Price$30.00
Media TypeDVD
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedJan 28, 2015
Tab Test
Fox, Wayne
World Magic Shop
(Based on 3 reviews)
Perfectly organic and expertly taught, TAB Test is an easy way to transition from your card magic into amazing mentalism without missing a beat!
The unique gimmicks included means there is no fishing involved and the effect is very easy to perform!
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Distant Early Warning by Rush
Tab Test Review
One 18 minute DVD, four gimmicks, $30 bucks and one Tab Test Review. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Tab Test Review: Effect
You briefly show the tab of your card box to the spectator so she can think of a word on the tab. You "read her mind" and tell her what word she's thinking of.
Tab Test Review: Method
The method involves a gimmick, some very specific instructions for the spectator and little word play. You are supplied four gimmicks, two for a red box and two for a blue box. Having two gimmicks allows you to perform the effect a second time. However, there is some "removing of one gimmick and adding the other gimmick" involved (more on that in the product quality section and the ad copy section).There are a few issues with the method that we need to address. First, you must give your spectator very, very, very specific instructions (more on this in the ad copy section). Second, you must flash the card box "tab" at them for about one second, barely long enough for them to see the words (more on this in the ad copy section). Third, the spectator will, likely, want to examine the card box at the end of the effect (more on this in the ad copy section).
Fourth, this is not something that you can just do anytime you have your card box with you. There is a quick (very, very, very quick) set up required right before performing the effect. Further, the handling and instructions to the spectator are restrictive and suspect. I've only performed it a few times, but here's what happened. One performance totally fooled the spectator. On another occasion, the spectator immediately took a guess at the method and she was wrong. However, the only way to prove her wrong would be to let her look at the tab again which is not possible without exposing the method. In two other cases, the spectator did not properly follow the instructions.
I'll be the first to admit that maybe I didn't do a good job performing it. However, I'm an experienced performer with audience management skills, and — more importantly — I followed his instructions to the letter.
The one thing, however, that surprised me is that the one thing I suspected people would notice, went un-noticed. So there is credibility in the gimmick. However, if the wording and directions to the spectator are not done perfectly and/or if the spectator can't/won't follow the instructions, you have a fail on your hands. That said, I think that the method is valid. It's just a matter of finding the perfect script and the right participant. For those reasons, this is definitely not a beginners trick. More like intermediate to advanced.
Tab Test Review: Ad Copy Integrity
This is where everything falls apart. It's a mess, so let's just dive in and see.
Tab Test Review: Written Ad Copy
Claim: "The unique gimmicks included means there is no fishing involved and the effect is very easy to perform!"
Regarding the claim that it's "easy to perform," see the details above in the method section. I'll say that the physical handling of the gimmick is easy, but properly instructing, chosing and managing the spectator is a little more "not easy."
The big issue with the above claim, however, is the claim that there's no fishing. There is definitely fishing. It's different from the fishing you may be familiar with, but it's still fishing. It's silent fishing, but it's fishing.
Tab Test Review: Package Ad Copy
Claim: "Your spectator thinks of any word on the TAB of a card case. With no fishing you instantly reveal their thought of word. Anytime - Anywhere - No Books Required!" Emphasis mine.
First, the spectator cannot think of any word. Take a look at the image below. I've blocked out part of the tab to protect the method. However, all of the text that is shown (i.e, "Ace of Spades", "THE FOX PLAYING CARD CO", "CINCINNATI, OHIO 45272" & "U S A") are words they are NOT allowed to choose. That's about half of the words on the tab. The instructions tell us to specifically point out those words to the spectator and tell them not to select them.
Next, the claim of anytime and anywhere . . . well . . . if you have your deck of cards AND the gimmick, then yes, that's true. However, keep in mind that the gimmick is something extra that you do have to carry around, and no tips are giving on how to do that (more on that in the product quality section).
Tab Test Review: Video Ad Trailer
About ten seconds in, he reveals that the spectator was thinking of the word "Design." What you don't see is the fishing part of that reveal that was shown on the purchased DVD. Next at about 20 seconds in there is a graphic on the screen that says, "Start Clean / End Clean." This is simply not true. First, you don't start clean. You start with a gimmick on your deck that you have to hold in place manually. There is no information taught, whatsoever, on how to get into this position (more on that in the product quality section).
Next, you sort of end clean. After you've read their mind, you steal off the gimmick and can place the card box on the table. Wayne Fox specifically says, on the DVD, that he does not recommend letting the spectator look at the card box because they might notice that their thought of word is no longer there. He then proceeds to tell us that if they do look and they do notice their word is missing, you can play it off like you forced them to think of that word and that the box was just a distraction.
However, this only works if you happen to be performing the handling where a prediction was made (rather than mind reading). About 36 seconds in, he again makes the claim that the box is fully examinable at the end of the routine. Again, while that's technically true (assuming you stole off the gimmick), it's not advisable due to the above mentioned issue about their thought of word "vanishing."
At about 40 seconds in, he says that the spectator can look at any single word on the tab box. I'm biting my tongue right now and trying really hard not to say "That is a Lie!" Instead, I'll opt for the slightly less rude, "That is simply not true." At about 48 seconds in, you see a clip of him showing the spectator the card box. The camera then cuts away. That could lead one to believe that the spectators get a chance to look at the card box longer than they actually do. The moment the camera cut was the exact moment that Wayne Fox snatched the box away from their eyes.
In all but one of the performances I did, every single person asked me to show them the box again after the first show. I had to flash it to them twice. However, if you leave it in their vision for too long, they WILL spot the secret. At 51 seconds we get the "no fishing" claim again. 56 seconds in we see the same clip from the beginning where they conveniently left off the fishing.
Next at the 1 minute mark with have "multiple revelations taught in detail" as a text overlay. There are few revelations, but nothing was taught in detail (more on that in the product quality section). The whole DVD is only 18 minutes.
Lastly, the last second clip of the ad trailer is Wayne Fox performing and asking if she wants to do it again. Even in the full performance shown at the beginning of the purchased DVD, he shows a full performance of that where he repeats the effect, but nothing is ever taught on the DVD regarding a repeat.
Tab Test Review: Product Quality
We've got three things to cover, production value, gimmicks and teaching. Two of them are easy. The production value is excellent. Easy to navigate; good lighting, audio, etc. The gimmicks are also well made. There are no moving parts. They're simple and look good. They are made out the same material as your card box.
The teaching, however, is a problem. First, let's address the couple of items from above that I said I'd handle down here in the product quality section. At the beginning of the review, I mentioned that the gimmick has to be loaded and unloaded in order to pull this off, and that if you are going to repeat the effect, you have to unload one and load another one.
Nowhere on the DVD does he teach you how to get the gimmick into play. It's not a huge overly complicated thing to do. However, once it's in play, you must hold the deck in your own hands, and you must hold it in a very specific way to keep the gimmick properly in place. He gives absolutely no tips on how to do this whatsoever. Not only does he not teach you how to ring the gimmick in, but he, further, does not teach anything about doing the trick twice even though it's alluded to in the ad copy and performed on the DVD. Also, the revelation he used in one of the DVD performances was not taught. In fact, only two revelations were taught, not "multiple" as stated in the ad copy. The very definition of multiple specifically states that it relates to "several" of something. The definition of "several" is more than two.
During the explanation, he had the gimmick loaded on his box which was sitting on the table. He then picked it up and went into the effect. Due to the nature of the gimmick, you can't just leave it sitting on the table. The gimmick is exposed if you do this. He then says that he'll get to how to put the gimmick on the box later, but later never comes.
Next, nothing is taught about caring for the gimmick, how to carry it, when and how to bring it into play, etc. Granted, some of these things are realtively simple, but if you're going to claim that it's taught in detail, then teach it in detail. While you're at it, give us some pro tips. If this really is something he performs all the time, then he's got stories, tips, tricks, nuances, subtlties, times that it failed, times that it fried, etc., etc.
I once reviewed a product that had a similar problem where there was very little detail in the instructions. When I posted the review on Facebook, the creator's response was that he expects people to "use their brains" and therefore didn't feel the need to give detailed instructions. Well then what the heck are we paying for? Why not just put the gimmick in an envelope and let the rest of us dolts stumble our way through out stupidity and try to "use our brains."
To be fair, Wayne Fox made no such statement. However, I'm attempting to make it clear that there is no excuse for not teaching in detail, especially when the ad copy claims that you're doing so.
When it comes to the teaching of various revelations, again there was no depth. There was one taught that requires you to possibly switch a business card for another one in your pocket. For this, you have one card in your shirt pocket and one sticking out of your shirt pocket. In the video when he talks about switching the one sticking out of the pocket for the one inside the pocket, he says, to pretend like the business cards falls into your pocket and then when you reach back in to retrieve it, you pull out the other card that was hidden in there. However, he doesn't show us how to do that. Instead, he blatantly pushes the exposed card into the pocket and removes the other one. It's a blatant switch that wouldn't fool my four year old. I like the idea of "accidentally" dropping it, but he never teaches it.
Wayne Fox mentions that there is some dual reality going on during the performance. I'm not sure he knows what that means. There isn't any dual reality. Dual reality usually refers to a situation when the main spectator has a different interpretation of the events. Well, if that's going on in this effect, I don't know where it's happening, and he never bothered to share that with us.
Tab Test Review: Final Thoughts
Let's try to sum up this mess of a Tab Test Review. First, the effect is not as clear/clean as stated in the ad copy. So I can't use my standard line of "if you like this effect, then you will (or won't) like this." Regarding the method, well . . . the part that I thought wouldn't work actually does work, but everything else is iffy and too specific at best. However, let's say that a good performer can overcome that.
Then we're left with two things. How well is it taught? Is it what they said it was? Well, it's not taught well. Way too many details were left out. Just the simple handling of the gimmick was left out. In fact, in one section of the DVD, he said to not worry about getting the gimmick on to the box for now, but to just focus on using the gimmick. The implication (or at least my inference) was "don't worry about it right now, we'll get to it later."
So, was the "stuff" taught well? Not really. The basic method for directly the spectator was spoken. I don't know that it was taught. This is the kind of thing that has too many little nuances that need to be addressed from a position of experience. I'm assuming he has the experience (i.e., he's performed this and learned from his mistakes), so why not share this with us?
Finally, is it what they claim? No. Read the ad copy section if you're unsure why I said no. The only thing that somewhat redeems this product is the fact that one particular part of the method is somewhat deceptive, and with the right verbiage and audience management, this can be performed successfully. The problem is that you'll most likely have to learn through trial and error rather than learning from the guy you paid $30 bucks to teach you.
Tab Test Review - Final Verdict:
2 Stars with a Stone Status of grubble with a very small 'g' that you'll only see for a split second before it's yanked out of your vision.
Available at your Favorite Magic Dealer. Dealer's see Murphy's Magic for details.
(Top ▲)
PROS
When I saw the promo video, for some reason, I wasn’t excited about this.
However, I do love something unique and new. After watching the video and trying out the routine, I came to realize that it really has a lot of potential. In the suggestions section, I cover some ideas that not only overcome some likely common concerns, but make this something to use to make your magic routines build and have stronger impact.
The routine is great. The props are perfectly well made. You get four props, two red and two blue.
He teaches a wonderful way to perform this that ends with handing out your business card as part of the routine.
This is one of those effect that packs better than small. It packs in virtually no additional space. It is an accessory to your card box.
CONS
One concern is if the participant picks up the box after the effect to look at the tab, they may notice a discrepancy between what they experienced and what is on the tab. Wayne covers how to handle this, and in my opinion, this is not an issue. The tab is flashed for them to see for a second or two. They don’t have time to read every word.
Wayne raises a concern that the card company keeps changing the wording on the tab. He doesn’t think this is a problem, and I don’t either. Again, the tab is flashed for the participant very quickly.
See the suggestions section for ideas on how to incorporate this into a set of magic routines.
VERDICT
Really nice unique and new idea. It takes virtually no extra pocket space.
Highly recommended.
Before you dismiss this effect because the tab doesn’t exactly match the real tab on the box, or there really aren’t 40 or 50 words on the tab, think about how you can use this to build the magic illusion in your audience’s minds and set them up for the rest of the show.
When I saw the promo video, for some reason, I wasn’t excited about this.
However, I do love something unique and new. After watching the video and trying out the routine, I came to realize that it really has a lot of potential. In the suggestions section, I cover some ideas that not only overcome some likely common concerns, but make this something to use to make your magic routines build and have stronger impact.
The routine is great. The props are perfectly well made. You get four props, two red and two blue.
He teaches a wonderful way to perform this that ends with handing out your business card as part of the routine.
This is one of those effect that packs better than small. It packs in virtually no additional space. It is an accessory to your card box.
CONS
One concern is if the participant picks up the box after the effect to look at the tab, they may notice a discrepancy between what they experienced and what is on the tab. Wayne covers how to handle this, and in my opinion, this is not an issue. The tab is flashed for them to see for a second or two. They don’t have time to read every word.
Wayne raises a concern that the card company keeps changing the wording on the tab. He doesn’t think this is a problem, and I don’t either. Again, the tab is flashed for the participant very quickly.
See the suggestions section for ideas on how to incorporate this into a set of magic routines.
VERDICT
Really nice unique and new idea. It takes virtually no extra pocket space.
Highly recommended.
Suggestions
I think this is very clever, but I don’t think it is the most powerful mentalism routine you are going to do, unless you think about how you can use it cleverly to incorporate it into something larger. I think this is perfect as a “warm up” for a mentalism routine or routines to follow. You could introduce this as an interesting little demonstration of how our minds work. You could talk about how our minds will fill in gaps. “For example, if I flash this tab before your eyes for a split second, your mind may fill in something that really doesn’t exist. This is how marketers are able to influence people without them even knowing what is happening.” In this example, you purposely use one of the gimmicks where the words do NOT match the actual tab. After the effect, you then invite the participant to look at the un-gimmicked box tab a second time. Then, go into some strong mentalism. With this method, you are setting your audience up for pseudo explanations for future routines. You could use this to explain why people are fascinated with magic. “Everyone knows real magic doesn’t exist… or does it? It’s all in our mind. In fact, everything is just a figment of our thoughts. This chair is just a thought that is running through your head. Tonight you are going to get a glimpse of how your mind works in a fascinating way.” I used this last phrasing in a performance, but I pantomimed touching a chair. It was a humorous moment, and this little routine served to strengthen routines that followed.Before you dismiss this effect because the tab doesn’t exactly match the real tab on the box, or there really aren’t 40 or 50 words on the tab, think about how you can use this to build the magic illusion in your audience’s minds and set them up for the rest of the show.
(Top ▲)
The Tab Test by Wayne Fox and World Magic Shop is a divination/mind reading effect using the words that appear on the tab of the tuck box. You ask a spectator to look at one of the words from the tab, after allowing them a split-second glance at the tab, and you then guess the word without asking any questions or fishing. The spectator is not actually given a totally free choice of words on the tab because the performer prohibits the spectator from choosing three word in the right corner (Ace of Spades) or the bolded capitalized words on the bottom of the tab. This trick is designed to be used with a deck of Bicycle cards.
First, let’s review the ad copy and promotional video.
Although the ad copy does not say much, it claims that this trick is “a mind reading effect that you are guaranteed to carry, always.” I believe that to be a massive overstatement. Although I do not think anyone will actually consider this more than marketing puffery, it will not be accurate for many performers.
Then, when you look at the promotional video, it displays the well-made DVD packaging box, which also has some claims that I take issue with. The text claims that “Your spectator thinks of any word on the TAB of a card case” which is then revealed without any fishing. While the “no fishing” part is true, it is not true that the spectator can pick any word on the tab. This claim suggests that the spectator can look at the tab and select a word of their choice. In fact, Wayne Fox specifically teaches you to instruct the spectator not to choose the words “the Ace of Spades” from the upper right hand corner of the tab and also not to choose the bolded capitalized words at the bottom of the tab, thereby instructing the spectator to choose from the remaining words on the top left and middle of the tab. I believe that this limitation also detracts from the overall effect. Once you eliminate those specified words, there are between 16 to 20 different words on an actual tab box, depending on when the card box was printed. And, in some cases there are a total of only 34 words on the tab. This is an important point that I will get back to below.
The promotional video shows the creator holding the box out for the spectator to look at it and pick a word, but what it does not show is how quickly the box is displayed and then yanked back. The way in which the video was edited leaves the potential purchaser with the belief that the spectator examines and freely picks a word when in actuality the tab is displayed so quickly that they don’t have a real chance to see the words. This may leave some questions in the spectator’s mind as to why they were only permitted to examine the tab for about half a second. Fox also claims that “your spectator can look for any single word on the tab” and then instructs the spectator to “get one word in your head.” This claim is misleading. The spectator cannot look for any single word. And, as described above, the spectator is are lucky if they are even able to see one single word on the first try because the tab is flashed in their face rather rapidly. Fox acknowledges that can happen. For this reason, you need to make sure your spectator is wearing their reading glasses, if they need them, otherwise you will be stuck with a handicapped spectator and have to get someone else.
In the promotional video, Fox then informs the spectator that they chose from 40 words or 50 words on the tab, which also, is not true, as stated above, and because the box may be handed back to the spectator after the reveal, this can easily be shown to be false and easily disprovable patter.
This trick comes with an 18 minute DVD taught by the creator and four Bicycle style gimmicks; two red and two blue. Multiple gimmicks are provided to allow you to immediately repeat the trick and get a different outcome. Although the idea is clever and the gimmicks are well made, easy to carry around and to use, I believe the limitations to the trick do not make it as appealing as proffered on the promotional video and ad copy.
Another problem: not all Bicycle box tabs are the same. Some have different wording which makes the gimmicks obsolete since the spotted reveal word may not actually be on the box tab. Some of my older boxes of cards had all the reveal words, but all the newer boxes have this word deficiency issue. Fox addresses this on the DVD and indicated that it used to concern him, but he now thinks it is a strength because if the reveal word is not on the tab, you can convince the spectator that the performer “forced” them to think of a word that was not even there. I don’t believe that is a benefit or a strength. I think it is a weakness to the cohesive nature of the trick, patter and effect. In fact, Fox indicates that you may not want to hand out the card box to the spectators. I think it is unavoidable to do so because the curiosity may be very strong and distracting. Even though this trick has these notable issues, a strong performer can pull it off without a problem.
Many current boxes of cards have tabs with the following words spread on four lines as follows:
BICYCLE, BICYCLE and Design, BICYCLE Logo,
the Ace of Spades design, the Joker design and associated marks,
logos, designs, card back designs, number and finishes are trademarks of
The United States Playing Card Company
As stated above, you will notice that there are a total of 34 words. And, when you eliminate “Ace of Spades” or here “the Ace of Spades” and the bottom line, you are left with 16 different words. Another problem here is that the words “Ace of Spades” do not appear on the top line on the right, which causes a problem, for reasons I won’t go into here to protect the method. Bottom line, it is a problem.
The DVD instruction is clear and easy to follow and it contains portions of Fox’s live performances. Most of the DVD is Fox sitting on a couch explaining the trick, its variations, how to clean up and give out your business card as part of the revelation. It is very easy to perform this trick and very easy to clean up and end clean. The reset is instant. I believe $30 is a bit expensive for what you get, but the gimmicks are well made.
There is no question that you can get positive reactions from some spectators, but I don’t think you will knock ‘em dead with this trick. If you like the idea of being able to transition from card tricks to mentalism, this provides you with a good segue way.
First, let’s review the ad copy and promotional video.
Although the ad copy does not say much, it claims that this trick is “a mind reading effect that you are guaranteed to carry, always.” I believe that to be a massive overstatement. Although I do not think anyone will actually consider this more than marketing puffery, it will not be accurate for many performers.
Then, when you look at the promotional video, it displays the well-made DVD packaging box, which also has some claims that I take issue with. The text claims that “Your spectator thinks of any word on the TAB of a card case” which is then revealed without any fishing. While the “no fishing” part is true, it is not true that the spectator can pick any word on the tab. This claim suggests that the spectator can look at the tab and select a word of their choice. In fact, Wayne Fox specifically teaches you to instruct the spectator not to choose the words “the Ace of Spades” from the upper right hand corner of the tab and also not to choose the bolded capitalized words at the bottom of the tab, thereby instructing the spectator to choose from the remaining words on the top left and middle of the tab. I believe that this limitation also detracts from the overall effect. Once you eliminate those specified words, there are between 16 to 20 different words on an actual tab box, depending on when the card box was printed. And, in some cases there are a total of only 34 words on the tab. This is an important point that I will get back to below.
The promotional video shows the creator holding the box out for the spectator to look at it and pick a word, but what it does not show is how quickly the box is displayed and then yanked back. The way in which the video was edited leaves the potential purchaser with the belief that the spectator examines and freely picks a word when in actuality the tab is displayed so quickly that they don’t have a real chance to see the words. This may leave some questions in the spectator’s mind as to why they were only permitted to examine the tab for about half a second. Fox also claims that “your spectator can look for any single word on the tab” and then instructs the spectator to “get one word in your head.” This claim is misleading. The spectator cannot look for any single word. And, as described above, the spectator is are lucky if they are even able to see one single word on the first try because the tab is flashed in their face rather rapidly. Fox acknowledges that can happen. For this reason, you need to make sure your spectator is wearing their reading glasses, if they need them, otherwise you will be stuck with a handicapped spectator and have to get someone else.
In the promotional video, Fox then informs the spectator that they chose from 40 words or 50 words on the tab, which also, is not true, as stated above, and because the box may be handed back to the spectator after the reveal, this can easily be shown to be false and easily disprovable patter.
This trick comes with an 18 minute DVD taught by the creator and four Bicycle style gimmicks; two red and two blue. Multiple gimmicks are provided to allow you to immediately repeat the trick and get a different outcome. Although the idea is clever and the gimmicks are well made, easy to carry around and to use, I believe the limitations to the trick do not make it as appealing as proffered on the promotional video and ad copy.
Another problem: not all Bicycle box tabs are the same. Some have different wording which makes the gimmicks obsolete since the spotted reveal word may not actually be on the box tab. Some of my older boxes of cards had all the reveal words, but all the newer boxes have this word deficiency issue. Fox addresses this on the DVD and indicated that it used to concern him, but he now thinks it is a strength because if the reveal word is not on the tab, you can convince the spectator that the performer “forced” them to think of a word that was not even there. I don’t believe that is a benefit or a strength. I think it is a weakness to the cohesive nature of the trick, patter and effect. In fact, Fox indicates that you may not want to hand out the card box to the spectators. I think it is unavoidable to do so because the curiosity may be very strong and distracting. Even though this trick has these notable issues, a strong performer can pull it off without a problem.
Many current boxes of cards have tabs with the following words spread on four lines as follows:
BICYCLE, BICYCLE and Design, BICYCLE Logo,
the Ace of Spades design, the Joker design and associated marks,
logos, designs, card back designs, number and finishes are trademarks of
The United States Playing Card Company
As stated above, you will notice that there are a total of 34 words. And, when you eliminate “Ace of Spades” or here “the Ace of Spades” and the bottom line, you are left with 16 different words. Another problem here is that the words “Ace of Spades” do not appear on the top line on the right, which causes a problem, for reasons I won’t go into here to protect the method. Bottom line, it is a problem.
The DVD instruction is clear and easy to follow and it contains portions of Fox’s live performances. Most of the DVD is Fox sitting on a couch explaining the trick, its variations, how to clean up and give out your business card as part of the revelation. It is very easy to perform this trick and very easy to clean up and end clean. The reset is instant. I believe $30 is a bit expensive for what you get, but the gimmicks are well made.
There is no question that you can get positive reactions from some spectators, but I don’t think you will knock ‘em dead with this trick. If you like the idea of being able to transition from card tricks to mentalism, this provides you with a good segue way.