Magic tricks with rubber bands require a good quality rubber band at the right size for manipulation. The Merchant of Magic often get asked which rubber bands they recommend for magicians to use.

BM writes:

‘Where is the best place to buy good rubber bands for magic. Ones I get are too short too long or poor quality.’

What is the best size band to use for rubber band magic tricks?

The most popular size for rubber band magic tricks is #19. This gives you a good stretch range, but also means that the rubber band is not too loose around your fingers.

The most popular rubber bands used by magicians in the UK.

The most commonly used rubber band for magic tricks in the UK tends to be the standard bands from Staples. These are very cheap, standard size #19 and do a good job for most band work.

The best rubber bands for magicians.

Joe Rindfleisch Executive Rubber Bands are considered amongst the best bands on the market for magicians. They are treated with Elastraflex solution and are Latex free. for the perfect mix of stretch and longevity. They are competitively priced and the bands will last an absolute age!

The Pale Crepe Gold Rubber Bands, Size 19 have a very long life span compared to Staples bands. The larger stretch and higher rubber content make these an excellent choice for rubber band magic tricks. Alliance also have a good environmental policy, so they are one of the most eco friendly ruber bands available. These cost a LOT more than Staples bands, but the quality is worth it, if you plan to do rubber band magic tricks commercially.

Best rubber bands for magicians with allergies.

Latex free rubber bands for magic tricks

If you suffer from a latex allergy, a good alternative is the Alliance Latex free rubber bands. These use a synthetic rubber. These rubber bands are orange rather than the usual gold colour. Many magicians prefer this, as it improves visibility in low light working conditions.

Love rubber band magic tricks? Check out Casshan Wallace performing Melting Point Linking Rubber Bands:

Rubber band tricks have always been popular with magicians. We are going to look at the top 5 best sources for learning magic tricks using rubber bands.

We will suggest the best teaching for general rubber band tricks and also the best method for performing the linking rubber bands trick.

Why perform magic tricks with rubber bands?

Being able to perform magic with an ordinary object is powerful. The practical advantages of being able to wear a few rubber bands on your wrist, and being ready to perform anywhere at any time is a big draw to magicians. With the popularity of street magic in recent years, it’s never been a better time to learn a few rubber band tricks.

How do magicians start learning rubber band tricks?

A rubber band trick called Crazy Man’s Handcuffs tends to get most magicians hooked on rubber band tricks. Crazy man’s handcuffs is the penetration of rubber bands stretched between the forefinger and thumb of each hand. Invented by Arthur Setterington and first in print in New Pentagram (May 1970) under the name “Getaway’.

The technique was later refined by Herb Zarrow and it was republished in the Tarbell Course in Magic

Daryl came up with the name “The Crazy Man’s Handcuffs” and Michael Ammar released a booklet teaching the moves that became a best seller worldwide with magicians. Since then, rubber band magic has become more and more popular, with most close up magicians ensuring that they know at least one or two rubber band tricks.

Here are the best 5 sources for rubber band tricks currently available to magicians. We took several factors into account when choosing the best of the best list.

Easy of use
Practicality of performance
Magicians Reviews
Customer feedback from The Merchant of Magic
Feedback from magic shop demonstrators
Popularity and sales volume

The best general rubber band tricks.

These are the 3 best sources for learning general rubber band tricks. Each gives a good grounding in technique and a wide range of tricks.

Rubber band Series by Dan Harlan – DVD

Dan Harlan is regarded as the king of rubber band tricks. He is credited with being the force behind the modern resurgence of rubber band magic tricks. Before Rubber band Volume 1, rubber band tricks tended to be presented as puzzles, or single tricks, Dan organized material into sections featuring complementary techniques to form fully developed rubber band tricks into professional, complete magic routines. There are more techniques, subtleties, even flourishes on these DVD’s than anyone could imagine. Dan gives a great way to have a balances and wide range of magic using the bands.

Rubber Band Magic (2 DVD Set) – By Greg Moreland

Greg Moreland has a great reputation as a magic teacher, and his DVD on rubber band tricks is a great example of this skill. Greg guides you through the techniques in a way that makes learning to handle the bands much easier than you think. The DVD teaches 22 rubber band tricks and features Concise, easy to follow instructions, live footage of the tricks in action, and performance tips.

Extreme Rubber Band Magic Joe Rindfleisch, DVD

For magicians who don’t shy away from hard work, Joe Rindfleisch has released a collection of rubber band tricks that takes it one step further. As well as the classic penetrations and broken band restorations, Joe presents advanced mini-acts for close up magicians. This DVD makes a good ‘next step, after you have mastered the core techniques in band magic.

The best linking rubber bands tricks:
These sources provide the best tuition for linking rubber bands tricks. We have picked a gimmicked version and also an impromptu ungimmicked method.

SLR – Souvenir Linking Rubber Bands – By Paul Harris

Gimmicked Version – The Paul Harris Presents label goes hand in hand with high production values and useable material. SLR teaches gimmicked versions of the linking rubber bands tricks. It requires specially gimmicked rubber bands, which may put off many magicians, but the ability to hand out the linked rubber bands at the end of the trick, makes the downside worth living with. Very visual and once the technique has been worked on, it’s quick and easy to perform.

Melting Point by Casshan Wallace

Impromptu Version – Casshan Wallace has brought some very clever thinking to the classic Crazy Man’s Handcuffs rubber band magic trick. This is the best looking linking rubber bands trick we have ever seen, and being impromptu, using normal bands, we think it’s the best choice. Just seeing melting point in action will convince you of how much of an improvement Casshan has contributed to the linking rubber bands.

Which do the Merchant of Magic Recommend?

When magicians as us to give an opinion on the best source for learning general rubber band tricks, we suggest Greg Moreland’s DVD set. If a magician asks about learning the linking rubber bands, we point them to Melting Point by Casshan Wallace.