To celebrate his new website, Christopher Taylor is giving a free download when you register for an account (through the end of September 2016). Since there is not a lot of information on these downloads (although at $15 each, with one free you can get all 5 for $60) I offered to review them for him. Over the next few days I will post reviews as time permits. That said, here is Overkill:

Enso by Christopher Taylor
4 page pdf, 3 video files
$15 from http://taylorimagineering.com/shop/overkill/

Here is the description from the website:
Powerful mental-magic based on the classic “which-hand effect” presented by Christopher Taylor. Enjoy detailed PDF instructions and additional video instructional support.
Also included are directions for making an amazingly effective, “no-batteries-required” magnet detector.

I found this a very intriguing description but it left me with more questions than answers. I’ll try to fix that in this review.

Let’s break this into 3 parts: the mental section, the magic section, and the construction (without giving away too much of the method) section.

Mental: A spectator is given a ring, then asked to hide it in a hand (theirs or someone else). Then several fists (including the one with the ring!) are brought forward and no matter how many fists are presented you can determine which one contains the ring.

Magic: The supposed way you find the ring is by having a business card initialed, then wave the stack of cards over each hand waiting for a ring to magically appear on the initialed card. Ultimately the drawing/burned circle/whatever appears on the card and the hand is shown to contain the ring.

Construction: You need a stack of cards, adhesives, some miscellaneous parts that you have laying around, and a tiny rod magnet (or if you are impatient the smallest magnet you have in your collection). This will take some time and patience (I recommend using a template for one step, you’ll understand) as you assemble then wait for glue to dry. Once completed you have a utility device that will indicate the presence of another magnet.

One of the videos is 25 seconds of showing how the indicator works, another is 1 minute of how to handle the gimmick to sense the presence of a magnet without flashing. The final video is about 3.5 minutes on constructing the gimmick. The routine description and working are provided in the photo illustrated 3.5 page pdf.

Restrictions: You must use your ring, it won’t work with a borrowed ring (but you probably already know that).

As Christopher stated, as taught this is a mental magic trick. If you are performing pure mentalism having a ring magically appear on your business card doesn’t make sense. On the other hand, if it is a burned circle, and the ring is the ring of Lucifer whose fire will scorch its way through their hand and burn an image on to the card then it could work (but probably not at a kid’s birthday party please).

One more note: It’s easy to throw this in the box it is sold in. But realize this is not just a which hand is the ring in routine? It is a utility device to determine where a magnet is. If you can justify waving a pack of business cards over some objects you will detect the magnet. So buy this for that and not just a which hand routine and get creative.

This is another entry in the “Which hand is it in” parade of methods. It is definitely cheaper than many, able to sense better than many, doesn’t rely on verbal techniques, and is cheaper than many. If you don’t have this effect in your arsenal yet, or you need another method, or you like the idea of Lucifer scorching through their hand (this is NOT in the instructions!) then you should spend the $15 and grab this.

If you have read this far you should have a good idea of what you will be getting, so you should know if it is recommended for you.

The correct link is here: http://taylorimagineering.com/shop/enso/

Christopher