Product description : There is a lot of products on the market which allow to achieve pretty much the same thing : bend coin. The prices can go from $30 to more than $300 so there is something for everyone. Ox Bender is a new product on the market, which is, in my opinion, a breakthrough since you can bend a coin with only ONE hand. But is it any good ? is it worth the price ? Let’s find out !
Price and where to buy it : This is sold at $99.95 and you can find it in nearly every Murphy's magic « partner » shop !
What you get : You get a small cardboard box, very nicely made, it looks like a professional product and the packaging is really nice. Inside, you will find a little piece of paper, mentioning the fact you shouldn’t bend coin made out of 2 metal (like the 1 euro coin). You also get a link to an online video, which covers pretty much everything you need to know about this gimmick (coin bend with 1 hand, 2 hands, spoon twist, key twist and key break). You also receive your gimmick which is brilliantly made, out of very sturdy plastic, if you take care of it and use it properly, it should last a lifetime. It’s small enough to be hidden in your hand, it’s very easy to use. Overall, for the price asked, you can’t go wrong with it ! It’s amazing and very well made.
The pros and the cons : Here is the core of my review, let's begin with the cons, as I will usually be doing, I prefer to keep the good things for the end.
THE CONS :
[if !supportLists]– [endif]It may be a little bit expensive but when you see the final product, and how much time it took to develop it, I don’t this is overpriced.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]You have something hidden in your hand, it’s not like other tools (Coinvexed, Quantum Bender) which are hidden in plain sight.
THE PROS :
[if !supportLists]– [endif]It’s very well made and should last a lifetime. You have to follow Menny’s instructions, especially for the small coins because you have to be a little bit more careful when you load them into the gimmick.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]You can bend coin with 1 hand ! I’m in France so from my experience, you can bend the 2 and 5 cents very easily with one hand. Any other coin would need the 2 hands bend.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]Whether you use the 1 or 2 handed bend, it’s so well incorporated in the routine, it flies by the spectator, it’s amazing.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]It’s quite versatile, you can use coins but also fork, spoon or keys ! So you’re not limited by the gimmick but by your imagination.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]The gimmick is made in such a way that you can load the coin without even looking at it ! This is a nice feature, which allows your routine to be very streamline and very clean.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]I found no marks on my coins, I know other gimmick leave marks when you use them. So there is no backtrack for the spectator.
[if !supportLists]– [endif]It’s very light, compared to Coinvexed or Quantum Bender, this is at least 10 times lighter than those 2 products. So it’s very easy to carry around !
Overall rating : This has become my favourite bender, I use it everytime I can, I’ve never been caught, this is one of the best surprise of 2017 so far, 4/4 hearts.
As for the difficulty level, bending coin is not the easiest thing on earth but with a little practice, you will be able to do it very quickly, I would say 3/5 stars.
Similar products : Quantum Bender, Coinvexed, Benz, Cobra Bender, Superman etc.. There are a lot of options on the market, I do think the Ox Bender is one of the best of its kind.