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Three Popular ESP RFID Reader’s currently used in Magic/Mentalism

– An Independent Review

Steven Edward Skindell, M.A., Ct.H.

I wrote this article because I want fellow magicians to have all the facts laid out in front of them before making an expensive high tech purchase.

 

First.. let me make it clear … all three of these units I reviewed are designs from people who are absolute geniuses! Each receiver (and included ESP cards) have advantages and disadvantages which really depends on how the entertainer views it in his/her own environment. I would also like to note that Fabrice Delaure was the first to launch this type of illusion using RFID Tags and a reader (Akana) in July of 2000 during the FISM in Lisbon.

 

This article reviews 3 popular RFID Readers side-by-side (UFO II, RhineSense and Akana Light). At the end of this article appears my recommendation.

Soren Harbo’s UFO II

The entire unit came in a very beautiful sturdy usable case. Instructions included were easy to follow to set the receiver up with batteries, attaching wires, and reading the ESP cards. A special card is included that powers down and powers up the unit in a standby type of mode. The receiver is powered by (1) standard 9 volt battery. The electronics for the receiver is housed in a nice plastic black case that can clip on to a belt. I put the receiver in my pants pocket and threaded the wire down through my shirt to the wristband antenna. The vibrator unit plugs into the receiver via a headphone jack. I initially taped the small 1” vibrator to my chest but later put it near my groin area where I could feel the vibrations more distinctly.  It took me a few minutes to set everything up and turn it on. The on/off switch is on the outside of the plastic case. When first turned on the red led numbers light up and the unit vibrates showing that the unit is functioning properly. Status number lights also show if the unit’s battery needs to be changed. The 5 ESP cards are sturdy (about the thickness of a credit card) and can be cleaned easily if dirty. 

The unit is very easy to understand in terms of which ESP card is currently near the antenna which is pretty much the same as the RhineSense and Akana Light. UFO II is the most expensive of the units reviewed. The pulses of the units will repeat again just in case you didn’t pick them up the first time after getting the reading when the antenna is near the card. A DVD would have been a nice addition to this reader.

LIKES:

1 – Reliable when reading the ESP cards;

2 – The vibration occurs away from the reader’s antenna – could touch the person’s hand while reading the card;

3 – Nice Professional Case;

4 – Cards can easily be washed when dirty;

5 – Receiver repeats the signal of the card read multiple times without having to be near the card a 2nd time;

6 – On/Off switch on the outside of the plastic case – easy to turn on/off without looking;

7 – Excellent battery life;

8 – The UFO II has a transmit option that allows the unit to transmit information to an assistant with an extra receiver;

9 – The unit can receive information from other Labcomagic props;

10 – 2 antennas come with the unit and 2 optional long distance antennas can be purchased (one that can be worn in the front of the shirt or the back of the shirt for reading);

11 – The standard wrist antenna is able to read card from 16 cm.

12 – I tested both the optional body antenna and was able to consistently get a reading at approximately 28 cm; and the optional ring antenna as was able to consistently get a reading at 23 cm.

 

1 Mental UFO II receiver
2 Antennas 
5 ESP cards
5 Blank cards
3 coded dice 
5 Electronic chips
1 Suitcase
1 Manual in English
2 Years of full guarantee

MSRP $1100.00


DISLIKES:

1 – Setting up the 3 pieces through clothing -- at first felt a little uncomfortable;

2 – Most costly of the 3 units (but does allow expansion with other props);

3 – Battery was a little bit difficult to change in the case;

4 – No DVD;

5 – In the past I have had problems reading one of the dice in a persons closed fist .. this happened particularly on people with large bones. The problem didn’t seem to occur with any of the esp cards though. This problem I would imagine would clear up with the dice using one of the optional antennas – but I didn’t try this yet.

Web: www.labcomagic.com

Lilleringvej 12B - 8462 Harlev J.

Denmark 

Email: info@labcomagic.com


UFO II with the ESP cards and the wristband antenna.


A picture of the 5 blank UFO II cards, the 5 glass chips,
 the extra antenna and the 3 different dice with chips
 embedded in them (all included with UFO II):


Optional UFO II Body Antenna 1 (ability to read at 28 cm)
Optional UFO II Wire Antenna (ability to read at 23 cm)

 

Dave Everett’s and Sean Taylor’s RhineSense

The entire contents came in a nice box. I popped in the DVD which gave very thorough instructions of its use. The DVD was very helpful in learning how to use body language and read a card between a persons hand. There are (2) small 12 volt batteries that power the receiver. The 5 ESP cards are thinner than the UFO II cards. The receiver just straps onto the wrist. The RhineSense was the least expensive of the 3. The unit is small and convenient.. it straps on in about the same amount of time it does to put on a watch.

 

The electronics are professionally machine made … no wires all integrated circuits and everything is nicely put in one small unit. The antenna could read a signal from the chip at approximately 10 cm. RhineSense only vibrates 1 time while near the ESP card. The receiver doesn’t repeat the vibration coding as the UFO II does.

 

LIKES:

1 – Small size (smallest of the 3 reviewed);

2 – Cost (least expensive);

3 – Cards were thin and could be washed if dirty;

4 – Reliable reading ESP Card;

5 – Easiest to setup -- just strap it on your wrist;

6 – A signal was picked up from the receiver at about 10 cm;

7 – DVD was a BIG plus in setup and performance.

DISLIKES:

1 – Receiver only signaled 1x when the card was read;

2 – Hand could not touch the person when the unit was vibrating or the subject would know the secret;

3 – Didn’t like having to change 2 batteries;

.

11 Spring St, Chatswood NSW 2067

Australia 

Phone: (02) 9411 6233

Email: taylorsmagic@AOL7.com.au

Web: www.taylorsmagicshop.com

online video demo: www.taylorsmagicshop.com/files/Performance.wmv

MSRP $399
 

 Includes:

5 ESP cards

RFID Reader

Instructional DVD

Manual
Note: A valuable DVD also comes with RhineSense.
Fabrice Delaure’s Akana Light
The unit came in a nice package. The online video at Fabrice’s site demonstrated how the unit worked. The manual was sufficient in describing the function of the unit. The receiver was placed in a bicycle card box with a wire attached to it. The vibrator was built into the receiver and can be placed in the top pocket or held in the hand while the antenna is placed near a ESP card for reading. The ESP cards were embedded in a playing card with each ESP symbol on the card – these cards looked to be thinner than the RhineSense and UFO II cards. The receiver is powered by (1) standard 9 volt battery – the same as the UFO II unit.  The Akana Light was the medium priced unit reviewed. The receiver has an on/off switch with a light that comes on to show you the receiver is turned on – it will also vibrate when it is first turned on. Like the RhineSense, the Akana Light only vibrates 1 time while near the ESP card. The receiver doesn’t repeat the vibration coding as the UFO II does. The antenna could only read a signal from the chip at approximately 5 cm. According to Fabrice the MEDIUM size chips provide a reading range of 10 cm (these chips are 4 cm x 4 cm) – their recent unit also repeats the previous read until a new card is read.

     LIKES:

1) ESP Card was a normal bicycle playing card;

2) Cards were thin;

3) Reliably reading ESP card;

4) Standard 9 volt battery;

5) Easy operation;

6) Like the way the star symbol vibrates after a read.

DISLIKES:

1) Cards were difficult to clean because the chips were embedded in normal bicycle cards;

2) Vibrator was difficult to read while in my pocket but ok if holding or tight against body;

3) Only vibrated 1x after card was read;

4) No DVD;

5) The wristband antenna bulged out of my sleeve  too much;

      6) Lowest reading distance of all 3 receivers.




Fabrices Akana Light

Web: www.fabricedelaure.com

33 rue Redeuilh

33400 Talence

France 

Email: infos@fabricedelaure.com

Ph/Fax: 00 +33 556 341 298

online video demo: www.fabricedelaure.com/pages_fr/catalog/light/light.avi

MSRP $890
 

Includes:

RFID receiver

Wristband and Wire to attach to receiver

5 ESP Cards

5 Blank Cards with tags in them

5 Tags

2 year warranty piece and labor

Conclusion and Recommendation

 

Even though all 3 units worked reliable I will use the UFO II in my restaurant walk-around magic/mentalist work because of the receivers multiple vibrating advantages after reading an ESP card – because of the noisy environment
I work in. Also, a reason I chose to use this receiver is because it picks up a signal from the card at approximately 16 cm with the normal antenna and its ability to interface with other Labcomagic props should I choose to buy them in the future. The extra antennas that get greater distance readings is also a definitely plus for my decision.  (Note: Fabrice mentioned in a recent email that the new unit will repeat the last read until a new card is read – he did verify that the ESP and Blank card reads mentioned in this article are correct).

 

 

Steven Edward Skindell, M.A., Ct.H., can be reached at sskindell@openop.com. Steven is a professional part time walk-around restaurant magician/mentalist, Clinical Psychologist, Computer Programmer and Hypnotist in Plymouth Michigan.