"PaperClip" by Sam Fitton
Suggested Retail USD$25.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 3 Out of 10

"PaperClip", a trick by Sam Fitton, has the potential of being a slick piece of magic but fails to deliver in too many areas to be worth the purchase.

I'll let the ad copy speak for itself on the effect:

"You take a borrowed paperclip from a spectator and ask them to bend it into an 'S' shape. They do so and hand it back to you. You then take the paperclip and immediately begin to bending it at will with the power of your mind. It twists and turns right in front of the spectators eyes. They can see the bend visually form. Until finally it snaps, falling into the spectators awaiting hands. It is immediately examinable and you are clean."

Except that isn't what happens. Well, that's not exactly right: that piece happens as describe, but the other piece, the piece not shown on the demo video, was left out. And that's the part that doesn't make any sense. You see, when the spectator gives it to you, all bent and all, you then straighten it according to the instructions and re-bend it. Why? Who knows? You just do, apparently. That's a weak part of the routine and one that is not addressed adequately in the instructions.

Now, the other let-down is the "any paperclip" claim. I tried every paperclip I could lay my hands on and could not get "PaperClip" to work on any of them. Oh, I could with a bit of stress and strain (that piece left out of the video again), but then... oh boy, does it look as obvious as you can get. So for the best performance, possibly the only performance, you're down to using the specific paperclips mentioned in the instructions.

The biggest let-down, as far as I'm concerned, is the gimmick. Essentially, this is something to wear on you (yes, you're into "long sleeves" territory here for the most part). Now, that's not so bad: if you're a worker, you probably wear long sleeves any way. But what is bad is that part of the gimmick used to attach the thing to you is not supplied. It's mentioned in the instructions plain enough, but it's nowhere to be found in the package. Okay, okay, let's cut "PaperClip" some slack and say you can pick one up or make one pretty simply. But let's also be realistic here: for $25 I want everything I'm supposed to get. I don't want to shell out more money for something that should have been in the little plastic bag to begin with. Is it so much to ask that when something is said to "come complete" that it does? Nah, I didn't think so.

There are other problems, too. The documentation is shoddy, with photos that are almost impossible to learn from and descriptions that are lacking. I learned more about performing "PaperClip" from the demo video than from the instructions (except for that one critical piece) and that's just wrong.

Now that I've gotten all that off my chest, I have to say that "PaperClip" has some real potential. The bend (a single bend, for those of us picky about such things) does look good. The break is a bit shaky, but it's got a good visual component to it. You genuinely are angle-proof on this one and, if you have the gimmick on you, this is about as impromptu in appearance as you can get. I'll even cop to playing around with this one a lot in the comfort of my living room just because it does look so neat.

But for the price, there should be more than what you get. The documentation should be at least adequate, the gimmick complete and ready to go, and it wouldn't have hurt to supply some of the necessary paperclips, just to get you started on the right foot.

As it is, what you get is a certain something you can pick up for a couple of bucks online and a bad taste in your mouth.

Pass this one by unless you're really some kind of hardcore "bend" fan, and even then think twice.

"PaperClip" by Sam Fitton
In a Blink: 3 Out of 10

Practicality: 3
Well, there's a clothing requirement but it's not all that stringent. What does hurt this one is simply getting it to work with the advertised "any paperclip". It just don't happen. You'll likely need the very specific paperclips mentioned in the instructions to pull this one off. Considering the whole "any time, any place, etc" mantra is a huge selling point for this one, that rather painful detail takes a hit.

Workmanship: 1
What? For $25 you wanted everything you'd need to pull this one off? Forget it. A piece of the gimmick specifically mentioned as included in the instructions isn't so you're left to figuring out that part on your own. Sorry, but that's just plain shoddy for the money.

Documentation: 2
The documentation is in dire need of an editor, that's for sure, but beyond that things are just not explained well. Oh, sure, you can get an idea of what's going on and work the rest out yourself, but you shouldn't have to. Throw in some badly shot photos and you're pretty much on your own here.

Effect: 5
This has the potential of knocking them for a loop, what with the visuals and all, but with an (apparently) awkward handling not shown in the demo video that is downright suspicious, it just doesn't have the impact it could.

Presentation: 5
It's all about the visuals with this one, and they can be pretty good, but it's simply not as good looking as it could be.


Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.