I hope my post finds everyone well. I had purchased one of the $350 floating tables from Ebay. I recommend to all NOT TO BUY THEM. They're not durable or well made. I am uncertain weather the Losander ones are any better. Here's just one issue...Where the top attaches to the central support the metal gimmick wears out the Balsa wood resulting in a less than desirable hole. Another problem I see with them is that the gimmick isn't actually long enough to be workable per se (at least w/the cheapies, perhaps Losander puts a little metal sleve/graumet in the holes to prevent such erosion and his gimmick may/might be better). At the end of the day I love the effect it's cool, however if you've never done it before and don't handle this prop gingerly IT WILL BREAK and you can glue it back together. I for one have done that a couple of times now, however I have determined that it's not going to be part of my show/act any longer...FIRE WOOD, lol! Sorry for all those out there who are proponents of floating tables, but I just can't use a prop that's I feel is unreliable and may break/fall apart at a moments notice.

I could say something sarcastic about getting what you pay for.. or for buying something that Losander has tried very hard to protect as his own and make a living off...

but.... I'm sad for your loss. It's hard to take $300 and toss it in the toilet.

Trust me. NO need to feel sorry for any of us who bought LOSANDER tables. We GOT what we paid for. This is one of the cases where ethics turns out to be a GOOD business investment.

Buy a Losander. Losander will credit you the price you paid for your crap table and you'll have a good prop that will last a LONG time.

Good Luck and thanks for the heads up on the knockoff crap.

Losander's Tables are great! I have been performing mine twice a night, almost every night for the last several years and have never had a problem. I even bought another one just to have a back-up, but have never had to get it out!

I have owned both a knock off (was not aware at the time) got rid of that and got a losander. WOW what a differenc. the knock off was like a work out and the losander is like if its really floating.


what I really wanted to comment on was this. my table in the middle of a performance the top separated from the base yup now performing the floating table top. I just took it off and put it back stage and looked at the audience and hey its live show any thing can happen and moved on.
here is the best part of this story. I contacted losander and found out that he would be at a convention not to far away. I went there with the table approched him and he looked at it for a few minutes. then said leave it with me and come back tomorrow morning.

I did and he fixed the problem and guranteed the work saying if I ever have another problem just let him know he would either fix it again or replace it.

that's the kind of quality you get from losander. by the way never a problem again with the table after his fix!!

buy a losander you wont be dissapointed!

sam

Buy anything from the original creator and you won't be disappointed;)

I am on my third Losander table. Not because they break or wear out, but because I keep upgrading. I now have the Trinity table and boy is it nice. With three legs there is no wobble and the working surface is great. You can actually use the table for other things during your program, and then finish with the floating table.

You wouldn't go into a Bangkok Brothel with a prophylactic that you bought from some guy on the street, you'd want to make sure you were buying quality, you life may depend on it.....why take that chance with your magic props?

Well... last time I stopped by a Bangkok Brothel.... never mind.

The first post of this thread by the way, is giving almost too much method exposure,
you're new here, so just a heads up to being very careful about posting too much info or secret stuff!

My Losander has lasted for years, it is very deceptive and very well made.
Losander stands behind each and every one of his tables.
There is no alternative for excellence.

And... if you buy any knock-off he'll give you up to a $500 credit when you buy the real deal!
How can you go wrong?

Magically, Walt

LMAO....That sounds like something I would say.

Walt, we'd all love to hear your Bangkok story!

Only Losander!!!!
; )

What happens in Bang-kok stays in Bangkok!

Meanwhile Losander tables can now be customized with huge variations and combinations of styles, finishes, designs etc. Saw his amazing sample book at Magic Live.

Walt

LOL. Spellbinder is right. Go with Losander

Losanders floating table, Jim's Origami, Walters Ladder Levitation and the list goes on... Why do so many people buy a rip off and then end up buying the real deal later I wonder???

Answer is because it's cheaper.

But is it?

Will it last forever?
Will it me more deceptive?
Will it work better?

Or will you end up buying the real one down the road anyway because it didn't last.

Why waste time and money on a fake, save for the real deal and more importantly help support the inventors of magic.

If people keep ripping off anything - what incentive does it give inventors to keep pumping out stuff? Our art will die if we don't get behind the original thinkers and their products which are helping to elevate our art so it continues long after you and I are gone. If you don't think the same way then you shouldn't be here.

Too many Magicians buy everything, that's fine you don't have to create anything to be a good performer but try and invent something... anything... If every Magician did that our industry would change a great deal, as people would want to protect the things they created and then many would realize the importance of respecting the creations of others and the long term harm and impact that ripping off things has on the art we love.

The rip off builders and performers have defiantly hurt my business big time and have even made me question whether or not I should sell anything else ever again. But I know there are many good people out there, that respect and understand the importance of ethics so I will continue regardless of the bottom feeders that don't care about anyone else but themselves.

To anyone scoffing at this statement from John. That fact is that John Cornelius quit developing effects for that very reason. His latest effect was knocked off and on the market from China in only a few weeks from the time it was released. That was it for John. He quit the business. DONE! Gone! No more great effect from John Cornelius.

Just bought a Losander table...Got it for 937 bucks on eBay. BRAND NEW! Crazy excited. Losander is going to mod it for me cause this doesn't have the gravity box attachment. It's a super deluxe version minus gravity box. So basically 937+250 for gravity box mod and I got me a 2000 dollar table for under 1200!

(and for all the nay-sayers - I asked and Losander told me himself to buy this one because it was a steal!)

Just my 2 cents worth on the "buy from creators" discussion. I agree that it helps magic to purchase from the original creator of an effect. I also agree that it isn't always feasible because of price.

I had a knock-off table (well, technically still do until my new one comes in) and it worked great for me. Actually, I had a few of the 350 dollar versions from eBay. I think they worked very well. I broke them and didn't have any "customer support" to turn to so I had to just sell them "as-is" on eBay and let the woodworkers out there get them for cheap and fix them up. I can't speak about the "Losander" table yet but I'm sure it'll be great. Honestly, I'm glad I learned on a knock-off because it will make me appreciate my original table more AND I have learned how NOT to perform the floating table. Haha. I have dropped mine before and know how to avoid that. I also had the unbelievable misfortune of having a boy come ON STAGE after the show, pick it up, yell about the weight, and then drop it and crack the base. Unbelievable.

Anyway, the thing that made me want to buy Losander's table was watching him on his Levitation DVD. I purchased "Animate Me" and his floating table DVD (Secrets of a Modern Wizard) from his website. I SO appreciated his attitude about knock-offs and how he views them. He was NOT preachy about them and acted rather like it was completely expected. He wasn't necessarily condoning purchasing them, but he was so understanding of those of us who couldn't spend 2000 bucks to get one of his right from the get-go. Let's face it, the $350 tables on eBay are not bad. They are getting better and better and reputable dealers are now selling them. BUT - Losander is also known as the rolls royce of the floating tables. He completely won me over after watching that DVD. I can't explain it, but I just wanted to give him my business and my money. He was so great. He genuinely wanted to help those of us watching that DVD - even if we were using knock-off tables. SUCH a class act. I immediately went to eBay (I spend plenty of time on there) and found one for 750 bucks (finally sold for 937). I've actually never seen one on there before, but I was thrilled to get it! I wondered what he'd think about me not purchasing through him, but he said as long as it was an original (he even checked it out for me via pictures) then he'd be good with giving me customer support on it and everything. So cool. The guy is great. He'll be getting more business from me now other than just 2 DVDs through his website. Haha.

Matt Adams in regards to this statement you wrote-

so I had to just sell them "as-is" on eBay and let the woodworkers out there get them for cheap and fix them up.

It's not cool to sell a knock-off prop to someone else. It just makes it someone else's problem. It doesn't help our industry.

Good to see you've bought a real one now, you won't look back.

I mostly agree...but I'm one to be a bit more on the fence of the issue than others. I'm still a business man too, so I wasn't going to lose money on the deal. If it were truly a matter of ethics (i.e. being illegal), then there wouldn't be a question. Naturally my old table would have become firewood. Actually, I wouldn't have purchased it in the first place if it were an ethics question. But it isn't an ethics question to me. I KNOW that there are many people who totally disagree with my last statement and we could all argue til we are blue in the face and not change anyone's mind, so I'm not going to do that. It's TRULY unfortunate that we can't better protect our secrets. Anyway, long story short - I do make a lot of sacrifices for the art of magic that hurt me, but this wasn't one of those times.

But I'm sure I'll become a "purist" or "elitist" now that I was fortunate enough to cough up the dough for a real Losander table.

No but it hurt a lot of others.

Tim : he bought one what else do you want??