Review: (I'm an amateur so please bear that in mind). If you use an Okito/boston/whatever box, this is well worth a look. It's useable as a normal Okito/Boston box but it has a couple of nifty extra features that greatly increase the scope of box routines. It's half-dollar sized (the size is important for some routines).

I felt that I was taking a risk on buying this item, since it seemed from the 'meh' youtube demo to be a straightforward Okito box, albeit with a slightly angular shape. The demo video is Mr Tango using a normal Tango Okito box to do apparently the same move three times. To be clear: that's not a demo of the Kartis box. The Kartis box is different. I'm very glad I bought it; the box design is novel - in fact, unique, as far as I'm aware (I own 12 boxes in 9 different types - which is a lot less than some - so I may be wrong). The DVD of routines that comes with the box is excellent. It's presented by Kartis, with both a Spanish and English soundtrack, and contains the following routines:

Twenty coins - Part of Kartis' FISM routine. The DVD opens with the performance of this routine and closes with the explanation. Twenty coins are apparently produced from the box (which is shown empty at various points in the routine) and finally stacked on top of each other in the box, in a great comedy moment, clearly showing the impossibility of what just happened. Great routine, using the major novel feature of the box.

Hand to hand - Very clean transposition of four coins from one hand to another involving several subtleties.

Thru table - workable coin through table using a common feature of many coin boxes.

Thru silk - beautiful routine, related to the previous routine but with an additional beautifully simple, elegant move. Almost self working and gorgeous. A sophisticated bit of eye candy for the audience.

Thru glass - The coins are put in the box, in a hankie, and then apparently penetrate the box, hankie and glass to be found beneath the glass. Works best with a particular kind of glass, but it's possible without.

Classic one by one - great classic coins through hand routine.

Two in the hand two in the box - Another simple and beautiful routine where two coins are placed in the box, two in the hand, and then without any obvious moves, the two coins in the box appear in the hand.

Kaplan's glass - Coin through card into glass, with the penetration performed by spectator. Ungimmicked (aside from the Kartis box), stunning.

Transposition - Box shown empty, four half dollars produced cleanly from within the box. The box is shown empty, closed and instantly and cleanly, four pennies are produced. The halves are put into the box and the box closed, then the pennies are picked up. The hand is opened to reveal that the pennies have changed into halves, and the pennies are now in the box. The routine uses a unique feature of the Kartis box, and is absolutely stunning.

Color Chips - Three light chips and three dark chips are produced from the box and then transposed.

The remarkable thing about this package for me is that it's opened up some great possibilities with this box, and boxes in general. The Kartis box has the usual features of an Okito box and a Boston box, but it also has (at least) two unique features that are demonstrated on the DVD. I would never have thought it was possible to produce twenty coins from an okito box this cleanly, but the box makes it relatively straightforward. Also, the angular shape of the box lends itself to a couple of moves that Kartis teaches on the DVD, as well as (cleverly imo) making the properties of the box less obvious. Kartis himself is clear, concise and to the point in the teaching portions (the DVD has an English and a Spanish soundtrack and Kartis' original spanish explanation is translated very well).

All in all, I thought this was an excellent buy. Thank you Mr. Tango!

Is it possible for you to explain what this coin box can do differently than others you use?

Sure. Here's the correct demo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMk1rfGgUmI
The major difference in this box is best shown in "Twenty coins" and "Transposition". "Twenty Coins" is the first effect on the video, "Transposition" is at 4:55. In both cases, you can see that a box full of coins is produced immediately after the box is shown empty. In "Twenty Coins" this is just done as a straight up production, in "Transposition" it's used as an initial production with a transposition afterwards. This is the major thing that's different about the box - you can show the box empty, then produce a boxful of coins from it. No gimmick - no moving parts - it's just sleight of hand, good routining and the shape of the box.

There's a good, clear picture showing the shape of the box here: http://www.tangomagic.com/product.php?pr......0&page=1

So that's difference #1. Coins from an empty box, with no obvious move. I only have one other box that could be used this way, and it's pretty clumsy. With the Kartis, the feature is deliberately designed in so it works very easily. Difference #2 is just the fat middle and the angular shape, which help with the standard 'move' and make the box look more deceptive. Other than the shape, it's just a normal Boston box. Hope that makes sense?

Thanks Volto. That helps.

Routines utilizing a Boston style box without an affixed coin can be beautiful, but the design of the box can be questionable if/when seen. The styling of the Kartis box make the recessed bottom less of an issue or question, and it simply appears to be just a stylized feature of the box design. Again, I'm only nine years late to the discussion, but foe those stumbling upon it now, there you have it. Haha

Going to the pocket for 4 coins seems (to me) to detract from the "twenty Coins" - Why not stop at 16 with the last turnover suggesting a full box? However the transposition routine is superb and can only be done with the Kartis (English Pennies are a bit thinner and hide well in the lid). My Kartis box (Tango) is nice and heavy, and can do everything that a regular Boston can do - but I do not have a matching Okito