The Magic Cafe Forums - Switch-a-Lope by Arnaud (a Magic Portal review)

Switch-a-lope - Arnaud Van Rietschoten
$59.95
http://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=62009

The Hype:

THE Ultimate 4-way-out envelope

Imagine an ingenious envelope that will deliver the correct prediction, no matter which of 4 possible outcomes occurs! YOU ARE COVERED!

Every mentalist needs a 4-way-out envelope! There any many available, but none allow you to do the following:
Have the envelope signed
Keep the envelope in full sight during the show
Have the spectator take out the prediction
Show the envelope empty
Have a large folded sheet of paper in the envelope
No Slits, etc.
SWITCH-A-LOPE by Arnaud allows you to do all of the above!!

Arnaud has been using this utility device in his shows over the past year, and he now shares this unique principle with the rest of the magic world!

It comes in a handy sleeve you can use to protect the special envelope during transport.

There are many 4-way-out envelopes on the market. You only need one:

SWITCH-A-LOPE by Arnaud!

My Take:
What you get in the package: One devilishly clever gimmick and a link to a 14 minute instructional video.

I love innovation and brilliant thinking so you know I love this one. If you are not now doing any mentalism, this might be just the thing to start you on your way.

An envelope that never leaves the spectators eyes yet allows you to choose one of four selections. The construction of this is very nicely done and the working makes it simple as pie to use. Your main work on this will be coming up with a routine. Arnaud only shows the mechanics of the envelope on the video and does not provide a routine. He does mention that he has used it for a murder mystery where your spectators choose one of four murder weapons and the chosen one is found in the envelope. If you own Corinda's Thirteen Steps, Step 4 is Predictions and should give you some good ideas from which to construct your own routine.

Arnaud says this is not a close up trick. It can be used for parlor or stage. So if it gets a bit worn after a while, no one will be close enough to see the wear. Colors are nicely used. You get a white windowed envelope that has an orange envelope in full view so the contrast makes it very visual. After the selection is made, you take the envelope, remove the paper inside and the prediction matches. The envelope is in full view at all times so it is impossible to switch an envelope (or is it?). I can see that this took a lot of thinking and experimentation to make the working model. It is extremely easy to do so you can concentrate almost 100% on presentation.

This is a powerful piece of equipment for the stage mentalist. There have been a lot of methods for switching an envelope before but nothing as clean and smooth working as this. The gimmick looks beautiful and works like a charm.

You do not have to worry about a flap in the envelope or making sure you tear the correct end. This is just about as clean is it comes. When you are practicing, you may even fool yourself.

This one definitely deserves two thumbs up. An absolutely brilliant and beautiful piece of work.

canaday Special user Florida 746 Posts	Posted: Jul 31, 2018 02:15 pm 0 Switch-a-lope - Arnaud Van Rietschoten $59.95 http://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=62009 The Hype: THE Ultimate 4-way-out envelope Imagine an ingenious envelope that will deliver the correct prediction, no matter which of 4 possible outcomes occurs! YOU ARE COVERED! Every mentalist needs a 4-way-out envelope! There any many available, but none allow you to do the following: Have the envelope signed Keep the envelope in full sight during the show Have the spectator take out the prediction Show the envelope empty Have a large folded sheet of paper in the envelope No Slits, etc. SWITCH-A-LOPE by Arnaud allows you to do all of the above!! Arnaud has been using this utility device in his shows over the past year, and he now shares this unique principle with the rest of the magic world! It comes in a handy sleeve you can use to protect the special envelope during transport. There are many 4-way-out envelopes on the market. You only need one: SWITCH-A-LOPE by Arnaud! My Take: What you get in the package: One devilishly clever gimmick and a link to a 14 minute instructional video. I love innovation and brilliant thinking so you know I love this one. If you are not now doing any mentalism, this might be just the thing to start you on your way. An envelope that never leaves the spectators eyes yet allows you to choose one of four selections. The construction of this is very nicely done and the working makes it simple as pie to use. Your main work on this will be coming up with a routine. Arnaud only shows the mechanics of the envelope on the video and does not provide a routine. He does mention that he has used it for a murder mystery where your spectators choose one of four murder weapons and the chosen one is found in the envelope. If you own Corinda's Thirteen Steps, Step 4 is Predictions and should give you some good ideas from which to construct your own routine. Arnaud says this is not a close up trick. It can be used for parlor or stage. So if it gets a bit worn after a while, no one will be close enough to see the wear. Colors are nicely used. You get a white windowed envelope that has an orange envelope in full view so the contrast makes it very visual. After the selection is made, you take the envelope, remove the paper inside and the prediction matches. The envelope is in full view at all times so it is impossible to switch an envelope (or is it?). I can see that this took a lot of thinking and experimentation to make the working model. It is extremely easy to do so you can concentrate almost 100% on presentation. This is a powerful piece of equipment for the stage mentalist. There have been a lot of methods for switching an envelope before but nothing as clean and smooth working as this. The gimmick looks beautiful and works like a charm. You do not have to worry about a flap in the envelope or making sure you tear the correct end. This is just about as clean is it comes. When you are practicing, you may even fool yourself. This one definitely deserves two thumbs up. An absolutely brilliant and beautiful piece of work.
Arnaud New user 55 Posts	Posted: Aug 1, 2018 05:20 am 1 Many thanks for the nice review and the 2 thumbs up! I am encouraged by all the positive feedback and now the product is getting in the hand of customers, their positive feedback is very rewarding for all the hard work I put in getting this out on the market! I'm glad to have shared this with the magic community and have them enjoy this!
canaday Special user Florida 746 Posts	Posted: Aug 1, 2018 12:25 pm 1 My only complaint would be that it is priced way too low!
chiassai New user Italy 56 Posts	Posted: Apr 25, 2024 08:37 pm 0 Hi, I would like to buy the envelope because many have told me about the excellent quality. Can anyone suggest or give me some ideas for a good rotine since they aren't included?