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Bandwidth

Wilson, Greg

Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.

(Based on 3 reviews)
Gregory Wilson is a living legend, known for his creativity and in-your-face performance style. His latest creation, Bandwidth, is the next fearless creation that allows you to borrow a spectator's finger ring and stretch it like soft taffy.

A very visceral moment is created when you borrow a wedding band, then slowly pull the ring away from you as the metal begins to easily manipulate to your will. With a bold toss into the air, you instantly restore their ring back to its original shape.

Taking it a step further, you slowly crush their ring in your fingertips, right before their eyes, only to restore it to its original state with a swift, ninja-like piercing of your finger. They can take their ring off of your finger to find that their ring is in perfect condition.

Bandwidth is an incredibly memorable routine, as people have strong connections to their rings or wedding bands. To see them turn into soft butter in the hands of a miracle worker is insanely unforgettable. Bandwidth will carve out your reputation, instantly.

Stretch their ring, and their mind.... Both will never be the same again. Precision, laser-cut metal gimmicks included. Gimmick allows you to borrow and stretch silver or gold rings. Incredibly visual. Packs small, plays big. Always ready. 3 second-reset. Practice ring included. Easy streaming instructions by Gregory Wilson. Bonus routines, handlings, tips, tricks & more.

Reviews

Stuart Philip

Official Reviewer

Jun 15, 2015

Bandwidth is a fantastic effect in which the magician borrows a spectator's ring, stretches it several inches and then restores it to its natural state. The reactions to this well thought-out routine and quality gimmick is stellar and can knock 'em out, especially for close-up and walk around magic. This trick can be repeated many times during the course of a night.

I first saw Bandwidth, before it was commercially released, during Wilson's At The Table appearance (which was excellent). When I first saw it, I thought it was a solid worker, but once I actually had one in my possession, and I knocked out a few spectator's with the effect, I fell in love with the trick.

This trick comes with the gimmicks needed to perform Bandwidth and a size 11 silver ring, just in case you don't already have a ring. Wilson teaches you how to perform Bandwidth while wearing a t-shirt as well as a jacket. I have performed it both ways and they both work effectively.

The 34 minute streaming instructional video is taught by Wilson and it is clear and excellent quality. It is broken down into chapters that make sense and hold your attention. Not only does he teach the basic ring "stretching" routine, but a second phase in which the restored ring is apparently bent (and can be handed out at that time) and then thrown into the air, only to be apparently jabbed with your ring finger, where it lands fully restored to its normal shape. As a bonus, Wilson teaches Garrett Thomas's Ring Thing, which when done right, is very impressive

The packaging is excellent and the gimmick was perfectly designed so that the magician can "stretch" both gold and silver rings. I have no issues with the promotional video and I found the ad copy to be accurate.

A great trick, by a great magician that will yield you great reactions!
(Top ▲)

Jeff Stone

Official Reviewer

Apr 09, 2015

Overview

One streaming video, 35 minutes, two gimmicks and $40 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.

Update: 4/10/15
After watching the review video above, make sure you watch this one below for an update on the review:

Effect

You borrow a ring, stretch it, squish it, hand it back, and all the while you show your hands to be clean and empty.

Method

This method is extremely practical. It relies on a method that has been around for ages and applied to the included gimmick. Everything, and I mean everything, you need to perform the effect is included in the box. The included ring is a size 11, so if it doesn't fit you, that's fine. The point of the ring is to be used for practice. This can be done with 90% of the rings you'll encounter. Basically a standard (gold or silver) man's wedding band is what you need.

The method is very simple, uncomplicated and extremely easy to do. The only consideration is that you need to be wearing one of the following:

An Open Jacket
An Open Shirt (i.e., an unbuttoned button up shirt)
An Untucked Shirt (e.g., t-shirt, dress shirt, etc.)
As long as you are wearing any one of those, you're covered. Installing the gimmick is a 10 second process you do before you leave the house, and you're set to go all day. The angles are really good, and the only slightly weak angle is addressed in the explanation section. The solution for this angle "issue" is easily dealt with and not a problem at all.

Product Quality

Everything that is supplied is very well made, and a lot more clever than you think. Even if you have a sense of how it works, I'll bet you'll be surprised at the cleverness of the stretch gimmick and Wilson's method for making the gimmick work. The video is a streaming video that you can also download. The streaming version is set up with chapter marks and navigation links. There are 21 short sections, and they clearly cover everything in perfect detail. The download does not have the chapter marks, so if you use the downloaded version, you'll have to watch it all the way through without the ability to skip to the next chapter. The teaching is excellent. The lighting, audio, production quality etc., is absolutely excellent.

Ad Copy Integrity

Take a moment to watch the ad trailer video. It's exactly accurate. That is exactly what the effect looks like. The written ad copy is also very accurate. The only thing I would slightly question is the claim that " . . . you slowly squeeze the ring at your fingertips until both sides touch." In the ad trailer, you'll notice that the squish effect does not happen at the fingertips. It's more of a transformation that happens in a closed fist. The video never teaches a method for slowly squishing the ring at your fingertips, and I'm not sure how you would do that.

Update: April 10, 2015


After dinging the product 1 Star for ad copy issues, I received this from Murphy's Magic:

"I wanted to let you know I saw your review of Bandwidth. Thank you so much! I’m glad you liked it so much. This is a project our studio is really proud of. I wanted to let you know that I noticed your concern with the description and I have had that edited."

They have changed the ad copy, and I've changed it here on the site as well. Thus the star rating has been updated to 5 Stars.

Kudos to Murphy's Magic for doing the right thing.

Final Thoughts

Other than the flub in the ad copy about slowly squishing the ring at the fingertips, this product is perfect! Add to all this the fact that this entire set up is only $40 bucks and it's darn near impossible not to recommend this. I didn't know the price until after I watched the video and played with the props/gimmicks. When I went to look up the price, I was expecting $99.95; I was SHOCKED when I saw the price of $39.95. This is an incredible price for what you're getting.

Unfortunately, the ad copy issue was not a small one, so this product lost a big fat star for that. If they change the ad copy, I'd come back and give this 5 stars no problem.

Update: April 10, 2015


. . . And change the ad copy they did. So . . .

Final Verdict:
5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.
(Top ▲)

Doc Johnson

Official Reviewer

Mar 21, 2015

PROS

Very clever props and the effect plays very well in the “real world”. The quality of the props are very good. When done as in the instruction, it has no angle problems.

The instruction is very good. The setup is easy and it is easy to get into the routine. The reset is automatic. It is pretty easy to perform.

He teaches how to start and end clean, with the ring handed out for inspection. You can use a borrowed ring, but not any ring. There is a bit of a range of different rings that should work, depending on your ability to sell the ring. For example, if you use a thinner ring, you have to sell the idea that the ring is flattening out a bit in the process.

I would say this is best for close-up and parlor, not stage.

He teaches some clever ways to get into the routine. For example, if someone comments about how their ring needs cleaning, you offer to clean their ring and get into the routine.

He also has a bonus section for how to transition from this effect into Garrett Thomas’ Ring Thing routines.

CONS

He teaches a method wearing a t-shirt. I think this method is a bit awkward. It works, but it’s awkward.

While the effect can be done impromptu, there is minor setup beforehand.

VERDICT

Nice instruction, well made props, nice piece of magic.


Suggestions

Whether performing just for a group of friends, or a formal show, I’m always trying to think of how an effect might fit into a set, making it that much stronger.

I think one application for this effect is to have a humorous, perhaps even clowning around sort of set where you do a stretch gag, like a stretching tongue or nose gag, followed by this routine. The effect does look like something out of a cartoon, but also magical. I don’t think this is an effect that should be presented too seriously. I think that by introducing humor, this effect becomes stronger in the performance impact.

(Top ▲)