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Coffee Shot by Chris Webb Reviewed

One DVD, one gimmick and $25 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.

Effect

A borrowed coin is passed through the bottom of a paper coffee cup.

Method

A clever little gimmick and some basic sleight of hand makes this all possible. With the DVD, you get the stuff to make your gimmick. The sleight of hand needed for this is so minimal that you almost can't call it sleight of hand. The gimmick works well, though it's a little trick to make (more in Product Quality section). Once you've properly made the gimmick, this method is very doable and totally legitimate.

The only consideration is that the reset requires you to take the gimmick out of the cup. It only takes a few seconds, but you kind of need a table or some place to set stuff on while you're resetting.

Ad Copy Integrity

The ad copy is pretty minimal. The only thing I might challenge is the claim that it's the "most visual coin through cup you have ever seen." Of course, this claim is more opinion than cold hard fact. However, that aside, if the audience is looking in the cup the moment the coin appears inside, there is a possibility of them seeing "something."

Sometimes the coin gets stuck if you don't give it just the right amount of "shake." This is no big deal if they're not looking directly in the cup because you can just shake again to get the coin where it needs to be. But if they're looking and the coin sticks, then the jig is up. However, even when they're not looking directly into the cup, it's still very visual. Maybe cerebrally visual. Is that a thing?

Product Quality

The DVD is not the best produced video I've seen. The lighting and sound were sometimes iffy. However, the DVD is easy to navigate, and for the most part the explanations are clear and easy to follow.

There were a couple of issues, however. First, the explanation for putting the gimmick together leaves out an important part. He later covers it in the end during the Extra thoughts/Ideas section. The problem is that by then you've already put your gimmick together and potentially it's too late to fix it.

The stuff you get to make your gimmick is good quality stuff, but the gimmick is a little trick to make. When you make the gimmick, you have to be very careful and very deliberate. If you make the gimmick to big, you have to carefully and exactingly cut it down slowly but surely. Speaking from experience, if you aren't careful, the gimmick will end up being too small.

If it's too small, it will still work, but when they look in the cup, they'll see the gimmick. So you have to be very careful to get the gimmick exactly right. Other than that, this is a solid product, and to be fair, he does discuss what you need to know to make another gimmick with supplies you can easily purchase. He also tells you how to carefully construct the gimmick. Just be careful, and you'll be fine.

Final Thoughts

This is, overall, a solid product. It works. It does what the ad copy says. It's a simple gimmick. Once you've made it, it will last a long time and will do the job without a problem.

If you're looking for a penetration like this, I think you'll be happy with your purchase.

Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.