Cellini demonstrates a great salt gimmick on his "Magic that can be Performed Anywhere" DVD. It can be made for well under $10.00, holds a gosh-awful amount of salt, is easily held open-handed and is easily controlled on the amount of salt to be dispensed. Additionally, it will not pit or corrode. Cellini uses it for street performances and it looked pretty practical to me.

I wonder how it compares in presentation and performance with the more expensive $300.00 versions currently being discussed here on the Café. Are the $300.00 versions maybe worth $300.00 more because of collectibility factors than fabrication costs and/or functionality? I'd certainly be interested in someone who is familiar with all of these Salt pour gimmicks doing a comaprison review of them here on the Café.

BTW, there is a 2 volume DVD set entitled "The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show. It is available from a lot of places including Amazon.com On this set, there is a lot of early Beatles appearances but also included is Fred Kaps doing a card trick and his Salt Pour effect and Fantasio doing his famous act. Pretty amazing stuff.

Mike

Do you remember which disk (1 or 2) has the magic acts?

I can't compare, but I saw Cellini do his salt pour a few months ago and in person it was quite impressive.

The spectator doesn't care (nor should they know) about any gimmick you use. The effect is the thing. Use what works for YOU.

Kozak's routine is worth GOLD... if you just have a gimmick (even home made) you can maybe do a salt trick, but when a pro like Kozak hones it and builds it over the years, and finally releases his routine, and if you use it, it should be COST NO OBJECT.

How many effects do you buy that have been REALLY USED in the real world, vs. dopey tricks some guy makes up does it for a couple of friends and puts it on the market and it glies right into your drawer full of stuff you say "I'll dump it on ebay."

Pete, with the greatest respect, and with apologies being offered in advance, I feel compelled to mention that I found your above comments somewhat condescending to the magic fraternity in general. I'm fairly certain that you didn't intend to come across that way but your comments struck me as pointing out that most magicians could not develop their own equally good routine and must pay these hefty sums (to learn the secrets and to be able to perform such great quality routines) or to otherwise be forever doomed to magical mediocrity.

I guess for some magicians, paying $300.00 for a routine is "worth GOLD". But, I thought that the whole object of "the game" was to "be you" and develop your own presentation and your own performance style. If that be the case, I find it difficult to justify spending $300.00 for a presentation that I was going to instantly try to be modifying and for a substitute brass gimmick that would replace a completely satisfactory gimmick that can be made for under $10.00.

As far as the Kozak routine goes, I'd also be interested in knowing if Kozak plans on releasing just the presentation script as a separate item of if he will be insisting on bundling a brass-machined salt pour that most magicians can ill afford and for which they could probably find a reasonable and cheap substitute. If the performance script is the "gold" in this $300.00 price tag, it would be interesting to see how Kozak would "break out" these two components (the gimmick and the presentation script) as far as their respective portion of the $300.00 big enchilada.

Now, that said, if the Kozak gimmick is more than an ordinary salt pour gimmick and does something additional that is an integral part of his presentation and that the presentation cannot be performed without this particular gimmick, well then, we might have a different story here. But nothing I have read about the Kozak effect states or implies that this is the case. My impression is that what is being sold is an "ordinary traditional" salt gimmick (albeit finely crafted and machined and able to hold a tablespoon more salt than traditional gimmicks) and a finely honed performance script and that the two could be bifurcated and each could be sold separately. I would appreciate it if you would clear up this point. Can the Kozak routine be performed with other than the Kozak salt pour gimmick.

I understand your premise and I agree that if someone was merely going to fill a salt pour and then stand on stage and empty it, that would be pretty boring. I just think most magicians that plan on continuously using a salt pour are not going to do just that and, instead, will develop a entertaining salt pour routine. But, wait a minute! Come to think of it, Fred Kaps did get quite a lot of mileage just standing there and pouring a seemingly inexhaustible amount of salt from his cupped hand. And, as Evanthx mentioned above, Cellini’s routine using this ordinary $10.00 gimmick “was quite impressive”.

I've watched the Kozak video on the Hocus-Pocus site and I must confess that I am having difficulty appreciating a significant difference between the EFFECT Kozak performed and the effect as performed by Fred Kaps and Cellini. Granted, Kozak performed to music but I'm fairly certain that that music is not part of the $300.00 package that Kozak is selling.

Finally, I purposely did not post these comments on the Kozak Salt Pour thread because I did not wish to hijack that thread or to otherwise distract from or to dilute the perspective of that thread (i.e., discussing the Kozak $300.00 salt pour gimmick and routine). And, by mentioning an inexpensive salt pour gimmick, I also did not want to imply that the Kozak gimmick was overpriced and not worth the money being asked. Hence, the separate thread. So, it was with great surprise that I read your above exposition on the Kozak effect on this "Cellini Salt Pour Gimmick" thread. Up until your post on this thread, no one had mentioned Paul Kozak, the Kozak Salt Pour gimmick or his $300.00 effect. Why did you feel the need to interject such a scathing defense of the Kozak effect on a thread that was merely discussing an innocuous $10.00 salt pour gimmick.

Best personal regards,

Mike

P.S. Jim Tighe,

The Fred Kaps Salt Pour effect and the card trick effect he performed on the Ed Sullivan Show are on the 1st episode of DVD1 and the Fantasio act is on the 2nd episode on DVD2.

I didn't mean to be condescending, but what I was trying to say was that the whole routine, worked out by a pro is worth the price to a pro. No one should buy it and try to be Kozak, that part you need to find out your own presentation and style... I have not seen Kozak work for some time, but those that have tell me he is doing much more than the salt trick in what you get for your money.

I would query the folks at http://www.hocus-pocus.com and ask them what is included ROUTINE WISE... I hear there is a bottle production and some other bits.

I'll be in Las Vegas in an couple of days for almost a week, and will be seeing Kozak and talking to him about his effect.

stay tooned...

Turk,

I want to take a second to set the record straight.

First of all I want to say here and now that Pete Biro has no knowledge at all of the Paul Kozak Salt Pour Gimmick period! I have know idea why he has chosen to speak up in this thread or anywhere else about about a product he has never seen, held in his hand , used or personally witnessed.

Again I want to make this clear, Pete Biro is not a spokesman for the Kozak Salt Pour or Hocus Pocus and is not qualified to speak about it at all. That said I will give all the facts...The Kozak Salt Pour is completely different than any other salt pour offered before in style, handling and holds more salt ( a full heaping teaspoon and a half more ) than any other salt pour mfg. or offered before.

I am puzzled by everyone who keeps talking about a routine. Below is the exact copy from our website about what you will receive with the Kozak Pour.

You receive the Paul Kozak Superior Salt Pour gimmick as well as a DVD, featuring a live performance of Paul Kozak performing the salt pour for the "World's Greatest Magic Show," currently running nightly at the Greek Isles Casino in Las Vegas! Also included in the DVD is a backstage teach-in session with Paul himself highlighting his 25 years-worth of handling & subtle nuances of the salt pour gimmick.

Nowhere does it state that you are receiving his routine. It does state that you get to see a live performance of Paul performing the Salt Pour, nothing else.

This item is not for the beginner. It is a professional tool for the professional performer. I agree with you 100% that this should not be discussed here a forum about another product period. Perhaps the moderator's will do their job and move it where it belongs.

Turk, I thank and appreciate your candid comments in your post and I hope that this information sheds some light on this subject.

Best Regards
Paul Gross
Owner
Hocus Pocus

Thanks Turk.

I am not talking about the gimmick. I am talking about the routine and presentation that Kozak has developed and is offering to the magic fraternity.

The gimmick? I don't care what it is... it is the effect that it has on the audience that counts, and you can't beat what Kozak has come up with.

Actually, I usually respect your opinion Mr. Biro, but I don't like Kozak's routine. The only reason I am ordering it is to get the gimmick and his handling of it. I'm completely changing the routine, though.

Kozak perform and explain everything included the gimmick on the IMS DVD . You can watch the DVD first before you put down your $300

Magicxman,

What does the "IMS" in IMS DVD stand for? From where or whom can this DVD be purchased? And, how much is this DVD?

Thanks for the info.

Mike

Comedy and then the Magic is just another sign in name for our young (and non performing) Ben Schwartz! If you remember Ben liked to bash most of the expensive and well-practiced professional routines! What Ben is famous for is buying magic and not paying for it! I only hope that Hocus Pocus gets their payment from Ben before they send him the gimmick! Ben is a total rip off artist!

Ben is infamous on this board for ripping people off and not paying for magic tricks that he gets. Ben is also famous for not sending magic tricks, props, videos, or DVD’s that he has sold and has received payment for. Some months ago there were several threads discussing this young thief.

His word as a performer holds no credibility. His honesty even less!

I'm sorry Harry Murphy, but I don't think you have any justification to post a remark like than in a post about a salt pourer. You may be doing us all a favour revealing Bens dishonesty but he his still enttitled to his opinion, espescially when it comes to a remark as innocent as htis. Comments like this may be better suited to other areas of the Café.
Nick

p.s. I would suggeset posting this in a seperate area so everyone knoews.

Hello Friends:
More than 45 years ago I saw in the varieté house "KAISEREHOF" in Cologne the famous "Kalanag Show". During that time Kalang had other magicians in the show and one of them was the wonderful FRED KAPS! The finale of his 10 minute act was "his" salt-pour and it caused a sensation at every performance.

On a video an old friend sent me I saw ROY BENSON perform the salt pour in his act and I learned, that the Kaps one was exactly the same......!!! As far as I know, Benson was the first magician who did the "Chinese Sticks" with THREE bamboo`s........and Kaps, too, did it also years later. Coincidence? Of course NOT! Henk Vermeyden, the dutch dealer, who was to that thime the president of the FISM, and Fred Kaps´s impresario brought a film with Benson`s act back from one of his many travels to USA and from this Kaps learned it. Here in Europe nobody did know of Roy Benson to that time. Nobody knows either, if Kaps had Benson´s permission for using the trick(s).

Many different salt-pour-gimmicks were described in magic books or sold by the dealeres. A very interesting one you`ll find explained in Ed Mishell`s booklet "Hold Out Miracles", which is still available. An unusual salt pour sold by dealers in USA around 30 years ago was Haskell´s "X-SALTED SHAKER" in which the gimmick for the pour was incorporated into the shaker (!)and I am working on a method were the modus operandi vanishes nearly automatically when the trick is over. A book about Roy Benson will be on the market soon and the author spoke about it recently on a magic convention.

I can only recommend Mr. Kozak´s Professional Salt-Pour, because I had the pleasure to see him perform the trickdue to the already mentioned show in Las Vegas twice in which in my opinion the salt pour is one of the highlights. Watch the video-clip on Hocus-Pocus website and you will know immediately why I am raving about the trick. http://www.hocus-pocus.com

TED LESLEY

It does look very good. Sorry Harry if I offended you earlier. Iwas tired and not really reading the posts. I have since gone on to find out more about Mr Schwartz. Thanks for the heads up.
Nick

p.s. maaybe we should talk about the original question.

Hi,
I looked at the clip, but personlay I do not think it was a patch on the fred Kaps presentation
Phillip

Hi Mike,

IMS stand for Magic Academy Course of Magic series DVDs. Inside the DVD Mr.Kozak explain every move even what kind of salt is best for perfroming. I've just made the gimmick , and tomorrow I will go to supermarket to find that brand of salt to start my practice. Cheers.

Well of course IMS stands for Magic Academy Course of Magic series DVDs!!! Isn't that obvious? What else could IMS stand for?