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The Effect

Link (The Ultimate Crazy Man's Handcuffs) by Nabil Murday - DVD
AS PERFORMED ON TV BY CYRIL!!!

What the audience sees:

1. You show two REGULAR AND UNPREPARED rubber bands, each held between a thumb and finger. The bands and your fingers make rings. You show that there is no way to link these rings.You rub the bands against each other, and make them VISUALLY penetrate each other. This is a compelling illusion, with exactly the same visual as crazy man's handcuffs- except the bands are going IN!

2. You show that now there is no way to get out. Then, the bands visually penetrate out- ONE STRAND AT A TIME! When they are half way through, the bands can be pulled to show that the bands are REALLY HALF-WAY THROUGH! Then, the last strand pulls on the other rubber band and VISUALLY POPS THROUGH!!!

3. You offer to repeat the effect, bringing the bands up to chest height. Again, the bands penetrate IN AND OUT!

4. You then ask an audience member to hold one of the bands between their two hands. You show that the bands are definitely outside each other, and there is no way to get through. Now YOU TELL THEM EXACTLY WHERE TO LOOK! The bands immediately and visually penetrate each other RIGHT AT THAT SPOT!!! Then, they penetrate back out and you take your applause.

The above routine is 100% commercial, and has been audience tested over thousands of performances. PLUS, you will have all the tools you will ever need to construct your own personalized version of the crazy man's handcuff's:

Running Time Approximately 2hr 5min


Cost

£19.99 at http://www.dudethatscoolmagic.co.uk/aca ... html#aB322.

Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

3 but with great teaching and practice anyone can do it.

Review

Crazy man’s handcuffs or Bandit, this is the basic instructions and then a lot more, and I mean a lot! This is a DVD with over 2 hours of demonstration and instruction, I fell asleep after the 28th effect (but I did have a late night) and I’ll be sure to watch the rest of it. Great production with clear instruction from Nabil, the DVD includes contributions from some other working professionals with their variations of the effect. Nabil also shows the viewers how to build a simple gimmick for performing a borrowed ring and band link, and band to band etc.
The DVD delivers exactly what it says on the shops review and even recommends what kind and size of bands to use. Make sure you have some if you buy this as you will want to practice straight away while watching, size 19 rounded ones are best.

Overall

If you don’t know how to perform crazymans hand cuffs then this is a must, elastic band magic may not seem glamorous but it is practical and the postman always leaves bands on the floor on my street. This is magic that can be performed in the spectators hand and that is always a bonus for the wow factor.
If crazymans handcuffs is already part of your repertoire or you know the move and have a creative mind this is probably not for you at this price. Saying that I am very pleased with my purchase and from one of the 5 ways of performing the basic move I will develop one that best suits me. Hard to rate this out of 10 as the DVD is very well produced without all the annoying joking you get and terrible sound levels in a lot of instructional DVD’s. Nabil gives credit where due to other magi, and the effect is so stunning I will give it an 8.5 out of 10.

A big thank you to Mike at Dude that’s cool magic, great customer service.

THanks for the review of this. I just came across this on penguin yesterday.

This almost sounds so good, I want to eat it and have it's puppies.

Just to confirm: there's no gimmicks with this?

That sounds rather good! hmmm. i feel a CUPS moment

seige wrote:This almost sounds so good, I want to eat it and have it's puppies.

Just to confirm: there's no gimmicks with this?

No Seige, there are no gimmicks involved in the crazy man's hand cuffs routine or during any point of 'melting' the band through its counter part. But there is a gimmick involved in the linking band to band or band to ring, ring to ring etc. You are shown how to make the gimmick and its real simple but not something I would be keen to use in close up. Thanks for reading my review.

Trickyfied wrote:But there is a gimmick involved in the linking band to band.

Looy Simonoff published a band through band routine, back in August 2001. It was in Magic Magazine. He calls it "HONEST, A Bionic Linking"
There are no gaffs involved...once the two rubber bands are linked, you are in position to perform CMH. Check it out, if you get the chance.

Trickyfied wrote:

seige wrote: But there is a gimmick involved in the linking band to band or band to ring, ring to ring etc. You are shown how to make the gimmick and its real simple but not something I would be keen to use in close up.

I wouldn't want to do that effect (with the gimmick) close up. But a little bit of a distance could work ... not convinced though.

Does anyone perform this?

Sounds like a perfect accompaniment to Pinnacle (ring on band)... which involves no gimmick either.

I didn't mean to pry about the gimmick, but there was a tad of confusion that the word 'gimmick' was mentioned.

Thanks, and nice review... may just have to order this!

He doesn't use the gimmick for the CMH ... it's for a different linking of the bands.

The demo video should make things clear

Thanks for the great review - I was "umming" and "arring" over this but I think I have been swayed to purchase this now. (I have now purchased quite a few effects based solely on the reviews posted here and not disappointed with them either!!!)

I also agree with Dude That's Cool Magic's customer service - excellent and cannot fault it.

I am pleased my review has been of interest, after losing my first attempt into cyber world I almost gave up and didnt bother, but I am glad I did now

Quote from Jeb Ho
'I wouldn't want to do that effect (with the gimmick) close up. But a little bit of a distance could work ... not convinced though.'

I agree, Nabil said Cyril uses this gimmick, and in tv work with cameras it would be fine but not close up work.

cmhc was the first trick I learned about 5 years ago, this DVD really does take it to another level, I love his presentation of it as 'just an illusion' this works much better than the text I learned from the manuscript leaving the spectator completely confused and probably not knowing what to believe!!!

love the linking ring section and the snapped and restored band is so easy but very effective

at over 2 hours v good value for money but i do think that the basic method is taught better in the manuscript, just buy that as well (about£5) if you want to be totally clued up

I must say I've never really done any elastic band magic, but when I read the reviews on this, I thought I'd check it out... It's excellent. It goes from the basic CMH to some more impressive effects.

Love it!

Ooh and when you get time - check out this kid doing it - very good!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC6aUem63VM

P.S. - I hate exposure on YouTube - this ISN'T exposure

Firstly let me say that im really getting into rubberband magic, and Dan Harlans work is also well worth a look if you enjoy this.

After doing a small set of tricks for friends i have often performed crazy-mans as a little encore, and everytime it has got the best reaction of the night. I think it is because the bands are such normal items, and people dont think that you can manipulate them at your fingertips without them falling off. i know this because my friends will always try to recreate what they just saw and end up flicking themselves with one and declaring it impossible.

I learnt crazy-mans from a book called Magic Elastrix, which i hunted down after being obsessed with the effect as a kid. Is it worth buying this DVD if i already know the effect? is there alot of new moves to learn here?

I also wanted to ask about the linking bands trick, i recently came up with a handling of Garcia's trick Rubbermade, altering the method from IT to a loop, which makes this mini miracle easier and stronger in my opinion. Please dont think im fishing for exposure, but does the gimmicked effect also rely on IT, or is the method cleaner than that?

Atomo

I love the teaching and variations of the Crazy Man's Handcuffs, but I didn't really like the LINK! gimmick. Personal taste I guess.

.:Ham:.