Vanishing Bird Cages to Avoid

Obtaining a vintage bird cage by Charles Lindhorst (for Will Lindhorst and Gene Devoe) or Fred Rickard (for Owen Magic Supreme) or Yimka (Dick Scott for Harry Stanley's Unique Magic), or a more recent high-quality cage made by James Riser , or Chris Reesman (Encore Magic) or Daniel Summers would be ideal, but what about the less expensive cages that show up on eBay or are currently available from magic dealers ?  Your choices are usually either a Milson Worth cage or one of the Indian-made copies of the Milson Worth cage. 

The Milson Worth Silver Meteor cage was never a great design to start with  (although with some slight modifications it can be made to work ok ... or if you can make major modifications as in the case of Tommy Wonder , who more or less re-built the Milson Worth cage from the ground up for his own purposes).  The Milson Worth cage was a flawed copy of a better cage originally made by Warren Simms.

Since at least the 1980's there have been cheaply made copies of the Milson Worth cage originating from India, some are ok, but most are junk, especially the recent cages distributed by Murphy's Magic with the branding "Premium Magic".

(if it comes in a box labeled "Premium Magic" avoid it like the plague . It's junk.)

At one time Sam Dahal (Sam's Magic Service of Calcutta, India) made a fairly good cage based on the Milson Worth cage.  Sam Dahal has also done business as Electro-Fun Magic and currently as Funtime Magic.  (Sadly, the current cage supplied by Funtime Magic is NOT the same quality as the older cages from Sam's Magic Service/Funtime Magic 10 - 20 years ago.  The same metal craftsman are not always available so the quality can vary.  Some of the older Sam's Magic Service/Funtime Magic cages are actually pretty good, but the recent ones have taken a turn for the worse. I write this based on actual experience.  The currently available vanishing bird cages from Funtime Magic (distributed in the U.S.A. by EZ Magic/D.Robbins) and Premium Magic (distributed in the U.S.A. by Murphy's Magic) , plus a third one branded by"The Essel Magic" (sold by Vanishing Inc.) seem to be the exact same cage , but with different branding and distributed by different wholesalers.  In my experience having purchased a couple of these cage (one branded Funtime Magic, the other branded Premium Magic) they are junk. Avoid them.

The older, good Sam Dahal/Sam's Magic Service/Funtime Magic cages from 10 - 20 years ago, usually came in a red cardboard box like the one shown below. The instruction sheets say "Sam's Magic Service, Calcutta".   If you can get one of these cages either in good , used condition or being sold as "new/old stock" , it's probably quite usable , with some slight modification as mentioned below.  But let's be clear:  these inexpensive Indian cages will never be in the same league as a Jim Riser or  Daniel Summers "Baby Lindy", ok ?  Don't expect that level of quality , but they can work ok.

The good Sam Dahal/Funtime bird cages look like this:

In my opinion, these older cages from Sam Dahal actually improved on the Milson Worth cage in one way, because they are slightly larger. --  5.1" x 4" x 4", compared to M-W cage 5.00" x 3.75" x 3.625"  -- and also by shortening the over-long cross-bars of the Milson Worth cage (which is the major design flaw of the Milson Worth cage).  Again, let me emphsize, it's not in the same league as a Lindhorst cage or a Jim Riser or Daniel Summers 'Baby Lindy'  but it can be usable.  (the sad little fake bird that comes with it should not be used, imo.  Invest in a small size Jonathan Neal parakeet!  Jonathan custom makes the parakeets, so let him know it's going in a small cage, 5" x 4" x 4".)

Here's a comparison of the Milson Worth and the older Dahal/Funtime cage, side-by-side. I actually prefer the slightly larger Dahal/Funtime cage.

With a decent cage you should be able to easily hold it one-handed like this: 

(*pressure applied from the  p _ _ l  will also make it possible to hold it one handed. You can't really tell until you have it hooked up properly) 

NOTE: the older Dahal cage I own did have some rough spots where the side cage bars are attached, but I filed down the rough spots with a metal file so they are smooth.  Also adding a bit of solder over those rough areas can help.  Once these minor modifications are done, it's actually a better cage than the Milson-Worth cage, in my opinion.  An unmodified MW cage tends to snag frequently because the cross bars are too long (if you cut them down and file the ends smooth the MW cage works ok, but that's a lot of effort to cut down the ends and file them down so the edges are rounded.)

The 'Sam's Magic Service, Calcutta' cage I have wasn't too rough and didn't take a whole lot of filing to make it more usable, but almost all of the other recent Indian-made cages have very rough, poorly finished edges that will snag on clothing and/or your skin (very dangerous; some people have reported injuries from using these cages.)

The Sam's Magic Service bird cages came in both a left-handed version and right-handed version.  (often you see people in photos or on YouTube holding the left-handed version in the wrong orientation, with the side bars horizontal.)  I recommend getting a right-handed version. (or if you get a left-handed version you can drill a hole for the ring on the lower rear, right-hand corner). Or learn how to vanish it left-handed !

In my opinion, the recent Indian-made cages from Funtime Magic and Premium Magic (which I suspect are both made by the same sub-contractor providing it to both Funtime and Premium)  are lower quality, with sharp, rough edges that can catch on your clothing or your skin. They don't stand up easily on their own and are not easy to hold with one hand. (or even two hands)  They are "floppy" cages.   I think these type of poorly made cages have probably put many magicians off ever performing the Vanishing Bird Cage because they give up on it in frustration.  Magic dealers should be ashamed to sell this sort of junk!

Superficially the currently available cages branded as "Funtime Magic" , "Premium Magic",  or "The Essel Magic"  are similar in design to the Milson Worth cage and to the early Dahal/Funtime cage, but they are of much lower quality. Besides the rough, sharp edges that snag , they are also difficult to hold (very wobbly).  This is how you can usually tell the difference between an older Dahal cage and the newer, junkier ones , because the earlier Dahal cage can actually stand upright on its own and can be held in one hand,  as can be done with the Milson Worth cage, too.

Many dealer's are currently stocking this one branded as "Premium Magic" (it's certainly NOT premium quality).  Avoid this one . It's a complete waste of your time and money.   Magic dealers should be ashamed to sell this piece of junk.  If someone gets seriously injured by one, ripping a gash in their arm, maybe a lawsuit will get it off the market ? 

(the two photos on the right side are from one of these that I actually own , having gotten fooled by
dishonest eBay seller who claimed they were selling a Milson Worth cage ,but this is the one I received)

Almost all the online dealers are currently using this same photo of the cage to advertise it. This one is total junk, imo.  Don't buy it.

In North America, these junk cages are distributed by Murphy's Magic, although D.Robbins/EZ Magic also lists a vanishing birdcage made by Funtime Magic using the exact same photo.  And on Funtime Magic's own website they are using this same photo. 

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But how about if you find a used Milson Worth cage in good condition for a good price ?  Is it worth it? 

Maybe ...  read on ... 

Although many magicians say the Milson Worth cage is so flawed as to be unusable,  here are two outstanding examples of professional magicians using a vintage Milson Worth cage (circa 1970's) successfully.  Jeff Hobson modified his MW cage by shortening the ends of the cross-bars. I'm not sure if Bill Schulert modified his or not.

 

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Personally, after experimenting with it, I've come to the conclusion that for me the Milson Worth cage and the better made, older Dahal/Funtime copy of the MW cage are probably not worth the extra effort and worry to use them, although if pressed, they can be usable.  Instead , I would advise to save up to get a good used  Lindhorst/Devoe cage , or Yimka (Unique Magic) cage in good condition , or Lindhorst-type cage (by Owen Magic Supreme, Chris Reesman/Encore Magic,  James Riser, or Daniel Summers).  As of this time (January 2025) , only Daniel Summers is providing new cages based on the Lindhorst design (both full size Lindhorst-type cage and the Riser "Baby Lindy" small size cage) but you can occasionally find cages by Owen Magic Supreme, Chris Reesman, or James Riser on magic auctions. Note that some of the later Owen cages from the 80's and 90's have a bad reputation for being too stiff. )

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If you simply can't afford a better cage (they are pricey!) and just want to play around with the vanishing bird cage and you can find one of the older Sam Dahal cages (Sam's Magic Service/Funtime Magic in the red box), or a Milson Worth cage for a good price , if you will spend some time to carefully modify the cage you should have a workable cage. (again, see Jeff Hobson's performance)  Modify the Milson Worth by carefully cutting 1/4" off the end of the cross bars using a jeweler's saw and then rounding off the ends of the bars with a metal file. (do NOT cut down the bar at the lower right corner with the ring).

Modify the Sam Dahal/Funtime Magic cage by using a metal file to round off the edges of the cross bars and by using a metal file to smooth any rough areas where the side bars connect.  You can optionally apply some solder over those rough areas.  With the Dahal/Funtime cage you don't need to cut down the cross bars, because they are not over long like the Milson Worth bars, but you do need to use a metal file to round off the edges of the bars.