VcosNJ, I sometimes have some problems activating the "sweet spot", too. I find it, do it a few times perfectly and then it won't activate, but those things will easily work itself out after it breaks itself in a little more. Theboywonder, try to keep it tilted down a little bit on the second handling and it should be ok. I've tried the handling where you rip a piece of a card and the card dissappears in the deck and the missing corner ends up in the box. I did it to my wife and she loved it. This thing is really cool, it's something a little different.

A quick tip for all STRIP owners. The Strip gimmick does not have to be broken in. Every single unit is tested before it ships. You should be able to trigger the device every single time. Depending on the shape of your forefinger..you might want to trigger it this way:

Instead of pressing up on the bottom with your forefinger tip, press up against the bottom with the SIDE of your slightly curled forefinger. This way there is upward pressure across the entire width of the bottom. The top SIDE of your forefinger should be positioned so that half is pressing up across the bottom and half extends past the front edge of the case.



Also..make sure that you close the case and press upward with your forefinger at the same time.

Will try to get a link to a photo of this soon.

Hope that helps,

Janet Harris (AG)

Hello again. To see an exotic full color photo of the Optional Trigger position for STRIP..go to Janet's blog at paulharrispresents.com

Happy to answer all questions,

Janet Harris (AG)

Thank you for the tips, Janet! The quick shipping of my Strip trick a few weeks ago was also much appreciated!

It definitely helps Janet! I'm still a little iffy but I'm hitting it 90% of the time now. Also, I just showed my wife the torn and restored label. She's seen a lot of magic and was asking if it went up my sleeve, or if I'm palming it.. she looked at the Strip container and had no clue. I love those reactions!

That's funny you said that, VcosNJ, I have the same situation with my wife. I test everything on her, and she knows all of my sleights. but with this one she had no idea. Let's face it, NONE of us had any idea until we got it.

My wife too! I was practicing what Janet had mentioned, and it worked for me 100% of the time. So, I showed several versions to my wife last night, and she of course had no idea. Loving this one!

Well... I technically had an idea about how it worked BUT the actual product is much more streamlined than my idea Ha ha.

Here`s what I think of this:

It`s definitely not like a change bag. That`s what disappointed me the most. A change bag switches between more than one compartment. This is nothing like that. The reset is quick but you absolutely cannot reset it in front of people or with people around because they might see what you`re doing. That is what renders this absolutely impractical for me unless I want to use it casually, which is what I`m doing now. That means, however, that I will not be getting any money out of this and so $40 was way too steep for me.

I performed Whack a Pack presentation today and it killed. I love it. I just hate how impractical it is for workers because you can`t reset with people around you.

Just like with most effects, some work for certain people and some don't. Fortunately this works for me, and for the people it works for, it will work great!

I think I may pick up a refill to do visual transpos.

The question you have to ask yourself, after being so keen about it seeming impromptu, is why would anyone carry 2 Listerine Strip packets?

Hey, why would people use Wow! and be so keen on using Wow! when it's such a suspect prop regardless of how many apologetic excuses magicians come up with fooling themselves that the Wow! gimmick is totally innocent.

Heck, one of my all time favourite effects has and still is Deep Astonishment 2 even though to perform it you take out a strange deck of cards and a funky looking envelope. Gets the job done and does it extremely well I must add.

I think Patrick was referring to your fondness of the everyday, impromtu nature of the effect.

You say:
"For all intent and purposes for the majority of people, there's no suspicion of it because the thing is immediately recognizable."

Seems to be a completely different argument than you're making about the Wow! gimmick. No? Anyhow, I think it's fair to say that having 2 listerine packages is a less common and less recognizable situation than having one.

That's exactly what I was saying Platt.

When magic is involved, at the end of the effect I think nothing appears normal however taking out a Listerine packet or two is less suspicious than a deck of cards. I've been thinking about it though and if you take things out of your pocket absent minded without drawing attention, what would be so strange about taking out a second one and going "Oh, that's where that first pack went, hmmm" and then carry on. It's still way more below the radar than whipping out a deck of cards.

I got mine a couple of weeks ago. After playing with it for some time, here are my personal thoughts.

It is well designed and the DVD is very comprehensive.
Of all the presentations, my favorite was the one where squiggles drawn on a breath strip turn into the spectators initials. (While using a breath strip as a piece of paper may be a little off the wall, it seems to work for the effect.)

While this is a cool product, I can't see myself performing with it. For starters, it plays too small-- it is truly a micro magic effect that seems best performed for a very small, intimate group. Second, I am of the school that I will not use something that is not 100% fool proof. I can imagine all the goofs that can happen, so I am not going to put this in my active repertoire. Third, a grabby spectator will find the gaff. (People can argue about audience management all they want-- sooner or later someone will find the secret mechanism!) Fifth, I prefer tricks that instantly reset, this does not.

I would have liked the DVD to include instructions on the construction of the gaff. Perhaps that is proprietary information, but I would like to have made a few extra packs so if I decided to perform this, I could have a few loaded and ready to go. (At the price they are selling them, I can't see myself buying a few extra boxes.)

If you do a lot of walk around, then it's a good idea to have fresh breath all the time...
I don't think it is that unrealistic to carry two around with you. Heck, my girlfriend carries about 9-10 different chapsticks in her purse at a time. I think it is all in how you present having two. Just like it is all in how you present having a WOW gimmick...etc...

Wow is very obvious and I think the case of Wow, we are undermining the fact that people are just not that dumb. Heck, when Wow first came out and everybody was goo goo ga ga over it, I was shown it in performance and I didn't bother to buy it because having the sleeve is just too unnatural. People have said you can pretend it's a baseball card sleeve but let's be honest, who the heck has ever seen a baseball card sleeve look like that. They might not yell it out or mention it but some will wonder about the sleeve. Only reason I bought it and I'm being absolutely honest here, was because of all the hype on the Café. That is the only reason I bought Wow. Needless to say, I don't buy anywhere near the volume of magic products now as I did a few years back because I've grown older and wiser.

Now, the Listerine pack, the thing is absolutely innocent and it's very true that people do not know that these things open up. Only thing I'm worried about is if when the spectator takes out a breath strip they might accidentally set the thing off but so far so good (though I can imagine it might happen).

You're absolutely right; they're not that dumb at all. They know that even a Listerine packet that can visually transform something is just a trick. Especially when you whip one out during a walkaround performance. ESPECIALLY if they seen you perform it afterwards to someone else attending the event. The only reason it helps to have everyday looking items for magic is exactly for that purpose: you can use them in everyday situations. It seems impromptu. Using the most normal of items in a working environment will not save you from their suspicions. You'd have just as much success with a gimmick that is obviously a gimmick. People know you're ready to perform if you've been hired to perform... You wouldn't go to your gig unprepared and to them, you would probably not risk trying some "spur of the moment" trick with something you have in your pocket.