Boy, I was pretty amazed whem I got this item last week. For the quality of this wand it's price of under $15 doesn't give justice. It's made out of hard wood and has a heavy feel. it comes in two pieces. I suggest every one to take a look at this wand from penguin magic. Even if you are a pro and already own a more expensive magic wand you still want to concider having this even for practice purposes. But for me this is good enough for performance purpose.

I saw this and it is a very impressive wand for the low price.

Hi,

Penguin couldn't help me so I guess maybe you can help.... I was told by them that the wand is 1 inch in diameter. is that true? if so, its definitely way too thick for me....

No it's about 1/2" in diameter. I love mine. Use it daily.

Is the fitting at the join of the two pieces of good quality? Does it look like it will last awhile?

Mine looks pretty tough. Yeah I think it will last for quite a while. Maybe it also depends on how you use the wand.

Ok... I think I'm getting one right away.

Why is it in 2 pieces? What's the bennefit to this over the Mercury Wand?

The reason for it being 2 piece I guess is for easier transportation and storage.

well... I do not have the mercury wand yet, but I'm intending to get one soon.

Also, you might want to try the Ultimate magic wand by telic magic at elmagicshop.com
My friend has one and they come in either 10" or 12" with either brass or aluminium tips.
But if you really intend to get a good wand, try this

http://www.wizardcraft.com/Wands.htm

I hope this helps.

Not to knock Penguin, but this is what you have to watch out for when you order from places that have non-magicians manning the phones. The wand is, as mentioned later, about 1/2 inch in diameter. I got two of them as give-aways from L&L publishing. I use them for everything but serious cups and balls work.

Why?

As James Riser (who makes some of the nicest cups on the planet) pointed out to me when I asked him to make me a custom wand, you don't want to use a metal tipped wand when you are working with really nice cups. You will end up with dings on your cups.

But for normal use, these are hard to beat.

If you want to have some fun, find a nice wooden pencil case for it, and make a "pool shark's" case for your wand. When you come out, take the wand out of it and screw it together. Different magicians do this with decks of cards, etc. I won't give you the lines to use with this. Think "The Hustler."

Point noted.
I guess now I will have to get a roy kuepper's custom wand.

I just made my own. Use a 1/2" dowel from the hardware store, sand it smooth, gave it an undercoat and three coats of quality epoxy paint. It is as nice as anything on the market. Used the chrome tips from an old vanishing wand trick.

I think it is beautiful if I do say so myself.

Bill

Actually Bill has given you a great idea. Buy a dowel of the kind of wood you want to use (mahogany, cherry, oak, popular whatever!), sand, stain or paint (or even leave natural and rub in a bit of lint seed oil) and leave it tip less for your cup work and viola! Magic Wand!

For 15 dollars I got a scrap length (a tad under 5/8-inches by about 15-inches) of Iron wood dowel (Olneya tesota) from a dealer that sells rare and fine woods to wood turners. After a bit of sanding and rubbing in some oil and wax it is a beautiful (but tip less) wand. I can bang the heck out of it and it spins nicely. It is rugged enough for a street venue where you have to make a bit of noise to attract attention and elegant enough for a formal close-up show.

The Penguin screw-joint wand has a nice heft to it and looks fine but you won’t want to bang it around much for the reason that Bill Palmer mentions above and for the fact that joined wands tend to be a bit fragile at the join. In fact, all of the screw-joint wands that I have played with had a slight tendency to loosen a bit in use while performing and they had to be given a little twist to tighten it. It's just another thing to worry about in performance.

Pill Palmer has given you a great bit for a comedy introduction of the wand. It is as good or better than the wand from purse.

The “Mercury Wand” mentioned is a length of metal dowel or rod that has a rubber like sleeve over it. It grips well, spins well, and has a good heft. You won’t want to bang your cups with it (read Bill Palmer’s post again) and it looks best with stainless steel or Aluminum cups. I saw it more of a teaching/learning tool than a wand I would use in performance. But if you want an industrial look, go for it!

Don Alan always said a close-up wand shoule be 12" long so that is what I made mine. I really made it because when Williamson created the "Tap" sound on coins across, there were no wands being sold. But I do use it also for Don Alan's Bowl Routine.

Gee, I never thought of damaging a cup with the metal tip of a wand. Thanks for the tip. By the way I also groved out the ends with a bench saw, so the tips and wand body are the same diamater. And Epoxy shines like ebony.

Bill

This is the only wand I use but be aware that the connection is stronger than the wood. After practing flourishes (i.e. constantly dropping it), a crack has developed from the brass fitting back towards the tip (about 2 inches long). It seems stable for now but up close it is shows the crack well.

Other that that, I love it!

Deerbourne

Joe Porper has a GREAT wand! He also makes custom cases for wands. Maybe worth checking out...

Anyone know where to find a tapered wand (wide at the base and narrow at the tip)?

Tapered wands, yes, go check out Viking magics
new ones.They have a couple of options for
You to choose from.

They usually have very good quality products

Recieved my Penguin wand on Saturday. Nice quality, weight, and balance. An overall good wand for the money