talkmagic.co.uk

Hi all!

I've read a fair few posts recently on the wonders of metal bending, and decided that I want to get in on the fun .

I was almost going to go with Gerry and Banachek's Psychokinetic Silverware as this seems to have got consistently good reviews; however, the recent post on Liquid Metal has changed my mind a bit. The question now is, which should I go with? Remember, I'm a total beginner to metal bending and haven't the faintest how it works - so nothing too hard please .

Kati

I haven't got Gerry and Banachek's Psychokinetic Silverware, however I have got Morgan's Liquid Metal. I'm fairly satisfied with Liquid Metal, however, I don't use it much. It just sits on my DVD rack. It does require quite a lot of finger and hand strength to perform. Also, the forks in the UK are quite hard to bend. You can use forks from Tesco's though.

I'm more of a card man so I guess metal bending just isn't my thing.

StEvEbO!

I dont have liquid metal, but I do have banacheks DVD.
Psychokinetic silverware is really brilliant for a beginner,
Banachek goes through everything slowly and clearly, he is
a great teacher. Gerry Mc Cambridge, however, who accompanies
Banachek on the DVD is really annoying. He keeps asking stupid
questions.

I haven't found that a lot of finger strength is required,
which is what some people say.
I have seen clips of liquid metal, and it seems to be fairly similar.
Psychokinetic Silverware is definitely reccommended for beginners.

Banacheks Psi Series vol.4 is also a metal bending DVD. He goes through
the methods that are explained on PK silverware, and he shows how to bend keys, nails, spoons etc aswell.

I'm sure Taneous will have something to say on this one, Kati, but as for my opinion, I don't own Liquid Metal and I bought Banachek's because of how it's raved about on the boards here. I was not disappointed.

I've performed bits of the routine he teaches, and it is a very through, well taught routine and people love it.

Buy Banachek.

I've got Banachek's offering too (it was a fiver on ebay and couldn't resist) and have found it to be really good.

I acn't compare (having only one of the contestants) but suffice to say I have not been disappointed by this material in any way.

HTH,

Vic

I can back up the comments on PK Silverware by Banachek. It has a very convincing handling and is explained very well that even I could understand it. However, it does not teach exercizes to increase your finger strength - if you have to deal with heavy silverware this DVD doesn't teach you how to practice to handle it.

I also agree with the previous opinion that Gerry McCambridge is not a very supportive audience - but Banachek handles him well. Actually, I was very fond to see a performer handling a tougher customer than the ultra-friendly L&L audience.

I don't have Liquid Metal so I cannot compare them. Does Liquid Metal teach work out routines for the hands as well?

Well, speaking as a Banachek idol, I also have his PK works.

I've not seen Liquid Metal, (although I am familiar with it) but I would suggest that Morgan's DVD and the Banachek teachings will be similar in all respects except performance style.

The Liquid Metal DVD looks to be the same basic teachings as the Banachek I would imagine. However, the performance styles are likely to be a lot different.

Banachek is obviously a more seasoned performer, and it's his direct and subtle approach which I would find to give a more credible and 'special' performance.

Morgan's DVD seems a bit more 'in ya face' and 'look at me, I can bend a fork'. After all Banachek is a mentalist, Strebler is a performer.

My tuppence? Go for Banachek.

Liquid Metal DVD is very nice, if you like those effects. It would never suit my reportoire, but for a metal bender lover, the dvd is very nice... recommended.

Morgan's DVD seems a bit more 'in ya face' and 'look at me, I can bend a fork'. After all Banachek is a mentalist, Strebler is a performer.

I totally agree. Morgan's dvd shows you how to do a cool fork bending trick. Banachek shows you how to bend metal with your mind. I have all of Banachek's stuff as well as Liquid metal. In fact I was showing a friend Liquid metal (the dvd) the other night and I felt myself cringe as Morgan waved the fork around as if something was wrong with his wrist and then stuck it in the persons face so he had to almost move away to prevent getting his eye poked out with the fork.

Also - you don't need to practice gaining finger strength - whatever you need comes as you do it more often - besides, you're doing it with your mind, not your fingers
We need to be careful what we say about effects like this - this is a public forum.

Just to add to the confusion, has anyone seen this one http://www.emagictricks.co.uk/product_i ... ts_id=4947 at all?

Just to add to the confusion, has anyone seen this one

Erez Moshe's Perfect Bend doesn't really fit into the same catagory as the other two as it is really just a one off spoon bend using a special gimmick as opposed to the more indepth Banachek and I assume Liquid metal.

It's quite nice although to be honest not particularly any easier to do or any more realistic than any other method. Personally I would give this one a miss and go with the Banachek or Liquid Metal. My own personal favourite being the Banachek.

Some interesting responses so far.

I don;t own Banacheck but do own Liquid Metal so it's difficult to make a real comparrison unless you own both - perhaps. Liquid metal kicks and if you have it and don;t use it, then you're missing some great opportunities.

There are credits on Liquid Metal to Banacheck so as Siege said there are similarities and this is a single effect rather than the more in depth teachings that people vouch for with Banacheck.

Asda forks are the best. The consistancey of the forks from Tesco and Wilkinson are a little hit and miss. I won't expand on this as it will begin to expose part of the effect.

Metal bending will not suit everyone. There are references to your hands in the Liquid Metal DVD so it's covered in sufficient depth for the effect.

Forget about how Banacheck and Morgan perform, it's all about how you perform this and how convincing you are. Morgan;s teachings are more than adequate and he covers the psychology of the effect in good detail.

Taneous sums the DVD up very well. For £17 LM will get you going and give you some good teaching. You can then decide if you want to add Banacheck to your collection.

My experience is with Liquid Metal but this probably goes for Banacheck as well. If your performance is polished then the specs will be as twisted as the fork is at the end - and they get a souvineer to take away that will keep them guessing for weeks after.

I was thinking about having may name and number etched on the fork and using it as a business card

I own neither, but I've already decided to go with Liquid Metal. The main reason is that Banachek simply bends or twists something while Morgan leaves you with a totally whacked out soulvenier that can never be used again.

i can't really comment on which one is better because i own neither.
however, i do have banacheks psi series and i assume that vol 4 of that will be pretty much the same as psycokinetic silverware.
i'd always go with banachek though, not only does he explain bends in detail he goes into as much detail, if not more, about misdirection and psychological tips he uses.
it's an all round winner, can't go wrong.

I've got Banachek's offering.

Firstly, I want to say that the routine he performs is perfect and the misdirection and bends are so well-thought-out that I still didn't notice them even after he taught them. It's a great effect!

However, I've never actually bent any forks in front of people. I've tried a few basic bends but I just think that metal bending isn't my thing.

It's nice to know something about it though!

Kati