Price$48.95
Media TypeDVD
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedFeb 06, 2015
Too Hot to Handle
Johnson, Kieron
RSVP - Russ Stevens
(Based on 2 reviews)
From the creator of the best seller "To The Max" Kieron Johnson comes a brand new mind bending piece of magic called "Too Hot To Handle".
Imagine being able to supposedly control temperature!
Turn a freezing cold can of Coke into a boiling hot one!
Being able to make the can hold a drink someone has chosen!
A cup of Tea
A cup of Coffee
Any drink you like
Using Kieron's new system you'll be able to gimmick any can of drink to contain any type of drink you want inside.
The ring is sealed
The can is opened by the spectator
No Magnets
No Glues
Using two special Glo Holders, you can carry the can around in your pocket for up to an hour.
Included in the package:
Full instructional DVD featuring multiple live performancesSpecial Glo Holders that carry the can and eggSpecial tubing
As a real bonus we're also including Kieron's fantastic "Card in Chocolate Bar" routine that he closes his current set with. This could be a DVD on it's own!
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: The Midnight Special by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Too Hot to Handle Review
One DVD, one set of gimmicks, $49 bucks and one Too Hot to Handle Review. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Too Hot to Handle Review: Effect
Three random food items are "selected" and they all three appear, a piece of toast, a boiled egg and hot tea. The hot tea appears inside of a Coke can that was (apparently) just handled by the spectator and found to be quite cold.
Too Hot to Handle Review: Method
The method is intense. First, the easy part. You make up a bunch of cards that have food words written on them, and then you use a very clever and deceptive "selection" process. Easy. Deceptive. The next part, however . . .
First you'll need purchase a few things. You'll need to spend about another $10 to $20 bucks to purchase a thermos and a squeeze water bottle. Plus you'll need a few tools to prepare everything. The short version is that you prepare a can with the hot tea in it. Then during the performance, you secretly switch it for the cold one. The method allows you to prepare the hot can several hours in advance (thanks to the extra stuff you'll have to purchase).
Included with the DVD is a little insulated thingie that you can place the warm egg in and another one that you can place the warm can in. The can holder only holds small cans, not normal sized soda cans. Also, you can only prepare one can in advance, and one egg in advance unless you spend another $15. This is NOT a strolling piece. It's for a one time set usage (more on this in the ad copy section).
Too Hot to Handle Review: Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy is accurate, but it needs some clarification about some less-than-clear statements.
First, they make the claim that this can be done walk around. Well . . . okay . . . technically this is true, but let's talk about this for a moment. For every can you've prepared in advance, you need a thermos to keep it warm. So if you want to do this 5 times in one night then you'll need 5 thermoses. They cost about $10 to $15 bucks each. You'll need to prepare them before the gig, and then bring a bag with the five thermoses to the gig. So . . . yes, technically you could do this strolling, but it's not exactly the kind of thing I would say is designed for strolling.
On the other hand, you don't have to do a hot liquid. You can do whatever you want. So if you wanted to put Sprite in a Coke can you can. Milk, water, juice, etc. In that case, you don't need to purchase a bunch of thermoses. You can just bring a cooler full of prepared cans. Then grab 'em as you need em. You will need a thermos for the warm eggs if you choose to produce the eggs. However, one thermos will hold more than one egg.
The second issue is the claim that the drink that appears can be any drink you choose. Again, this is a true statement, just keep in mind that you commit to what the drink will be hours before you get to the gig. It is not a free choice for the spectator. You've already decided what the drink will be before you left the house, and certainly before you walk up to the table.
The only other issue is the "regular" can. Well, it's a regular can, but not a regular sized can. They include what they're calling a Glo Holder that allows you to carry the can around in your pocket for up to an hour after it leaves the thermos. The one supplied only fits small soda cans, so if you're going to use a normal sized can, you'll need a bigger Glo Holder which is not supplied.
Too Hot to Handle Review: Product Quality
Essentially, what you're really getting out of this is a very clever way to replace the contents of a can of soda. If you're familiar with Kieron Johnson's work, you know that he has a very Malini-esque willingness to do whatever it takes to get the desired effect. This DVD is all the evidence you need to back up that claim. Overall, the DVD is taught very well and covers the subject in great depth.
There is only one issue with the teaching that I had. He shows you how to put the new liquid in the can, but he never shows you how to empty the original contents. It's not as intuitive as you might think. Due to the nature of getting the new liquid in the can, getting the liquid out is a lot trickier than you would think. Further, getting it all out and eliminating any trace of the original liquid is also necessary so that the (let's say) milk that you make appear in the can doesn't taste like Coke-milk.
Other than that, everything is covered in great depth. Also, you get a bonus effect that I have a feeling you'll be much more interested in. It's a card to impossible location effect. The impossible location is a sealed chocolate bar. But not just inside the wrapper, it's inside the chocolate bar. The spectator opens the wrapper. The spectator removes the chocolate bar. The spectator breaks open the chocolate bar (i.e., snaps in two), and inside is found the recently vanished card or whatever small paper-like item you want to have appear (e.g., dollar bill, etc.). The method, though very Malini-esque in it's preparation, is extremely smart and doable. You can prepare a buttload of chocolate bars in advance. If you can do a basic card force, bam, you've got a card to impossible location effect that is about as impossible as it gets.
Too Hot to Handle Review: Final Thoughts
Because the ad video said "can be done walk around" rather than something like "perfect for walk around" I feel I can cut them some slack because it can be done walk around. It's just a little bit more of a pain, and if you do it with hot liquid, you've got to make a pretty hefty investment in thermoses, so there's still a small hit there. Also, the fact that the removing of the liquid was not explained, I had to take of some points there too.
Considering that you'll, ultimately end up spending about $70 to $75 bucks (including the purchase price of this product), it's a little steep. However, when you put it all together, this is still a solid product. If you don't mind putting in the extra work, you can seriously have yourself a true reputation maker.
Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.
Available at your Favorite Magic Dealer. Dealer's see Murphy's Magic for details.
(Top ▲)
PROS
Kieron is clearly a very creative magician. The best thing about this is it is unique and different, but in addition, the magic is very powerful.
He also teaches the card in Kit Kat, an excellent routine.
The gimmicks are well made and should last a very long time.
The instruction is excellent.
The routine can be performed surrounded, close-up, parlor, or stage.
CONS
Many of Kieron’s effects require some significant preparation time and some rather significant pocket space. However, his effects and routines are also very strong and, IMO, well worth both the preparation and pocket space requirements.
VERDICT
Excellent routines. Great creative magic.
Kieron is clearly a very creative magician. The best thing about this is it is unique and different, but in addition, the magic is very powerful.
He also teaches the card in Kit Kat, an excellent routine.
The gimmicks are well made and should last a very long time.
The instruction is excellent.
The routine can be performed surrounded, close-up, parlor, or stage.
CONS
Many of Kieron’s effects require some significant preparation time and some rather significant pocket space. However, his effects and routines are also very strong and, IMO, well worth both the preparation and pocket space requirements.
VERDICT
Excellent routines. Great creative magic.