Good afternoon friends - someone has a DVD Comedy Thumb Cuff Escape by Steve Lancaster. Is there something new there? your opinion? Thanks for any review assistance!

Not seen it - sorry no help here.

It seems to me that nearly every time someone comes on here (don't mean this in an inflammatory way)and mentioned thumb cuffs ... the word ... comedy is used.

It seems that everyone wants to perform comedy escapes.

I much prefer my audiences to be scared for me than laughing at the escape part... not that there is no laughing but I want the escape to be more gut-wrenching.

I want thumb-tie to have mystery. Comedy may be PART of it, but not the point at all.

....that's the same way I feel about the Strait-Jacket Escape...

Almost every "magician-comedian" does the Jacket for a big laugh.....so, in the public's mind - just how "tough" can a strait-jacket be to get out of?....if every magician & clown is getting out of one?

The same applies to Thumb-Cuffs....these should be treated as the true regulation police (detective) restraint, that they once were - and saying that they were ultimately "banned" due to their torturous nature...

Lots of dramatic possibilities with slowly squeezing your thumbs out, while grimacing in pain; or by doing a 'pseudo-picking' routine with them.

....but No....Magicians choose to do a comedy "In & Out" with them, because they lack the skills to really do Escapes.

Hey just saw this and I don't have a video, sorry. I use thumb cuffs often, they are a stunner!. I do them up close or, on TV news up close. I tell about them, I lock someone up and show why they are no longer used due to the teeth in the cuffs, the solid body allowing the cop to twist the perp to his knees and finally giving the key to the person I just put them on and they cant use the key.
They then lock me up and I show them to squeeze them super tight. the cuff is between the knuckles (I never could stand the old way taught where you put the thumb cuff way up on your thumbase, it looks too fake) they really crank them down tight. I then put the key in my pocket, bring everyone in close, my fingers extended forward, they start circling, then my hands start circling, suddenly the cuffs are suspended upright locked between my flat palms,,,,,This gets a killer reaction
I've never been big on the look at me slooooowly painfully squeeze my hands or thumbs out, because I think the mystery is gone,,,,,, This is supposed to be an impossibility MAGIC!. so when something occurs like an instant escape from rope or thumbcuffs they audience has nothing to hook a theory on and they are blown away.

Actually I just performed this escape several times the other night doing close up and a high end corp event and the reaction is always the same, yeah its funny to have a magic trick or escape get a loud "oh ****" or "what the F" .

I prefer the comedy routine. Although it should only be done by someone who CAN do comedy.
Just my take on it.
At the end of the day most people obviously know it’s a trick. Nothing worse to my mind than someone trying to ham up a thumb tie.

I know this is an old thread but I have just completed my book Thumbcuffs: A Compilation. It is 48 pages long and includes the history of, escaping from, gimmicking, and routines with thumbcuffs.
Ian McColl helped with the editing. It's a great reference tool also.
Thanks,
Seth

Hi Seth,

Congratulations on finishing your book. I wish you much success with it. I find myself wondering what makes it superior to other books, including Burling Hull's classic, Joe Monty's video, Dan Harlan's routine, or Matt Marcy's?

Can you address this?

Hello Cliff,
Thank you. First off, I wouldn't say it's superior to any of the books or videos you listed. It is as far as I know, the only book dedicated just to thumbcuffs.
Here is the index for it.

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………...5

History……………………………………………………………………………………………….6

Overview……………………………………………………………………….…………………..11

How to Escape..…………………………………………………………………………………13

Gimmicking………………………………………………………………………………….…..15

Routines & Ideas……………………………………………………………………………….16

Appendix I…………………………………………………………………………………………26

Appendix II……………………………………………………………………………………….44

I wanted to create a complete resource for thumbcuffs.

OK, let me know when in it published.

Hello Cliff,
I'm selfpublishing it. It's available to order from me and I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of vendors. It is $40 shipped in the US.

I have purchased and received this book by Seth Howard.

To read my review (favorable) check out the next issue of The Chainletter. www.tiesociety.info

Looking forward to reading it!

If you would like to read my review of Seth's book, come on over to The International Escapologist Society. www.tiesociety.info. You'll find the review in the June issue of The Chainletter. As always, it is completely free.

Thank you for the great review Cliff!

Do you know where to get the thumbcuffs Daniel K using? very nice routine by the way! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP1C1nx7Sqo
thank you

Try Ebay, they're just standard thumbcuffs.

Oh ok! thank you