Product description : Magie Factory is a new French magic company, which aims to produce quality tricks and objects, designed by magicians for magicians. They have 4 products available at the moment and I should be able to speak about all of them in the near future. Compact Box is something very cool, it’s a small Lippincott box ! The effect is quite simple, you borrow a ring, a coin or anything which is the same size and you hand out a wood box to the spectator with a little padlock on it. You turn the coin or ring into a little key, which is then handed out to the spectator so he can open the box and find his object inside ! Tadaaaa, it’s the famous effect of any object to wood box, called Lippincott box, but this time, it’s perfectly suited for close up magic.
Price and where to buy it : This is sold at 95€ (around $100) and you can find it on Magie Factory website : http://www.magie-factory.fr/nos-produits/1-compact-box.html
What you get : With this trick, you get quite a few things. Unfortunately, you don’t get a box with all that in, you get a small velvet bag with the box and the padlock inside, as well as a giant ring, a holder and a booklet. The booklet is in French but you can understand everything by looking at the pictures which are very nice. It’s printed in full colors on a nice thick paper, it feels quality. The giant ring with a giant diamond is a very cool idea so you can produce something big at the end of your routine ! The box is very well made and small enough to be used in a close up situation, the dimensions are 3 cm x 4.5 cm x 4.5 cm (which is 1.18 inch x 1.57 inch x 1.57 inch). It won’t take much pocket space and still very visible. The gimmick is indetectable, the quality of the wood is amazing (I chose Wenge) and the padlock very nice. You also get a holder which you can put on your side, on your belt, under your jacket so you can load the box very easily. I do think that, for the price, this is a no brainer, you won’t be disappointed at all
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 :
[if !supportLists]– [endif]There is no packaging as I said, I would have wished they included a little box to carry everything around.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]There is a small noise when the object is loaded inside the box but it’s not a problem in a regular situation.
THE PROS :
[if !supportLists]– [endif]I’ve always loved the plot of the Lippincott box but the boxes available on the market did not suit me, they were too big or too ugly. This is the perfect size to carry around in your pocket.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]The box looks beautiful, and would suit any venue, a very classy one or even street magic. The wood which is used to make the box is wonderful, they offer you the choice between 3 different versions. I got the Wenge and it looks perfect.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]The reset is almost instant, do the little something, close the box and the padlock and you’re ready to go again ! It’s quicker than something like the nest of wallet and it can be done in front of your audience.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]The belt clip holder is 3D printed and works great, it allows you to have the box by your side and you can load it even quicker than having it in your pocket.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]The whole projet feels classy and very elegant, it has been designed by and for magicians.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]You can put anything you want inside, even a corner of a card, which makes it very versatile.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]They offer you a 2 year warranty in case anything happens to the box.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]I was first disappointed by the box because I couldn’t find the secret at first (I saw Lippincott boxes before but never knew the secret), so I thought the box was a regular one and that $100 just for a wooden box is quite expensive. But when I learnt the secret, I was blown away by the simplicity !
Overall rating : I’ve just found the perfect Lippincott box for me, perfect size, looks beautiful and built to be used in all situations, 4/4 hearts.
As for the difficulty level, the load is quite easy to do, just train a little bit, I would say 2/5 stars.
Similar products : Lippincott boxes are widely available since the creation of this object. For object to impossible location, lots of boxes, wallets and things to do (deluxe nest of wallet, kennedy box, box 98 etc..)