I have ordered the Raven and it should be here tomorrow. Do you guys think I should get the DVD too, or just stick to the book?

Jeremy, welcome to the Café! You'll find some great people here.

As for your question, books a great...if you can read between the lines. Sometimes it's hard to understand the little nuances that a writer tries to get across with pen and paper.

Read the book and see what you think. If you can't (don't) understand what it's saying, you can always fall back to the DVD.

Have fun! Mark.

For the $15 to $18 dollars it cost to purchase the DVD I believe that buying the DVD insures that what you read is the same in visual review. It makes learning easy when you have the words and the visual as well. I find my self reviewing the DVD and then using the written work for programing myself. Plus the DVD includes an additional number of different effects that you can learn as well.
But it.

Chuck

Just to add another question, do you have to buy gimmicked coins or can you use regular?

Gimmicked and I highly suggest the dvd. I also suggest buying the reel raven and the raven x2. I actually converted my x2 into a reel x2. The raven WILL take practice, but it will payoff....Great trick. I also suggest henry evan's magnetic reel.

How about learnig the manolift? or is it to much work?

WU.

Wu,

has Mano ever actually taught it? That would be a bit of a stumbling block.

Good to see you on Wu, I thought you said you were out of here.

Kainoa Harbottle teaches a Raven like effect in "Coins On Edge". It requires no gimmick, no set up, no special coins and no wardrobe requirements.

Do the coins come with it?

No, just the knowledge.

Do you have to build the raven or does just a book come?

Gotta ask Mano if you want it.

And that has NOTHING to do with the Raven.

Why are folks dissing a guy, who's just bought the thing and wants to start learning how to use it, by discussing some VERY difficult sleight of hand?

Yes you will need some special coins made if your local currency easily gripped by the Raven's invisible talons of force.

Hi guys,

Wu, thanks for mentioning the move my boy.

There is actually a DVD called la famiglia and it features Godhands,Rannie.Jesse,Vinny,Pablo and some others and myself and I teach how to practise the manolift,also there is a short effect called demagnetized raven in it.

the things I can't do with the manolift these days are unreal my friends, I am surprised that nobody has really spend sometime trying to learn it,especially those that do magic on a mat.

I have 3 ways to do in the hand raven, one of them, I do it on the back of a person's hand and the other two are similar to kainoa, and to be honest mine are cleaner and with no movement whatsoever, no need to level the coin to steal it and I can show both of my hands empty right after the steal and then produce it back, I could post it on line, but I just don't like to waste my time with little tricks, like I have seen some members here, whenever they have any little trick they go straight in from of a camera to show it to the whole world,oh well to each his own.

I can do the manolift with a dime and up to a silver dollar.

if you ever see me at fantasm,or tannen's or maui taco or the pizza place ask me and I'll show you and tell you how I do it.

I have been planning to make a DVD, but I'm really changing my mind and thinking just the same as Armando Lucero which I respect soo much,i really don't know him but I know he is a great guy and I wish him the best for being real to his art, he certainly is not a bussiness man as a bunch of magicians are these days.

I have a bunch of new techniques which I believe it is going to make a bunch of actual moves obsolete and make the coin magic look cleaner and more fair than it is right now and all at the finger tips, but I'm going to hold back for a while just like Armando has done with his matrix.

I will show some of those techniques in a few videos I'll be posting at youtube very soon, till then.

So long my friends.

best.

mano.

Mano can do his lift any surface.. this technique will bring and shadow coins or matrix to another level..
When Mano ever decides to release his material and make a dvd the serious coin workers will have a feel day. that's how poerful his techniques are.
the godfather

I think the raven is a cool utility when used correctly.

I agree that you should probably start with just the book and move to the DVD if you feel you need more help.

Sleight of hand methods are great too, but if you have a raven, you should certainly explore the possibilities. Some great magicians have done some awesome thigns with it.

I was just wondering if Mano had taught the technique or not. Thanks mano for answering

Far too many people who criticize the Raven have poor technique and have never seen the dvd. Although you can probably figure out the subtleties and tips taught in the dvd yourself in time, I believe the dvd to be invaluable in getting one to the point of using it effectively sooner. Too many people have simply dismissed the Raven, and left it in their drawers, because they never learned how to use it properly.

Thanks for the info about "La Famiglia" Mano, it is definately something I am going to have to pick up. Not that I don't have enough on my plate already. The Raven I am sure is a cool device, but I have always done things the hard way, why depart from that now.....

Some people would say that the only thing that matters is the effect. What ever creates the better effect is the best. I agree with that...I certainly don't think we should marry ourselves to our methods (esp gaff vr ungaffed). However, I do believe it is best to explore sleight of hand first.

If you have spent the time to develop a skill it is some thing you always have (at least as long as you are healthy).

If you ask lay people how they think a PK effect is done you'd be surprised how close they come to a discovery. I'm sure this is true for other effects as well, but PK effect seem to only have two possibilities in the minds of spectators.....after the initial reaction wears off.

Jon, keep in mind he posted this in the "Nothing Up My Sleeve" section. It makes sense that this tread would move to discussions of Sleight of Hand since that is theme of this section. I certainly intended no disrespect and I apologize if any was inferred.