Joseph
In three decades as a performer and as a former demonstrator in two magic shops, I have encountered some substandard turtles. Of course, being on the purveyor side of the counter, I came to know the brands to highly recommend and which to avoid; props less desirable than watching Uncle Harold tie naff balloon organisms at the family gathering. What does this have to do with Tango's Expanded Shell with Replica Walking Liberties? Everything unfortunately.
Now gather round and listen children. In the dim past there was a company named Johnson Products. The primary business of Johnson Products actually was not in creating superbly machined coins at an affordable price; that story is too long for this review. But, Johnson Products offered magicians quality products - products that were machined with the working professional and serious hobbyist. Everything from Jardine Ellis Rings to Hopping Halves, Chinatown Halves, and C/S/B sets. Johnson also offered a lifetime guarantee. I still use, for example, a C/S/B set that I purchased 20 years ago and the set is as wonderful as the day I purchased it.
As a demonstrator, I never hesitated recommending anything from Johnson Products. Yes, even in the era of more expensive offerings from Lassen, Schoolcraft, Kueppers, and others, Johnson offered a viable product for magicians. Alas (yes we codgers say "alas"), it seems that Johnson Products is no more and more's the pity.
Okay, enough background! Let's get to this set, or, rather sets as I have now had two less-than-ideal purchases of Tango contrivances. I recently ordered the David Roth Coin Set distributed by Murphy's Magic. The coins themselves are amazing but, curiously, no turtle was included. [Murphy's, come on!]. So, I knocked about Vanishing Inc. and found the set I am reviewing just for the shell. This is the second Tango product I've purchased. The first was the dollar sized copper coins with expanded shell. That product is decent but the shell rocked a bit. Still, it was workable until I found a better set from another manufacturer.
I decided to give Tango another go and purchased this Walking Liberty set. I am so sorry I did. I know that Tango has a sterling reputation with T.U.C. which makes this review so much more difficult to write.
Let's talk about the coins first and then the turtle. So, comparing the coins offered by Murphy's to these, there is a noticable and somewhat disconcerting difference. The Murphy's coins feel a tad heavier than real Walking Liberties but they feel real. The coins in this Tango set are a bit lighter and feel more like substandard replicas. Weight is important. I recently added a nice backfire Matrix from Craig Petty as well as revisiting and relearning Dean Dill's superb Swirl Assembly and Backfire from Apocalypse magazine.
The Murphy's set felt so nice and made some of the moves almost "self-working." Moreover, the coins have a very nice ring to them. The Tango coins, being a bit lighter, sound a bit tinny and because of their weight, I never felt they were conducive to sure handling. When performing for the dosh, one really can't take chances. The coins are serviceable but nowhere near the quality of Murphy's
Now to the reptile-device: two Tango set sand the turtles rock more than Led Zeppelin but in a bad way. Point of reference: most magicians perform or have performed Roth's Shelled Coins Across. As with any routine that requires that extra bit o' magical flummery, it is imperative that when the coins are nested they remain silent. Well, not so with either Tango set, but, this latter purchase is so far below bog substandard that I am thinking of calling dear old Uncle Harold and developing a balloon doggie burlesque show for the deceased. Even just gently placing the nested coin on the palm produces a noticeable "clink." I then tried the Dill routine and again, the clink and good God, that bit of rocking.
I found a set of coins with two turtles on eBay by an Asian manufacturer. I gotta tell ye that the shells in THIS set - costing half the dosh of the Tango set were superior in every way. The turtles fit all the way down when nesting and there is absolutely no rocking. There are no tell-tale clinks.
I hate writing negative reviews because I do not want the reader to conclude that Vanishing Inc., is selling junk. All of us here know the absolute exacting and superb quality of Vanishing Inc's books and other offerings. Additionally, Tango has earned an excellent reputation with T.U.C. That's why this review is so painful to write.
It seems to me at least that for these utilitarian sets, Tango's focus is to just get some product out. Because brick and mortar shops are largely extinct, buyers need to find a way to test the quality of a product before doling out the lucre. As I said, I never hesitated recommending Johnson and later on, coin devices by other creators. Roy Kueppers's work with Petty's "elite coin sets" is simply perfect. I wanted similar quality from Tango - twice - and was let down.
As a former demonstrator and current performer I cannot recommend this Tango set. There are better alternatives available. I'm sorry Tango, but, this set is just no good. Now I must go, Uncle Harold is branching out into Vanishing Bandana territory and has been taken into custody.