Product description : Card to box have always been a favorite routine of many magicians, from the classic Kennedy Box to the clear boxes, the market have been flooded with products. This is one of the latest addition to it, well, when I’m writing this review, and it is from Daniel Garcia and it is disguised as a metallic Altoid mint box. The main routine is very similar to Toi Box, you have a selected card find out in the box which has been in full view the entire time. Then the card is signed, vanishes again and there is another card in the box and it is in fact he spectator’s signed card ! But you can do other things wit this device, including a visual transformation of a card into mint. But this one is more for video. Anyway, this is quite highly priced so let’s find out if it’s worth your hard earned money.
Price and where to buy it : This is sold at $60 and you can find it in nearly every Murphy's magic partner !
What you get : The cardboard box which is provided is made of material of very good quality, the printing on it is elegant and the hard foam protects the gimmick. You get a link for an online video which is very well shot and explains in detail the working of the gimmick as well as a few routines (with the main one I told you above). In the gimmicked mint box, you have a small paper which tell you to not use the gimmick before watching the video and this is a very valid point, you will damage your gimmick if you use it without knowing how it works. And if your gimmick is damaged, you won’t be able to use it as it is, or it will be harder to use, so please watch the video! The gimmick is really well made but can be damaged easily so please take care of it and use it properly. But the illusion of the card inside is very good and the working is clever. The fact you can show the bow empty at the end is very convincing and the box should last a long time if you use it as Daniel advises you. I’m fairly pleased with my box, it’s a very good addition to the card to box family and many magician will enjoy this product.
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 :
As I said, the gimmick is quite fragile and can be damaged easily if not used with proper care. And the thing is that I’m pretty sure you can damage it without wanting, just with a wrong move so it’s something to keep in mind.
I just can’t see this being repair by the regular magician which is buying this trick, which bother me a bit. First of all, the material is not easy to find I think, then the repair of the gimmick itself seems hard to repair.
I wouldn’t let the box in spectator’s hands for too long, the gimmick can easily be triggered by accident.
THE PROS :
It’s a very well made gimmick, don’t be afraid by the fact it’s fragile, it’s still a good trick which you can perform regularly.
The retention of vision during the removal of the gimmick is very convincing, you can even show the metallic box empty afterward, in order to convince even more the spectator that the card you remove is the card they unfold.
The routine provided is interesting, mainly because it’s a two phase one. The first part is done with a standard card and after with the signed one so it gets stronger at each phase.
When closed, the gimmick is protected by the metallic box, which means it can’t be damaged in your pocket or in your case.
I said repairing the gimmick was difficult for a novice but if you know a bit of making gimmicks and so n, I think you would be able to make more of it with different things (papers, business card, bill, note etc..).
Overall rating : I really like this gimmick, it’s a bit like a James Bond tool, it works well and it is convincing, but I have my standard card to box routine and I won’t be changing it for Mint Box, 3,5/4 hearts
As for the difficulty level, you need to know how to do a MCF but apart from that, it requires very standard card handling. Handling the gimmick is not automatic but you will get use to it very quickly, 2/5 stars.
Similar products : Toi Box by Jonathan Kamm is an excellent routine with an ungimmicked mint box and if you liked Mint Box, you’ll like Toi Box!