Hi friends! Doug here.

Back in 2001 or so, I came up with this idea, albeit rather crude. I was able to turn one of my Morrissey Cups into a Chop Cup. I used medical tape to attach the Neo-M. Not invisible, but it's behind the cup most of the time anyway. Then I found out Charlie Justice came up with the EXACT same idea. However for a COMPLETELY different purpose. "Prohibition" was born. Axel Hecklau came out with "Cola Cap" with some really neat ideas. Then I discovered PK rings. I do NOT wear jewelry of any kind. But the IDEAS were there.

I've researched "Enigma", "Control" and "Event Horizon". Now we have the "Silent Assistant". I went ahead and bought Axel Hecklau's "Just A Cup". What I like about Axel's is, you can "park" the thing, and immediately show your HAND empty! No fumbling and ditching. Just in the act of setting the cup down, you're clean! And the POWER of Axel's system! That was the deal MAKER. Plus, a BUILT-IN routine! I'm an old guy. I really do not have the desire to write and script my own routines. I did that when I was performing.

Silent Assistant would not work for "Just A Cup", due to placement issues. The POWER is one I would question as well. The sheer SIZE of Axel's tells you the POWER this thing has! You cannot fit that kind of power under a "finger sleeve" or anything else. But his gimmick fits like a glove after trimming. Now, obviously one cannot do the things you see the others do above. But...we all use the proper tools for the work. I use a Raven. I Use a neo and medical tape. And I have Axel's JAC. I cannot justify any of these offerings. However, after researching, YMMV!

Doug

I 2nd what you say doug

Thank you MR Effecto! See, The Raven solves the problem of IMMEDIATELY being able to show your hand UNMISTAKABLY empty after the vanish. I can show my hand front and back, wave it over the coin...BAM! Instantly CLEAN! Down side? Sleeves. BUT! That can be remedied! A short sleeve, button-down shirt is ideal for The Raven. That said, I DO like the innovation shown here among these devices! Event Horizon is intriguing. It shares the same problem Control has.

See, with Axel's gimmick in place, I can handle the Cup (upside down, Loaded) with MY FINGERTIPS! Nothing falls out! Just a slight movement releases it. Ya don't have to wrap your HAND around the cup with a deathgrip! LOL! Again, PLACEMENT! And power! But that is using it as a Chop feature. The vanishes and changes...I dunno. That dirty hand...Right there, I fire the Raven...GONE! No amount of "creative ditching" beats that.

All that said, if it weren't so DAY-um PRICEY...these might be good for back-up or an additional alternative. I'd love to compare the POWER of all these...

Doug

The chop cup idea done this way is years old I have been doing that with polystyrene cups etc for years with a tiny magnet rolled up in a £50 or any note . The steal out is brilliant at the end as you hand them the cup the note comes out and is completely palmed to the magnet stuck to your wedding finger with a band aid / plaster or PK ( if you prefer I don’t ) and you hand them the cup and ditch or switch the note in your pocket it’s beautiful . As for the Raven how are you getting into play as easy as silent assistant a pk or the band aid / plaster idea ? Tarik 🙂

Dougini, using SA as you would do with the Raven is the worst thing to do. The advantage of SA over the Raven is retrieval. In other words, SA is not for a trick effet such as Raven, but it's much more suited for a routine where you have a sequence of vanishes and reappearances.

Exactly I agree the retrieval is paramount here Tarik 🙂

Now that is an issue. I have one jacket rigged, so that The Raven is "at the ready". The loop is just in reach. Then, when it's "on", it's "unlocked". Ready to fire. That way, I can start any time. The SA, in contrast, is ALWAYS on, ALWAYS ready. I think SA would be PERFECT for "Prohibition" or similar. As I understand it, a r**l was developed for the Event Horizon. All these are great innovations.

The temptation is to buy all of 'em! LOL! Dave and Shaun were not impressed. Myself, I am happy with what I have. Honestly, I have not used The Raven in years. I ...eh...gained weight. That jacket no longer fits...sigh!

Doug

Hi Doug I have the original Raven is there an improved one on a reel or something ? Anyway it’s horses for courses when it comes down to it , we all tend to use what we feel more comfortable using in performance I suppose . Very best wishes Tarik 🙂

I just received my Silent Assistant and I really like it. Pretty close to invisible and easy to retrieve and ditch. Plenty strong enough for Prohibition (Bottle cap in bottle trick).

I've gotten over the "hey I could have made this myself" idea. I'm happy to let someone else do the trial and error.

I agree 100% with your quote Mike , very well summed up indeed Tarik 🙂

Title: Silent Assistant
Publisher: SansMinds
MSRP: $ 50
Skill Level: all
Video Run time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Everyone dreams of having a stealthy ninja do their dirty work. Quiet and effective. Well, SansMinds has been busy working on a device behind the scenes, and is excited to announce that... NOW YOU CAN!

Introducing the Silent Assistant! A devious device that achieves all the effects of a PK ring, with the added benefit of being visually deceptive to the human eye. Not only does it stay hidden in plain sight, this device cuts noise and eliminates rings during live performances. The Silent Assistant tackles two crucial factors of traditional magnetic rings, opening up a new world of possibilities! Vanishes, transformations, and more will be within your easy grasp! Watch the trailer and see the amazing effects this will help you achieve!

What you get with the Silent Assistant:
1 complete set of the Silent Assistant system
Over 1 hour of online instruction, including 5 routines and 9 applications
A device hidden in plain sight. Perfect for all working environments.

Video review: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNjgfFkeE3A

Tarik, Dougini talks about a reel that Dannicus made for his Event Horizon. I remember that too, at the end of the EH's tutorial, he shows us one of his tools that he uses for ditching EH. Though this reel is not for sale. It's just one that he personally uses in his shows. If you really want one, I'm sure you can ask him to make one for you.

Doug, I must respectfully disagree with your statement, I use S.A. for just a cup, and have no problems whatsoever. In fact, that's why I bought Silent Assistant. Axle's JAC gimmick is very strong, but I much prefer using S.A. in lieu of it, or a P.K. ring.

by the way.....isn't JAC awesome? I love it!

There is no way I would use SA with Just A Cup, it doesn’t hold in place on my finger and it’s not as strong.

Control is better suited for that

I also use SA for item-through-cup type of routines and it works just fine. SA may not be as strong as any other device, but I simply put a stronger gimmick with casual items like a crumbled bill and it simply works for me. You need to carry extra gimmicks to do the effect anyway, so why not carrying a stronger one with SA?

Wow. Really? OK. I guess this IS a powerful tool. I know a PK ring does not work. I've tried it. I have also tried my system. My system (after having your ring finger all taped up, then scissor-trimmed on the non-palm side) works for a neo wrapped in a dollar bill in a coffee cup. It also works well using a GLASS tumbler like in the demo. But JAC, it fails.

So Silent Assistant must have something we have not seen before. Again, it's been years since I have researched what is out there, as far as this principle is concerned. I mean, you can HURT yourself with an M5! In my parts box, I used to have a whole section of stuff for PK. But now, there are neo-neos! You pinch a finger between those...ha! Tech has come far, kids! We be in a NEW era!

Silent Assistant is a winner. Again, I cannot justify another fifty bucks when I just spent a HUNDRED and fifty for Axel's. But remember, you get a whole ROUTINE with Just A Cup, and performance rights! It's a kicked up Chop Cup (but it's NOT) and die. Silent Assistant has a whole RANGE of uses, plus, my Raven is NOT completely silent. Workers, this may be the best fifty dollar investment to come along in a while!

Silent Assistant is more like what I was trying to do back in 2001. We did not have the type of ******s we have today. I guess I'm gonna get a sample pack from my old friend. He is always on top of the new stuff. I'm interested in different shapes. Round, square, rectangular. My research extends into other hobbies besides Magic. One idea I have is to animate Matchbox-type cars in a display diorama. But, I digress.

In the demo, I see moves I would not do for various reasons. I know too many hand-grabbers. Probibition/Cola Cap would be PERFECT! Quarter Thru Glass Window is another. The advantage The Raven has, is, once the coin vanishes/changes, you can IMMEDIATELY show you are clean. The SA cannot do that. But think about it, Raven users! Why not use BOTH?

Doug

It seems interesting - doubtful it is something I would carry on me often to make it worth buying

Silent Assistant VS Control



link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VXkG2gqpJQ

I have to disagree with David's review. SA is not like Raven. The former has one big advantage : retrieval. I explained that in my earlier comment. Thanks to that, you can perform an entire coin routine using SA, making coin transpositions/vanishes/reappearances that are impossible otherwise with the Raven. And the Raven is a single effect trick which could, though, be used at any time during your routine. You can't build an entire routine around the Raven, but you can with SA. So, to answer the question "what can SA do that Raven can't ?" : A lot.

Hi everyone,

here is my review / comparison of Control and Silent Assistant.

Hope it helps






Best,
Kaan