Magic Tricks

I have never been a fan of blue bicycle cards. I never ever use them when performing unless an effect requires the use of a contrasting backed card or deck along with the red decks I typically use. I just find them… repulsive...

I own the original FDS and have never used it; for several reasons, but that was always the main one - the gimmick was blue. Therefore, I was happy when I saw that the FDS2.0 was being manufactured in red. Even without seeing or having handled the new gimmick, that, to me, was an enormous improvement over the old version. Even with all of the short-comings of the original FDS, I would have gladly found ways to work around them if it had been made in red and not blue. Unfortunately, they didn't just stop there, and upon receiving my gimmick and playing around with it for a couple days, I will go on record and say that, in my opinion, that is where the list of improvements ends.

Most of the aspects of the original gimmick that I found problematic and/or suspicious that made it unfit for performance are still present in the new one: the gimmick STILL has a very hard time housing a full deck of cards and the h*l3s for the el@st!c thr3@ds are STILL plain as day and can be seen from a mile away.

There are also two new problems that I have noticed with this second version of the gimmick. The first, I will admit, is a bit nit-picky: the "thicker" and "more robust" material that the gimmick is now made from has a very shiny, almost vinyl-looking finish that, depending on lighting, would raise some suspicion about the gimmick passing as a normal box if left in the spectators view (which I would not recommend under any circumstances due to the previously mentioned h*l3s in the gimmick).

The second problem with the new gimmick, however, I find pretty unforgivable: One of the things I found MOST frustrating about the original gimmick is that, in the instructions, the section on repairing the el@st!cs on the gimmick taught a very poorly thought-out method of doing so. Not only was the way in which Shim recommended you repair the FDS gimmick if/when the el@st!c broke not even close to the way it came manufactured originally, but left the gimmick looking ten times more suspicious that it already did (again, h*l3s). Those of you who have the original probably know what I'm talking about and if you don't, I recomend you re-watch that portion of the DVD to have a better understanding of what I am referring to if you're interested in the FDS2.0 because with this new version, the "repair" method of attaching the el@st!cs is how the gimmick now comes standard - Right out of the box. I bought two of them and it is this way on BOTH of the FDS2.0 that I received; A huge glob of hot glue(?) holding a trail of el@st!c thr3@d down both sides of both gimmicks.

Again, I could have lived with the faults of the original FDS if it had been in red and not blue (Especially since the method on how to alter the original FDS gimmick was nearly as infuriating as the method of repairing it, which is why I never bothered). Unfortunately, the change in color to the FDS2.0 is, in my opinion, the only real improvement here.

I will say this; I DO maintain that the thought behind the gimmick, and the effects possible with it are still very valuable and highly creative and although both the gimmick and the routines I intend to use it for may require a fair amount of tweaking on my part, I will at least be attempting to put the FDS2.0 to good use. Have Shin and Piccone redeemed themselves with this new version? Absolutely not. However, I do find a bit of solace in the fact that this version of the gimmick may eventually be worthy of a performance that isn't in front of my workshop mirror, even if it IS due largely to it's color.