T-155 Crystal Cleaver

[JohnM]

Name: Crystal Cleaver

T-Number: T-155

Inventor: Toru Suzuki

Year: 1992

[JohnM]

[David DeTenyo]

The best Tenyo there is

[SimonC]

this was the start of my tenyo journey, I still have mine from when I was about 9. I saw it advertised on Saturday morning tv, saw it in tescos, got it home, opened it up, discovered the secret and was hoooooooked!
my favourite for sentimental & mechanical reasons combined.

[John B.]

Classic Tenyo! Wonderful mechanics.

[Brett H]

this was the start of my tenyo journey, I still have mine from when I was about 9. I saw it advertised on Saturday morning tv, saw it in tescos, got it home, opened it up, discovered the secret and was hoooooooked!
my favourite for sentimental & mechanical reasons combined.

This trick was the first of my journey as well--given it was the Magic Works line.

I got this as a 'hey check this out' from my dad. He worked as a store manager and the box was mangled and the instructions weren't there. So I had all the bits and took me about an hour to tinker around with.

But when I found out the secret, I did not expect to see what I saw and it scared the HELL out of me.

I would later perform the trick at a talent show in 5th grade--not really grasping the concept of what a close-up trick is.
I figured it was so awesome that I'll show everyone how awesome it will be.
At least the front row got to see how awesome it was.

One thing I did notice about it, and maybe this was because it was the Magic Works version. But sometimes the 'secret' didn't reset properly, and I found myself turning said secret 90 degrees until it finally took. IIRC, the only sides it sat right on was--well, the actual one it sat on and if you spun it 180 degrees it would set there too.

But overall, the trick is absolutely brilliant and it ALWAYS gets a positive reaction like you invoked Copperfield for one minute.

[Jaime C.]

This is the trick that i have no worries to perform, 100% examinable and can be perform surrounded by spectators. the noise issue here in performing is not a problem also because it is easy to eliminate just snap your finger at the same time when placing/pressing the cover. I'm unhappy only with mine the packaged is not like the photo here. I got the Japanese one that all together inside the box.

[SimonC]

it's got 10 10 out of 10s already! I had the same issue as you Brett, mine was the MB version too. I've had a few embarrassing mis-fires where the box has flown across the table or the cover flails around like a jack in the box but my performance has improved over the last 20 years I think we all know the moment you first see the secret of this one

[JohnM]

I was just emailing with this young fellow who has a magic youtube channel about 4D Surprise. I asked if he had Crystal Clever and he said not yet. Here is what I wrote to him.

Don't wait on getting Crystal Cleaver. It is probably one of the best magic tricks ever invented. I am not kidding. It is a real head scratcher, It works 100% of the time, it can be repeated, all of it can be handed out for inspection with nothing to switch out and you can use a borrowed ring. How many tricks can all that be said of? Plus a trick with a sword, come on man who does not love swords. ;–)

Then I came here to start a Focus on Tenyo and saw we already have one.

12 votes and 12 tens. Amazing and rightfully so.

Check the website for my routine to do it with a 5 yen coin. One of the better Tenyo ideas I have come up with.

http://funstuffonly.com/tenyo/performin ... -routines/

[gazpratley]

Probably my favourite Tenyo trick ever created,it is instantly repeatable,the spectator can examine every part of the trick,and the trick has the WOW! factor,it just looks impossible and it drops the spectators jaw to the floor everyyime. I first had my taste of this trick when the MB magic works line came out and tbh I just thought that it is one truly awesome prop! and the good news is that you can still perchase the trick to this day. ABSOLUTE CLASSIC TENYO TRICK.

[David DeTenyo]

I just read a comment on TMC that is worth mentioning in this thread. It seems someone came up with the idea of using a ribbon in stead of the sword which I think could work great - two spectators can hold one end of the two feet long ribbon. I believe the magician then pushes down on both ends close to the tube.
It was MikeMgc who wrote this and he apparently found this at Tenyo Blog.

[JohnM]

It seems someone came up with the idea of using a ribbon in stead of the sword which I think could work great

Replacing a manly sword with a girly ribbon, never.

two spectators can hold one end of the two feet long ribbon. I believe the magician then pushes down on both ends close to the tube.

David are you sure the magician has to hold the ribbon as well as the specs? If so what's the point if the magician hands are real close to the prop?

Also wouldn't it be difficult to thread a non-rigid ribbon (that usually frays) through those small holes?

I think a better solution would be to use a long thin strip of metal (just like the sword but longer) and have the audience members do the move with no interference. The magician can instruct them to lower the metal slowly until the reach the top of the box which they should feel. The press harder to penetrate the box and the ring. The "sound" would represent them breaking through the box and the ring. Even better if it is a borrowed ring from one of the spectators.

he apparently found this at Tenyo Blog.

I just looked on the Tenyo Blog under T-155 Crystal Cleaver and I did not see any alternate routines.

My solution for when the noise is made during the penetration (which I usually do with a borrowed ring) is to "make a scared face" and look at the person I borrowed the ring from as if their ring was just busted.

Anyway is MikeMgc "punking" me. He joins here and then goes on the Cafe and gives credit to RK and Stereo for information that I cannot find.

What say you MikeMgc?

[Elliot W.]

The ribbon routine is in the Hot tips section on Tenyo's site. I think you can maybe make it a more elegant presentation that way but I think I'll stick with the sword as well.

Now that I think about it a strip of metal sounds good too. Maybe you can say it is electrified and have it slowly burn through the ring.

[JohnM]

The ribbon routine is in the Hot tips section on Tenyo's site.

Elliot, you are the man when it comes to finding information on Tenyo.

Now that I think about it a strip of metal sounds good too. Maybe you can say it is electrified and have it slowly burn through the ring.

Elliot, you are on to something here. But instead of electricity, how about heat that melts through everything. You can have the specs rub their ends of the strip which will rather quickly become warm due to friction and then do the penetration. The only problem is that if it melts there should be no sound which there will be.

I think the trick is perfect as it is and we are spinning our wheels trying to make it better. It is those tricks like Mind Scanner and Future Clock that need our help. I believe it was Elliot who came up with the Brilliant idea of combining those two into one routine and I made Sherlock Holmes Clock from there. We have a great group of thinkers here. No other forum does what we do.

[Jaime C.]

Where can i get an English package of this? I have only the Japanese package and i am not that happy with the packaging. Hope to find one before it will come late. Any magic shops? How's the packaging of your Crystal Cleaver?

[JohnM]

Where can i get an English package of this? I have only the Japanese package and i am not that happy with the packaging. Hope to find one before it will come late. Any magic shops? How's the packaging of your Crystal Cleaver?

Not in magic shops unless maybe one off the beaten trail. When I was searching for Tenyo for my collection I was always trying to think of where there was a little magic shop run by an old couple with dust all over the tricks. Those are few and far between now but there are some still out there.

If you look at the visitor map of the sister website you can see that the Eastern US and Central Europe has already been well picked through, but the Western US and Southern and Northern Europe seem to have less Tenyophiles.

site map.png

That being said they come up for time to time on Ebay and the last one did not go for too much considering what it was. I think many people are missing the point on this version of the trick.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tenyo-T-155-Cry ... 2c85c6be3c

This was a steal for two Crystal Cleaver and an old Flash DIce although neither CC was English.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tenyo-Crystal-C ... 4184db55ad

But stay away from this. Typical bait and switch from one of many jerks selling Tenyo. Steamed Shit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crystal-Cleaver ... 565f647645

I do have a Vintage Blister on Cardboard Crystal Cleaver in my store but it is the Japanese version. Still very cool and just as rare.
http://funstuffonly.com/tenyo/buysell/tenyo-for-sale/

[kellebotond]

If you look at the visitor map of the sister website you can see that the Eastern US and Central Europe has already been well picked through, but the Western US and Southern and Northern Europe seem to have less Tenyophiles.

site map.png

It is completely offtopic, but I have just seen your map and I think that it is amazingly similar than the population map of the world (at least in Europe, South-Esast Asia and North America) . Maybe we can say that a certain number of the population is Tenyophile all over the world?

[SimonC]

tenyo makes the world go round

[David DeTenyo]

Like every year I performed some magic for my students the day before the Xmas vacation. One of the tricks was Crystal Cleaver and ... it didn't work! Pops up fine, but when pushing it back down the gimmick didn't lock for some reason. Tried it a couple of times but it popped up again every time
I ended up explaining the trick ... specs were baffled with the clever operation.

So THE foolproof trick that always works/worked decided to give up on me for some reason. Back home I also tried it a couple of times and it worked again.

Anyone else had this problem with Crystal Cleaver before? Perhaps my gimmick has worn out a bit after heavy use. Or after all these years I did something different ... pushing on the cover too hard or not hard enough perhaps, I don't know.

[SimonC]

mine has always had I'd say a 10% chance of misfiring but as with all the special people in my life I love them enough to make it worth it
I've had mine for about 20 years now so it's still going strong. not sure what to suggest about solving it, perhaps a once over with a-tip with a bit of wd-40

[David DeTenyo]

... perhaps a once over with a-tip with a bit of wd-40

Come again?

[SimonC]

that should have said Q-tip, we call them cotton buds here in England. it's what you stick in your ear to clean them. WD-40 is a multi purpose cleaner/lubricant

[David DeTenyo]

Clear now, thanks

[MikeMgc]

Sorry about the late reply here, I have been extremely busy over the last few Months traveling and also preparing for Xmas performances.

Hi John M, I definitely wasn't punking you, I was responding on the Cafe to a different thread regarding Crystal Cleaver and the Noise problem.I didn't find the idea regarding the ribbon on funstuffonly, In my post on the Cafe, I do correctly credit the tenyo.jp site blog hints and tips and Fantasio for the idea of the ribbon. I just wanted to proliferate and share this idea as I believe that this is a stronger presentation and I have found this in my performances.
The ribbon idea seems to play very well for parlor performances. My style of magic is bizarre magic and also routines that play with a historic theme. The ribbon lends itself very well to using the Crystal Cleaver for a bizarre magic presentation, happy to share details on this if anyone is interested.

For me I am not at all keen on the tiny sword, though I agree that this does introduce some additional subtleties to hide the method. For me the sword makes the effect play too small and has the danger of looking like something that came out of a Christmas Cracker. I know that the last point will be controversial, its just my opinion.

Crystal Cleaver is a very strong effect that has a big impact, I have performed this many times now and I only ever had one person figure out the method and this gentleman it turns out was a mechanical engineer (lets say that he understood and described in detail the mechanical principle that makes the effect work) as it turned out he revealed that he was also very good at lateral thinking and problem solving. As a result of this I have built some more subtleties into the presentation.

[Gustavo Brasil]

"Crystal cleaver" is also my favorite! It was the first trick of my company, I remember that I was very "crazy" to discover the secret! And when it finally fell into my hands and I saw the manual, and put the trick into practice ... I thought at the time how silly this secret was, I couldn't believe I was wrong, but in time I started to love it! and today is my favorite!