"Industrial Strength Link" by Richard Osterlind
Suggested Retail USD$29.95
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

"Industrial Strength Link", a new effect by Richard Osterlind, takes the age-old puzzle and turns it on its ear, making it less of a puzzle and more of a magical penetration yet keeping the traditional "challenge" element. This is Osterlind at his finest.

But I have to cop to being totally in love with the routine since I saw it on Osterlind's "Challenge Magic" video. That it moved seamlessly from puzzle to magic got me. This became something I really, really wanted to do: a motivated penetration that looked great and was at least a little engaging. I didn't even care that my venue of choice wouldn't really permit me to perform this more than once in a blue moon. I needed it!

Of course, I couldn't find the spring and, after a few tries at engine mechanics and the like, I gave up and plumb forgot about Osterlind's little treasure.

Then - lo, and behold! - here's the routine, complete with the perfect prop for it and the entire routine detailed down to its toenails. And that's how a little slice of heaven descended to earth in the form of a steel spring and a fifteen-page book.

I wish I could tell you all about this one, but I can't do it justice. Osterlind starts this whole thing off with a spring and a coathanger and essentially plays with the whole "puzzle aspect" of the thing, that is, the performer can link and unlink them while the spectator cannot. This slowly escalates until you've performed some links that appear to be magical. In between, there a lot of letting the spectator try it and letting the spring and coathanger be examined.

The best part for me is that it doesn't matter if spectator knows how to do it or not. Osterlind has come up with a small thing, a small brilliant thing, that makes it impossible for the spectator to duplicate the linking even if they know the workings of the old puzzle. I just love being sneaky and this is the epitome of sneakiness.

Osterlind has done a grand job here of making this routine fun to watch and fun to do. As a short segment in a stand-up/platform routine, this is a solid piece of entertainment. It's not reputation-making material. It won't get you booked on late-night talk shows. It will not cause beautiful, rich, and famous people to want to hang out with you. But you'll entertain a room with it and that's good enough for anyone.

There's really not a lot to tell you about this one. The prop is marvelous and if ever a prop will last a lifetime, it's this steel spring. There are no really tricky handlings, though the routine itself might take a bit of getting used to (I think we call that "practice"). As for the presentation and the mechanics, I'm a huge fan of Osterlind so I'm biased, but they are perfect to me.

This one I highly recommend for stand-up workers looking for something really different.

"Industrial Strength Link" by Richard Osterlind
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Practicality: 9
This is a stand-up/platform piece and, as such, it's incredibly practical: just pack the spring in with your stuff and you're off to the races, with no set-up, reset, or angles to worry about. Really about the only concern is having someone examine it a bit too long, but Osterlind address this wonderfully in the instructions.

Workmanship: 10
The spring is big, heavy, and stainless. If ever a prop was going to last a lifetime, it's this one.

Documentation: 10
Osterlind is a wonderful teacher, whether his medium be video, book, or lecture. He covers every single base here, making this routine as easy to learn as possible and then some; the work he did on the presentation should be required reading.

Effect: 8
This is not jaw-dropping or, put popularly, you won't start a religion with this one. But what you will do is astonish a few folks, fool a few more, and entertain them all, and that's not bad.

Presentation: 10
Osterlind's presentation here is wonderful. Yes, it's "challenge magic", but done very well - it's hard to see anybody getting upset with this one. Not only that, but he's taken the puzzle and turned it from that to a magical piece. This is excellent stuff.

Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.