"Cigapen" by Jesse Feinberg
Suggested Retail USD$20.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Jesse Feinberg's "Cigapen" is a good piece of visual magic that works best as part of a larger routine but is startling enough to stand on its own.

The effect is about as simple as you could ask for. A cigarette is removed from your pack (or borrowed from a spectator, in a more advanced handling), held at the fingertips, and changes quickly into a pen. The end.

Told you it was simple. The working of it is, too. Feinberg is right; "Cigapen" really does almost all the work for you. Truthfully, in the simplest of cases, it's darn close to being automatic. In the more advanced workings you'll have to do more of your share of the work, but nothing too strenuous -- think the simplest of sleights and you've got the right idea.

I've got to be honest here and admit I was all set to hate "Cigapen". The big thing for me was that I couldn't immediately think of a reason for things. Why turn a cigarette into a pen? It just wasn't clicking. Still, I liked the visuals, so off I went. And wouldn't you know it? Feinberg was ahead of me a bit with some neat ideas for justifying things a bit. With his ideas to play with, pretty soon this became a piece of a larger routine (not too large, mind you, but that beloved "fifteen-second splash" I like to use to kick things off).

Is "Cigapen" the greatest thing since the thumbtip? Nah. It's got it's share of problems. Probably the most annoying for me is that it has to be done with a certain brand of cigarettes and a certain make of pen. In the end, I decided those were a small enough price to pay for the impact. The handling is also a bit weird; it takes some time to get used to or, in my case, find a replacement.

Still, those are minor gripes, all things considered. "Cigapen" is a nice effect, looks good, and makes an impact. Put it into a larger routine, give it some more context, and you've got a really good piece of magic.

"Cigapen" by Jesse Feinberg
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Practicality: 9
It packs small (the pen is the big thing), but is a bit bigger if you include the pack of cigarettes. Resets are nothing, as is the set-up or get-ready. There is an angle issue you'll have to deal with, but it's not too bad to work around. You will need a specific brand of cigarettes and a certain pen, though, and that's a bit of a pain if you're a smoker and need to change brands for this one.

Workmanship: 10
The supplied gimmick -- and stuff to make more gimmicks -- are well made with certain little touches that help sell the effect.

Documentation: 9
Other than a need for a quick edit, the instructions are very good here. The full-color insert with photos is a great addition to things and really help make learning this simpler.

Effect: 8
The transformation is quick -- "sudden" is the word that comes to mind -- and as such it makes for a startling change. It plays about as well as such things do, if not a little more.

Presentation: 8
It's about the visuals and here they are quite strong. Find a reason for things and you've got a neat piece of magic here.


Shane