Product description : we've all seen a bunch of gimmicked boxes during our magic career, whether it's Tool, Xbox, Fasten and so on. So what is U Box (which means Ultimate Box), why did the creator said that this is the ultimate one yet ? With this one, you can do a LOT of thing, and by a LOT, I mean a LOT. Card to box, peek, sandwhich inside the box, card to ceiling, change, transposition, dissapearance, color change etc.. All that is possible with only one box of cards (and a little gimmick for some of the routine). So is it as good as it seems ? Let's find out !
Price and where to buy it : This is sold at 55€ (approximately $60) and you can find it on Edouard's website : http://www.edouardboulanger.com/fr/home/52-u-box.html?live_configurator_token=4923e36398391505a74bc22479a8acb5&id_shop=1&id_employee=1&theme=theme5&theme_font=font7
What you get : You get a small cardboard box, with a nice little card on it, I do like the packaging, simple and elegant. Inside, you can find the box with a full bicycle deck inside, which is a nice little attention, as well as a little gimmick which is needed for some of the effects. The gimmicked box is really well made, you can tell a lot of work have been put into this. I do like the gimmicked box a lot, it's simple yet functionnal, and you can do a lot of things with it. You also get a link to watch an explanation video online, the video is well done, they don't speak, there is only background music. You get to learn all the subtleties and all the functionnality the box can do ! It's really well made and when you think it's over, they show you another thing the box can do. I do love what I received and I don't find the price to be too high.
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 :
Even if it's not overpriced, the price is still high, $60 for a gimmicked box (even if it's a very good one) is quite high for most of us.
The box will wear out over time, at the end of the day, it's made of cardboard so you will have to take care of your box. Maybe find a metallic box to place the case inside.
THE PROS :
Boy this is versatile ! You can do a lot of things with the box, everything that has been done before with boxes, you can do it with U Box. From card to ceiling to card to box, the number of routine you can do is unlimited.
The box is really well made, they have been working on it for a long time and I do think the final product is awesome.
I like the fact they've been giving you a full deck with it, they didn't have to.
In most of the trick, the reset is instant so you're ready to go for the next table.
The box can be fold flat so you can carry it in a small book if you're afraid of damaging it in your bag.
The box allows you to keep one or several cards inside so you can pull out the deck, let the spectator shuffles it and put it back inside the box. You will be ready with your card(s) on the top of the deck.
You can also place several cards INSIDE the middle of the deck while putting it back into the box. This is amazing, spectator choose a card then shuffles the deck , put the deck back in the box, when you pull it out, you can spread it and 3 cards are reversed ! They're the 3 mate of the choosen card.
This is a living product, new ideas will be found by users and this product will evolve through time !
I love the color change, without any noticeable move, you can change the color of the back of a card inside the box.
Overall rating : I didn't think this would be as good as it is, this is, in my opinion and in the “world of gimmicked boxes”, the best option right now on the market, I would be using this, 4/4 hearts.
As for the difficulty level, you have to handle the box carefully, but most of the functions are easy to use and to do, you will be able to perform them after a few trials, 2/5 stars.
Similar products : Tool by David Stone, Fasten by Jean Pierre Vallarino, Mcase by Mickael Chatelain, Romero Box by Antonio Romero, there is a lot of gimmicked boxes on the market.