Both Benz & Tome are great effects, Sean's technique on Benz is great and one of the bends had me rewinding several times as I couldn't see the moment..

Tome is errie and I can imagine this being used time and time again. I have a few ideas for Tome that can take it in a slightly different direction..

Both effects are easy, Benz requires a little work but nothing too demanding..

Just like Sean's excellent SAW effect which I love to bits these are edgy effects that in the right moment will create that moment of true astonishment..

Good work again Sean..

Spelmann

I was told that:-

TOME is more of a bizarre effect with great potential. The method is not restricted to only one routine/ effect. With TOME, the possibilities are endless and limited only to your creativity & imagination!

BENZ is a nice effect(s). One can't believe that the little BENZ GIMMICK can make a coin bend almost effortlessly. It's against all principles of mechanics. Learning to make the Benz Gimmick is worth the price of both the effects.

Both effects are very practical & real world effects. TOME needs prior preparation and BENZ needs some work.

I really liked the idea of Joe Porper's. Put a signed quarter in a stack of folsded bills, and it comes out bent. Can you but the Benz gimmick inside a stack of folded money to make a signed coin bend?

Honestly, I have never tried. Let me play around for awhile before I answer that.

Sure thing.

Any word on this yet, Sean?

I haven't had the time to REALLY sit down and play. But I have messed around with the idea since you brought it up, and truthfully, I haven't been all that successful.

Without tipping too much, the Benz gimmick works 'backwards' to what you would expect. It would be difficult to cover the actions neccessary to bend the coin under the guise of folding the bills.

Anyone who is familiar with the gimmick will understand the above immediately.

Fact is the Benz gimmick was designed not to bend coins real time in front of an audience, rather it was designed to bend coins quickly, practically, and easily on the fly.

Having said that, it IS possible to use Benz real time, in front of an audience, to bend a signed coin. And the gimmick, and the actions neccessary to bend the coin are BETTER covered when done bare handed!

Sean

What? Still no reviews of "Tome"?

Too late, tho...I ordered it today from HP.

Would be interested to hear your comments when you receive it...

Sure thing!

I watched this a few days ago and have already played around with it and shown it to a few tough-to-please friends. Works like a charm! The effect is quite eerie to watch and I can see bizarrists in particular enjoying "Tome".

The DVD is nicely made and shot in an atmospheric black and white.It's quite short and gets right to the point.(I did get a bit of a chuckle at the "interview" portion but hey...Sean's young!)

This is a unique application for a gimmick that you might already be using. Sean even explains how to make your own before going into the nuts and bolts of the
actual effect.

One point to make and considering how good this looks it's a minor one: Once you drop the book to the floor, you are not standing up and away from it when the page tears out. You do stoop back over the book or kneel down beside it in order to make the magic. But this is so natural an action and the result is so cool I mention it only because some might think otherwise from the video demo. It's not something that will raise suspicion from your spectators. They'll be too busy freaking out over the page jutting out and the sound of tearing. I can't see anyone "busting" the performer, especially in darkened conditions. This is very cool indeed.

Sean also goes into how to make the page simply shoot out instead of slowly appearing. Both looked equally weird to me although, like Sean, I liked the slow reveal the best.

This is an effect that apparently Sean has performed under all kinds of conditions but I plan to save it for small groups with a more bizarre or seance kind of setting. This is a perfect Halloween season addition to any close-up routine. In a candlelit room, for example, this will stop some hearts.

As a final note, Sean goes into the simple force of the page in question. Standard stuff and easy to do. However, I'm not even sure it's necessary! Again, with the right story, any page tearing itself out as an example of spiritual manifestation, etc...is more than enough!

Set-up takes less than a minute. Re-set is almost instant. Nothing connected to the performer. It truly is "self-contained" and completely clean at the end.

I'd highly recommend this!