Have you guys seen Daniel Garicas new routine...

ellusionist.com

I saw that. $20 is a bit much for just a gimmicked card box and notes. Seems like a stunner though.

I don't know if that's too much or not. Depends on what's in the notes. But it looks fantastic. Maybe work it into an Overkill routine...? Could possibly work.

If you guys are workers you will love this! Daniel and I both use this all the time at our gigs and it kills. If you have to carry a deck of cards with you you might as well have Tricycle ready to go at any time. If you guys have any questions about it just let me know.

Your friend in magic,
Luke Dancy

I just saw this and now I can't wait for this to come..........Ordered it on the spot...... Now Daniel, I'll be in Dallas, TX in about 3 weeks, just like I mentioned at Marc DeSouza's house when you were in PA and lecturing............ I'll shoot you an email and give you more specifics..... Gotta see the card to wallet as well as this handling for the card box.......... Cheers. JPV

Hey Luke the routine looks awesome and all but isn't 20 dollars a little much for just a card case? It says there is more than one rountie but it dosnt say how many routines or what the routines are. Do you think you can tell us more about this?

The box has more than one revelation built into it and you also get a booklet that has about six or seven additional handlings and routines for you to use. I like to think of it as a $20 investment because I can guarantee that once you have your Tricycle box you won't be leaving home without it. In my opinion I can't see card magicians not having one.

Your friend in magic,
Luke Dancy

As much as I oppose the ridiculously over-priced, over-hyped, over-done red gaff deck, as well as most of E's offering in general, I must admit this gimmicked box could prove incredibly useful. It's something you will always have and can always do anytime, anywhere; it can be done in the hands and apparently it's quite easy to pull off. The strongest selling point is that this is not necessarily a "card trick." However, 20 dollars for one box...

Also, why even bother loading more things on to it? That just means it definitely won't withstand inspection, right? Shouldn't the box be normal in all respects except for this one?

Isn't it fair to assume none of the other revelations are as strong? I would happily pay 10 dollars for one great trick/revelation that I'll use rather 20 dollars for mediocre to decent revelations.

I'm just curious, after watching the demo video, you can see that the card case says "3 of clubs" the entire time...I'm sure someone else has noticed this. If you look at the product description, it hints at it, so are they letting you in, or still trying to say it's a visual change, or what?

What if they take the five of diamonds?

To Chris SD -- yes, they are saying it says the "Three of Clubs" the whole time. Take a look at the photo of the deck. Actually, I found this straightforward acknowledgement of what the product is kind of refreshing. A lot of times I find all the arguments over "exposure" kind of overwrought, and I thought it was cool of them to admit that the "visual change" is basically a psychological one.

That said, I think $20 for a card box and basically a one-card revelation is a bit steep; it would have been better if all the gaff decks came with this box.

Hmm, sorry to disagree here, but I'd pay more then that for this effect. Afterall, it's usable!!! I've paid upwards of fifty bucks for junk that I wouldn't use in a million years, and now here's a product that can go straight into my act for less then half of that. You're not paying for the cardboard box... your paying for a fabulous, usable idea. That's magic.

Jonathan, I would like to see this problem addressed as well!!!

BTW, any longtime reader of PH's work would know to put a slip from an old case under the plastic so they could remove it before...

anyway..

also glad to see how well Danny comes across in video and how well the mental reframe "change" of the case text plays for people.

now about the queen of spades?

( hinting that a series of these boxes would be collectable )

This looks really good. If you read the description, it actually says to keep the box pointed upsidedown at the spectators until the revelation. I looked at the picture upsidedown and, sure enough, if you just casually glance at it, it looks like it says bicycle (althogh it looks like it says it upside down which doesn't make much sense but no one will notice anyway so the point is moot).

BTW, anyone else ever play with the Richard Sanders Marks-A-Lot gimmick that comes with his dvd? That's a lot of fun.

Hey Michael,

It's just a subjective thing I guess. I love Garcia, admire his routining. Just for me, I can think of other ways to reveal a forced card that are more interesting. It would have been cool if they just built it into the gaff deck so you got the cards and the deck.

Also, actually, I recently reconnected with magic, bought a bunch of stuff, but have decided to spend my money more on books and to stay away from the obviously gaffed stuff. If I was in a spendthrift mode at the moment, I'd probably pick it up.

Is the box plastic coated or anything to make it last longer?

The other revelations on the box are for the same card so you are able to make the writing change in more than one place which is pretty fun and makes the spectators flip out. There's also a special hidden message on the flap of the box which is perfect for a card to cardbox routine or a two card transposition. Daniel and I love magic as much as you guys and wouldn't put out something unless we knew it was worth putting out. We only want the best for you guys!

Your friend in magic,
Luke Dancy

I just wanted to post a quick comment about pricing. One of the first things I learned as a magician was that the money I was spending on magic tricks, notes, books, etc. was for the INFORMATION, not the item. You can go and buy a music CD for $10 - $20, when it only cost pennies to produce. You're paying for the music (information) on it, not the actual plastic. Similar to this effect - the cost of the card box doesn't necessarily (may or may not) have anything to do with the pricing of the effect.
Any creator (in magic or otherwise) has the right to price his / her product however they want. America is built on free enterprise, which means if you don't think it's worth the cost, then you don't have to buy it. If you see the effect, and you think it's a great effect, then you can decide if it's worth it for you to spend the money.
Here are a couple of scenarios:
1 - Some magicians purposefully price their product high because they don't want many people performing it - only serious people will buy, and they'll still make a decent profit because it's highly priced.
2 - Others price products (information) very high because they don't want others buying it, but they want credit as creator (this could be a set of lecture notes worth pennies).
3 - Others want to have high sales volume, but the item being sold is so expensive to manufacture that even with a low margin, it is still a very expensive product.
4 - Still others price products at a level they feel will yield the most profit and sales, for the sake of making as much money as possible.
It doesn't matter what the circumstance, it really is none of our business (as consumers) why the product is priced where it is. We have the option of buying or not. Actually, if there is a lot of complaining going on about an item, that probably means that the item is good, because the complainer desires the item. On another note, the only time I would consider a complaint legitimate is if the advertisement was deceiving, and you felt you didn't get what you were sold (which for the most part is a uniqueness to the magic field). But that is another discussion.

I do agree that what you are paying for is information and that is priceless.

However, I do take issue when people say things are priced high so the merely curious will not by them. On the contrary. There are a lot of hobbists who have a lot of money who buy tricks not to perform but just to say they know how they are done. And the fact that the trick is really, really expensive only makes it more appealing for them to purchase. How many performing artists do you know who are rich? I don't know any.

Some say, "That trick will pay for itself in two gigs." Really, even if you're a terrible business person? I've never performed a piece of magic for someone who says, "Man, that was so good, I'm going to pay you double!" Tricks don't pay for themselves. Magicians pay for them. And if they're good negotiators, they'll get their money back for the trick.

The rationale behind music CDs costing 10-20 dollars is that they have high initial fixed costs (producing and marketing the album) and low marginal costs (stamping copies). And, of course, the consumer's willingness to pay... The problem here is that the idea IS tied to the gimmick because making one doesn't seem too pleasant. So if we're paying for the information, then E can do a couple things: 1) Include several boxes instead of just one for twenty bucks. 2) Offer the boxes to returning customers at a discounted price.

By your own argument E would be ripping off customers who paid for the "INFORMATION" the first time they bought the trick. Why should we have to pay the full price (buying the idea) a second time? Also, in the modern age, CDs do not need replacing (they've almost become an ideal durable good). I bought a CD just the other day, ripped it on to my computer and then burned a disc containing the original music along with some of my favorite songs by the same band (Propagandhi). The physical disc I purchased sits in its case in a drawer collecting dust.



Who cares? Not everyone here is from America, or thinks America is the greatest country on the planet. And by "America" I suppose you mean "The United States." Sorry, I was just listening to Propagandhi, my favorite Vegan, Leftist, anarchist bands from Canada.