It's very revealing that they expected reviews without providing a tutorial and other fundamental details.

I guess in the eyes of a lot of these companies, the role of reviewers is to hold the box up to the camera and say what you're told to say.

Well, we must have watched a different review because I can't recall Scott being unfair to Ben. He also clearly does understand the difference between the right and left versions of the product. As far as I can tell, the only mistake he made was agreeing to create the video under the insane deadline set by Vanishing Inc. Magic, without access to the finished instructional video. Sociopathic? Really? Like the Joker is in Batman? I think that's a wild misuse of the term.

All he said about Ben as a person was that he didn't like the way he "performed" during the tutorial. I haven't seen it, but this kind of ego-driven antics on instructional content annoys me, too. You often see magicians make this mistake, treating the video primarily as entertainment rather than an educational resource. Some creators can manage to do both. But I'd prefer video instructions to be as clear and short as possible. Otherwise, I think Scott was overwhelmingly positive about the product. I'd certainly still buy it based on the strength of his detailed review.



Marty

The reviewer should definitely apologize because he reproduced gossip (in the second video) to undermine Seidman’s credibility without knowing the man himself, which shows a lot.

I agree that engaging with the rumour mill is nearly always a bad idea. Maybe he does owe Ben an apology for that. But surely Vanishing Inc. Magic and Ben should also apologise for their behaviour and take responsibility for this mess.

When this first was released and I read the original posted ad, I didn't think you received both watches with the deluxe version. However, If I was confused with the ad then I would simply email the shop to confirm what you get before ordering.

"Purchasers of the Deluxe Edition will get everything in the standard, as well as an upgraded, silver watch and access to an exclusive live Zoom workshop."

This is the exact wording of the original ad copy which they have since updated to clarify. It’s very unambiguous, nothing confusing about it that requires clarification. You get EVERYTHING in the standard AS WELL AS an upgrade silver watch.

I’m glad you didn't make the same mistake that I did but the fault certainly was not my own. At any rate I’m looking forward to seeing what value the zoom session adds to my purchase, I’m hoping it will also be of use to whoever eventually decides to pirate it.

Can you gimmick your own watches and replace what comes in the box?
Also, do those stretchy watch bands have to be used?

Thanks in advance!

You can do it yourself although you made need a watch maker. I suppose the expansion brand isn’t strictly necessary but it is very helpful.

EMP has had these issues with others before. It makes him relevant for 30 seconds. Two other friends and I own this. It's absolutely perfect and wonderful. Ben was spot on. The review was dismal. This guy has a history.
Well done, Ben.
Well done, Vanishing Inc. Your only mistake was sending him the magic to review.

Stop that now.
BD
Reading MC

That may be the case, but I'm disappointed in Vanishing Inc. Magic for pressuring a creator to review this product by a specific date without giving him the finished product. Yes, there were factual inaccuracies in the review, but they were only there because of the sloppy way VI handled the situation. My sympathy in this particular situation lies with Scott. How exactly are you supposed to review a product when you don't even have the instructions that go with it?! Andi and Josh can (and should) do much better than this. This is a real shame because customer support from VI is usually excellent.

Personally, I'll tell any magic company, in no uncertain terms, that I'll be writing/filming my review on my own terms and to my own timeline. Perhaps that's why I don't get any freebies! LOL.

Marty

This is all very fascinating to me as a reviewer.

I obviously can only speak from my own personal experience, but I've never had VI give me a deadline for a review or ask me to complete a review without all of the information. Maybe the deadline was self-imposed so that he could publish it on the day of release.

If you're looking for a new reviewer to follow, I'd be happy to have you at www.magicreview.org where my tagline is "reviews you can trust." I try to always give clear, concise facts to help you make an informed decision without just pushing my agenda or my opinions on everyone. And I would never make it an opportunity to personally attack someone or a product.

Ultimately, if I don't have anything kind to say, I don't say anything at all. I tend to think cream will rise to the top.

Madison

Assuming Scott is telling the truth (I have no reason to doubt him), VI requested that this review be completed and posted before RWW's release date. Or they at least set that expectation. Now, maybe Scott should have pushed back and said no, and VI would have been fine with that. But that's not the impression I got from his follow-up video:



Madison, I always enjoy your detailed reviews, but I do think reviewers should be free to be honest about a product, even if it does run the risk of upsetting the creator or producer. For example, I gave "Tidal Wave" by Spidey a poor review on my blog. He didn't whinge or complain (or ask me to change the review). In fact, he was a complete gentleman about it, which made me much more likely to buy his products in the future.

I haven't continued writing reviews because I'm not entirely sure that more reviews is what the magic community needs.

Marty

Oh I’m happy to point out the negatives. But I’ll leave Craig Petty to absolutely bash a product. It’s just not in my nature or worth my time to do a write up of a product that I don’t at least somewhat enjoy.

Madison

The three reviews that all came out on the same day as R.W.W came out all looked like clever advertising to me.

Ha, yes, indeed! Nobody does it better. Well, maybe Ryland does!

Understandable for the reviewer to be annoyed by being asked to rush a review and not be provided the full tutorial, and then being criticized for getting a couple details mixed up, but he could have just said "no". It's definitely a cheap shot to publish the comments of an anonymous "well known" magician trashing Ben.