Deck Stab 3.0

Kyle

*—-Quick Review—-*
Contents 10/10 (It had what it was supposed to have …)
Quality 9/10 (not perfect construction but thats not really important)
Handling 9/10 (multiple ideas … I’ll touch on them latter)
Instructions 9/10

Worth Buying? See bottom of review.

~\\\Longer Review///~

The packaging is decent. Nice design and does what it needs to do. It contains the gimmick(ish) thing you’ll need to perform the routine. I was pleased to see that my assumption for its Operation was correct. You get kind of 1 gimmick. But thats more based on how you count gimmicks. For clarification I will say you get one gimmick. More on the possible construction later. The Gimmick I received didn’t have a robotic made quality to it. Meaning it was not perfectly made. Which is fine since it doesn’t impede the use also it shows that these are handmade.

I’ve already touched on the quality of the gimmick. And its hand made and handles well. Making the gimmick even more badly made may actually make the routine stronger. More on this later tho.

There are multiple handles taught which is a good thing since I don’t want to invest in a bunch of empty boxes to replace the eviscerated one at the end of the routine. So if a deck box isn’t your forte, then you can also use paper, napkins, tinfoil etc. The base routine taught is ok, it dose what it needs to do, but I’d recommend finding your own routine for it that fits more your style.

The instructions at just over 1 hour and 14 mins, a lot is covered. The beginning your introduced to a Time Stamp Index, making navigating the video a lot easier for those who need a refresher on any particular point. The videos editing is a bit choppy tho. The intro parts of the video have a really odd timing. Either the graphics and text appear too slow, in a weird sync or too fast. A couple mistakes are left in which at least for me gives the impression that the videos production and editing was on a short time crunch. The use of multiple cameras for different shots was nice and helped with the instructions. The set location used was ok, but too dark. He blended too much into the blackness of the background and at times the instructions felt too dark. But the playing cards, his face and hands where very nicely contrasted.
The information however was very well explained and demonstrated. Some parts where over demonstrated but not bad. You get a few different ideas to play around with and some handling ideas. But as I mentioned before, its in your best interest to craft your own routine that fits your style and your show.
One thing not covered but I feel It should have to a degree (I understand why, but I have rules when it comes to some gimmicks, My rule is that if a person buys your product they should have (To a degree) the information or it should be designed where a performer could build their own) As this informs you that you are not taught how to construct your own gimmick. Its pretty obvious when you handle it how to make it, but still would have been nice to mention it. If you do make your own, you could make the gimmick a bit more “Messy” that way you could give the deck away in the end. Just a thought.

Is this worth Buying?
Well That like most things is a hard answer to give directly. If you love The card stab plot and would like a more self contained version. Then this may just be the method for you. If you are fine with the tried and true versions that most of use have been doing for years, then stick with them.
I personally purchased the method to add a cleaner version to my show as I ran into the illogical issue that kind of spawned this version. I didn’t like how the cards would go into the bag, I’d give the cards a “Shuffle” for the laugh point. Then I’d plunge the nice into the bag. Give the bag a spin, then tear it out. It didn’t make sense. This makes a little more sense and requires less materials. Lord help If I put another trick with a paper bag in my show.