Biobender - Eric Jones
$39.95
http://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=56236

The Hype:
What if you had the ability to distort metal at the palm of your spectator's hands or at the very tips of your own fingers? Introducing Eric Jones' BioBender. BioBender is a set of tools that allow you to create the illusion that you can bend a coin, warp a key, or misshape any small metallic object.

And before you even ask, yes this can be signed! BioBender is one of the few metal benders that allows you to do real-time, in their face bends, without ever needing long sleeves or any type of clothing restrictions. No need to perform any switches and no awkward handling as the spectator signs the coin - it is their coin the entire time.

It utilizes a simple hidden in plain sight gimmick that you are already familiar with - a thumb tip. And for those who have mastered this tool, you already know exactly how invisible it can be. It's ready to be performed right out of the box, and its modular design allows you to re-attach the gimmick to any thumb tip of your choosing. BioBender secretly creates the bend so you can produce the magic.

What you get:
· Two precision engineered modular gimmicks
· Expert instruction from coin master, Eric Jones
· Two thumb tips
· The ability to create real moments of magic for your spectators
NOTE: BioBender works with any coin 2mm thick and under.

My Take:
I have been watching Eric Jones' magical skills grow for quite a while. Back to his first DVD appearance dressed like a hip hop rapper on Vinny Marini's La Famiglia DVD. It was easy to see way back then that here was a young man with chops and style. And he continues to grow.

I have had the opportunity to see Eric lecture numerous times and his skill and fluidity have always amazed me. He does the most incredible things and he does them so smoothly and naturally they look easy. Believe me. They are not.

A few years ago while having a drink in Anchorage with a couple of the local magi, one of them borrowed a quarter from our waitress, had her sign it and then had it bend in her hand. The expression on her face was priceless and you just knew that she was going to hang onto this coin forever. So, when I heard that Eric had released his version and gimmick for the coin bend, I was anxious to see just what he had come up with.

What you get: Two gimmicked thumbtips, a screwdriver with interchangeable tips and a 39 minute video download. The packaging is gorgeous. Murphy's seems to keep getting better at making their releases look a lot more impressive on the shelf. This package is quite similar to that used on Shin Lim's Dream Act. So you have a nice case to carry your props in. The quality of the props is superb. How often have you got a cool magic trick only to have it wear out or fall apart? This is not going to happen. If the thumbtips aren't quite the right size for you, Eric shows you how to move the gimmicks to another set of thumbtips.

The video instruction is very professionally shot. This is not one of those shot with a cell phone in someone's kitchen. Eric goes over the history of his version, crediting those who have gone before and why he feels his is superior to others on the market. Others I have seen sell for from about $25.00 to several hundreds of dollars. Other gimmicks are built into items that you could carry such as a set of pens. Eric feels that the gimmick becomes more invisible when built into a thumbtip.

He goes into a nice discussion on which coins will work with the gimmicks and which won't. Obviously the first choice for most of us is American currency but he also covers a number of foreign coins. Most countries offer at least one or two coins that will work. The size of the coin had to be limited because if the gimmick was made to also accept the larger coin, the bend on the smaller ones is not as pronounced and dramatic. A small tradeoff in my book.

If you are uncomfortable using the gimmicks in the open, Eric offers a routine where the coin is pre-bent. Easy to do and still very strong magic. By the way, if you are into Uri Gellar type effects like spoon bending, the Biobender will do that for you.

To sum it up, if you want to do a coin bend routine, want a gimmick that will last you a lifetime and don't want to have to take out a second mortgage, this could be just what you are looking for.

Nicely done, Eric.

Not sure how you bring them into play stealthily. There are bolts and things hanging off them. I thought they'd be better bolted on the bottom rather than top of the device. Have the instructions a clever way of bringing them in and out of play. Luv the idea, just can't see how they are better than the other covert methods where you ditch the items after the work

How is this any diff from the one coinvexed? Looks like the same gimmick mounted in a TT.....


Not a fan, sorry Eric

IN the latest issue of Genii, David Oliver gave it a great review. He loved it.

In the January issue of Vanish magazine, Paul Romhany points out some shortcomings and doesn't give it much of a recommendation.

I met up with Eric in Columbus at his Penguin taping and asked him if he wanted to respond and I would post it. Still no email from him.