Hi guays.
I do not have a Ball and Vase, but here is one Question:

here
http://www.penguinmagic.com/specialorderproduct.php?ID=3131

or here:
http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=235

What do these sets include. I need A vase, a shell, 2 balls and one ball with an indefferent color.(mike skinners version)

do they contain the 3 balls I need?

No both of those are listings for the same item. It is a little plastic vase with one plastic ball and gimmick. Look around and do some web searching.

I found a nice wooden ball vase made in India for $20. It included a wooden vase, wooden ball, hollow ball, silk, and sponge ball. It also had a nice routine that used all those items.

The ambitious Card and RNT2 has nice ball and vase sets for the Mike Gallo routine. non come with the shell.

The wooden vase looks better.

Yup, and although this is a widely exposed effect, the HANDLING is what matters. And if you don't use plastic it helps.. you don't look like a "trickster".

Sahunhong

Even in wood the ball vase is not a famailar item to most people. So it doesn't matter if the ball vase is wood or plastic. With wood or plastic no one is going to percieve it any differently. Only a magician is going to worry if this item will look normal if it's made of wood. You are correct about the handling is what matters. The routine matters as well. Without a good routine all you have is a puzzle.

I think a wood vase does add class to the effect but it doesn't make it look any less odd.

Even more so if you do the Gallo routine there is no ball shell so that blows the widly exposed part out of the water

I just received my wooden Ball Vase from James Riser. It is a beautiful piece of art made from Cocobolo wood and came with 4 balls. I am very proud of owning this fantastic wooden Ball and Vase it was well worth the cost, and I have no intention of letting anyone touch it.

All I have to do now is learn how to use it. I do have the Mike Gallo DVD on the Ball and Vase, but he only teaches one routine which surprises me, I wish there were other routines out there available.

Have fun folks

I did a search on Ball & Vase routines and found some interesting routines on one of those free video sites. Most of those routines were done with the classic plastic Ball & Vase with the shell, but some were done without the shell. One kid added a quarter to the routine which I thought was a good step into the creative direction that I been searching for. One kid had the nerve to expose the secret, and hopefully his mommy gave him a spanking for exposing it.

Anyway, it would be nice to come up with some new ideas for Ball & Vase routines. A routine that could be just as long or longer than Balls and Cups routines.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

I seem to remember looking at a demo a couple of years ago now of a magician showing a wonderful BGall and Vase routine. I just wish I could remember what his name was and also the name of the product.

It remains the best Ball and Vase routine I have ever seen. The magician used two quality vases (they may have been made of marble). One Vase held a black marble, the other a white marble. He got the marbles to change colour, transfer over, disappear etc.

Does anyone know who this magician was? where the demo was sited? and what the product was? I would certainly recommend this to others who are looking for the ultimate quality routine for the Ball and Vase.

With best wishes Andy.

Does anyone know who this magician was? where the demo was sited? and what the product was?

Video link of The Stones of Tutankhamun

I would stay with the cheap set and the Skinner routine...really good....

Thanks GeorgeG for finding the product link despite my rather sketchy description and memory!. That is the one. Doug Gorman presenting The Stones Of Tutankamun.(why do some magicians always insist on including somewhere in their patter the words "my personal favourite?"? Oz Pearlman suffers from this condition as well!)

The ball and vase set is certainly of very high quality but seems rather expensive to me. I guess that you get what you pay for. The routine is very well thought out requiring average skill and deserving of practice. Some sleight of hand is involved although nothing too impossible. What I like about the routine is the fact that two rather than one ball vases are used to great effect. This adds interest and strength to the routine for me.

On reflection however I agree with Joseph that this might not be suitable as a first buy. Madkiki mentioned I think that he had purchased a single wooden ball and vase from the same creator James Riser. He seems very happy with it. Mr Riser does have a reputation for producing things of beauty.

As Misterbill advises have a look on the web for a more modestly priced wooden ball and vase and then take a look at the Mike Gallo and/or Mike Skinner routines.

Good luck with your search.

With best wishes Andy.

Andy, I bought 3 sets of the plastic version (about $3 each) at the Timid Rabbit magic shop in Kalamazoo, Mi., so I could do the Skinner version, so it isn't a huge loss if you would rather use the high quality set.....

I would be curious if both were used at different times, to see which would go over better as far as audience reaction...

If you want something different looking in a Ball & Vase you might want to check out my Olive Bottle Vase crafted by RNTII and available from their website.

The Skinner routine, or Mike Gallo's routine (which is best on Skinner's but w/o the shell).

I recommend the SSAdams plastic ball and vase as it looks like a toy and fits nicely in the pocket. The more elaborate the Ball and Vase the more likely they are to think it's a mechanical device that does the magic. And since that's close to correct, it's not a good idea to promote that idea.

That's the one....The simple Adams sets are the ones like Skinner uses...

I just saw "The Stones of Tutankhamun" and it was so much better than the Mike Gallo routine. The Mike Gallo DVD only has one Ball & Vase routine that is very short, and it also has two other tricks that is unrelated to the Ball & Vase, therefore I was not happy with this DVD. The clip showing "The Stones of Tutankhamun" is a longer routine and uses more sleight of hand than the Mike Gallo routine, the DVD I wish I had instead of Mike Gallo.

It would be nice to see other routines, longer ones, or even multiple routines like the C&Bs.

Let's get the ball rolling people!

Brian Cook (member of the Café) has a Gallo version on Youtube that looks very nice, at least for me it is more clear that the one in the Gallo'S DVD, take a look. Also Tom Frank has one in his web page, it is based on Gallo's but different angles.

pablo

The plastic set can be very entertaining. This is true of a lot of things. Something as simple as an imp bottle can be entertaining.

Having said that, there are sets which make my mouth water. A recent M.U.M. had a couple of ball and vase routines.