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Swami Secure

Solari, Bob

Bob Solari Magic

(Based on 2 reviews)
Handcrafted by Bob Solari 2010

This is a mentalist's secret weapon! It is a secret writing device that will fit on either your right or left thumb. It has been designed to stay securely in place while writing. It is slightly adjustable for most size thumbs. Each unit is hand crafted and hand painted by Bob. Each unit comes with an extra supply of black writing wax (Listo).

*A working knowledge of "Swami Gimmicks" is required. NO routines are supplied.

Reviews

Christian

Official Reviewer

Nov 12, 2012

This is the nail writer/swami I have been waiting on! That sentence should already tell you how much I like this product. Nail Writers/swamis are funny objects and take some getting used to. Everyone has their favorite for a very particular reason. Here are the reasons this will now be my go-to swami:

One: It fits! It's adjustable and allows me to fix it on my digit exactly how I want.

Two: It's secure. Since it's adjustable it won't fall off at a critical time in your routine.

Three: Writing legible. Since it's adjustable, this allows you to write your message much more legibly then other similar products.

Four: It's refillable. You can easily find the proper size refill in your local office supply store. Bob includes an extra supply of black writing wax and this should keep you busy for some time.

The only down side to this is that you will have to spend an extra beat during you performance to get it one. However, if you attach it to a TT, you can side step that problem and easily slip into this at any time.

All in all...this will me the swami that I will now use.
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Jeff McBride

Official Reviewer

Sep 06, 2012

Bring Out Your Lead!

I’m a big fan of the nail writer. Hey, we all have our favorite gimmicks. I have a huge magic collection, like many of you. And, like many of you, a drawer filled with various forms of nail writers. Old school undernails, Boon-writers, Thumbtip-style, and now we will talk about another variety, the “band” writer.

Bob Solari has crafted a fine, sturdy band-writer that has a grease pencil (he calls wax) lead. In a word, it is robust. It looks and feels like it will stand up to heavy usage. It is not a small, invisible gimmick. The trade-off is that it will give you a strong, bold mark that can easily be seen from onstage.

If you develop good technique, this gimmick will indeed be invisible from the gaze of your enchanted participants. I remember watching old Lou Tannen demonstrate the thumb tip at the counter of his magic shop, and at the end revealed he was using an unpainted silver-aluminum thumbtip. Lou proved that you didn’t need to purchase a thumb tip that exactly matched your skin color and texture.

I’ve explored under-nail writers; I just can’t get them to work for me. The lead size is often too small for my stage-sized effects. I’ve also found Boon writers to be a bit wobbly. If you, too, are looking for a firmer fit for your invisible helper, I would suggest you give Mr. Solari’s Swami Secure a spin or two through the alphabet, and see what you think. Also included is extra lead, and the URL and phone number of the place to re-order from. He even gives you a bent paper clip to “get the lead out!”

It would be easy to add a number of sources for good information on using this gimmick; no instructions are given, so the maker assumes that you know all you need to know. May I suggest The Nail Writer Anthology, by Thomas Baxter, and A Boon for All Seasons, by Barry Richardson, as great places to begin your research. Of course, our old friend 13 Steps to Mentalism by Corinda, offers techniques to help you get your lead out, too.
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