Title: Switch Up
Artist: Danny Weiser
Producers: Magic Tao
Link: Available At Your Favorite Murphy’s Magic Dealer
Retail Price: $30.00 USD
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of Video: 32 Minutes (Approx)
Notes: Online Tutorial Video May Be Downloaded
Includes:
Danny is a creative guy, but he’s quickly becoming a one trick pony with his methods. It’s almost to the point where buying a Danny Weiser trick can be played as a drinking game. Take a shot if it contains his usual “secret stuff” as a method for doing the trick. Sure enough Switch Up is no different. But I’m not going to let Danny’s previous less than steller product impressions shade my opinion prior to actually giving this one a fair try. I mean eventually he’s going to get so good at making gimmicks using the same method that the product isn’t going to flop or he’s going to make something all together new. Either way let’s take a look at his newest creation: “Switch Up.”
First impressions when viewing this in the demo video was nothing spectacular. Danny’s created a customizable switching gimmick that will let you use a deck of cards to instantly, and visually switch out a card saying one thing for the big reveal at the end of a trick. The switch could be between written words, cards themselves, color changes, card transpositions, etc. So it’s got a kind of built in utility gimmick quality to it. Yes it is customizable, but the method to accomplish this isn’t anything I’d call “new”. In fact the method is the same dead horse Danny’s been beating with all his other past releases. It is however super easy to do, and building new gimmicks won’t be that difficult. All you’ll need is some tape, and a needle. Everything else has already been provided for you.
The incredible visual change is weakened by the painfully blocky grip you have to hold on the cards blocking off the lower half of the deck. Combine that with the visually open handling after the change and it’s not hard for a spectator to work out what’s going on. They may not have confirmation per-say, but the experience isn’t exactly magical. More like a puzzle. You can switch the gimmick out for a card with the final reveal on it so it can be examined, so I guess it’s a nice touch to know that you don’t have to end dirty.
The DVD spends a good thirty minutes exploring every conceivable presentation possible for this trick. Some of the presentations do a better job holding the deck more openly so as it doesn’t look like you’re painfully trying to hide something, but the end results is a change that looks way to close to Magicians Anonymous’s first release “Tremble” which admittedly utilizes a very similar setup.
So am I giving Danny a lot of grief for next to nothing? That’s hard to say. This effect by itself is an improvement on his other previous ideas for using the “Secret Stuff” he so loves to use, however I can’t help but feel that on a creative level he’s passed the point in time where he should be challenging himself to come up with other ideas. I don’t know of anyone else who milks a method as much as Danny does. Visually the change is very real, it’s very sudden, and it’s very visual. This is the kind of magic I’d want to see on TV, or failing that at least a YouTube channel. If you wanted a cheap way to slip a company’s name or product into a trick for say, working trade shows, then this would be a good way of doing so. Ending clean isn’t really all that complicated of an ordeal either, and the effect takes up about as much pocket space as a deck of cards. So at the end of the day you have something that’s arguably creative and questionable when it comes to use. There are a thousand and one ways to reveal a selection using playing cards out there. The question you have to overcome for yourself is: “Does Danny present a better option than what I’m already using to do so?” For me, that answer was no, but I’m not going to answer for everyone. You should at least check it out for yourself. Like I said, the trick isn’t bad. It just wasn’t for me.
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 four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Sound & Video Quality and Overall Quality.
Product Quality: 6
Reasonably priced, and it’s a well built gimmick. The change is indeed visual but it’s hardly anything that we haven’t already seen from Danny.
Teaching Quality: 7
The trick is very easy to learn. You’ll be performing this in no time at all.
Video & Sound Quality: 8
The sound and video were both good.
Overall Quality: 7
This trick wasn’t for me. But it’s not a bad one. It is visual, and if you love working with cards then you may find this pretty neat.
Have a product you want reviewed? Want to see if it will stand up to the Draven Seal of Approval? Contact me directly at draven@williamdraven.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: Danny Weiser
Producers: Magic Tao
Link: Available At Your Favorite Murphy’s Magic Dealer
Retail Price: $30.00 USD
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of Video: 32 Minutes (Approx)
Notes: Online Tutorial Video May Be Downloaded
Includes:
- Gimmick
- Extra “Secret Stuff”
- Link To Password Protected Online Tutorial Video
Danny is a creative guy, but he’s quickly becoming a one trick pony with his methods. It’s almost to the point where buying a Danny Weiser trick can be played as a drinking game. Take a shot if it contains his usual “secret stuff” as a method for doing the trick. Sure enough Switch Up is no different. But I’m not going to let Danny’s previous less than steller product impressions shade my opinion prior to actually giving this one a fair try. I mean eventually he’s going to get so good at making gimmicks using the same method that the product isn’t going to flop or he’s going to make something all together new. Either way let’s take a look at his newest creation: “Switch Up.”
First impressions when viewing this in the demo video was nothing spectacular. Danny’s created a customizable switching gimmick that will let you use a deck of cards to instantly, and visually switch out a card saying one thing for the big reveal at the end of a trick. The switch could be between written words, cards themselves, color changes, card transpositions, etc. So it’s got a kind of built in utility gimmick quality to it. Yes it is customizable, but the method to accomplish this isn’t anything I’d call “new”. In fact the method is the same dead horse Danny’s been beating with all his other past releases. It is however super easy to do, and building new gimmicks won’t be that difficult. All you’ll need is some tape, and a needle. Everything else has already been provided for you.
The incredible visual change is weakened by the painfully blocky grip you have to hold on the cards blocking off the lower half of the deck. Combine that with the visually open handling after the change and it’s not hard for a spectator to work out what’s going on. They may not have confirmation per-say, but the experience isn’t exactly magical. More like a puzzle. You can switch the gimmick out for a card with the final reveal on it so it can be examined, so I guess it’s a nice touch to know that you don’t have to end dirty.
The DVD spends a good thirty minutes exploring every conceivable presentation possible for this trick. Some of the presentations do a better job holding the deck more openly so as it doesn’t look like you’re painfully trying to hide something, but the end results is a change that looks way to close to Magicians Anonymous’s first release “Tremble” which admittedly utilizes a very similar setup.
So am I giving Danny a lot of grief for next to nothing? That’s hard to say. This effect by itself is an improvement on his other previous ideas for using the “Secret Stuff” he so loves to use, however I can’t help but feel that on a creative level he’s passed the point in time where he should be challenging himself to come up with other ideas. I don’t know of anyone else who milks a method as much as Danny does. Visually the change is very real, it’s very sudden, and it’s very visual. This is the kind of magic I’d want to see on TV, or failing that at least a YouTube channel. If you wanted a cheap way to slip a company’s name or product into a trick for say, working trade shows, then this would be a good way of doing so. Ending clean isn’t really all that complicated of an ordeal either, and the effect takes up about as much pocket space as a deck of cards. So at the end of the day you have something that’s arguably creative and questionable when it comes to use. There are a thousand and one ways to reveal a selection using playing cards out there. The question you have to overcome for yourself is: “Does Danny present a better option than what I’m already using to do so?” For me, that answer was no, but I’m not going to answer for everyone. You should at least check it out for yourself. Like I said, the trick isn’t bad. It just wasn’t for me.
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 four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Sound & Video Quality and Overall Quality.
Product Quality: 6
Reasonably priced, and it’s a well built gimmick. The change is indeed visual but it’s hardly anything that we haven’t already seen from Danny.
Teaching Quality: 7
The trick is very easy to learn. You’ll be performing this in no time at all.
Video & Sound Quality: 8
The sound and video were both good.
Overall Quality: 7
This trick wasn’t for me. But it’s not a bad one. It is visual, and if you love working with cards then you may find this pretty neat.
Have a product you want reviewed? Want to see if it will stand up to the Draven Seal of Approval? Contact me directly at draven@williamdraven.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.