A few things really bother me and I hope people can give me some feedback.

over the last few months, we see a lot more people jumping on the magic review bandwagon since there is nothing else to do at home during the lockdown. there is no issue as an extra pair of eyes is good for consumers.

my issue is a lot of reviewers are either
1. sponsored
or
2. they want to get the video out asap to get the views and the subs.

sponsor reviews are basis in my opinion. I don't care if they say they are not. the reality is that sponsorship will stop if the reviewers keep on bashing on the products. so not telling the full truth is considering basis already. Or the reviewers and creators are the good buddies and they do a quick review to help out as promotion. we all know this so we take reviewer word at discount

the biggest issue I have is number 2. the reviewers just want to get the video out asap.

How can a review be decent or have any credit if the stuff come today and a review pop up a week later?

there is no time to really digest the material and test it on the audience. If it is a review copy that gets sent out early. I am okay with it.

I think magic reviewers should at least state how long they practice and how many times they have performed the effect on the actual audience prior to the review.

Otherwise, they should state that this is a "first impression" of the product. not a review of the product.

what do you guys think?

I agree...I see number two a lot from the same reviewers. Maybe they want the review to be relevant? I don't know. Some reviewers are forthcoming as to their source of the trick, which is good. I've also seen some great reviews to some of the most horrible dreck...

Regarding the first point... I wouldn't say they are "sponsored", I think that's not an accurate word here. But being sent free stuff for review... That's the same as with the people reviewing for Magic magazines. And not just magic, music, films, food etc too. Reviewers typically don't pay for stuff.

You don't have to listen to them, just find people that you do trust, and share similar views to. And stick with those. Or better yet, buy it yourself and review it I subscribe to some Music pages on FB, with one I quickly learnt that I don't agree with their taste in this particular genre of music, but that's ok, Im still being kept up to date with stuff. Whats a 4 **** album to them is typically more like 2 ** to me.

So if the reviewer is being somewhat factual and talking about the trick, then I can make up my mind whether I like it or not. If its clearly a gushing fan boy, then I wouldn't be listening to them.

All the best,
Dan

Also the problem is that if you only review things you buy (im not talking people talking about things on the forum, but the ones with a "review show"), then there might only be a handful of episodes a year

Personally, as both a creator and a consumer, the two reviews I trust most are Magic Orthodoxy and Ekaterina. I've known Ekat for years and we live near each other, and David and I have spoken a bunch since I started releasing magic. What I appreciate about both of them, is despite our friendships, they will 100% tell you what they think of my work I've sent them. They could easily praise everything I do for the sake of "friendship" but they don't. If there is a negative point they have with a product, they will say it. I appreciate that, because I know that people watching their reviews are getting the truth 100%. I also know they have turned things down to review because they were asked to review it positively, and they didn't want to compromise their brands of being transparent and honest. Whenever I look for a product review, as a consumer, they are the first two reviewers I go to. So yes, reviewers do get stuff for free sometimes (not all the time though) but in my first hand experience, David and Ekat give honest reviews for the sake of helping the consumer

I agreed that a lot of reviewer these days cares more about being relevant than being accurate. There is a lot of products pumping out these days and people never know what is gonna be a hit. reviewers are trying to chase those views since after a week no one cares about the product. I also feel that the reviewers are doing the review wrong in terms of presentation or content.

Reviewing magic ..you cannot just review what you see in the physical product. Most review stop at yes the trailer is legit it is exactly what they teach you. or no the trailer lies. the gimmick is well built or not and how long the instruction is. But we are talking about magic here. what they selling is an educational video that teaches you about performance as a certain thing. A good review should talk about how much time is actually involved in learning the effect and working the presentation. What issue came come up during a performance they perform to people. The keyword is for PEOPLE. most reviewers don't even perform the stuff they review, they just imagine it or perform it to the camera. How wrong can they get...


it's like you are watching a car review guy reviewing a car who never actually drove the car. all they did was looking at a car and the spec telling you they like it or not. and to top it off they tell you they can't imagine driving the car for too long because the seat LOOKS weird.

Whilst I enjoy the Wizard Product Review for entertainment, the only Youtube channel I trust is Unbiased Magic Reviews. The WPR guys are too entrenched in the industry to dare bash their larger colleagues, friends or rivals. The reviewer for UMR is seemingly not in the industry, is a doctor and obviously obsessed with magic. His addiction is our gain as his gives his very experienced opinions on the weekly purchases he makes.

Even the magazines and newsletters are suspect. They will not endanger advertising income by upsetting current or potential advertisers.

You have to find reviews from people who do not make a penny in the magic industry or need the money their channels or websites makes.

Honestly people have their own agenda. you can’t blame them for it. You just have to filter out the ******** and see if it is for you.