Speaking of magic \"apparatus\", I\'d like to post some details on a couple of good reels I own. Here\'s their picture:



The black one on the left is by an unknown manufacturer (unknown to me, at least...); the flesh painted on the right is a \"Tannen\'s Ultra Reel\". The only thing I know on the black one is that it was made in England in the 70\'s-80\'s. I own mine from the mid \'80s.
Both are jointed and user-serviceable; You can open them, change the thread, lubricate them, etc.

The first one, the black reel, is a so called \"locking reel\". That means that you can extract the aumont of thread you need and then lock the reel in that place. A gentle tug on the thread at the chosen moment will unlock the reel and make it work.
This is a picture of its front:



The triangular piece you see on it is the locking mechanism; just pressing it down every half turn of the internal wheel will make the reel lock into position.
A second method of working is visible on the rear:



...where You can use the inner \"disc\" visible on the reel\'s center as a brake. In fact, just pressing on it with the thumb:



...will make the reel stop, or slow down the speed, as one prefers.
An IMPORTANT detail is the little smooth \"disc-ring\" visible where the thread exits from the reel:



Due to the ring, there are NO thread abrasions at all, and the thread will literally \"fly\" in and out of the reel.
Just know that the thread you see in the pictures is the same from the \'80s... still working perfectly!

The fact that the reel is black means... that I never repainted it ! but most of all, that its intended use is not in a visible place. This is great, i.e. for a \"pull-type\" ring flight effect, where the thread is there just waiting for a gentle \"tug\" before retract its load (under a jacket, inside a sleeve, inside a keyholder... You choose).

In case you need a reel in the hand, another model should be used (i.e. for an untying silk effect, zebra silk effect, rabi-duck or similar).
Which brings us to the second reel. This is a Tannen\'s; that\'s easy to tell because of the original box :



But, apart from the box, look at the reel:



This model won\'t lock in place. You can see that it\'s flesh painted and it has a couple of little flaps protruding from a side. With the flaps it\'s easy to pinch it between two fingers...



...and use it with an \"open\" hand. Just press with the thumb on its center, like the previous model, and control the thread\'s speed:



Even with this professional model, details are important. Beside the sturdy construction, the user-serviceable feature and the power of pull, there is a micro-ring that saves the thread from abrasions:



There You have it.
I\'ve seen both models sold around 75$-90$. Remember that You always get what You paid for!
Tannen\'s is still currently sold, while the English model is a little bit rarer, and I think it could have its place here, in the \"apparatus\" section of this great forum (cannot remember exactly, but it was sold by Ron Allesi or Kenna Thompson... in any case some \"old\" apparatus collectors and sellers!).

Hope this post will help, see You!

The one I own has the Tannen\'s commercial logo engraved on the central circular brake (you know, the three Tannen\'s rabbits).
Anyway you\'re right; Tannen\'s reel design is heavily based on the classic P&L; see as an example this commercial link (no connections on my part with that shop -- just found it on the net):

www.magicproshop.com/reel-ultra-utility-tannens-p-7516.html