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Ekuth Inner circle Floating above my 1538 Posts |
Product Description: N3 and N4 Coin Set(s)
Product Creator: N2G Magic Product Link: www.n2gmagic.com Product Price: $50 each, $80 for the set if ordered directly from N2G. Other big box magic retailers: $100 Product Price Point Value: 4.5 out of 5 Company Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Review: While not a 'coin guy' extensively, I do use a fair bit of coin work in my act(s)- and the trailer for the N3/N4 caught my eye immediately with the very clean instantaneous changes and transpositions. Curiosity piqued, I did the prerequisite searches on the usual forums to try to find out just what this was. No one wants to duplicate something one already has, after all... unless it does it better. Admittedly, the N3/N4 coin concept is not new, it's been done before. Johnny Wong's Super Triple, Lassen... and others have all produced variants of this concept. It's a clever concept, and not one that you're liable to be able to make for yourself. Yes, there is a thread running around the Café on how to make your own cheap set of this type of gimmick- but you get what you pay for. Not always in the overpriced, overhyped secretive world of magic effects, gaffs and gimmicks- but with coin work, especially gimmicked coin work- price does make a difference as to quality. This is simply to point out a truism- not to endorse any particular manufacturer over another. There is a need for high quality, insanely priced gaffs for the professionals... just as there is a need for those magi who need a low cost alternative. It's like buying a car- when you're a college student, you buy an old banger that has a steering wheel, four tires and goes where you want, when you want. And it's enough for you. After you've gotten that MBA and are CEO of some bloodsucking, parasitic megalithic corporation, you want to move up in the world. Image, you understand. You can't be the Steve Jobs of the magic world driving a Yugo. So, you spring for the Mercedes with hand stitched baby seal skin seats with integrated seat warmer to keep your tush nice and toasty while you're planning staff cutbacks. Your workers really don't care what you drive, they just want your blood, but it makes you feel better to be surrounded in luxury while you're beating off the hordes of hungry unemployed. Regardless, as with the college car, the N3/N4 serves it's purpose- and does it admirably well. The gaffs are very well constructed, and with the addition of some packing tape (as shown in the explanatory vid for the N3) or, preferably, Teflon tape to the inside of the gaff; you're good to go. Detailing on the coins is crisp and sharp, the m*****s are strong and well centered, allowing the coins to line up near perfectly every time. They're fairly sturdy, too- I've already dropped mine on the bathroom floor several times during practice of the basic change move- and there has been nary a scratch or a problem. Tough little things, but I wouldn't recommend trying this on concrete, stone or tile. At $50 a coin, better safe than sorry. The N3 is made from an English Penny with a Kennedy Half face on the interior of the gimmick. The N4 is made from a Kennedy Half with an English Penny face on the interior of the gimmick. One can see the obvious benefits of having the entire set, and by ordering direct from the manufacturer- the "preferential package"- you'll save $40 that would otherwise be lining Penguin's pockets. Shipping is incredibly low, considering that the item comes from China- sounding in at only $6.99. Shipping is also relatively fast considering the distance, as mine arrived in 10 days to the Western US. This is where the only real negative of my entire purchasing experience reared it's ugly head- the website, while offering an English translation, is not intended for native English speakers and the submission form contains a mandatory fill in box that Google simply refused to translate for me. Only by trial and error was I able to discover that the cryptic characters wanted my cell phone/text number. Once this was provided, the form was as expected. To be on the safe side, I used Paypal to pay- this offers you a conflict resolution backup if the seller renegs on the deal. Fortunately, this did not happen, though there was a marked lack of professionalism in the shipping process. And here's my real beef- you're popping out $80 to an overseas vendor- you would think that they would use a known shipping provider that provides a tracking number for you to at least check on the progress of your purchase. Sadly, this was not the case... and repeated emails were met with semi-evasive answers on just 'exactly' when the set(s) were shipped. To N2G's credit, the responses were prompt, generally within 24 hours, but not having a direct question answered the first time and having to ask it again only to get a general response was frustrating and did not engender trust or the feeling that this was an actual company you were dealing with. Small quibbles, perhaps- but in this world of competitive selling, small quibbles in customer service can send your customers looking for a domestic seller. But, happily, my fears were for naught as the set(s) arrived in a cushy bubble pack 10 days later in fine shape. The N3 coin comes in a paper folding case similar to that which holds a DVD, the N4 in it's own plastic DVD clam shell. The Video(s): The videos for the products were well shot and simplistic, eschewing tons of dialogue and bridging the language barrier by sticking to simple slow, clear explanations of both the gimmicks and the accompanying routines. The N3 video is provided via a YouTube link, the N4 video comes on an enclosed DVD that has slightly higher production value than the N3. I found the background music used for both videos to be pleasant and non-intrusive; a good change from the usual Ellusionist and Theory11 hard-rock/Carmina Burona as played by AC/DC meets Nirvana. The Gimmick: Well made. The m*****s are of perfect strength and large size, filling almost the entire surface of the gaff. Action is very easy, especially after the addition of Teflon tape. It would have been nice had this been provided, but a quick search of Ebay turned this up easily enough. The snap back of the gaff is very clean and quite powerful, capable of sending the coin right out of your hand if you're not careful. Alignment is virtually perfect every time. Detailing of the coins is sharp and the coins, while not polished to a sheen, look good. To get mine to match the non-gimmicked coins you will need for the routines, I polished both the gaffs and the regular coins to a matching sheen. This is important- as you will be switching non-gaffed coins for the gaffs in many of the routines. You can chose your own look; either polished or au natural. I prefer polished for high visibility and ease of matching the non-gaffed coins. Expanded shells will fit over the entire N3 coin, and easily over the gaffed face of the N4. I found the shell to be just snug enough over the back of the N4 to give me pause, so I didn't push it. It is nice that you can use a shell with these, however, expanding the possible routines. Routines: Several routines are provided on each video, with the first being the 'basic' move. This is knacky, and you'll be well served in mastering it before moving on to the other routines. Undoubtedly the instant, 'at the tips of the fingers' change is to be striven for, but if it proves to difficult I found that simply making a 'waving' motion with the coin(s) provided an acceptable change and hides any fumbling and any flashing of the 'dirty work'. For those having trouble mastering the basic move, I recommend tilting your hand back slightly to allow the back of the coin to rest on the pad of your thumb as you release the front. Once you have the coin in hand, you'll get what I'm on about. Practice over a bed or carpet, as I guarantee you *will* drop the coin at least once until you're accustomed to the quite strong snapback of the gimmicked piece as the m*****s align. The other routines include 3-Fly variants and a brilliant and very visual in-your-spectator's hand transposition. Really, there are hundreds of possible routines you can come up with using these brilliant gaffs- going through Bobo's is sure to yield some ideas. The routines are taught from multiple points of view, namely the spectator's and the magician's (revealed) views. They are shot cleanly and clearly, eschewing long verbal explanations in favor of the visual learning style. Pros: Very clean, very visual and startling changes and transpositions. Excellent quality gaffs, good m*****t strength and alignment- natural complimenting sets. Multiple routine possibilities inherent in the gaffs may eliminate or replace other coin sets. Ability to use expanded shells adds to the versatility. Good price point vs. other sets. Cons: Lack of Teflon discs/tape provided with gaffs. Without this, the action is not as 'easy' and has a distinct and while not overly loud, noticeable sound. No tracking number provided for shipping. The Bottom Line: A good, well made set of gaffed coins that will provide clean, startling and very visual changes and transformations. Endless routine possibilities. Easy switching. While not the Rolls Royce of coin sets, the N3/N4 coins serve their purpose admirably and will enable even magi not familiar with coin work to break the glass ceiling of coin magic and entertain their audiences with clean, direct, visual magic. Recommended.
"All you need is in Fitzkee."
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seanksutton Veteran user 331 Posts |
Thanks for the review! What, in your opinion, is the Rolls Royce of coin sets?
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Ekuth Inner circle Floating above my 1538 Posts |
Most would say Schoolcraft or Lassen, but as noted, I'm not a 'coin guy' per se. Check the trick coin trickery forum for better opinions than mine on that.
"All you need is in Fitzkee."
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djefvulen Regular user 166 Posts |
I have ordered the N3/N4 coin sets from N2G Magic, so I guess I'll have to wait a while. Meanwhile I'm going to try to find some matching ungimmicked coins online. How many of each do I need? Are two half dollars and two english pennies enough? Any special year I should look for, or is that not very important? I guess the gimmicked coins are made from real coins and can have different years printed on them. Best alternative would be to wait for my coins to arrive and then order matching ungimicked ones, but I want to be able to start right away with the magic .
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StarManager Inner circle Maui, Hawaii 1012 Posts |
I am a Lassen guy and have some 30 of his sets. There is no comparison. Period. I use very few other products but the N2, N3 and N4 are rare exceptions. These coin sets are absolutely perfect in construction and action, provided, as mentioned above, you add the teflon discs, available on Amazon and Murphy's. The review here by EKUTH is fantastic, insightful, and correct on all counts. I'm a big fan of this set and as a working coin man won't leave home without them. They allow an absolute miracle under close scrutiny with nothing to clean up. 10/10!
"I'm a professional magician and once in a while I even work." Jonathan Todd Excelsior (StarManager)
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