practical, I mean that it's easy to set up, rests in seconds, and you can use any kind of free tabloid paper, advertiser or newsletter.

I like the effect. It's probably more for trade show papers, but it seems to work well with the tabloid style that I'm using.

I haven't performed it for anyone yet but have been letting my critic- the little woman- watch me practice it. She says it looks good. Now I just need to practice it about 100 more times.

Pros: Gimmick is easy to make and can be reused.
Supposedly works for all papers. Haven't tried it on full size. Easy to do, just need to practice until it becomes one smooth motion in the restore. Basically a "flash" restore.

Cons: There are some aspects of the gimmick that look obvious to me for performing it in a parlor setting which is where I'll be doing it, but I've already got some ideas to work around this. Lots of ink on the hands from practicing. :) Cannot appear to show the whole paper, but this can be acted through. Gimmick must be reused with that specific edition- not much of a problem really.

All in all I really like it. 4 stars because I've heard there are better versions, but I like this and will use it.