"Write Angle" by Jesse Feinberg
Suggested Retail USD$40.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 7 Out of 10

"Write Angle", an effect by Jesse Feinberg, is a piece of magic that plays strongly but is hampered by an almost painful get-ready.

Let's start off with the effect; it won't take but a second. You hold your pen at the fingertips of the hand (not on your outstretched hand, as some ads state) and the pen slowly begins to bend unto the pen is bent in half, apparently melted into a 90-degree angle.

Well, that about covers it. And as you would expect, this plays big. Bends always do, of course, but bending a plastic Bic pen is different enough to evoke really great responses from spectators. Jaws will drop, which is always a good thing (and I'm just enough of a sadist to chuckle silently to myself watching people trying to straighten that pen out when I hand it to them).

What is not a good thing, though, is getting "Write Angle" into play. In fact, this was the major reason it ended up being something I doubt I'd ever do again.

Here's the thing: the gimmick is simply hard to set-up and bring out of the pocket correctly (by the way, you can pretty much forget about pulling this out of your shirt pocket and going straight into the routine -- you'll need more room to maneuver than that). I tried more times than I care to count trying to do just that and blew it nearly every time. So, in order to do this perfectly, I have to begin with the pen in hand which makes the logistics of routining just plain unsuitable for me. To be honest, this caught me off guard because I do Bob Solari's "Ghost Key", which is built on the same principle, quite often and have no such problems. "Write Angle", though, is longer and therefore brings a new challenge to things.

Feinberg seems to take for granted that this get-ready is simple to do and everyone would know how to do it; after all, it's not mentioned in the instructions anywhere (the instructions begin with everything in the hand already and the gimmick set to go). It would have been a non-issue, this problem, if his solution would have been included. As it is, you'll have to fend for yourself and come up with your own way of doing it if you can.

Then there's the whole "bend versus melt" thing. I'm not going to hit this one hard because it's really personal preference, but when I think of bends, I think of psychokinesis, not pyrokinesis. When I do bends, I play them that way. Melting versus bending requires a shift in presentation that's possible, but me? I'd much rather have the pen bend instead of melting by some invisible heat source.

So does any of that cut "Write Angle" off at the knees? Hard to say. It's still got the power and the visuals, but the handling needs help. If you're up to the challenge, then "Write Angle" can be a great addition to your repertoire. If not, you're better off passing it by.

"Write Angle" by Jesse Feinberg
In a Blink: 7 Out of 10

Practicality: 5
This has a lot going for it: a quick reset, examinable at the end, and you can control the speed of the bend at all times. You've got real estate problems and angle problems, but the big problem is that the get-ready is extremely awkward and, not being addressed in the instructions, will likely cause it to be relegated to the proverbial sock drawer.

Workmanship: 7
The pen and gadget are very well made. I would have preferred it have been an actually bend effect instead of a melt, though.

Documentation: 7
The documentation comes in two pages: one with full color photos and the other a page of handling instructions. Both are good enough to get you going though the drawbacks of the workings should have been addressed.

Effect: 10
There's no question this plays big. A straight pen melting into a bent pen in a visual manner will get those kinds of reactions.

Presentation: 8
The visuals here do look good, though some of the handling is a bit clumsy in appearance. A little work here and there will polish out those rough spots.




Shane