Hey, i have been using loops a lot, and use it as one of my main acts. Obviously i started using Mesika's loops but found it very delicate and that it wears out pretty fast(in my case might be different for you). 10 bucks for a pack of five in my opinion is a lot of money. Therefore i learned to tie my own loops which is what i would advise to all people who love loops. I have tried Mesika's elastics, Infinity thread and Silkworm IET(Black) and in my opinion, Silkworm wins that battle. I found it to be most invisible in comparison with Mesika, last much longer and strong enough to do all the floating and moving. A spool only cost 15bucks and WILL last a long long time. Infinity thread is pretty good as well, very close fight with Silkworm, but overall, with much performance experience and most value for money id go with Silkworm IET and tie your own loops. Tying loops can be a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it, its a breeze. In terms of DVDs, i enjoyed Mesika's Loop DVDs much more than Ellusionist. Better advice, better and stronger effects and the most important thing you get is the Inner Circle card which helps you carry loops everywhere. Id pay the same amount of money just for the Inner Circle card. E loops DVDs are ok, but not worth the price, they couldve made it into one DVD.