"Cunning Card Case" by Bob Solari
Suggested Retail USD$12.50
Available direct from Bob Solari Magic
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Bob Solari's latest, "Cunning Card Case", is a great effect so visual it's almost an optical illusion.

The effect is easy to explain: you begin by holding an ordinary card case, you open the case, and you spread the cards. Just that quickly, the card case has vanished, leaving you holding just the deck.

Okay, so there are lots of "vanishing card cases" out there, I'll grant you. But Solari's thinking here -- based upon an old gimmick -- makes his version just that much superior to some others out there.

To begin with, the set-up is amazingly simple: add the gimmick to a deck and you're ready to go. Clean-up is just as simple and is done in front of spectators (that's about as natural a clean-up as you can ask for). Reseting things is just as quick and just as natural. In between, the deck is regular in every way and can be used in other routines with no problem (you do sacrifice a card case, so material needing that would have to be re-worked a bit, but it's easy to think around that speed bump). As far as a practical working of the problem, Solari's got a great one here, all built around a single simple gimmick.

Solari's gimmick is a huge update on the old idea, made specifically for this effect. They are available for red or blue Bikes, but once you've got it in your hands you can use Solari's gimmick as a guide to create your own gimmick for any standard deck of playing cards. This is a nice bit of advice from Solari as eventually you'll need to make another gimmick just due to the wear and tear on the supplied one. Don't fret; I'm a klutz when it comes to such things and I had another made in five minutes without losing a finger. I imagine it would take the rest of the civilized world a lot less time than that.

"Cunning Card Case" is a really fine piece of work. The gimmick is easy to handle, it's an extremely practical piece of business, the effect gets that open-mouth-slacked-jaw reaction... all in all, this is a great effect that makes for a tantalizing opener to card effects.

"Cunning Card Case" by Bob Solari
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Practicality: 9
The set-up is minor, as is the reset. There is a bit of an angle problem, but it's small and easily dealt with. As a huge plus, the deck is whole and untouched for this one, allowing you to do other material as easily as, well, pulling a brand new deck of cards out of your pocket.

Workmanship: 10
This is Bob Solari we're talking about, and that means excellent workmanship. He lives up to his reputation with this one. You'll have to replace it after a while, but as Solari says in the instructions, it's easy to do when you use his gimmick as a guide.

Documentation: 8
The documentation is brief and concise; you'll have little problem learning how to do this one. I would have liked to have seen a bit more detail on a couple of things, but that's a small gripe: learning this one is quick and easy.

Effect: 10
The deck is in a case, then the deck is spread... no case. It's a quick punch that plays very well.

Presentation: 10
It's all about the visuals here, and this is so quick, so up-front with nothing hidden, that it comes close to being thought of as an optical illusion. It's really great stuff and the perfect opener.


Shane