Product description : This is the trick of the beginning of 2015 ! Having the ability to vanish and/or produce a coin or any small object at your fingertip. The trailer looks amazing and the only thing you want to do after having watched it is to buy the trick ! But is it as good in reality ? Stay tuned to find out.
Price and where to buy it : This is sold at $89.95 and you can find it in nearly every Murphy's magic « partner » shop !
What you get : You get a very nice cardboard box with inside the DVD, very well shot and Alex Linian does a great job teaching you how to set up and use correctly the device. You also get a leather pouch to carry the Gonzo as well as some additional stuff like a shimmed shell and a few things. Now comes the Gonzo in itself, it's quite well made and it definately feels like a James Bond gimmick. Overall, pretty satisfied by the quality of the whole thing.
The pros and the cons : Here is the core of my review, let's begin with the cons, as I will usually be doing, I prefer to keep the good things for the end.
THE CONS :
Angles, angles, angles ! They will be your worst nightmare when performing Gonzo. You can't do it surrounded, 50% of your spectators will spot the gimmick if you do so. This suits best a one on one performance, with the people standing in front of you. You can manage to do it for 3 to 5 people but you will have to place them in the correct side. Do not even think of it for table hopping.
I love all the attention which has been put in the packaging but I would have preferred a less fancy packaging and paid a little bit less. Nearly $90 is quite a step when you look at the gimmick, but you have to take into consideration that a lot of stuff is provided (like a Lubor Lens and a penny shimmed shell) so at the end of the day, price is not that expensive.
The size of the object you will be able to vanish won't be bigger than a AA battery, not that the hold out can't deal with it but you will flash it if you want to show your hands empty.
THE PROS :
Nothing is attached to your hand, there is a one time setup and then you can wear the Gonzo all day long without feeling it, which is quite cool ! To go into performance mode, just roll up your sleeves and you're ready to go, a small move will place the Gonzo ready into position.
I know the big selling point of this is being able to do it sleeves rolled up but you can still perform it with the sleeves down. The advantage is that the angles won't be as critical as with the sleeves rolled up so you might consider this « handling ».
A lot of thoughts have been put in the DVD, they make you want to go out and try it. The routines are all well structured and they are workable (if you have the right angle).
The only clothing requirement is the fact you need to have a long sleeves thing (shirt, hoodies..) so it's not that restrictive.
There is no reel in this one, you clean yourself mechanically which, in my opinion, is a good thing since there is no tension to keep or anything to break. They do included a gimmick so the Gonzo will « disappear » by itself but I think it takes off some praticality of the Gonzo.
You will be for hours on front of the mirror doing the same thing over and over since it's VERY deceiving ! I think that, when done correctly and in the right environment, this would blow people's mind.
Overall rating : At the end of the day, if you're an hobbyist, you will love this item, it will make you feel like James Bond and you will be able to control your conditions so the performance will be optimal. If you're a pro, I don't think you will be using it, angles are too difficult to manage in a working situation. For nearly the same use, a raven is the way to go if you really want to use a gimmick. (A french drop is also a very cool way to achieve it ;) ) So it will be a 2,5/4 hearts.
As for the difficulty level, it's not that easy at first since you never used such a thing but after a couple of hours, you get the knack and you can fool yourself in the mirror, 2/5 stars.
Similar products : The raven, the third hand, The Black Widow, they're all hold out and I think each has its advantages. Gonzo offers an interesting option, maybe not as workable as others but some additions may make you want to consider it !