My spirit bell arrived yesterday... and I couldn't be more disappointed. The electronics that control the unit have been hot-glued to a flimsy cardboard insert of the bell's base in a sloppy, stringy mess.
Furthermore, one of the wires connecting the internal motor to the power source had broken due to poor soldering - luckily it was an easy fix, but you shouldn't need to repair a product 5 minutes after opening it.
Finally... the remote control appears to be very finicky and unreliable, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
To be clear, I don't blame the guys at Penguin Magic... they've always been great, and provide top notch service and delivery, and can't be blamed for the shoddy workmanship of this product. But this is going to require a whole lot of work before I'd feel comfortable using it in a show.
Buyer beware!

I recently returned to this after speaking with the creator about another of his products I was having difficulty with. After finding that both the original effect I received AND it's replacement failed to work out of the box, I thought, "Well, at least Spirit Bell still functions." Unlike those other products, I'd been able to, after some frustrations, at least get Spirit Bell to work.

Sure, it's not very pretty to look at but at least it does what it's supposed to. Yeah, it feels like it will fall apart after repeated performances but at least you don't have to touch it other than to charge it and turn it on.

It seemed like I may actually be able to put this to use, especially since I'd barely used it.

But I just had to know. And of course it crapped out on me. No response from the transmitter even with fresh batteries. All devices turned on. No visible mechanical issues and a blue light indicating full charge so I have no idea.

I mentioned the frustrations upon initial receipt of this thing. It took a good half hour of plugging/unplugging, switching on and off, charging and re-charging, etc. before it suddenly worked. I guess it's possible that could happen again (if I ever pull it out from the bottom drawer).

Nishiguchi does seem like an awfully nice guy and he has some terrifically good ideas. He generously answered my questions and offered to look the products over himself if I wanted to send them to him (I declined). At the same time he suggested (and I'm not joking) that I slap one of the offending products with metal in case the motor in the receiver was stuck.

To be fair, it was something of a last-ditch effort at long-distance repair. That said, images of kicking Grandpa's old Jalopy to get it started sprang to mind.

I'd say save your pennies and spring for something a bit higher-end.

Do not buy this product

It does not work

Penguin magic. Bad Job

Poorly made with the wrong materials
Just a way to earn money

Upon arrival it did not work. Dead batteries in the remote.

Changed batteries, still did not work. Whoever made mine went WAY over the to with the hot glue, and there was a blob blocking the spinning arm of the motor.

Worked for two days, but now the motor has stopped working.

This is a great prop. I had one before that I loved (but also was constantly repairing). I just wish they would make it well.

I have purchased this bell twice now and the first time, it only worked at random times and rarely ever did it work when I am on stage. I assumed I had broken it, so I purchased it a second time and I had the same issue with the second one sadly. I have updated my script to have a line added if the bell doesn't work (which is most of the time). It's my fault for purchasing a cheap bell. I'd recommend investing in a more expensive, better quality

I use the bell for "Spirit" effects. Was very excited for an electronic method. Yes, the incredibly delicate mechanism works. But the remote (a delicate tangle of wires) has a range of about 18 - 24 inches. Any further away and it won't work. So you got to conceal it somehow. Instructions suggest concealing in shoe and operating with big toe. This would never work both because it is out of range, and impossible to operate with a toe.

Five stars because there is nothing fake or suspicious about it. It doesn’t look or come across as a magic prop as do other remote spirit bells on the market. And the bell is loud unlike those other bells. It’s one more natural looking tool that fits into my Spirit or “Spooky Magic” performances. As others have said, there are improvements they would like to see and those would be nice. But then the price would increase. One thing I’ve learned in performing magic is that you must be flexible and every limitation you face is an opportunity to be creative.

I was looking for an economical spirit bell for a seance I'm doing. This is a great product, completely convincing and much less than others out there. Looks like a typical bell you'd see at a service station or motel. No evidence of it being electrical. Cant wait to use it in practice!

I was looking for an economical spirit bell for a seance I'm doing. This is a great product, completely convincing and much less than others out there. Looks like a typical bell you'd see at a service station or motel. No evidence of it being electrical. Cant wait to use it in practice!

This Spirit Bell is not the first I have seen to use a standard hotel or deli counter bell, and the price was reasonable.
Sadly, this is a case of 'you get what you pay for.'
The mechanics of the bell and remote control system are not reliable. I think the idea is good, but it does not work consistently enough to trust in performance.
The skimpy instructions say that the mechanism can get messed up in shipping. If it doesn't work right out of the box, they go on to give you a couple simple steps to get it working. Try as I might, I couldn't get it to ring twice in a row, sometimes actually tapping the button with my hand as shown in the video.
Finally, it appears that somehow in the gaffing process, the inner support (armature?) got bent so that when it was reassembled, the bell would not be parallel to the surface it sat on. That alone makes the innocence of the prop look suspect.
I will very likely return it.