Fracture by Daniel Madison is a gimmick used to switch decks right under the spectators noses. After much internal conflict, I decided to follow my instincts and make the purchase. Since I have experienced losing photos, music, and documents in the past to computer crashes and other unforseen circumstances, I prefer to have all my magic in books or dvd's. So I paid the higher price to get a copy of Fracture mailed to me in softback. With the exchange rate the 20 pounds equaled $39 and change. This is a pretty steep hit for one effect.

Most of my disdain for this gimmick comes from the price hit I took for this effect, and the negative issues which limit many scenarios in which this device can be used. If you are dead set on getting this effect, only get the .pdf version. The device itself doesn't come with your purchase, you will have to make the device yourself. It doesn't cost much, if anything to make yourself. Your purchase doesn't come with any DVD's or online videos which show the device in use or give tips on it's use. The fracture part of your Ebook is a whopping 13 pages. Pages 1-3 are the cover/ intro. Page 4 tells you how to make the device. Page 5 has a couple photos of the construction of the device. Pages 6-13 cover the actual uses of the gimmick, including 4 switches and 2 completed pages of photos. There is a total of 20 photos. Let me also mention that the font is pretty large.

Fracture is not a sturdy gimmick. It's cheap to make, but you must take care to maintain it. You can't carry it around in your jeans pocket all day with out the possibility of damaging it. When using fracture your really better off using a coat pocket to carry this object. Fracture can also have some angle issued when used seated. When used standing up, really what is the point, as I could just switch the complete deck with one in my pocket.

When purchasing fracture, I was really hoping for a deck switch which only required the deck being visible. This isn't the case, you must also have the fracture gimmick visible.

So yes I can see how fracture may be useful to some people, but if you don't want any object in use but a deck of cards, you are better off just misdirecting and switch the deck in your pocket.

At $5-$10 this is a pretty darn useful device in certain scenarios. At $40 it needs to include a hell of a lot more like videos, more than 13 pages of instruction, or even a gimmick.

Long story short it's overpriced!