Magic Tricks

I have a bit of a dilemma with this review, as I’m not sure whether to judge the effect by the list price, or the Cool Box special price I paid.

Shortly after opening the package, you get the distinct impression that the commercial goal of this product is not to sell DVDs, but to sell string. The string provided is barely enough to practice with, and you will need much more to perform this effect with any regularity. In fact, the pittance of string you get is wrapped around a cardboard card, helpfully telling you how to order more string.

I concur with the previous criticisms that this string is awfully tough to break by hand without getting cut. Tony Clark, the creator, concedes as much by featuring a “New EZ Break String” on his website. I am considering performing this with a kid volunteer cutting the string, instead of breaking it by hand. Not only would this solve the tough-break problem. But it would help sell the fact that the string is indeed being cut.

The catch is that you can only buy the replacement string from Tony Clark in quantities of 1,800 feet for the new string or 2,400 feet for the original string, both setting you back about $30, more than the list price of the effect itself. A posting on another magic website suggested buying “superfine yarn” from a sewing or crafts store, but I can’t vouch for this personally.

That all being said, I really liked this effect and will be using it for my church’s Stone Soup show. I’ll probably add some Gospel patter along the lines of each member of the church breaking off with his or her own talents, but coming back together as one in the Body of Christ.

With my Cool Box purchase price, I can handle the extra cost of thread, balloons, and helium. But if I had to pay the list price on top of the hefty materials cost, my review would have been slightly less favorable.