Magic Tricks

Having carried this same team's hWallet around for some time as an excellent replacement for my beloved Nardi/Alakazam Infinity wallet, I was curious as to how this turbo-version of the Nardi/Alakazam Stealth Assassin Wallet (SAW)stacked up. For those unfamiliar with the SAW, it is the mentalist's wallet of choice, used by the most renowned professionals in the world. It's small, beautifully designed and manufactured, and capable of doing amazing things. And it's expensive. About the only thing that I don't like about it is that it isn't very practical for daily use. If you carry bills, they hang out in a weird way unless you fold them up--it's not a billfold--and it's just too small for both mentalism stuff and credit cards/ID.

Let's get the negative out of the way first. Even though the Phantom Wallet is much thicker and at least a quarter of an inch longer and wider than the SAW, I still can't use it as a day-to-day wallet. You have the same problem with having to fold up bills, and while the bigger size allows more credit cards and stuff, it's still not practical. And it's pretty much the same price as the SAW.

Now for the good news, the Phantom is a fantastic wallet, just as well made as the SAW. You get three peeks, two internal and one external (the brilliant SUC). One of the internal peeks is exactly the same as the SAW's internal peek. (The SAW also has the SUC.) The other internal peek is one of the best and cleverest I have ever seen. Peeks go to the Phantom.

As for multiple outs, both wallets use the same technique using magnets and have a similar number. You can also use this feature on both to switch envelopes or billets. I'll call this a draw.

Because of the SUC feature, you can load and unload on both wallets. Another draw.

The Phantom Wallet has a dedicated CTW. You have the same ability with the SAW using the SUC. While I like the Phantom's CTW, I'm not sure that it's really necessary.

Here's where the differences show up. The SAW has an OTL feature, certainly not essential, but really nice in a mentalist wallet. The Phantom Wallet does not. The OTL feature is found in its cousin, the hWallet. And finally, the way it is constructed, the Phantom Wallet allows for a deceptive way to do secret writing. You could do it using the SAW, but you are going to have to work a lot harder.

With the SAW you get two DVDs with two hours of brilliant routines. With the Phantom Wallet, you get two hours of downloads of brilliant routines. You'll be extremely happy in either case. I almost forgot to mention, you get a couple of sets of gimmicks with the Phantom, which are a nice bonus.

The SAW set the standard for mentalist wallets and will remain the standard for a long time. I have two of them, use them all the time, and wouldn't trade them for the world. But the upstart Phantom Wallet does a great job of taking the SAW design into the future. If you are serious about mentalism, really serious, then it's a no-brainer. You'll spend the serious money and get one or both. You won't have buyer's remorse, you won't look back, and you will astonish folks right out of your pocket. These are essential tools of our art.