I really enjoyed these DVDs. Danny's a real worker, and it shows. His magic is direct, hard-hitting, and tightly scripted. I recommend these DVDs to anyone who wants to learn from a pro who performs strong, real-world effects that have been fine-tuned over many years. Great job Danny and Koz!

Larry

Although I am relatively new to magic, I know quality when I see it. This is a great set. Danny Tong's routining has great economy of movement. After watching Larry Davidson's Scripted Insanity set, I became aware of the value of scripting and motivation. Danny is a master at these.

I'll say this DVD set is great. You will however find it different than a lot of DVDs out there. Different in the fact that this stuff is practical. These are not tricks for magicians, although they will fool magicians. These are effects and routines for a professional. All of Dan's routines are usuable. I repeat usuable. In a day and age where people put out effects that look good only from the camera angle, it's a relief when a DVD set comes out that is truly practical and will help any magician wanting to turn full time. The video quality is excellent and the teaching is excellent. Well done, Ted and Dan. One of the best if not, THE best this year.

Joey

How does the false count(nightmare) compare to the one I learned from Daryl's videos years ago?

I don't know which false count Daryl uses, but the one that Danny uses is extremely easy, very effective, and the funny thing is that none of the ropes are switched. It's brilliant in its simplicity.

Got my Vol 2 yesterday.

Absolutely brilliant Dvd.

I love the interview segments before each effect and the effects are great.
I bought the DVd for the egg bag routine - which is fab. I was BLOWN AWAY by his proffessors nightmare though.

Christmas is coming - I'd ask Santa for these DVD's!

Kindest Regards

Dominick

These are excellent DVDS. Mr. Tong is an excellent performer and the DVDs show why he is a magnificent performer. The effects are all wonderful and are very usable in real life settings. As Larry has pointed out, his routines are finely tuned and rehearsed and performed to perfection. Even though this is not touted as a how to perfrom in restuarant DVD but just watching him perform in a restaurant setting was a great learning tool to see how a true professional approaches, entertains and then leaves the table. His ring on stick/ring flite, egg bag and benson bowl routine using borrowed dollar bills are truly magnificent. Highly recommended.

Michael

To the person who doesn't look for the details, these DVDs may well look like just another table hopper doing all the standard routines. That would truly be a shame to miss the trees due to the forrest. The majority of methods here are hammered out from decades in the trenches and the specific details presented, some little some large, are truly significant to one who wishes to hop tables. The methods are for the most part rock solid and at times uniquely creative in their problem solving.

There are some minor flaws of interest. At one opening climax to the performance of Dan's matrix the camera cuts away killing the appearance of the first coin. Having assisted as a continuity consultant on more than a few video shoots this in particular caught my eye. Such a potentially minor thing is dwarfed by the sometimes network quality picture in picture editing used to create a more intimate feel at times.

I am one who did not care for the interview before each trick. I would have preferred that interview portion to be all in one place or have the option to turn it off. Not just skip through it at the start of every trick, but turn it off completely. At times it felt like the producer was trying to justify the trick before letting me see it. But such are personal production issues. Does it affect the potential value to a performer, no. It just is something to step around when in learning or research mode.

I almost screamed at my TV when Dan dropped a coin he was trying to palm and went on to tuck it into classic palm position and say "We put the coin right there..." and then proceed do a vanish retaining the coin in classic palm. I know that my audiences are more aware than to accept such blatant trickery. This is dwarfed by a couple of truly amazing vanishes in the very same routine. So don't get the idea Tong doesn't have chops. But I've got to say, once they catch one, the spell is usually broken.

In that same routine is a brilliant load of a jumbo coin. I'm not a fan of jumbo coin use (they seem to be children's toys based on the way they are used by most) but this load is pure poetry in motion.

Likewise, I found the frequent use of the double under cut (the most over used, unnatural move which frequents card magic) to be very outdated (my personal pet peeve in card magic)... and then a couple of tricks later I find the double undercut used again but with perfect motivation; that being in selecting another card. The difference between the two is like the difference between drunken babble and poetry.

Overall the minor shortcomings I felt were more than counterbalanced by the positive qualities of this DVD set. Top all that off with some straight forward hard hitting, solid gold advice and insight from Dan's decades of experience spanning the bredth of knowledge one would want to know to survive in a restaurant setting.

Table hoppers both novice and experienced will benefit greatly from taking the lessons of Dan Tong's experiences and the lessons of his methods to heart.

I reeived the second volume of this set a week ago, and was very glas with what I received. The main reason for that is that two of the routines on this dvd are going into my repetoire straight away.

I'm talking about the chop cup routine and the rope routine.
I always liked one cup routines and its simplicity, I never liked chop cup routines though, because of the standard "is the ball in my pocket or under the cup now" lines that usually gets repeated a dozen times before two big loads appear. I never cared for it, until I saw this dvd. Dan routine is short, to the point, really magical before the final load sequence, and the final phase is so clever! Dan constructed an ending in which an audience will appreciate the big load even more. I really like this kind of thinking. Also this doesn't take up much pocketspace, which is very important to me.

The rope routine is brilliant. Simply brilliant! Use the nightmare switch from the sanders dvd and make it even look more magical.

I didn't care much for the other effects, with the exeption of the Jack-effect. Not because I didn't find them bad, on the contrary, they just doesn't fit my style. I can see that a lot of performers are gonna get a lot out of the eggbag routine. fact is I don't like eggbags myself and don't find them very magical. Dans ending is magical, though.

Get it, you won't be dissapointed. If you do tablehopping this is really a must.

Simon

Heres a review I came across


http://www.mylovelyassistant.com/index.p......mp;cid=0

So I'm on magic talk...i log in as kozmo and these guys are busting my chops because they don't beleive its me...ah, the price of fame lol