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Jeff Prace: The Search Engine Pen Reviewed
Two pens, less than one page of instructions and $10 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Effect
You show a pen with the colorful (i.e., different color for each letter) Coogle logo. No; That's not a typo. The spectator "chooses" a color. Suddenly all of the letters change to the "chosen" color.
Method
The method is given in the ad copy. It's a hot rod. If you know how a hot rod works, then you know how this works. One of the pens is the hot rod, and the other pen is normal with the single colored logo only.
Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy is a little loose, with the claim that "the pen can be displayed on both sides and be handed out for examination at the end." No. You have to switch pens before handing anything out. Other than that, the ad copy is clean.
Product Quality
There's just not much to say here. The pens standard ballpoint BIC pens. They're as good of quality any other ballpoint BIC pen. The instructions are pretty minor. It's barely a page of information. It basically says, here's a pen that you can do the hot rod trick with. It gives a quick overview of the paddle move and the hot rod "count" and that's it.
Final Thoughts
There really is nothing special about this. Other than the fact that the name of a search engine is on the pen, this really has nothing to do with search engines. It's almost a non-sequiter. There's really no rhyme or reason for the pen, no suggested presentational reasons pen changes. There's just no meat to the product. If you know how you would use such a prop you'll be happy with it, if you don't mind that it says "Coogle" not "Google." For a small fee ($9.95), you're buying a prop/gimmick and pretty much nothing more. If that's what you need, you'll be happy with your purchase. If you need more, you won't.
Final Verdict:
3.5 Stars with a Stone Status of gem — with a little g.
27 Comments
Like the buzzer….maybe a deeper tone, more obnoxious (just a stupid thought)?? Good, “polite” review for what I consider to be a waste of money and time for such a short and forgettable effect. Won’t be in my arsenal. Wouldn’t have been just watching the trailer, but your review solidified it. I also agree with you about the “casual magic”……….I enjoy performing some occasionally, just to catch people off-guard, but this is just dumb.
Thanks for your dedication, Jeff.
@Daniel – I’ve looked for a bunch of different buzzers. If you come across one, let me know. I couldn’t find one that I really liked.
(Nice review Jeff. Tee Hee’s!) It’s a good trick. Way better then the hotrod. I like the concept of a hotrod but what is it. The “Coogle” pen at least makes sense. Agreed with count and presentation, not enough if anything, it sounds incomplete. Even though the product meets your criteria it’s good to know what you said. For a beginner I would recommend, I myself would want one to rework into a finished and/or improved product. I do see potential. If I can’t find an answer I’ll use a (search engine) for ideas. Hee hee.
@Shaniqua’s Lover – I’ll try to remember to bring it to the next meeting and let you look at it.
Awesome pollo loco see you at the Qlahn Meeting. Betos Locos 4 life. In the famous words of Ricky Martin We Be “Livin La Vida Loca!” Essay.
@Liquid Gold – Thanks for the tips essay . . .
Good review and I agree. Maybe you could go with, I would add this to my repertoire or not. I always like to know different opinions.
@Paul – There’s nothing inherently “wrong” with the product (other than “Coogle”). It’s just that there wasn’t enough meat on the bone.
Jeff! Thanks for the review. You said it exactly right in the text and video. This is simply a Hot Rod, and I hope that was obvious from my video trailer and ad copy.
So – just like every Hot Rod that is sold – my instructions teach the “Six Force” as well as the “Paddle Move.” I think these were both explained clearly. (I write columns for both Genii and The Linking Ring!)
You asked for some “meat” to the product, and because the readers here are more advanced than the target market for this trick, I thought I’d offer some ideas.
If you are struggling with the ‘Coogle’ logo, here are three suggestions:
1) Simply cover the ‘C’ when performing.
2) Use a colored gel pen to fill in the rest of the letter. Most office stores have large assortments of colors.
3) Use a blade to scratch at the logo. This will give it a distressed look, and people will assume that the tail of the ‘G’ has faded away.
Here is one of my favorite presentations:
“I got this pen, and since it says ‘Google’ I thought it might actually be a search engine. I know: silly me. But I tried it. I did an image search for the pen cap and *this* happened…” (The pen cap is intentionally the same color as the force color.)
Many of my friends have been creating fun presentations that do not use a force at all, like the one above. My buddy Tom Dobrowolski has another great one. He is a professional banker and carries this pen with him at work.
The instructions also mention an alternate force that will work well.
I’m always surprised with the great reactions I receive with this trick. I’ve worked on many releases with big names and production companies, but this d@mn pen is so much fun.
@JeffP – Thanks for the comment and the tips. I’m assuming the whole “Coogle” thing was due to legal reasons, correct?
Heck yeah! We determined “Coogle” looked similar enough and did not infringe on any copyright or trademarks. Honestly, I leave the pen as is and nobody notices the difference.
@Jeff – I figured it was something like that. I will say, that it was actually the first thing I noticed. However, I’ll admit that I may have had my magician eyes on, not my layman eyes.
Excellent response Jeff (Prace). The target audience is not really working pros but hobbiests and younger magicians. I have never been a big fan of Hot Rod but I think this has potential to move a classic into the 21st century but of course it is all about presentation. I think Jeff (Stone) did a very fair review. Jeff (Prace) you have a great future in front of you. I have Keylicous (purchased after Jeff (Stones) review) and I love it. Thanks to both of you.
I tried using this but found the writing to be too small/unclear under most restaurant lighting.
@Rob – Thanks for the post. So are you saying that people couldn’t see the logo/logo colors, correct?
yes – the type face was too small and colours not bold enough
my standard hot rod works well because it is one mass of colour that is bigger than the small type on this pen
@Rob – That makes sense. That also supports my “theory” that this is not really for a “show” or a gig, but for super casual settings.
A nice effect but unless you’re getting free shipping or multiple pens with different end colors $9.95 seems a bit steep.
P.S. How much for the Norm Nielsen Vanishing Bottles in the background of the advertising trailer? 🙂
I offer free shipping to the US/Canada on ALL of my products. This is also distributed by Murphy’s Magic, so your local shop should have it, too.
Contact Chicago’s Midwest Magic for those bottles. 🙂
@Jeff – Thanks for the info brother.
Thanks Jeff Prace,
I like the concept you put together and think it is a great twist on the hot rod. I still like the hot rod though and would use it.
@Steven – I like the square feel of the hot rod because it’s easier to do the move. However, I can see the appeal of the Coogle pen too. It doesn’t look like a magic prop. But if you’re gonna go for a magic prop looking thing like the hot rod, the quad rod is my preferred choice.
OH, “Shame on You Shame.” Another thing I like.
The Quad Rod rocks. I’ve never heard of it before…definitely going on my wish list.
I’ve looked online for it, and can’t find even a picture of it. I bought mine over 20 years ago. It’s a hot rod with four sides, and you can show that all four sides have 6 different colors on them. Then after the change, you can show that all four sides have the same color. It’s killer.
@Steven – Welcome back brother. It’s good to see you here. I think the prop is probably worth the price if you use that kind of stuff. Like I said in the video, I would likely do a quick “hey watch the logo turn purple” trick, and hand out the pen and be done.
Jeff, thank you for the welcome. I’ve always been here and often visit. Having a family and busy schedule has kept me busy but I do read your reviews and from your web site magicreviewed.com
Keep up the good work.
@Steven – Thanks brother. I hear ya about bein’ busy. I’ve got 5 kids, 4 hamsters, 3 fish, and 9 wives.