Product description : Looking for a good opener ? Look no further, go at a table with a little note pad in your hand, people don't know you're a magician and in a flash, the note pad turns into a solid box of cards, you can then take out the deck from the box and perform your usual routine. The description is quite "straight to the point" because Boxpad isn't a trick in itself but more an opener, a visual thing to do before actually going into a longer routine.
Price and where to buy it : This is sold at $30 and you can get from any partner of Murphy's Magic !
What you get : You get a very thin DVD case, the one MagicTao is using all the time, inside the DVD which is well shot and the explanations are clear enough. You're also supplied with a gimmick, either red or blue, depending on what you ordered. The gimmick is really well made and should last a long time, it is made so it would look like a bicycle box, you can't really use another type of box. Overall, happy with what you receive, you just need to supply a matching deck and box of the same color.
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 :
The price is $5 more than "Noted 2.0" which is the exact same effect but done with a deck of cards instead of a box of cards. I don't see why the price went up like this, well I see, they have added another small thing so that the gimmick can lock with Boxpad but it would have been the same without this small thing.
The place of the small thing is not good, in the DVD, it is placed at the bottom of the gimmick and on the gimmick I received, it is in the middle, I don't really see how it's better than at the bottom.
You're stuck to a bicycle type cardbox and it can't be examined.
THE PROS :
You have multiple ways of achieving the change, wether doing it very visually or with a little bit more misdirection, it's entirely up to you.
The gimmick is well made and does match an actual box of cards so the camouflage is quite cool.
With a little bit of imagination, this could be the perfect way to begin an invisible deck routine, turning the notepad you've been holding the entire time into a deck of cards and so on.
The fact the gimmick is built on the box allows you to get rid of it very easily when with Noted 2.0, you had to get rid of the jokers to be clean.
They do supply another thing to make the whole thing more convincing and so that you'll be less worried about your angles but don't bother putting it on your box, it's not worth it. Because if you do so, you can't freely show the box of cards, which is a major drawback in my opinion. It's better to manage your angles (which are quite good by the way) instead of loosing the ability of showing the box from all sides. But it's good that they have included this in case of anyone wanting to do it.
You can write with dry erase marker on the "notepad" and you can erase it so it opens a whole new world f possibilities with the gimmick.
Overall rating : It's a good trick, which gets great reactions. I will be using it for the beginning of my invisible deck routine, I have found an interesting presentation and the transformation of the notepad into a deck will be a great addition. I've been using Noted 2.0 a lot and I will be using this too, 4/4 hearts.
As for the difficulty level, it's self working, the gimmick does all the job for you, 0/5 stars.
Similar products : If you like this plot, check out the first one, Noted 2.0 which was a great way to approach a table too !
Thanks to Murphy's Magic for sending me this product !