i'd like to take the time to discuss what other magicians think about vanishing bottles for stage. i own a "full" vanishing coke bottle, but when i bought mine at a magic shop they didn't have any "empty" left in stock, which i preferred more than the full. without thought, i spent the $40 dollars and just sacrificed for the full vanishing coke.

the reason for my choice being the empty is simply because the full has to handled much more gently because of the "liquid" staying level with the ground, which i do during a performance..... i keep the "liquid" level to the ground when handling it.

normally in my routine, i switch out a *regular* full coke bottle for the gimmicked one in a fair and unsuspecting manor. i then sometimes find the "full" gimmick a small problem when i am performing with it, and have worries that people may suspect something about the "non-moving" coke after i make the switch. maybe i'm just paranoid about it, or maybe i need to buy myself an empty bottle? what do you think ?

I've only saw one magician perform with a "full" coke bottle. My wife also saw it, and after the show told me that it looked very fake as the liquid didn't move. That was one of the biggest reasons why I never purchased that particular bottle. So I honestly would suggest getting an empty bottle instead.

thank you for putting the perspective into a spectator in the audience. i knew few people would be able to make the assumption that the bottle is fake just by the way the liquid doesn't move, as you already said. i am going to look into buying an empty because it will eliminate the speculation of the "non-moving liquid".

once again, thanks.

-connor

if anybody else has some input or thoughts about the subject, please post!

Empty or full, it's all in how you handle the bottle that "sells" the idea of it being a real bottle. I use a "full" Coke bottle in my show, and it's authenticity has never been questioned. That's because I treat it as a real bottle of liquid. As I remove it from the bag, my first and second fingers pick the bottle up at the neck just a t the point where the level of the "liquid " is. This way the audience wouldn't see the liquid moving in the bottle, even if it actually contained any!

The bottle is briefly displayed......just long enough for the audience to recognize what it is, then it is placed back into the bag, and the routine continues.

I hope that this helps you. You might also wish to check out Martin Lewis' handling of his routine called Snacks Alive on his Making Magic DVD Vol 1.

I understand you have to be more gentle with the "Empty" bottle because the material is so much more flimsy that the "full" one...after touching them both, this did seem to be the case...if not held properly, the "Empty" one would somewhat Squish...