I received this kit a couple of days ago from Penguin and am starting to watch the over TWO hour
instructional video - featuring the great Gregory Wilson and Chris Oberle. It is very obvious how
things work when opening the box & what the gimmick is; IN ADDITION! You will notice the 8-10 "Bells
& Whistles" - pieces that Murphys Magic decided to put together, making CONTROL a "KIT", NOT just a
"gimmick" like Silent Assistant.
Before I go into the amazing praise I have for CONTROL, I
want to touch briefly for a moment on Silent Assistant. I know that both CONTROL and SA came on out
to the market relatively around the same time into the new year. I also am aware those alike myself
who couldn't decide which one to go with, SA or CONTROL I was doing endless research & outreach to
find out what the best product was (beyond the details and trailers, more of as far as how these
gimmicks are made and durability)
SA - I cannot speak from personal experience as I do not
own it, however; I do have experience with what you are getting (aside from what Sandsminds shows
you in their trailer - which I have to give them props for actually showing what you are getting,
though the trailer isn't all that great). I have heard from various people in the U.K. that STRICTLY
do PK Coin effects. They swear by SA for Coin vanishes and such uses; however when it comes to
anything else you may see in the Sandsminds trailer - You are being FOOLED by Sandsminds. Not are
they only showing you a lot of the things you "can" do, but sadly with all the talk of Sandsminds
"revamping" and "making a turn around/ comeback" I don't see it ever. They have lost their
reputation with most of the industry and it's very sad for creative minds with deceptive videos,
overpriced products and poor quality effects you spend your hard earned dollars on. So conclusion on
SA is that if you are a Coin Magician looking to do those kind of vanishes in the SA then go for
that if you want and dont need what you are going to get with CONTROL, however here are the great
things about CONTROL along with some cons I am able to detect off the bat as CONTROL is NOTHING like
SA.
Here are the pros/ cons I have picked up on in my usage so far as mentioned I am
still learning but wanted to write a review as I have used all the parts of CONTROL and it has blown
me away - just the way Sucker Punch did where you basically get a kit filled with every coin
effect you can do on the market that comes out these days - but with the Murphys Sucker Punch
utility chip set that is a MUST HAVE. CONTROL is JUST like Sucker Punch in that way - in the sense
of the amount of things you get, and if you think you have seen enough when getting your package &
open the CONTROL box, be VERY careful, and watch the first minute of the 2 hr long + instructional
video. I guarantee that most of the negative reviews of CONTROL will be due to people playing around
with their kit before watching just ONE MINUTE of the beginning of the video to see how to take
everything out properly.
CONTROL IS:.................
The STRONGEST (& I mean...
STRONGEST PK effect out there. Don't believe me? Watch the latest Alakazam Vlog, or do the diligent
research I did before purchasing this. I am mainly into mentalism but I love visual / card magic &
possibly some mysterious stuff with bizarre story telling lot of jamie daws inspiration. Having
CONTROL will enhance my mentalism side so much with the amount of things they teach you with the
items you received whether pre made accessories to go with your gimmick OR the DIY things you can
make anything your mind thinks of. With SA - you only get a gimmick, so you wouldn't get this whole
kit, you'd basically be dry, forced to buy coins and things like that ; while here you are good to
go for as long as your imagination runs wild as they include the DIY things that can be applied to
things in different strengths. You will hear a lot about how STRONG CONTROL is, and i rest my case
as you've heard it enough :) Gregory Wilson is a deception genius and I had the honor of meeting him
at Penguin Live EXPO last year - I always look for projects or his work as he is an excellent
teacher no matter what you are doing in the industry magic/ mentalism as he always covers all bases
with lots of Deception as usual, teaching you things that are worth more then the product alone. For
those that were like me originally not sure what to get SA or CONTROL, even though this one comes
with all the fun accessories that you wont be left high and dry with some gimmick if you havent done
this before like SA - this is worth EVERY penny. I thought this could be over priced but I was
fooled and proven wrong. This honestly to me should be up there close to $80 -$100 compared to the
benders and things like other utilities because this includes a whole arsenal.
Oh did I
also tell you that it comes with a VERY SPECIAL ADDITIONAL gimmick Device so if you choose to do so
and want to ditch the gimmick - you dont have to put it in your pocket, you dont have to have any
clothing requirements, it is INSANE the way Murphys, Darryl and Greg worked to make this ditching
the gimmick that comes secretly under your nose that you wont probably know what it is until you
watch the first minutes of the video. It is a method used with other things that greg has actually
done with EXACT CHANGE of many others, however this is just brilliant but hey ! You dont need to get
worried because not only do you get a special gimmick device to ditch it that way (which i think you
will) - you ALSO are taught how to COLOR the GIMMICK CUSTOMIZING it more to your skin tone flesh
versus a look these things might have in magic kits.... In addition - You are able to FULLY adjust
the tightness and looseness of this GIMMICK! How cool is that? They talk about all of the
improvements from movemint and others in the past , firmly believing how revolutionary this really
is. And THAT is JUST the gimmick, PLUS the accessories, DIY Tools, Ready to go toys/ bells and
whistles, Ditch device, over TWO HOUR DVD, $60???? HELL YES. You get the point, BUY THIS AS YOU READ
:) I am saving you from SA and all of the headaches you will encounter as what i just described is
absolutely NOTHING of what you are getting here with CONTROL.
I never had a PK set
like this and it is amazing how much you get for the buck. I always had PK rings but never really
used them, was just either a connivence or inconvenience if you know what i mean if you wear it all
the time haha. I am so happy with CONTROL and I KNOW you will be too! This will SELL OUT and if you
want to take advantage of the AMAZING arsenal, stop reading and hit that button "ADD TO CART"! You
will be carrying this specialized box in your kit/ case or bag everywhere you go. Once you commit
and order this, you will be one step closer to owning the STRONGEST most VERSITILE PK (dont even
want to say effect because it is so much more then one effect with the endless possibilities) I hope
you all enjoy this as much as I am & if you are a fan of Sucker Punch like I said and understand how
busy that keeps you - just keep putting that concept into how a Murphys set but with a PK utility
and all the bells and whistles you could think of to DIY your imagination of things, as well as
ready to go fun things ready to use right out of the box. I hope this review has been helpful and I
look forward to learning more routines but once i knew how everything works now, what you get that
you can build with things at home as simple as a coffee cup like in the trailer effect, or use the
pre made special items you get that are already made by murphys magic every day life objects you
will LOVE
I cannot stress this enough, WATCH THE VIDEO BEFORE OPENING & TOUCHING THE
GOODIES :) GET YOUR SUPERPOWERS GOING & PICKUP CONTROL. MURPHYS MAGIC YOU GET AN A+ FOR THIS
CREATION & KIT. MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION, GREAT WAY TO START OFF THE NEW YEAR :) Stay Magical, -
Andrew Ace
Do you agree with other reviewers that the gimmick is bulky & can't be flashed?
If so, how do you work around it or are you not concern with the size but only the strength of the m**t?
I think the comparison between this and sa that one is looking for is the concealment, invisibility and being able to flash and apparently show both hands open. They both seem great for different uses so there really isn't any comparison.