Which tenyo effects will you never perform?

[David DeTenyo]

I think this is an interesting question we can ask ourselves. Most Tenyo effects are really, really clever, but also, a lot of these are tricks we will likely never perform. That doesn't mean we don't like them, it's just
- they're a hassle to perform;
- they're so expensive we don't dare to perform them out of fear braking them;
- they're just not convincing, even for laymen, although this is always something we can only figure out when we really performed them (in some cases tricks are really easy for us to figure out, and so we think laymen will figure them out too, but they don't!).

I'll start giving a few I will never perform.

- China surprise: dumpling's aren'y very well known in Belgium, and the trick is obvious, at least that's what I think.
- Crossroads: one of my favourites to HAVE, but not to perform. It's difficult to make this look convincing.
- Ghost Card: very clever, but a hassle to perform fluently. I can't do it. And the gimmick is very fragile.
- Ultimate Spoon Bend: too much set-up needed. I prefer Uri Gellr's bending 'technique', heck, he does it with HIS MIND folks!
- Match Sticks: too hard for me to make it look convincing. And on top of that there is NO WAY the spectator may examine the sticks.
- Paradox: out of fear of braking it I don't perform it. There's a lot of stress on the metal joints and I'm afraid they will break eventually.
- Lucifer's Lock: too hard to perform
- Coin Case: fear of braking it. And there are other, cheaper versions available everywhere.
- Ribbon forever: when not performed exactly as it should it doesn't work. So I'm not confident when performing it. Still a great trick when you know how to operate it as it should.


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[Richard Kaufman]

"Telestar." Terrible trick to begin with, and now so outdated because of the rotary dial.

"Coin of Dracula." I just can't get this thing to work. The second coin always falls out.

[David DeTenyo]

"Coin of Dracula." I just can't get this thing to work. The second coin always falls out.

Agreed. It's a pain to tilt the case at just the right angle.

[SimonC]

I don't use enchanted strings much but it looks magical. I don't have it but I i ow Golden Fleece get a bad wrap. Telstar is something else, it's like looking back at your old clothes and thinking "did I used to wear that?" I'd still like one as I'm not sure how it works/what it does. I just love te list of names you can call!

[gazpratley]

I would probably say mirage, because as awesome as this trick is, iam always so frightened of breaking the damn thing, either the blade as they can snap or the mirage case as the gimmick can break etc.. bloody good trick though!

[Richard Kaufman]

I use my Mirage all the time: no problem. Works great.

[Elliot W.]

I actually like to do Telestar. I've replaced the names with names of kid's in my son's class. I tell one of the kid's to call a friend from his class. It plays well and they don't figure it out.
The only thing is I do have to teach them how to dial a phone first

There is another reason why I would not perform certain Tenyo tricks and that is tricks that get used up when you perform them. Examples would be Fortune Donut, Scratch Card, and Magical Cafe.
Since these are or will be difficult to replace I will never use them.

[SimonC]

those ones are like a special whiskey or box of cigars, you only get them out on special occasions but normally at a point when everyone's too pissed to appreciate them properly

[David DeTenyo]

Good point Elliot. I did buy several extra spares for Fortune Donut, I think I now own hundred 'donuts' I also have spares for Scratch Card because that trick is awesome. No extras for Magical cafe though, but I think it is doable to make your own.

[Brett H]

I buy Tenyo purely for performing. And of all the Tenyo I have amassed I only have two that I'm, unfortunately, not as fond as I should be:

Hanky Panky: It's brilliant, visual, and great. I was actually really excited by this one. And let down very quickly. It's just freakin fragile. I was gentile with mine when I first tried it and I lost my nerve and put it back in the box. It MAY be that my handkerchief was too thick to properly utilize, but point still stands. Fragile tricks are terrible in my book.

The Third Eye: I love this one. The whole concept of a spectator DOING the prediction is awesome. It's the 'eye'. See, my son and I have epilepsy. Not severe epilepsy, but its there. And I totally didn't account that kids in a hospital MAY have epilepsy as well, if I were to perform it in a hospital. So my 'kids doing a prediction trick' idea is completely out the window. So now it's my 'go-to' for friends and family.

I'm also on board with Elliot. Fortune Donut, Magical Cafe, and Scratch Card are no-gos in my book.

As far as performing preference goes. I don't ever see myself doing tricks that are more about generating shock from the spectator like OH NO! and Bioshock.
I know that in the realm of magic, it all comes down to presentation. I can make Ghost Card funny. But I've run more time than I'd like to admit trying to make OH NO! and Bioshock less 'shocky'.

And to David. I have Clean Cut and Ghost Card, and I think Ghost Card is a bit easier to perform if I were to compare the two. Clean Cut always seems clunky with the rope constantly not wanting to go where you're making it trying to go--even worse in a multi-phase performance of it. I even have the problem of 'preparing' it before a performance and the gimmick is still a bit out of place or gets stuck. And that's even after I made modifications to the rope to make than happen significantly less.
Ghost Card's biggest drawback is that it just doesn't travel well.
And the performance for it is a tough one. Probably one of the few Tenyo I have that REALLY needs a lot of work before you perform with it.

Lubor's stuff seems to be the 'intermediate level' of Tenyo performance tricks.

[Elliot W.]

- Lucifer's Lock: too hard to perform

By the way someone finally put a video of Lucifer's Lock on Youtube. I wouldn't call it a perfect performance but it's good enough to see what it is basically supposed to look like.

[Richard Kaufman]

Brett, it sounds like you have a defective "Clean Cut." There is no easier Tenyo trick.

"Lucifer's Lock" is hard to do. That poor guy's performance of it shows just how difficult it is.

[Brett H]

Brett, it sounds like you have a defective "Clean Cut." There is no easier Tenyo trick.

I completely agree. It is an easy one to do. I'm searching around for a video of the routine I'm do verbatim. It's a lot of work with the rope.
The apparatus isn't the issue for me. Works like a champ. It's the looseness of the rope that's giving me problems--even after modification. I would like to be able to put the rope through and not have to give the spectator an excuse as to why I'm taking so long. It kind of has the properties of a Chinese Finger Trap

Sometimes it's easy to work into the apparatus, sometimes not. And sometimes REALLY not. I'll have to dig it out and work on it.

[Brett H]

- Lucifer's Lock: too hard to perform

By the way someone finally put a video of Lucifer's Lock on Youtube. I wouldn't call it a perfect performance but it's good enough to see what it is basically supposed to look like.

I love watching videos of Tenyo I haven't considered at all.

But wow. I actually want to get Lucifer Lock. I'm a bit stumped as the lock is completely in the view of the spectator. Could it also work with the Security Lock lock. Maybe as a way to seamlessly work one effect into another for a routine?

[SimonC]

I looks like the same (ish) lock, I assume it's the ding-dongs that are dodgy but can't work out how. nice to see a Tenyo I've never seen in action

[Elliot W.]

The lock is indeed ungimmicked, and in fact the whole apparatus can be completely examined before and after the trick. However you cannot use the lock from security lock simply because it is too big and slides right over the stoppers.

[Richard Kaufman]

"Lucifer's Lock" is not clearly explained in the instructions, so it's hard to learn. The kind of stuff you see in the video, where the guy is fiddling with stuff inside his hands, should not happen.

Re "Clean Cut," the rope is thin, not thick like magician's rope. It should slide easily through the prop with no problem.

[David DeTenyo]

Thanks for that video Elliot, nice to see this one performed.

As Jimmy already said, what you're experiencing shouldn't happen Brett. I never had issues with mine.

[Simon Layland]

I have already saved money by joining this forum as I was going to bid on coin of Dracula tonight on eBay, after reading the reviews for it I think I will waste my money on something easier to handle.

[John B.]

Lucifer's lock is very difficult to perform.

His performance made it a bit tougher in that he added the gimmick, whereas he could have started the trick with the gimmick already in place and palmed it away before the end.

Thanks for sharing the video- this is the first time I have seen a video for this one.

[Brett H]

Here's a link for possible other Tenyo that would be best to either buy new, or avoid altogether

http://funstuffonly.com/tenyoforum/view ... ile#p12685

One that made me disheartened was Mira Metal.

[Richard Kaufman]

Mira Metal is actually a fine trick. Works well and fools people. There's nothing spectacular about the method, bit it does play exactly as advertised.

[Brett H]

Mira Metal is actually a fine trick. Works well and fools people. There's nothing spectacular about the method, bit it does play exactly as advertised.

I agree, it looks great; I'm not a fan of fragile effects for the most part

And the price! Good lord, the secondary value.

I'm trying to make performances that are very spectator involved. I have a hard enough time at he moment with my kids working Super Cubio, much less a handling-sensitive trick worth 100 bucks

[Richard Kaufman]

It's not fragile. The metal block with the hole in it can be examined afterward.

[hung3923]

I will choose GHOST PET. I find it difficult to rise the box steadily each time, especially when the box is on the halfway of the rise. I usually jam right there and the box stops rising. I also afraid that the 'thing' will break if I exert too much force on my hand.