Reviews of products by Devin Knight : page 4
22 ★★★★★ reviews
11 ★★★★★ reviews
11 ★★★★★ reviews
15 ★★★★★ reviews
The Svengali Fooler
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Devlin (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 15 January, 2017)
I cannot believe that this is being sold for only a lousy $3. This is very clever.
The Best Short Change Scam Ever
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Andres Fajardo
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 26 December, 2016)
Recently came across Devin Knight's book about the short change scam. Being interested in this author's previous releases, this new one deals more with the area of deception, scams, cons and cheats. The book is short and quickly gets to the point. There is a lot of information out there on how to prevent the scam from happening, but most of it doesn't explain well enough. Devin not only breaks down the scam step by step, but also provide additional tips on how to protect yourself, as well as gives you an exercise to learn to spot it and prevent it from happening.
If you - or know someone who - work/s at a shop, mall or related places, they need to know this information. The best way to counter the scam is to prevent it from happening and that's what this book is all about. Overall I would say it's pretty much worth reading and for only $7 picking this up is a no-brainer.
Pirate Torture Illusion
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Mach (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 08 December, 2016)
Pros : Several presentation ideas, well expounded. The improved method used. Cons : I had to read several times the explanations to understand the instructions, because the figures are not drawn neatly, and there is an action not very clear. I hope there will be another version of this booklet with more precise figures, with different colors for the rope 1, the rope 2, the board, the spectator. It would be also good to put a picture of the action of the performer when he does his action with his right fingers between the loops and to explain with which part of the script this action is associated and justified. But, in spite of these comments, I recommend this booklet. New version to come?
First Date Revelation
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 28 November, 2016)
Here's another clever routine from Devin Knight. He gives you two different methods. The first is Al Mann's Kolophon Principle, so if you have that ebook, you'll know exactly how it works. The second similar method is better, I think, and one that I'd never seen before. It's pretty ingenious when you get right down to it. The full revelation, which involves folding the six slips with the names on them, is, in my opinion, too much hands on activity for the mentalist. There are much better ways to accomplish the same thing with the spectator's doing the work of folding the billets and mixing them before you find the "first date" billet. In any event, this is well worth the $10.
U.F. Grant's Impossible Bill in Lemon
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Gary Cordingley
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 22 November, 2016)
I am an amateur magician who is very pleased with this product. I performed it for a social group of 50-60 people and it played very well, allowing for much entertaining interaction with two volunteers. There are no true sleights -- just some simple handling that was well within my amateur skills. I look forward to performing it again!
Psychic Money Sense
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 08 November, 2016)
I have to say that this is easy to do, without slights, and it can be done as soon as you have the proper coins and envelopes. This is a good one that will not end up in a drawer.
Psychic Money Sense
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 07 November, 2016)
Money Sense allows you to show that the spectator has paranormal powers in relation to money. To prove this, the magician presents the spectator with a test where the spectator needs to put certain coins into specific envelopes. There is a correct arrangement, and the single prediction put on the table when it is read at the end, foretells the arrangement that the spectator made, and proves that he has psychic powers. This is actually a good put-in-your-pocket trick, because you could do it anywhere. While the spectator is arranging coins and envelopes, there is a lot of suspense before the prediction is read.
Psychic Money Sense
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 07 November, 2016)
This is a quickie trick that's kind of a throwaway, so much so that even Knight suggests it as a prelude to one of his Blind Sight effects. It's about as self-working as they come, and you really only need to remember one thing. It reminds me of something that would be one of eight or nine tricks in a Conversation as Mentalism volume by Mark Elsdon. In other words, you might do this in a bar or as "B" filler material for close-up. There are only two ways this trick can end: Two out of three times, you'll get a certain outcome and the third time a different one. (It will be strikingly obvious how this plays out once you read the instructions.) The principle involved is actually better than the trick, I think. So if you want to spend your Starbuck's money today on a little mentalism, you could do worse.
How To Move A Mountain
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 07 November, 2016)
Understanding how this effect is accomplished will add to your cleverness as a magician. This is clearly written and is a good read.
Aqua-Coin Flight
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 20 October, 2016)
By cleverly dovetailing illusions of coins in water, and using the meanings of sounds heard by the participants, Devin Knight is able to build an effect that can fill a stage, and that can seem like real magic to an audience. Each step in this illusion and each sound, is so cleverly thought out, that the audience will be taken step-by-step to the conclusion of the trick before they realize their amazement at this effect's surprising finish.
Massive Fire Bowl Production
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 10 October, 2016)
Devin Knight has made available to us a captivating collection of three effects which share aspects of their methods. There is "U.F. Grant's Massive Fire Bowl Production," which is absolutely spectacular. It is presented with a version of this Trick that produces "A Goblet of Fire," which is themed from "Harry Potter," and also a delightful trick for the Halloween "Trick or Treats" which first produces a candy container, and then offers the child a treat. This is entertaining, charming, and mysterious magic with fire that will surely grab the attention of your audiences.
UF Grant's Lost Card Secrets
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 27 September, 2016)
The amount of careful research and scholarship Devin Knight has applied to this excellent group of surprising card spelling effects, together with a stunning card transposition, presents the legendary magic of UF Grant so that there are valuable secrets here that are of use by the magician of today. Grant speaks to us once again through the dedication of Devin Knight.
The Best Short Change Scam Ever
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 19 September, 2016)
If you've ever seen the movie The Grifters, you will see John Cusack do a version of the short change scam. As Devin reminds us, this ebook is for educational purposes only because if you pull this routine on a shopkeeper, you are stealing, plain and simple. I've seen it used exactly one time in my life, many years ago, so I'm sure that there still are some practitioners of this out there. This ebook should probably be required reading for anyone who works in retail or at charity events. The short change is an insidious flim-flam.
How Psychics Locate Missing People
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 19 September, 2016)
For $10 and 12 pages, I was intrigued, so I bit. And five minutes later, after finishing this ebook, all I could do was shake my head at a scam so ingenious, yet so diabolical, that I'd never have come up with it on my own in 10 lifetimes. Of course, I'm not a con artist. Anyway, you are getting a really obscure--and dangerous--phony psychic scam, one that if you do it, you will be committing a serious federal crime. It's an interesting read, but you have been warned. (Devin warns you too.)
The Ultimate Page Force
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Leigh Beadon (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 10 September, 2016)
I have been struggling for a while with how to make a book riffle force look natural - I simply couldn't get a clear picture in my head of how to make it look natural, to the point that I'd almost given up. But after 10 minutes of reading this, I have a newfound confidence that it can be done seamlessly and beautifully and am starting my practice anew with this technique. A riffle page force is such a useful tool; if you don't have one in your arsenal, I think this is the one to learn. If you already have one that you use happily and confidently, you probably don't need this - but if you check it out, it might end up replacing your current standard.
Ungimmicked Linking Ropes
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Bruce Peck (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 06 September, 2016)
I would like to stress what the ad copy does not make clear: You are buying instructions for just a single move only, not a rope routine, and the move in question is not even original to the author.
Is the move clever? Sure. But for $8 I was expecting more. And something more original. There are any number of PDFs on this site that teach entire routines for the same price. Buyer beware.
The Great Apple Heist
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 17 August, 2016)
This is Devin Knight's brilliant elaboration and original adaptation of an old coin trick into a hilarious and entertaining attempt by a couple from the audience to work together to make an apple pie, and in addition, Devin has also created two ingenious children's magic show tricks that work in a similar way with candy bars instead of apples. What makes these three tricks different from many other effects is that they do not revolve around a central magical appearance or disappearance, and each of the three effects have suspense, excitement, and offer an entertaining good time.
Psychic Match Divination
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 06 August, 2016)
An Astounding mentalism effect on a small personal scale. They will never figure out how the mentalist knew what color they picked. A classy pocket trick. Don't let the inexpensive props cause you to think that this is anything but very clever amazement. Devin has put together a good trick at a bargain basement price.
The Skeleton of Jekyll and Hyde
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 06 August, 2016)
This is a baffling effect where the performer and the participant, while separated choose the same word from the same page of dictionary, under conditions that should make this impossible. This uses a secret method that is old enough that today’s spectators would never think of it. This is an excellent effect for a house party or other small gathering when you want them to say: “How did you do that?”
The Ultimate Page Force
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 01 August, 2016)
I have always wanted to learn a way to force a page from an ordinary book by riffling the pages and having the participant call: “Stop!” All of the methods I had tried either looked contrived, or were not what a real mindreader would do, like throw dice to get a page number. Then I read Devin Knight’s “The Ultimate Page Force “ and finally found what I had been searching for. This is easy, (although like good magic, practice in front of a mirror is needed), and it looks natural, does not appear contrived, and looks like what a real mindreader would do. The excellent photographs that illustrate the step-by-step performance of the method are priceless, and complement the clarity of his explanation.
Devin Knight has given a true Utility that opens the door to the performance of many baffling and entertaining effects.
Production from Any Ungimmicked Magazine
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 01 August, 2016)
How often have you watched magicians amaze you by producing something substantial, seemingly out of empty space. Devin Knight explains how you can produce a glass of spring flowers or silks from what is shown to the audience as a flat everyday magazine. The magazine is unprepared and there are no body loads. Merely tear off the back cover, forming it into a tube, and right there on your hand you can raise the tube and amazingly produce a variety of items.
This is well written and clearly explained with Devin’s helpful diagrams. The audience will be amazed that so much could be mysteriously tucked somehow in a flat ordinary magazine.
The Milky Way
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 20 July, 2016)
These three entertaining effects with real drinkable milk ( Yes: real fresh cold milk! ) - in a real glass - have been revived and modernized from a lost U.F. Grant description. They can be performed for adults and children, and two of them are made for using at least two participants at a magic show. They are baffling. Devin explains how to inexpensively make the props yourself, and has figured out how to always keep the milk fresh and cold. His instructions for performance are clear and well written. This really is a lost and unattainable manuscript, and you will enjoy performing Devin’s updated versions of these three effects. Don’t pass this up. These effects could be the hit of your magic show.
The Best Short Change Scam Ever
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 11 July, 2016)
This is really very well done. Devin first explains this scam in a way that that he plays the part of a scammer, and Devin’s writing fooled me and several other people - we would have lost money. Then he gives a clear unambiguous explanation of how the scam works, and Devin, in addition, gives good instruction on how to defend yourself from the scam by detecting that someone is attempting to pull it on you. This is necessary because several former storekeepers told me that they were once swindled by it, and that it is still practiced by scammers today. Good reading, and worth knowing.
Just Think
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 10 July, 2016)
This one goes way back. I got Just Think because I was curious. I had an idea of how it worked--and I was right. And for those of you who get this, you will immediately note that this effect uses the same principle as a famous item that has been on the market since the 1950s, though this version is 100% pure and uses no gimmicks whatsoever. I like Devin's use of this effect as after-show individual future telling and also his performance hints. I don't think that you can effectively use it for a main act unless, of course, you are a real fortune teller because to quote Rick Maue, "TERASABOS." Pros will know what I mean and could make some use of this. Mentalism neophytes, despite your skepticism, this kind of stuff really does work. But it takes chutzpah, audience management, personality, and experience.
Just Think
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ronald M Levy
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 07 July, 2016)
This is one of the most spectacular descriptions of a method of performing mentalism I have ever read because the participant only thinks of their question, and does not write anything down, and the mentalist has no gimmicks at all. The mentalist writes answers to questions on an ungimmicked pad. Devin Knight has experience performing this act, and offers very worthwhile guidance. This act is a piece of magic history, having been created by a now forgotten mentalist, Walter G. Magnuson, and Devin has revived Magnuson's writing to bring us the present work. To succeed with this act requires a strong personality and audience management experience, although Devin has made it possible, by the work he has put in on reviving this manuscript, for all mentalists to enjoy and learn from this now remembered master of the craft.