Magic Makers Secret Chest of Magic Kit

My 13 year old grandson loved it!

I got this for my granddaughter who comes over to spend a few days each week. Well, the day before she came over, she got her first cellphone. We went to dinner prior to coming home and she did not put the phone down once. I thought, oh boy, I have lost my sweet girl who loves to engage in a variety of activities. Well, when she opened this kit, I am happy to say that my baby was back!! Her phone was at the foot of the bed and it dinged and beeped multiple times. She never even looked up from the kit. I finally asked, what is that that keeps buzzing. She said, my phone. She said it without even looking up from the kit. She tried almost every item in the kit and spent several minutes with the key and silver cups. There are a lot of activities in the kit. Some come with instructions that allow you to perform the trick immediately and others require that you scan a QR code to view instructions and videos. TL;DR: Lots of fun for the whole family~~~~

I've been doing street magic my entire life. I first learned a variety of sleight of hand tricks from my father, back when I was still in elementary. And while still in grade school, from a street magician my family knew, that performed for tourists in the French Quarter. While the elaborate tricks performed in Penn & Teller Go Public fascinated me as a child, I simply enjoyed using gimmicked devices that I could actually bring with me to school. So I was in love with kits like "The Magic World of Blackstone" that you could buy. Simple stuff, but fun. I say all that to say this.... This kit may would be fine for preteens and teenagers. Not for anyone in grade school. So if you're shopping for an aspiring magician that's under 13, you may want to find something a bit more simple. The main reason for this, is that much of the kit technically isn't what's in the box. It's online. So if you want to learn certain tricks, that person needs access to the internet. Then they access the tutorials that Magic Makers provides. You're given a code to access those areas. The blend of gimmicked devices/decks and online tutorials is sort of a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I'm a visual learner when it comes to sleight of hand. For example, every aspiring magician worth their salt has probably used or owned a Hot Rod. I had the good fortune of picking one up from a magic shop, where they demo exactly how it works after you buy it. The same applies to magic conventions, where the seller pulls you aside to show you how to perform with a particular gimmick. So in that respect, the online video tutorials are invaluable. But I also think that's something that would be a bit easier for a 13-18 year old to access and practice with. I simply can't imagine a nine or ten year old having the patience to go through the video tutorials. I really want to give this kit five stars. I do. Because the tutorials are good, and there are a couple of gimmicked items to use. But the problem is that there isn't much to really work with in the box itself. And I don't think Magic Makers really emphasized that you're not getting that much in the box. For $100, my assumption was that there would be at least a dozen gimmicked items in the box. But there's something like two decks (one has only one specific effect), and maybe six other items you can use. So if you gifted this to someone who didn't immediately have internet access, they'd be limited to just doing a handful of tricks. What I don't have a problem taking a star off the rating for, is the Mystery Box. I came across a video for this trick from Magic Makers several years back. For some reason, I never pulled the trigger on buying it. So I was pretty excited to see that it was included in the kit. Well, mine must have been welded shut. Because it's literally impossible to open. Also, I was a little disappointed at Magic Makers for creating a misleading video for that product (different product page). They imply that the spectator can open it themselves, when they can't. The best you can do is show them both halves once open, only hand them one, and hope that they don't ask to see the other (if they handle it, they'll discover the gimmick). Also, the "Haunted Key" is something that can only really work on little kids. Your average adult will figure out what you're doing to make it move. Should you buy this kit? I got mine for free in exchange for an honest and fair review. I'm the target audience for who would either buy this kit, or gift this kit. Personally, I don't think it's worth $100. Granted, I get why they priced it the way they did (because of the online tutorials). But part of the fun of magic kits is that you can perform stuff right away. Or there's at least a couple of gimmicks that you can wow people with (Scotch & Soda, Hot Rod, floating dollar, quarter in a bottle, etc). If I had a budget of $100, I'd be more likely to pick out a handful of tricks from Ellusionist. Or let someone else someone pick a couple of them, and gift them. Long story short, it's not a bad kit. Just that for what it costs, it doesn't really live up to my expectations.

I sent this to my 13 year old grandson because he’s always had an interest in magic tricks and because he’s 13 and not much does interest him. Turns out he loves it! It comes with several typical items in the chest but the real draw is the online tutorials. It’s one thing to have instructions drawn or written out but so much better to actually see it explained. I’m not an aficionado by any means but I’m impressed by the tricks he’s learned. It’s something to hold his attention and gives a feeling of accomplishment I don’t think he gets from the next level of video games. We’ve had several shows put on for us when there’s guests over. Everyone enjoys it and it makes him feel good about himself. Isn’t that what life’s about? Not sure it couldn’t have cost less so more could enjoy this kit, but if you have an aspiring magician, I think they’ll love this.

Didn’t get everything advertised.

Coin and card tricks. The cup and balls. Magic rings. This set has a little bit of everything. I’ve been trying to take a piece a month and master it. But the card tricks alone have kept me busy for a few months. Great box to have handy to keep kids entertained. Especially if your profession requires you to be around young minds. Kids and adults love magic. The set is worth it. Note: there’s lots of online help.

A nice box of tricks that can be learned in just a few minutes. With all quick tricks, they are not the greatest, but everybody starts somewhere. So, this is a really good starter set. Works great for parties or church activities.

In my opinion, this is great for ages ten and up. Not all that difficult to figure out. Great Christmas gift idea. Lovely array of items and an interesting variety. Nice accessories. Easy to follow lessons. All extremely helpful and fun for beginner magicians. The video lessons are extremely helpful. My favorite are the Dragonfly rings. Great to perfect and perform for birthday parties, talent shows or as a rainy day activity.