Cindi,

I don’t see why your post would be torn to shreds. You make a good point (and thanks for the link). Ryan Madden, Dixie Dooley, and dozens of other EA performers have used a similar looking belt for years. They use something called an Australian Muff or a Tom Horn Belt.

Ryan uses a Tom Horn belt and does a great turn with it! He gets more mileage from his Tom Horn escape than other EA’s get out of more complicated props.By the way a better photo of the Ryan getting into the belt is at: http://www.ryanmadden.com/jpg/3b.jpg.

Home for his website is (check it out for a very retro and cool look that plays to the college crowd and us old timers quite well):
http://www.ryanmadden.com/home.html

I am not sure of the manufacturer of his prop (Cannon’s, Wheeler/Tanner or someone else) but they are all pretty much made the same. The Tom Horn belt is described and discussed by John Novak in his series of escape booklets.

Having used both I can tell you that they are different as night and day. Honestly, the Challenge Belt is very, very different in working. True, there is a general similarity in appearance since they are both built on a wide belt platform and both have arm restraining straps (the Tom Horn’s are simply large loops, the Challenge have a tie/screw down feature), however there is really no comparison in function.

Unlike the Challenge Belt, The Tom Horn belt could not be put on anyone else without them immediately knowing how to escape from it. Putting it on prepares you to take it off! Once it is on you can instantly get out of it and back in again. In fact, Dixie Dooley uses a Tom Horn belt for an “out and in again” routine.

All that said it is not a bad prop. Ryan, Dixie, and others have developed strong routines showing that it can be a very strong prop to use. I recently sold my Tom Horn belt to help pay for the Challenge Belt.

By the way folks, having had the privilege to talk briefly with Cindi I can attest that she is not Santini.

Cindi,

Never project, it is kinda silly.

Read all the posts, you will see that this really is not about the belt. It is about trashing anything connected to Steve Baker.

It began (this time) with the tug of rope tie, and progressed (or more correctly regressed) to here.

While the "Tom Horn" title is often used, it goes back much further than that.

Prince Wheeler called it the Australian Muff. Other variations go back to Trudel, some having very long chains to fasten to neck and leg sections; and yet another that was attached to a "ghost walks" board (Abbotts name for a much older effect).

So you can see I am well aware of the history of this effect, and am old enough to have seen it in all its variations.

Mr. Bakers belt is NOTHING like the above. In the first place, NO ONE used handcuffs before. In the second, NO ONE offered it as an escape proof effect, until now.

If this were just another effect, by now, people who bought these would be saying so. Instead, they fill these boards with praise.

Mark Tripp, MANY years ago, began a project to put effects on the market. He began with "Tripp's Trap" (an outstanding effect with an ungimmicked rat trap long before others played with them). People who bought it loved it, people who didn't trashed it. He got so fed up with it, he just quit the entire project. Same with book and video/dvd projects.

Nothing kills faster than unfounded negitivity. Which is why the dark one, in all his forms, is so disliked around here.

The question EVERY one of us needs to ask is, what did I do, TODAY, to leave the world better than I found it.

Some people work to save the world, others to blow it up....

...just look around this room.

Would you be able to interchange handcuffs on this belt?

Jim

Yes, with just a little work the cuffs can be changed. Wait until you see the cuffs that Ros has on his! Sweet mother of mercy! I't not up to me to tip it in advance, that is for Ros and Mr. Baker.

I'm keeping my mouth shut till the pics come up on Steve's site. I haven't seen it myself yet, but I've heard a bit about it during the phone calls from Steve. As I said earlier, this monster even broke Steve's stand.

Take care,

Ros

Here's a challenge for those that really want a 100% escape proof belt. Why not add a pair of king breakers on them? I'm not talking about the pop rivet king breaker created by Norm Bigelow, but a full on, no messing about, need to cut the thing off king breaker.

Now that would be one nasty piece of kit for any trouble makers.

I think that would be kinda funny to see too

Ros

I know what I think - but I was wondering how others thought about the "in and out" played with a Tom Horn belt?

Hi Dave! I've been too darn busy to write, but, frankly, I think the other guys (who are much more qualified than I) have given you their best opinions.

Dick