Transit (Red) by Ron Salamangkero – A Review

This is the Ad Copy:

The audience will freak out when you allow them to examine before and after you perform Transit. They can watch closely… there’s nothing to catch.

Ron Salamangkero is proud to present his latest creation. A variant of the traveling hole illusion.

The magician punches holes in three corners of a playing card using a puncher. A ribbon is tied through one hole and the ends knotted together. The card now hangs from the ribbon. With no dodgy hand or finger movement, the magician moves the ribbon from one corner hole to another by sliding it through the space between the holes. He does it twice.

It’s visual magic that looks unbelievable even when seen up close!
The magician the hands everything to the spectator for examination.
Transit comes with a gimmick card and a step by step in-depth video instruction

My Thoughts:

Seems like I’ve reviewed a number of items recently that employ gimmicked cards. This is another such effect. Ron Salamangkero (Creator of The Answer & Face Off) has created a nice gimmick for guys and girls to use in close-up situations.

The basic handling is this.. The performer has a spectator select a card. The card is shown about, and the performer uses a hole punch to punch three holes in three different corners of the selection. A ribbon is tied through one of the holes.. and the magi guides the ribbon from this hole to the second hole.. and then to the third hole, appearing to defy the laws of solid objects. This is similar in appearance to a moving hole effect.. except the ribbon moves instead of the hole.

I’m going to offer up a few initial thoughts..

Thankfully, all the DIY has been performed by Ron. All you need to do is provide a hole punch. If you don’t have one, you can pick one up at most dollar stores. The gaffed card and the ribbon come with the effect.

A twelve minute instructional video has been posted online. Although the video quality is good, I think perhaps the script should have been practiced a time or two before being recorded. This is NOT a deal breaker.. just an observation. Everything you need to know is taught.

The gimmicked card itself CANNOT be passed out for examination. A card is freely selected beforehand.. and this is the card the audience will handle afterwards. For this reason, I am not sure this is an ideal effect for a beginner. Depends on your definition of ‘beginner’.. I suppose. You do need to be able to handle the initial selection, and switching in the gimmick. This is taught in the video.. but just be advised.

This effect should be performed with pace. It will not only look better.. but you will be less apt to ‘flash’ any component of the gimmick.

If you like the moving hole effects.. you’ll really like TRANSIT. This is a sharp gimmick that actually does most of the work for you.. although you WILL have to practice the moves. You’ll not perform this ideally straight out the package. Like most of the hole effects, finger placement is important.

I do wish TRANSIT were a bit less expensive. If you use it, I can see it being a very good investment. Perhaps the price-point could be justified if two or three gimmicked cards were included. As is, there is only one, and I can see it wearing out over time. Perhaps Ron will give you a deal on replacements.??

TRANSIT is made with Bicycle cards.. and is available as either Red or Blue backed gaffs.. your choice. As always, I encourage you to visit the Murphy’s link below and watch the demo. It gives you a great idea of the visual.

$29.95 .. Available at Murphy’s Magic and through their associates.
https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=69386

Review by Rick Carruth