Laypersons love Ellusionists!

[Bill Mullins]

Ellusionist has a new product, Pyro Fireshooter, that appears to let you shoot mini Roman Candles the same way Spiderman shoots webs. (My name for it would be "lawsuit in waiting", but I'm not in marketing.) It was linked at Metafilter, and the snarky commentariat there offer some amusing opinions.

"I can understand the product as having a legitimate market among . . . extreme moth flambé enthusiasts"

[benjamintalbot]

really, ellusionist---snicker--I wouldn't buy a used ball and cups set from them. Lousy-est I ever saw. Visit and spend your $$'s at a place that doesn't recycle--tricks that is.

[Aaron Sterling]

I had a conversation with Christopher Thiesse about Pyro, because I was (and still am) thinking of purchasing it for a show with a fair amount of fire performance. First, look. If you want to build your own gun, there are a lot of good ideas in Alpha's Encyclopedia of Fire Magic. The real thing Pyro offers is time savings: (1) the product appears well made, and (2) there's already a support team in place with a good understanding of the tolerances, so you don't have to learn all the weirdnesses of your DIY contraption.

Honestly, this thread reads to me as 100% prejudice, 0% reality. Pyro appears to be a professional-quality prop, with both contact and remote ability to shoot four charges. It will be a good fit for some performers. Lay people like it too? That's another bonus. Far too many business models depend on squeezing money out of amateur magicians. The more dealers can appeal to the general public, the better.

[Richard Kaufman]

The "commercial" is absurdly over-produced for what the product is, and it's a little sneaky to have the guy walking down the road with rolled-up sleeves because that's what you're supposed to subconsciously remember.

There have been products like this since I was a kid--used to have one. It was a single barrel that you filled with flash paper. When you hit the button a fireball shot out of your hand, ignited by a hot wire from a battery. You had to keep the element clean, but it worked like a charm. Bought it at Tannen's.

Did I almost set my bed on fire playing with it in my room? Yes. I put it away in the drawer after that.

The device is obviously only meant for use on stage or outdoors. Since most of the kids buying this are not stage magicians, I would imagine it's for outdoor use, which is much safer.

[Aaron Sterling]

There have been products like this since I was a kid--used to have one.

With the ability to fire four separate shots that can be set off remotely? Really?

Let's say you're right. There's lots of stuff I don't know, so you may well be. But I do know it would take me quite a while to get something like that configured correctly.

[hugmagic]

UF Grant made a thing called GunSmoke. I still have one. I use it Halloween some time. It shoots 6 rounds of fire with a puff of smoke at the end. Uses Flashpaper, paper caps, gunpowder, and couple of other things. Pretty neat and worked like a charm. I later used the same principle to modify another cap pistol.
I made the shooting device that Richard talked about many times. Just a glo plug and a piece of copper tubing with a battery. Worked great.
The reality is you cannot use most of this stuff unless you want to pay for a fire permit and a fire marshall at your performances. That is the real world.

Richard

[Aaron Sterling]

Didn't Gunsmoke look like -- and was the size of -- a revolver? Pyro is 3.5" from left to right, and is shaped to fit the wrist.

[Q. Kumber]

Having looked at the ad and watched the Wizard Product Review (on the ad page) this would appear to be a professionally made prop that does what it says.

Obviously it is a refined and updated version of what has gone before. Nothing wrong with that.

But I do have some reservations. This should only be sold to those competent enough to use it. There is a real danger that someone will set fire to themselves or someone / something else. Knowing the main sales demographic of their customers it is no wonder that Ellusionist have a two-page legal disclaimer.

[hugmagic]

You are correct. Gunsmoke was made with the Mattel cap pistol that shot little plastic bullets out of the brass cartridge. I remember playing with them as a kid.
Imagine trying to make a toy like that now.
Actually, the gun is worth more as a collectible than a magic trick.
But as I said, it is still very hard to do fire at all any more anyplace.
The old percussion flash wands were basically a zip gun but they sure did look great shooting a ball of fire with a puff of smoke at the end on stage.
Maybe someday, we can do a show with all the PC incorrect items. Chinese choppers, shooting a ribbon through a girl, etc. etc.
Richard

[Aaron Sterling]

But as I said, it is still very hard to do fire at all any more anyplace.

My conversation with Christopher Thiesse started something like, "Hi, I'm considering getting Pyro as a Christmas present for Professional Fire Performer X. Can you tell me the specs about X, Y and Z that aren't in the ad?" Christopher: "I have one of Performer X's DVDs on my desk!"

Not everyone's experience with the "real world" is the same as your own.

[Brad Henderson]

waiting for the first episode of America's Funniest Home Immolations.