This one seems to have flown completely under the radar so I thought I'd pick it up and give it a whirl: https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/S36303

I really liked Victor's other post-it note release, which I believe was called Post-It, and the demo of Fuse It actually fooled me. I knew how the end phase had to come about but I had no idea how he accomplished it. Essentially, you show a small post-it pad on both sides. You sign one note and then stick it upside down to the top of the pad so that it overlaps the next note slightly. The spectator then signs the next note. When you now pull off the spectator's signed note, your note has fused to the spectator's so that you now have what is in essence an elongated post-it note signed by both you and the spectator.

I really wasn't expecting much when I ordered this because I hadn't heard anyone talk about it, but I'm happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised. The pad is gimmicked in an ingenious way that I never would have thought of. It allows for an incredibly clean, instantaneous switch, and the switch is basically automatic. Even when he initially explained the gimmick, I had absolutely no idea how it would function. Victor deserves a lot of credit for even thinking up the concept.

The gimmick isn't overly complex, but I wouldn't want to make it. Thankfully, the package is very complete and includes a fully-made gimmick. It also comes with supplies to fix the gimmick should it ever break. When I saw what was included to fix the gimmick, I thought "Oh no. I hate that stuff." But thankfully, the gimmick is well-built and the need to fix it should be very rare. If you do need to fix it, Victor walks you through the process which takes only about 10 minutes.

You get 50 of the giveaway notes, which is great, but if you don't like the look of the included notes, Victor teaches how to make more authentic looking giveaway notes (which are essentially two notes glued together). He teaches this tweak in the context of several bonus effects. Normally, bonus effects are throw-aways. Not here. The bonus routines are mostly excellent and show the versatility of the gimmick.

In one bonus effect, you stick two notes together and draw a fork. The spectator signs the fork. When you pull the combined note from the pad, the signed fork has bent Geller-style. (As an avid fork bender, I particularly liked this one.) The second bonus showed how to turn a mini post-it note pad into an add-a-number pad. In the third bonus, a spectator's signed post-it disappears and appears stuck to his/her back. I believe there was a 4th bonus as well but I can't recall.

Handling is pretty simple. The vanish is basically automatic. There is one phase where you have to steal something away, but given the small size of the pad you are dealing with, it's a very simple steal. Reset is not automatic but shouldn't take more than 20-30 seconds. It can't be done in front of spectators.

I love great tricks that fly under the hype radar that has sadly become so prevalent. This is one of those. If you like "organic" magic, this is right up your alley. Congrats to Vicor for coming up with a creative method that gives you an anniversary waltz style effect with something other than cards.

Great review, thanks Eric and I was hoping someone may have purchased it to give a review. I literally just finished watching Alex review this on monster magic and was really tempted, then just read your post - thanks.

Do you know if you can buy more refills after the 50 included? Making them is ok and kinda works with the premise of a fuse, I just think it looks very good with just one sheet?
Thanks

Thanks for sharing that detailed review Eric

I also have it, and its realy good. More complex then I thought. Great idea and nice ginmicks.

Complex in a good or bad way?

In a good way:-)

I was hoping you would say that

Victor says refills will be available but I guess that depends on how commercially successful the general release is.

Got it as well and absolutely love it. So much that I got a second as a back-up… which gets me more paper as well.

Not knowing how the gimmick works (not asking to know) but when the 50 pages run out, could there be perhaps a way of buying the same size post it note pads or slightly bigger then trimming to size to give the all one piece instead of buying refills?

Yes I would think that it shouldn’t be too difficult to do so but you would really need to get to the exact same dimensions.

I agree with the previous comments. This is a fun, entertaining, creative effect that is easy to carry and to use. The gimmick is well thought out and quite interesting. I also purchased two.
Michael

I think you could buy a bigger pad and then cut out your own refills. Note that the fused note does not have any glue. If that bothers you and you want to have a sticky section on the final fused note, victor shows you how to easy do so at the very end of tutorial

Yeah, thanks for turning me onto this effect Eric. I now have mine in hand and I like it a lot.

I think not having glue on the fused gimmick paper is a good idea. Just makes life simpler and I like Victor’s justification by implying that the sticky parts somehow rearranged themselves to magically fuse the papers together, just in case someone were to question you about it.

Plus, now they can keep it and put it in their wallet or pocket or wherever and it’s not going to stick to anything.

Personally I would prefer if the larger piece has a sticky section (as normal post it note paper has). It in a way makes no sense that the final piece has no sticky part. I can kinda see how you could get around it as an explanation why it hasn’t, but just makes it more unconvincing if it’s just regular paper. The fuse part looks very good on video so to leave them with just a regular price of paper with no sticky part, makes them for me question the papers were just cleverly switched in some way. Will they think that anyway even if it had a sticky section - maybe. But the point is at least if it has a sticky section that final piece looks ‘normal’ in a way as it should.

Thanks for all the info guys.

I really really very highly doubt that, simply because the switch is extremely clean. The move is not a move, everything is handled as things would be normally handled. I wasn’t aware of this method and honestly I was impressed the first time I saw it. I’ve only performed it a few times so far and people were stunned. In any case if you prefer having a sticky part it’s possible!

Hang on, I may have visualised this wrong… are you placing the 2 sticky parts together on the separate notes before the fuse?

Not sticky side to sticky side.

Ok I’m confused now… I’ve just watched the trailer again and at 0:52 it looks like he’s placed the 1 note sticky side and stuck it to the top of the pad on the other note. So in sense the 2 sticky parts are together one overlapping the other - but not 2 actual sticky bits touching (as the one side is attached to the pad) if that makes sense.

The reason this is important or relevant for me at least, is because when the fuse happens then it actually makes sense that the sticky bits have fused to now make it a regular piece.

I originally thought the one end would still have sticky on it, but the 2 sticky bits are in the middle when the fuse happens. So yep that’s good why there logically would be no sticky but after. Sorry if that sounds confusing but if anyone else was conscious and visualised it originally like me, I’m happy now knowing it’s just a regular piece.

You are correct. Sticky end to sticky end while one note is still attached to pad.