TOOL :: Complete Review

XabierL

Elite Member
Aug 14, 2010
413
10
Hi guys, it's a while since I last reviewed a product, so I've decided to write about a small miracle I purchased recently: Tool by David Stone.

THE EFFECT:
There's not a specific effect in this product, it's all about a gimmick that can be used for color changes, switches, vanishes, productions... A lot of stuff. It's really visual, and people freak out when they see this.

THE DVD:
I was highly disappointed when I watched the DVD. The tricks were nice, but the quality, very poor. The menus are very difficult to manage with, and the tutorials don't have any voice, just a video with some letters such as : "TILT", "DOUBLE LIFT" or that kind of names of moves. The effects are shown in both English and French, and it's kind of weird how the same spectator is fooled with the same exact trick twice in a row... There are no street performances.

THE GIMMICK:
This is sooooo amazing. If you think you don't have enough imagination to create tricks, buy this. It's the spark that will ignite your creativity (OK, I've read this last sentence in a book). The possibilities are endless. Just look in YouTube.
I think the stuff provided is durable, and you can take it with you anywhere you want, it's hidden in the pack, yet noone will realize about that. Onc you've done the change/switch/whatever you're clean, but the set-up is kind of difficult to execute without being caught, so it's hard to use it twice in front of the same spectator.
Just a little note: it works only with Rider Back (Red and Blue) Bikes. Two gimmicks are provided (a red and a blue, obviously).

THE PRICE:
I don't have much to say about this, I think it's not cheap nor expensive, it has the right price to be worth buying. Come on, 35 bucks for this little gem is not that much...

CONCLUSION:
This is a lot of fun to perform to practice and to create new magic. With very little practice, you'll have a miracle in your cardcase.


THE EFFECT: 8/10
THE DVD: 5/10
THE GIMMICK: 9/10
PRICE: 6/10
THE POSSIBILITIES: 9.5/10
DIFFICULTY: 2/10 (1 being the easiest and 10 being actually impossible)

OVERALL: 8/10
 
I pre-ordered this on penguin when I saw the trailer, I was blown away. When I received the gimmick and started to use it, I was like holy crap...this is GENIUS! I love the gimmick, I hope they will sell "refills" so I don't have to buy another crappy dvd to get the gimmicks. I really am enjoying the gimmick, but the dvd was very, very disappointing. I think the dvd is like 15-20 minutes long? It has very little instruction, and barely any speaking parts, and no street performances. That being said, it is still worth buying for the gimmicks alone, I highly recommend it, and agree with the reviewer above.
 
Jun 20, 2009
627
3
near paris
I pre-ordered this on penguin when I saw the trailer, I was blown away. When I received the gimmick and started to use it, I was like holy crap...this is GENIUS! I love the gimmick, I hope they will sell "refills" so I don't have to buy another crappy dvd to get the gimmicks. I really am enjoying the gimmick, but the dvd was very, very disappointing. I think the dvd is like 15-20 minutes long? It has very little instruction, and barely any speaking parts, and no street performances. That being said, it is still worth buying for the gimmicks alone, I highly recommend it, and agree with the reviewer above.

you 'll have two gimmick with the dvd, and there are built to last
 
Jul 14, 2010
37
0
so is the gimmick hidden within the box?
I don't want exposure here,but I just wanna know if you could just perform your normal routines with the pack and then later go into a routine involving tool

or do you have to set it up just before you wanna perform with it?
 

XabierL

Elite Member
Aug 14, 2010
413
10
Ok, it's hard to explain without exposing, but even if you're not taught how to do it, the gimmick can be easily placed in the pack with a little bit of misdirection, if that answers your question.
 

XabierL

Elite Member
Aug 14, 2010
413
10
It really depends what kind of worker you are. If you're a close-up performer (table-hoppers, etc.) this is awesome. However is not very good for stage, for obvious reasons.

PRACTICALITY: 7/10
RESET TIME: 7/10
 
Jul 9, 2011
1
0
When I first saw the trailer, I was thinking how the hell it works. My first guess was ".........." and believe it or not, it was correct. One of my friend bought it and he let me use his Tool gimmick. When we get something new, we share with each other. @danielmontagne, you can make one at home. If you have the bicycle "..." deck, you should have 2 ".." card. You can use them to make your own gimmick. You will need some "...." too. I don't want to espouse, but if you have the Tool gimmick than you know what I'm talking about.
 
Jun 10, 2008
921
1
Newcastle upon Tyne
This looks cool to a magician... But it's flawed. What is the motivation for using the box? I'm fairly certain if a spectator actually took a second to think about it, they're going to think 'Obviously it had something to do with the box'. No problem with using props but it has to seem natural and motivated. Changing a coin into a banknote (As he does in the demo video), I don't see how the box fits into that. Or even why you'd do that on top of the deck. I like David Stone, but this just seems a bit more like a magicians toy than a deceptive 'tool'.
 

XabierL

Elite Member
Aug 14, 2010
413
10
In the DVD he shows motivations to do it, in routines like Card to Box or such.
 
Yeah, I would do it as a card to box routine. I made the mistake of using it as a color change and got caught haha (luckily it was by other magicians!) I showed it off at my local S.A.M. meeting and the guys knew right away and gave me some advice, saying I should make it a card to box with a duplicate inside. I haven't used the gimmick lately, but once I work on some routines, I'll throw it into the act. Maybe a good way to close an ambitious card routine? Who knows!
 
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