My raven has been sitting in its box for the past 10 or so years. You are better off working on your sleight of hand or some great card tricks I think.

I use steel washers from a hardware store. You can get them in different sizes and thicknesses. They can be used with anything they can fit in or under. I put one at the bottom of a box of matches. You can make the matches appear, pull out a match (washer is underneath the matches and can't be seen), then make the box vanish.

To make a borrowed coin vanish just put magicians wax on the washer and palm it in your hand (wax side up). Put the coin on top of the washer when you place it in your hand. If you practice you can do it without the wax as long as you don't make them clink together.

I personally don't like the raven that much. It's a powerfull tool, and great quality, don't get me wrong.
But it takes a lot of time to practice and make your routine perfect. I'd rather spend that time on learning a good sleight that needs no gimmicks.

This can be oh so confusing. I am thinking of getting the raven. But there are many different packages available just from penguin alone... there are :



Reel Raven® Kit (Reel Raven®) w/DVD $43.75
Reel Raven® trick $26.25
The Raven X2 $39.38
The Raven (As Seen on TV) $21.49
The Deluxe Raven Kit with DVD $43.75
20 Effects with "The Raven" DVD $13.13
Sphinx Magical Block (The Special Penny included is designed to work with The Raven) $3.06

A lot of people recommend the Raven Deluxe with DvD, no one has recommended the Raven X2... is there a reason? or do you get more bang from the deluxe kit? Would it be cost effective to get the deluxe kit then maybe at another time get the X2?

I guess my question is, Once I have the deluxe kit, is the X2 even a worthy investment? or will the Raven that comes with the deluxe be good enough?

What you really want is either the Raven or the Raven X2, and the DVD. The DVD will teach you a number of additonal effects, and most importantly, the open hands sleight that will show your hand empty before and after a vanish.

I use the move to vanish and re-appear coins. It's great.

As for the difference between the X2 and regular? If you want the ability to switch items, go for the X2. It has two magnetic heads instead of one. Which makes it great but that's the only difference between the two. If you're just interested in vanishes and re-appearances, go for the origional Raven.

Isn't the X2 a lot bigger?

I'm looking into buying one or the other and would like to know how some of you feel about either product.