Review of Sealed and Stuck

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clarrus

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I have finally received my copy of Sealed and Stuck. Here is my review but before I start, this is strictly a review. Please do not post any mean replies of anything that is not a review related post.

Also I currently do not have many CTB effects to compare this to because I have not yet received factory sealed yet. I ordered both of these at the same time and this got to me first from Singapore.

The effects

The slam - Typical slam a coin through the bottle and it is inside. The only difference from the ones I've seen before is that this time the coin is BIGGER than the mouth of the bottle.

Sealed and Stuck - A Factory Sealed bottle is empty on a sides (no label but there is water inside). Then you take the coin and put it on the side of the bottle and it melts through to the inside of the bottle and falls down.

Signed sealed and stuck - Same as sealed and stuck but with a signed coin.

Bonus - impromptu version of either one except that the coin will not be bigger than the neck of the bottle.

DVD quality - This is not a badly priced trick, pretty cheap actually. The DVD is not the best quality. Not a studio production and the sound is a little bad with static. Sometimes I couldn't make out what he was saying. Still it serves its function. The nav tool is pretty confusing to. At the second page of chapter selection there is an arrow pointing up and left and they both lead to the first page.

Gimmicks - The good part is that you can/have to make the gimmicks yourself. The bad part is that making them takes some time and it is not a 3-10 second prep. YOU CANNOT BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CONVERSATION AND SET IT UP. It has to be done at home. Although the down side is that you have to make a gimmick I think the best part is that it TEACHES you how to make it. I am already thinking of different ways to use this besides with water and it will surely end up being a versatile tool for you.

However, you can give the bottles away to keep afterwards.

The performance - It does require some sleight of hand. You cannot just learn it and do it right away. You will have to come up with a routine to make everything seem smooth. If done properly it will/may be (I haven't tried this yet) breathtaking. In my opinion though, there are angle issues. I could be wrong.

The slam - Not the best one I've seen yet, it does require some "view" obstruction but the coin is bigger than the bottle neck.

Sealed and stuck The Bottle IS Factory sealed. The sleight is not that impressive because you will need to practice alot to get the effect you want but it will be worth it when you pull it through. THEY will open the bottle and see that it is factory sealed. That is going to be the killer part. Against some "view" obstruction but it shouldn't pose a problem.

Signed Sealed and Stuck Pretty much the same as Sealed and Stuck but requires even more set up time than the others. Probably not a technique I will use at all but I still have the option to if I want to. Best performed for people you already know. A sleight can be used to make it appear completely real and they will NEVER question the trick too.

Impromtu A typical CTB. If you know one already from somewhere else, you are good to go.


Personal opinion. Out of a 10 I will give this an 8. It does take prep time and made gimmicks but the learning of how to make the gimmicks to me was very valuable. I seriously think learning how to make the gimmick is very important outside of this trick as a magician.

Is it worth getting? If you are a serious magician and want a huge pile of tricks, this is definately worth getting. After you learn the routine, you can make adjustments and make it your own. I'm almost 100% sure that all you creative guys out there will make it better with some variation.

Once I get factory sealed, I will compare the two. Any Q's let me know.
 
Oct 10, 2007
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Thanks for the review! =)

You are right that Sealed & Stuck is an effect that requires a longer set up and more practice. However, you will find that the time spent would be well worth it after seeing the reactions.

For me I have alot of fun practicing the effect.

The impromptu version requires little set up (which can be done in front of people) but the impact is not as great as the gimmick version.

It is up to you to choose which one to perform.

I hope you will enjoy performing them as much as I do. :)
 
Oct 10, 2007
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They can take the factory sealed bottle home with the big coin inside. Yes, the coin is inside the bottle.
 
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clarrus

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Is the coin really inside the bottle??

Yes actually, the only way to take the coin out is to but the bottle. OR if you know a good quantum physics expert who can build you a machine to make the bottle etheral, that would work to. Mine is on back order.
 
Can Signed Sealed and Stuck be done with a coin that is larger then the opening?

Can the coin be borrowed?

Does this have difficult slights?

Can this be done surrounded?

Is the coin the exact same coin in the bottle after the effect?

Forgot something.... what does it cost to make the gimmick each time that it is performed?
 
Sep 1, 2007
405
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Yes actually, the only way to take the coin out is to but the bottle. OR if you know a good quantum physics expert who can build you a machine to make the bottle etheral, that would work to. Mine is on back order.

Your quantum physics expert in on back order?

Great review man... CTB's are good effects... probably the impromptu version would be the most used, at least while you build your patter and gimmick for the other versions.
 
Sep 1, 2007
479
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Philadelphia, PA
Can the coin be put through the bottle anywhere? Top, front, sides, bottom? Or does it have to be pushed through the back of the bottle?

Does the coin have to fall or can you simple press it right through the bottle and show the coin appearing right where you put it through the bottle? I am not interested in what is more magical looking to anyone I am interested in where the coin can be put and appear.

Thanks much.

--Jim
 
Oct 10, 2007
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Can Signed Sealed and Stuck be done with a coin that is larger then the opening?

Yes.

Can the coin be borrowed?

Yes.

Does this have difficult slights?

For me the sleights are quite simple.

Can this be done surrounded?

You do need to watch your angles, but not really a big issue.

Is the coin the exact same coin in the bottle after the effect?

This is close to fishing for methods. I doubt any CTB creators would answer this question. ;)


Forgot something.... what does it cost to make the gimmick each time that it is performed?

The cost is not an issue at all. The cost is very low. :)

Can the coin be put through the bottle anywhere? Top, front, sides, bottom? Or does it have to be pushed through the back of the bottle?

Does the coin have to fall or can you simple press it right through the bottle and show the coin appearing right where you put it through the bottle? I am not interested in what is more magical looking to anyone I am interested in where the coin can be put and appear.

Yes, top front and sides.

I did not teach the bottom penetration for Sealed & Stuck.

However, Slam is a CTB where the coin penetrates through the bottom.
 
C

clarrus

Guest
I know Andy already answered these but I'm going respond as some Q's as if I was the spectator who saw the trick because ultimately, that is what matters. Not to mention it's my review and if I left something out I want to answer it. (insert smiley face) I don't like to use those smiley icons or colon's. Also we all know Andy is the creator and I don't want people thinking they are biased answers because it's his trick he's advertising himself.


Can Signed Sealed and Stuck be done with a coin that is larger then the opening?

In all of the them coin is bigger than the opening EXCEPT the impromptu version.

Can the coin be borrowed?

The spectator would answer that they gave the mage the coin to use, whether it was a quarter or an intertnational coin that is big.

Does this have difficult slights?

Not really, just plenty of practice because it would be embarassing if you missteped and something that shouldn't happen happened.

Can this be done surrounded?

Their are angling issues but just rearrange people with the excuse of "I want you guys to get a good look at this from the front."

Is the coin the exact same coin in the bottle after the effect?

The spectator would say something like, he put MY coin in the bottle and it was bigger than the bottle neck

Forgot something.... what does it cost to make the gimmick each time that it is performed?

cost is the cost of the plastic bottle. I'm sure we can find them everywhere. Who doesn't drink water from bottles these days??
 
C

clarrus

Guest
Can the coin be put through the bottle anywhere? Top, front, sides, bottom? Or does it have to be pushed through the back of the bottle?

Does the coin have to fall or can you simple press it right through the bottle and show the coin appearing right where you put it through the bottle? I am not interested in what is more magical looking to anyone I am interested in where the coin can be put and appear.

Thanks much.

--Jim

For Slam, it can be done anywhere. up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, A,B,A

For sealed and stuck, it can be done from any part of the bottle but best from the side to see the falling of the coin. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT FROM THE TOP UNLESS YOU MAKE YOUR OWN ADJUSTMENT TO THE TRICK.

Same for Signed Sealed and Stuck.

Essentially, YES it can technically be done from any side you want but to acheive the best results, do the most visual one depending on whichever one you are doing.
 
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clarrus

Guest
clarrus thank you for your honest answers. I am sure that you will knock them dead next year in Iraq with this and FS. Because I can tell you that you will see so many water bottles over there that you will begin to really hate them.

Oh I already know that from the first deployment. I'm in the process of trying to come up with some Army specific tricks like making a ACU rank patch change from an officer to an enlisted with a wave of a hand. Haha I'll demote Colonel to a private.
 
Sep 1, 2007
479
0
Philadelphia, PA
For Slam, it can be done anywhere. up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, A,B,A

For sealed and stuck, it can be done from any part of the bottle but best from the side to see the falling of the coin. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT FROM THE TOP UNLESS YOU MAKE YOUR OWN ADJUSTMENT TO THE TRICK.

Same for Signed Sealed and Stuck.

Essentially, YES it can technically be done from any side you want but to acheive the best results, do the most visual one depending on whichever one you are doing.

Thanks Clarrus. My question was really aimed at seeing if you could push the coin through the front of the bottle instead of the back and just watch the coin slide down the front side of the bottle instead of the back where the view is a bit obscured by the refraction of the water through the clear bottle.

One last question I think: Is the shaking of the bottle as seen in the demo video neccessary after the penetration?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions.

--Jim
 
C

clarrus

Guest
Thanks Clarrus. My question was really aimed at seeing if you could push the coin through the front of the bottle instead of the back and just watch the coin slide down the front side of the bottle instead of the back where the view is a bit obscured by the refraction of the water through the clear bottle.

One last question I think: Is the shaking of the bottle as seen in the demo video neccessary after the penetration?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions.

--Jim

Oh yes right of course. You cannot do the trick from the front of the bottle facing the audience......well you can but........I think you can finish that statement. The best is from the back of the bottle so the rest of the bottle is between the coin and the audience. Hope that is not too confusing.

The shaking is NOT necessary. That is a routine issue not a trick issue. I understand that some people like it stirred not shaken.
 
Sep 28, 2007
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Well if you can't perform it surrounded how on earth can you make claims that this is the strongest CIB on the market? It isn't even remotely close to being anywhere near the major leagues of CIBs..

Number one - There is no surrounded solution provided.

Number two - The coin doesn't even directly penetrate.

Number Three - Considerable amount of Pre Show work is involved.

I don't get it? It's suppose to be a Coin through Bottle, but all we see is a coin sliding behind the bottle, not through it.

It doesn't directly penetrate where you are suggesting (at least it doesn't look that way to me) and there is no surrounded solution. Yet we are to believe that this is the strongest CIB out there?

How Bazarre.

From Andy's You Tube Posts...Here is yet another comment ...
"No other CTB came close to it."

I seriously do not undertand how you can make a comment like that to intelligent people who are well aware of Coin Through Bottle Effects that have conditions yours lack.
 
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Sep 2, 2007
1,693
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Well if you can't perform it surrounded how on earth can you make claims that this is the strongest CIB on the market? ... Yet we are to believe that this is the strongest CIB out there? ... I seriously do not undertand how you can make a comment like that
That's his opinion, to which he is entitled. I'm pretty sure it does not violate the rules. ;)

Cheers,
JTM
 
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