Title: The Devils Reflection MICRO
Artist: Peter Loughran
Producers: Masters of Illusion Entertainment
Link: http://www.masterofillusions.ca/micro_devils_reflection.htm
Demo Video Link:
Retail Price: *$799.99 Base price. +$199.99 for Custom ATA Case. *Shipping and handling not included.
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Notes: Optional Custom ATA Case Available. Batteries NOT included. Pictures of prop available on my review blog. www.williamdraven.wordpress.com
When I got bit by the illusion bug I was excited for my first big purchase. I elected to go with a penetration effect, and after a few hours of careful consideration I decided that it would be Peter Loughran’s “Devils Reflection MICRO” that I’d go with. First off just a comment on customer service before we get into anything about the trick or the prop: Peter’s customer service was five stars. Prompt replies via email, clear answers, and he was even willing to customize the prop for me by doing a custom color on the finished product. The turn around time from order to door was also about a week less than expected. So, I’m very happy with the overall experience of the sale.
Upon receipt of the illusion I’m kind of shocked to see how large the ATA case actually is! This is a decent sized prop. The pictures online really don’t do it justice. It’s not too heavy either. In case it weighs about 26 pounds / 11.7 Kg. Easy enough to carry around, and small enough to fit in the backseat of my car for travel to and from gigs.
Everything packs nicely into its custom ATA case. Sadly, there isn’t any additional foam padding inserts to lay between the different parts, or custom slits or slots to hold the different parts of the illusion like I expected there to be. I guess I’m not sure what is so custom about this case? It looks like a stock hard ATA case that is roughly sized to fit the components in there. Peter did include a generous amount of bubble wrap. So, I guess there’s that. I will say this about the ATA case: The lid is heavy! The hard-shell exterior will keep the illusion very safe in travel.
Assembly of the prop takes a couple minutes, and I’m sure it will take less time as familiarity with the prop increases. The only thing holding the prop together is a pair of bolts and nuts. The construction is precise, and once assembled it is a beautiful, and sturdy apparatus. I had mine custom finished in purple, and I think the purple color looks outstanding on this prop. The usual color the prop comes in is a sharp red, which to be fair to the prop, also looks good. The size of the prop once built is impressive for something that is, for all intents and purposes, and illusionette. Designed for parlor presentation, I’m willing to bet this thing will play well on a stage too. It’s a very visual prop.
Performing with the prop is a lot of fun. The secret is absolutely diabolical. The mechanics involved will take a performer of novice skill level a few minutes to figure out how to operate, giving the magician all the time in the world to focus on routine and presentation. What I like about it is the ability to modulate how you present the illusion. The hardest sleights involved is working with the silk penetration. And if you watch the demo video, I’m sure you know how that’s done and then can reasonably know what you will need to expect to do when performing it. The penetrations aren’t limited to just silks and hands. You could, at least in theory, put damn near anything thru the mirror if you wanted to. Though, I think I’ll stick to the silk and arm myself. As advertised the penetrations can be done very fast, or slow and deliberate depending on the needs of the performer. As a personal aesthetic I think this piece shines as a silent act done with sharp deliberate moves, and slowly with the right music playing behind it. As an added bonus, I think I can safely say that not everyone and their sister is performing this illusion either! There are some angle issues one has to be aware of. You are not going to be doing this illusion in the round. You will be fine though in standard theater proscenium seating. You’re covered for the front 180 degrees.
The instructions for assembly and performance of the illusion come printed on a couple sheets of computer paper stapled together. Clearly the production value is in the prop, and not the instructions themselves. No DVD, no online tutorial video, just a few paragraphs on how it works, and what you can do with it. Spice it up with a couple of pictures and call it a day. Given the production value, and cost of the prop, you’d expect the presentation of the instructions to be a bit better.
I think another attractive feature about this illusion is that, as far as I can tell, not a lot of people are doing it. After hours of research into this prop to make sure the purchase was right for me I couldn’t turn up a single decent review, or performance clip, other than the one of Peter himself demoing the illusion, online. So, I think it’s safe to say this won’t be something people will have seen done a million times before.
Everything comes at a price, and this one is no joke. With all the options, shipping, and handling the price tag on this beauty comes out to a little under $1,100.00. This is not going to be an impulse purchase by any means, but in the right hands this beautiful prop will become a working favorite.
Overall, I’m very satisfied with my first frolic into the realm of higher end illusions. The prop is absolutely beautiful, the craftsmanship superb, the secret diabolical, and the ease of execution makes it a performance piece for sure. I adamantly recommend Peter’s Devil’s Reflection MICRO, and I look forward to purchasing more illusions from him with confidence in the near future.
When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The three points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, and Overall Quality.
Product Quality: 9
Master craftsmanship, brilliant illusion. Nice ATA case, but not sure what is custom about it. All this awesomeness, for a price.
Teaching Quality: 7
The instructions are easy enough to learn from, I just wish the presentation would have matched the level of detail spent on the props themselves.
Overall Quality: 9
Brilliant! I absolutely love my MICRO Devil’s Reflection, and can’t wait to put it to good use.
Do you have a product you want reviewed? Want to see if it will stand up to the Draven Seal of Approval? Contact me directly at thewilliamdraven@gmail.com to find out how your product could be on the next Draven Reviews! Don't forget to like my blog where all my reviews are posted at www.williamdraven.wordpress.com.
Artist: Peter Loughran
Producers: Masters of Illusion Entertainment
Link: http://www.masterofillusions.ca/micro_devils_reflection.htm
Demo Video Link:
Retail Price: *$799.99 Base price. +$199.99 for Custom ATA Case. *Shipping and handling not included.
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Notes: Optional Custom ATA Case Available. Batteries NOT included. Pictures of prop available on my review blog. www.williamdraven.wordpress.com
When I got bit by the illusion bug I was excited for my first big purchase. I elected to go with a penetration effect, and after a few hours of careful consideration I decided that it would be Peter Loughran’s “Devils Reflection MICRO” that I’d go with. First off just a comment on customer service before we get into anything about the trick or the prop: Peter’s customer service was five stars. Prompt replies via email, clear answers, and he was even willing to customize the prop for me by doing a custom color on the finished product. The turn around time from order to door was also about a week less than expected. So, I’m very happy with the overall experience of the sale.
Upon receipt of the illusion I’m kind of shocked to see how large the ATA case actually is! This is a decent sized prop. The pictures online really don’t do it justice. It’s not too heavy either. In case it weighs about 26 pounds / 11.7 Kg. Easy enough to carry around, and small enough to fit in the backseat of my car for travel to and from gigs.
Everything packs nicely into its custom ATA case. Sadly, there isn’t any additional foam padding inserts to lay between the different parts, or custom slits or slots to hold the different parts of the illusion like I expected there to be. I guess I’m not sure what is so custom about this case? It looks like a stock hard ATA case that is roughly sized to fit the components in there. Peter did include a generous amount of bubble wrap. So, I guess there’s that. I will say this about the ATA case: The lid is heavy! The hard-shell exterior will keep the illusion very safe in travel.
Assembly of the prop takes a couple minutes, and I’m sure it will take less time as familiarity with the prop increases. The only thing holding the prop together is a pair of bolts and nuts. The construction is precise, and once assembled it is a beautiful, and sturdy apparatus. I had mine custom finished in purple, and I think the purple color looks outstanding on this prop. The usual color the prop comes in is a sharp red, which to be fair to the prop, also looks good. The size of the prop once built is impressive for something that is, for all intents and purposes, and illusionette. Designed for parlor presentation, I’m willing to bet this thing will play well on a stage too. It’s a very visual prop.
Performing with the prop is a lot of fun. The secret is absolutely diabolical. The mechanics involved will take a performer of novice skill level a few minutes to figure out how to operate, giving the magician all the time in the world to focus on routine and presentation. What I like about it is the ability to modulate how you present the illusion. The hardest sleights involved is working with the silk penetration. And if you watch the demo video, I’m sure you know how that’s done and then can reasonably know what you will need to expect to do when performing it. The penetrations aren’t limited to just silks and hands. You could, at least in theory, put damn near anything thru the mirror if you wanted to. Though, I think I’ll stick to the silk and arm myself. As advertised the penetrations can be done very fast, or slow and deliberate depending on the needs of the performer. As a personal aesthetic I think this piece shines as a silent act done with sharp deliberate moves, and slowly with the right music playing behind it. As an added bonus, I think I can safely say that not everyone and their sister is performing this illusion either! There are some angle issues one has to be aware of. You are not going to be doing this illusion in the round. You will be fine though in standard theater proscenium seating. You’re covered for the front 180 degrees.
The instructions for assembly and performance of the illusion come printed on a couple sheets of computer paper stapled together. Clearly the production value is in the prop, and not the instructions themselves. No DVD, no online tutorial video, just a few paragraphs on how it works, and what you can do with it. Spice it up with a couple of pictures and call it a day. Given the production value, and cost of the prop, you’d expect the presentation of the instructions to be a bit better.
I think another attractive feature about this illusion is that, as far as I can tell, not a lot of people are doing it. After hours of research into this prop to make sure the purchase was right for me I couldn’t turn up a single decent review, or performance clip, other than the one of Peter himself demoing the illusion, online. So, I think it’s safe to say this won’t be something people will have seen done a million times before.
Everything comes at a price, and this one is no joke. With all the options, shipping, and handling the price tag on this beauty comes out to a little under $1,100.00. This is not going to be an impulse purchase by any means, but in the right hands this beautiful prop will become a working favorite.
Overall, I’m very satisfied with my first frolic into the realm of higher end illusions. The prop is absolutely beautiful, the craftsmanship superb, the secret diabolical, and the ease of execution makes it a performance piece for sure. I adamantly recommend Peter’s Devil’s Reflection MICRO, and I look forward to purchasing more illusions from him with confidence in the near future.
When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The three points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, and Overall Quality.
Product Quality: 9
Master craftsmanship, brilliant illusion. Nice ATA case, but not sure what is custom about it. All this awesomeness, for a price.
Teaching Quality: 7
The instructions are easy enough to learn from, I just wish the presentation would have matched the level of detail spent on the props themselves.
Overall Quality: 9
Brilliant! I absolutely love my MICRO Devil’s Reflection, and can’t wait to put it to good use.
Do you have a product you want reviewed? Want to see if it will stand up to the Draven Seal of Approval? Contact me directly at thewilliamdraven@gmail.com to find out how your product could be on the next Draven Reviews! Don't forget to like my blog where all my reviews are posted at www.williamdraven.wordpress.com.
