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hmag
New user
italy
32 Posts
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Posted: Aug 30, 2003 11:48am
I am thinking about buying the Cups and Balls. Which ones are the best?
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Jason K.
Regular user
102 Posts
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Posted: Aug 30, 2003 8:45pm
Gazzo's
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denver
New user
Athens, Ga
66 Posts
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Posted: Aug 31, 2003 1:01am
Do you all recommend a Chop Cup to be used also? I wondered about getting a set and just getting 2 regular cups and 1 Chop Cup.
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Dan LeFay
Inner circle
Holland
1372 Posts
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Posted: Aug 31, 2003 5:17am
Consider the ones from Auke van Dokkum. Take a look at his site http://www.cupsandballs.nl
Oh and if you're spending that amount on cups, order his baseballs as well. There is no substitute.
"Things need not have happened to be true.
Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths,
that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes,
and forgot."
Neil Gaiman
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Steve Brooks
Manager
Northern California - United States
4208 Posts
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Posted: Aug 31, 2003 5:43am
See my review:
The Porper Cups Review
You can now follow me on
 and 
See you there!
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John Clarkson
Special user
Santa Barbara, CA
749 Posts
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Posted: Aug 31, 2003 12:59pm
Tough Question. A lot depends upon how much you want to spend, and in what venue you will be performing.
The Gary Animal/Gazzo cups are esteemed by street workers as being large and durable. I have both the Animal set and the Gazzo set and think they are great. The site: http://www.magicpitch.com/index.html
Jim Riser beautiful handspun copper cups. I have his mini cups and love them. (My next acquisition, I hope, is a set of his traditional style cups.)In fact, the mini cups are the ones I use most, because I can carry them in my coat pocket. Jim is a member of this forum, honest, helpful, and a superb craftsman. Here is his site, if you'd like to check out his cups: http://www.jamesriser.com/Magic/JamesRiserMagic.html
My pride and joy, however, is the set of Brett Sherwood silver/gold cups I got recently. People I respect (like Jim Riser and Pete Biro) have described them as the absolute best you can get. Here is the site: http://www.sherwoodmagic.com/
As you can see, there are lots of options. Jim Riser has a page dedicated to selecting cups that might help you: http://www.jamesriser.com/Cups/SelectingCups.html
John D. Clarkson, S.O.B. (Sacred Omphaloskeptic Brotherhood)
Cozener
"There is nothing more important to a magician than keeping secrets. Probably because so many of them are Gay."
—Peggy, from King of the Hill (Sleight of Hank)
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wcb39
Regular user
151 Posts
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Posted: Aug 31, 2003 8:00pm
Agree with John the Brett Sherwood cups while expensive are really breath taking and with Auke van Dokkum's leather balls, you have an unbelievably classic effect.
I can honestly say this is the best magic purchase I have made in 20+ years.
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Review King
Eternal Order
14448 Posts
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Posted: Aug 31, 2003 8:05pm
I agree the Brett Sherwood cups are the finest set in the world. I was talking about cups for mere mortals;-)
If they can be afforded, the Sherwood cups are the way to go. They are the BMW's of the Cups and Balls.
Chris
"Of all words of tongue and pen,
the saddest are, "It might have been"
..........John Greenleaf Whittier
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MJ Marrs
Special user
Los Angeles
842 Posts
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Posted: Aug 31, 2003 9:02pm
I think that the best source for deciding on cups and balls is Riser's website; you can get quite a good education by going there.
I'd say that if you're looking for a set that isn't too expensive and which should hold up for quite a while then go with the Johnson cups. However, if you're looking for the BEST, then go with the Porper cups and the Sherwood cups.
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ixnay66
Inner circle
Denver
1321 Posts
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Posted: Aug 31, 2003 9:54pm
Jason K, just curious. Why would the fact that not many people use a set of cup make them "better" for people who DO use them? I've seen ads for Frank Garcia Cups and I've never seen anyone use them. Does that make them better for people that do? That argument just doesn't make sense to me.
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Ryan Anthony
New user
Whidbey Is. WA
13 Posts
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Posted: Sep 1, 2003 1:55am
I just Started doing the cups and balls and bought the johnson set. Coming from a person with little experience in this area I found the cups to be great.
"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."
- Thomas Jefferson
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Rcitgo
Special user
Emporia,Va.
710 Posts
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Posted: Sep 1, 2003 3:47am
I've been using the Johnson cups for a couple years and to me they hold up nicely.I'm very happy using these.Hope that helps. 
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Jason Wethington
Special user
Orlando, Fl
615 Posts
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Posted: Sep 1, 2003 9:34am
I use the Phoenix Cups. They are a true working set of cups. You can beat them, drop them and slam them together and not worry. The wand that comes with the set is Ironwood and only has two noticable dents after more than a thousand performances.
I have not tried out the Gazzo cups but they are probably very durable as well.
Jason
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Steve Dela
Special user
U.K. London
964 Posts
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Posted: Sep 1, 2003 12:07pm
Definitely Auke van Dokkum's cups are the nicest and will take a tennis ball as the final load!
http://www.cupsandballs.nl
handle like a dream!
bye for now
Steve Dela
Van Dokkum
Standard Cups (steel)
Price: £179
http://www.cupsandballs.nl
Manufactures own write up:
These will play extremely well for formal close-up, table magic and parlour shows.
The cups, which are turned from one single block of metal, are very heavy and handle like a dream.
They have the time approved three bead style and when stacked are steady as a rock.
Three one inch balls can be held easily between two of these well balanced cups.
The cups will set a new standard for the serious cups and balls aficionado!
You can choose Stainless Steel or Brass.
The cup can hold a 2 1/2 inch load.
Size = 2 7/8 Inch. Weight = 8 oz. each cup
Independent review: (Steve Dela)
What can I say, this is quite possibly the nicest set of cups myself and all the other assessors have ever used!
In appearance they look absolutely outstanding! They have an amazing shine and handle like a dream,
The quality of these cups is clearly seen in the Photos.
These are computer machined cups, cut from a solid block!
They are extremely heavy duty and I can imagine they will last forever.
When stacked they really are as solid as a rock and defiantly don’t dent easily when tapped with a magic wand!
These cups are a real head turner when brought out at a restaurant table!
They look very smart and very professional.
Plus are polished to an amazing mirror finish! (extremely shiny).
Also included is a lovely, extremely high quality, heavy duty drawstring bag to keep them in.
These cups do not come with balls, but Auke sells absolutely beautiful 1” leather base balls available in a variety of colours!
You can do all the standard cup and ball moves and they roll over brilliantly.
This set has the largest recess in the top of the cups out of all the cups we have reviewed, so your balls will not roll off easily if you accidentally knock them!
For final loads you can use, real fruit, Fake fruit (available http://www.ammarmagic.com),
The cups will not take a standard sized baseball as they are slightly too big to fit, so Auke sells ‘final load base balls’ that are slightly smaller for the cups (but people afterwards will just remember you producing a baseball from the cup).
These cups are large enough to hold a standard size tennis ball!
This is a professional set for the professional magician.
They would also be nice as a collectors item as I am sure they will not be around for ever!
as with a lot of cup and ball sets they might disappear before you get chance to buy them!
I believe this set is excellent value for money and I highly recommend them for the professional magician looking for a good quality set that will last!
http://stevedela.com
Associate Member of the Inner Magic Circle
FFFF
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Kingry
Elite user
Virginia
446 Posts
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Posted: Sep 2, 2003 8:53pm
Phoenix seconds are a steal. I have had mine for over 4 years. Very durable. Picked mine up for $40.
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TrcikPony
Regular user
106 Posts
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Posted: Sep 28, 2003 5:22pm
Johnson cups are they way to go!!!! Phoenix cups look old and dirty!
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Kingry
Elite user
Virginia
446 Posts
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Posted: Sep 29, 2003 4:24pm
Johnson are nice, but I can build an illusion for the cost. Another nice reasonable set of cups are made by Bizar De Magica. They are available in copper or Brass. Nice weight. Your success with the cups lies in your skill, not how much your cups cost. I do the cups at least 3 times a night in a restaurant setting. I always bring them out as a special effect for special occasions. I would hate to leave a $200 set of cups unattended in a waiter's station.
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chappelly
Special user
Down Under
588 Posts
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Posted: Dec 15, 2003 9:15am
I recently bought a set of Phoenix Cups and Balls.When I opened them,they were discoloured and blotchy.I cleaned them up so that they were shiny but a couple of hours later they returned to their blotchy,discoloured state.I repeated the process but with the same result. It is some sort of Oxidation problem, I imagine.
I was wandering if anyone who has this type of set has had any similar problem and if so is there a way of getting rid of the disclouration at least for a reasonable period of time{a couple of weeks or so}.
I appreciate any feedback.
Chappelly
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Rob Johnston
Inner circle
Utah
2060 Posts
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Posted: Dec 17, 2003 1:08pm
I have seen sets that are hundreds of dollars. That is a bit steep for a poor college student like myself...so I have found that just a regular ghetto set works. It adds to the ghetto seen of the 3 card monte and shells. But...if you want class...by all means...go for the expense.
"Genius is another word for magic, and the whole point of magic is that it is inexplicable." - Margot Fonteyn
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Kingry
Elite user
Virginia
446 Posts
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Posted: Dec 19, 2003 4:18pm
I personally hate shiney cups. I introduce the effect as one of the oldest in magic. Old cups fit the bill. The Bazar cups tarnish beatifully. Waiting on a set of Penguin cups. I have been told they have a mouth of nearly 3 1/2".
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Bill Palmer
Eternal Order
Only Jonathan Townsend has more than
23793 Posts
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Posted: Dec 22, 2003 1:15am
I collect jumbo cups and balls sets. The Van Dokkum Jumbos are hard to beat -- they will take a standard baseball as a final load and they are nearly indestructible.
The Riser Jumbos are pretty, a little smaller, made of copper. They are hard to find but worth the money.
If you want standard cups, There are lots of them on the market -- the Johnson cups are very nice.
I'm not nuts about the Phoenix cups -- the quality is not up to snuff.
The new Penguin cups photograph well, but the quality seems to be off.
The Harries Bosco Cups are nicely made large cups.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC
My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups."
www.cupsandballsmuseum.com
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Mr. Muggle
Special user
USA
996 Posts
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Posted: Dec 29, 2003 3:22am
Cups, boy I have a drawer full. The Phoenix cups are great (I have 2 sets), you can really beat them, but I don't think you can get any more. I think even the second's have sold out.
I'm going to order a Gazzo set, will see how they do. The reviews are great about them.
However the Porper cups are top quality, and are very heavy. Great sound! But then again, that is a hefty price tag.
MM
"Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it because you're not really looking. You don't really want to know the secret... You want to be fooled." - The Prestige (2006)
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Magic Arty
Elite user
metro Atlanta
438 Posts
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Posted: Dec 31, 2003 2:25am
I hae a set of the Riser Jumbo cups they hold a baseball for a final load and work like a dream.
I also have a set of rings and things cups that are sweet, but have not touched them since I got my set of risers! They just feel right in the hands.
Arthur Atsma
atsmagic
Arthur Atsma
Feeling real happy now!
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kihei kid
Inner circle
Dog House
1030 Posts
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Posted: Jan 1, 2004 8:58am
Brett Sherwood just came out with some "smooth cups", man they look nice.
In loving memory of Hughie Thomasson 1952-2007.
You brought something beautiful to this world, you touched my heart, my soul and my life. You will be greatly missed.
Until we meet again “my old friend”.
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froxen
New user
Singapore
38 Posts
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Posted: Jan 7, 2004 9:46pm
Hi Everybody!
I was wondering if anyone here has the El Duco Golden Combination Set of Cups and Balls.... I was considering getting one. but I need some recommendation first. my budget is US$150.
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the Mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and science." - Albert Einstein
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Brett Sherwood
New user
96 Posts
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Posted: Jan 11, 2004 1:06pm
Hi All,
After many requests, I am happy to finally announce that my new "smooth classic" style cups are now available to the magic fraternity. These cups are professionally hand spun using my unique tooling, which I spent three years designing for my engraved silver cups, so you know the technical design is fully established. These smooth cups stack true and without any excess wobbling. There are NO gaps on the bottom base bead, which is very important, as a gap eventually collects dirt and residue and looks bad. My cups weigh about six and one half ounces EACH, so you know they will last a lifetime. However, these cups are not too heavy and the weight is perfectly balanced and distributed(or so I have been told - many times). I agree with Pete Biro, that the "FEEL" is all important and this was one of my main objectives of WHERE and WHY, in conjunction with adding a larger 'attic' void, I placed the exterior rings. I wanted my cups to comfortably fit the hand 'like a glove' and I am happy this has indeed been proven to be the case. Each cup will easily contain 3 x 1&1/8" balls in the 'attic' void and the three balls will impressively balance on any cup top. Each cup can easily accommodate a regulation tennis ball as an awesome final production. My cups also have the specially designed illusion of the load appearing larger than the cup, when the final load is placed on top. These new smooth cups come in FIVE different styles; brass "bell" cups(because of the ring) , rich copper, all-sterling silver, sterling silver with gold interior and finally the 'all gold' plated sterling cups, which look like 'three golden cups'. All my smooth cups have my quality stamp inside the top of each and the smooth silver cups come with a sterling silver 'hallmark' of .925. Please visit (www.SherwoodMagic.com) to see lots of photos and don't forget to read the testimonials and Q&A sections, as this explains all you will need to know in great detail. Along with the cups you receive a set of crochet balls, quality velvet bag with my logo on the side. Also as an added bonus for purchasing a set my smooth cups you will receive absolutely FREE a voucher worth $50 off one set of 'all silver' Engraved - Limited Edition Cups, should you wish to upgrade at a later date. I believe the quality of these cups is without compare, but I could be bias, so please visit my website and see and read what others think in the 'testimonials'. (www.SherwoodMagic.com)Thanks for looking and spread the word!
Happy 2004 to all!
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Steve Haynes
Special user
Southeastern United States
988 Posts
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Posted: Jan 21, 2004 4:18am
I got Johnson set when they first came out and will more than likely never buy another set.
Lots of set's out there but I don't know anybody that's not happy with these.
Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.
Albert Einstein
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Mark Rough
Inner circle
Ivy, Virginia
2110 Posts
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Posted: Jan 21, 2004 7:03am
I started off with a set of wooden cups that were okay. Moved on to a set of Morrisey cups, also okay.
Fortuanately after that I've hit three home runs. My third set was a set of Phoenix cups. Great cups as many have already said but a bit small for what I wanted to do. However I've worked with them for several years now and love them. I like the patina they've developed over time and would want to shine them. It gives them character.
But. . .
Somehow in the past week or so I've gotten two new sets. (Don't ask me how, and please don't tell my wife). A set of Bosco cups from Harries in Sweden. Great cups, nice size and shape. Problem though. A day later I got a set of Animal Cups from one of our very own members here (thanks John). I love them!! I haven't used the Harries cups yet because I'm just stuck on the Animals. Great weight, great size. They take a large final load. Just what I've been looking for.
I'd love to get a set of Sherwood cups but, alas, my magic allowance for the next several years has been spent. Maybe next year.
Mark
What would Wavy do?
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wcb39
Regular user
151 Posts
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Posted: Jan 21, 2004 9:46am
Brett Sherwood cups are truly breathtaking. I took out a second mortgage and bought the silver set.
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Tantrik
New user
78 Posts
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Posted: Jan 21, 2004 1:53pm
The original question was which set is the best? People here have been talking about which are the best constructed, which hold a big load, etc.
I would respectfully suggest that the best set is the one that you use and use well. A person who spends hundreds on a set but can't load them has wasted his or her money. A person who gets the cheap plastic Adams set and amazes people with them has the best set possible.
I've used plastic, chrome, coffee cups, wood. I used big cups and shot-sized cups. I've produced oranges from cups even though the orange won't fit into the cup. I've used combo sets (with a chop cup), chop cup by itself, and Indian (non-nesting) cups.
The magic isn't int the cups...it's in the performer. So respectfully, I would suggest that instead of seeking the "best" set, find one in your price range and get it. Then practice. And practice some more. Create something new with it. Amaze magicians and laypeople alike. The future of magic isn't what others create...it's what we each do.
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