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Daniel Meadows: Cerberus Wallet Review
One DVD, 45 minutes, one utility wallet and $140 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Effect, Method & Some Product Quality too
This is a mentalism wallet that has several features as listed in the ad copy:
- Peek
- Load/Unload
- "Out To Lunch"
- Index
There's an overall issue with the wallet that will come up in the discussion of each component listed above. It's too small. If it were, literally, 5 or 6 millimeters bigger, problem solved. As it is, most of the functionality is hard to use.
For example, your business card barely, and I mean barely, fits into the peek compartment. Getting it out of the peek compartment is nearly impossible without mangling the card. The load/unload feature works really well with a folded (quarters) playing card. However, with a folded (halves) business card, it's way fidgety and a tight fit.
The out to lunch gimmick is probably the worst offender. Normally with OTL, you have about half of the business card beneath the rubber band/elastic that can be written on. In this case, however, you have about 32% of the card available to you beneath the elastic. Additionally, in order for the business cards to fit into the OTL elastic without slipping out the bottom, you have to have a stack that's too thick, so the wallet doesn't close all the way. Again, if the wallet were just a few millimeters thicker it would close just fine.
Speaking of the OTL component, the elastic is anything but. It more like a cloth band with very little elasticity, so the cards don't really stay in place. They tend to slide around, unless you jam so many in there that you can't easily remove them as you need them.
For the index, there are 8 slots. However, if you use the two top slots, the business card will stick out above the wallet. About 5 or 6 millimeters taller would do the trick. In the DVD, Daniel Meadows admits that it's too small to hold 8 business cards, so he suggests that you fold them. If you do that, then the cards go way too deep into the pocket.
If you plan on using the index, you'll have to cut some specifically sized cards (which he does not discuss) to make it work well. Further, four of the slots are well crammed into the corner of the wallet making access to them very difficult and less than smooth.
Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy is fine. It simply describes the wallet's features. The problem is that the features don't quite work as well as they should.
Product Quality
The majority of the "Method" issues also kind of fall into the "Product Quality" category as well. However, there are a few more things to discuss.
The Wallet
The wallet itself is very good quality leather and would last a long time as a wallet. The problems, as mentioned, are related to the functionality and size.
The DVD
The DVD is just weird. The menu navigation is fine. However, they used a green screen or some color of screen. I'm thinking it was black because every time the wallet was infront of the screen, chunks of it would disappear into the background. Also, the lighting was very whitewashed. Anything he showed us that was white (e.g., business cards, billets, etc.) was very difficult to see. His face was washed out in quite a few places as well.
They didn't appear to be using very good microphones either. Additionally, whenever the camera needed to move down to his hands, rather than the camera moving down, he moved up. It was very bizarre and disorienting. I'm not sure if it was a camera/editing trick or if he was on a movable platform. My vote is on platform because throughout a few segments of the video, I could hear creaking and cracking. I was seriously waiting for the floor to cave in or something.
The Teaching
The teaching wasn't teaching at all. It was brief run throughs. On several occasions, Daniel Meadows said, "I'm not gonna go into detail on this [effect/idea] because I don't do it." Yet he claims that this is his everyday wallet that he uses all the time and performs with. If that's the case, then why is he not explaining the way he uses it. Most of the stuff he "explained" was stuff that not only does he not do, but he couldn't even perform it because he's never tried it or practiced it. This is not a guess; this is something he admitted.
Additionally, he mentioned that the one he was using in the DVD "teaching" segments was a prototype and that the one we would get is better. Specifically, he mentioned the OTL problem with the elastic. It looks like they didn't fix that in the production version. He also struggled (a little bit) getting business cards into the peek section which surprises me if he uses this regularly. Why is he using the prototype in his everyday work?
If it's because he hadn't received the production version of the wallet, why did he release the product and film the DVD before he tested the final version? Lastly, he placed a website on the screen that has more ideas, etc. for the wallet.
The link doesn't work. It just takes you to a "pre-order page for the Cerberus Wallet."
Final Thoughts
If you want a $140 4 - 6 billet index that can act as a "regular" wallet, this might be for you. As for using it as an everyday wallet, I was not able to fit all of my wallet stuff in this wallet. However, I understand the fact that everyone has different stuff in their wallet, so your stuff may fit. That aside, all around, this product, DVD, teaching, etc. is just not very good quality.
Final Verdict:
2 Stars with a Stone Status of Rubble.
9 Comments
Just to add a few comments. I disagree with some of your points. The card your using to demonstrate this peek is too big, that’s not a fault of the creator. My wallet has stretched and the index isn’t a problem, it was initially tight but its very much loosened off. Regarding the functionality of the peek, you said you missed it and acted as though it was a fault with the wallet however it was a fault with you. This is the easiest wallet to peek from and comes from a very traditional peek wallet which offers the most reliable peek imaginable and designed to be very easy and the Cerberus is no different.
@Joel – Thanks for the post. Regarding the card I’m using, it’s a standard size business card, which is exactly what the Daniel says to use, so I’m not sure how that’s my fault. As for loading the card into the correct slot, it may be my fault, but even with my finger in the right place from the outside, it naturally wanted to slide on to the wrong side of my driver’s license. However, all that aside, the biggest problems that impacted the star rating where the issues with the OTL and the fact that about half of the indexes were not usable and the super tight fit (with a normal business card) in the peek section. From the comments here on the site, I can see that I’m not the only one who had some of these issues. Maybe we got a bad batch. I’m not sure, but either way, I merely documented my experience with the wallet.
This perfectly echoed my thoughts. I sold mine about 2 days after I bought it.
This marks the 5th or 6th time I’ve tried something other than my SAW but I always end up going back. I couldn’t fit my powerball 60 tickets, my esp cards etc in this wallet. Definitely a great design and some wonderful ideas but just too small. I started to ask myself “what could I do with the Cerberus that I COULD NOT do with another wallet and it was hard to come up with an answer.
Im having a great time with Cerberus.
The thought of the size was an issue for me, however its great. The peeks are fantastic ive even used it for confederate peeking. The index was and still it a bit tight but it is softening and loosening off the more i use it the billets i use fit perfectly, ive always used the smaller size.
The otl isnt in half. But so what. Who said it HAS TO BE? Im using this to its obvious advantage, the bottom gets signed
As normal, you have a larger space for what ever at the top,my cards also no longer get stuck in the window as its wareing in nice , its holds my money as a wallet should and its loaded with a good amount of effects. And still goes in my front pockets
@col – Thanks for the comment. The issue with the index is not just how tight the corner ones are, but also the top two. Those cards stick out, and no amount of breaking in the wallet will solve that. Regarding the OTL, I agree that there’s no rule that says it must be half. However, some of the effects taught on the DVD required it to be in half. The ones were another business card was folded in half and placed in the wallet do not work correctly when the OTL is as off centered as my copy of the wallet.
Also, the other OTL problem was the fact that the cards kept sliding out until I put so many cards in there that the wallet wouldn’t properly close.
Its a shame i can’t add a photo. What i was ment to say was the cards ive always used for my indexes are small i get them from Rymans thete white cards 45mm x 75 mm and fit perfect into the cerberus inxex and they dont comr close to the top opening also you can stagger them side ways within the wallet so there mega easy to retrieve the one you need.
Theys are also the cards i use in the peek.
At the end of the day your told its a small wallet. So use smaller cards?!
It just so happens i always have done.
And they fly through thw peek window too
Thank
I use the same index cards as col and the wallet works well for me. The pockets were a bit tight at first (not the index) but they have stretched slightly and work more smoothly. For the otl feature mine only needs 6 cards to be nicely fixed, worked with three too.
Thanks Jeff,we hobbyist guys trust you you say it how you see it
Oh boy am I glad I found your site.
I’ve owned a few different wallets over the years, none of them ever really did all the things I wanted them to, I’ve looked at Cerberus a few times but wasn’t sure it would live up to all the hype, some friends had told me it was crap others said it was ok.
I very nearly ordered one yesterday but decided to check out reviews.
Would you recommend a wallet for somebody who’s primarily into mentalism?
Thanks Jeff
🤟