Um, how does the test go?
Try the old double blind.
I stood on one leg and then he pulled my arm, fell over like a baby. Then hold the bracelet in my right hand, stand on one leg and I feel much stabler and he pulls and I don’t fall over (as easily). Re-do without bracelet and easily get pulled over. Re-do with another object in my hand, fall over easy. For someone who doesn’t believe in this crap, it was weird.
Indeed. But I’ll need something that looks and feels the same to be able to do it that way. Perhaps just single blind, he doesn’t know if I have it or not will also work. Unless you tell me the placebo effect works even if I actively reject the bracelet’s “power”? I really need to do this again when I am sober though 
Sorry to revive an old(ish) thread, but now that the Aussies have forced PowerBalance to stop saying false sciencey-sounding things in their ads, it’s time we forced the local outfit to do the same. I’m drafting a complaint to the ASA on this - if you want to be added to the list of complainants, go here. I’ll make the draft complaint available to all signatories before submitting, both to get feedback as well as in case anyone want’s to take their names off at that stage.
I think I just saw Morne Morkel wearing one of these facepalm
Didn’t you know? Sportsmen tend to be very superstitious, reading meaning into all sorts of chance happenings.
'Luthon64
Interesting list, however magic bracelets aren’t superstition, they are quackery. Sportsmen develop odd habits out of a miss assigning of cause and effect, not assigning possible cause to mysterious energy fields (although I am sure some do). Morkel didn’t have a great day so hopefully he will put the band down, if he was ever wearing it (really really hope not).
Superstition and quackery, like several other classes of weird things people practice and believe, are different faces of the same underlying phenomenon, namely a receptivity for, and a ready acceptance of various false causalities. That is, they all come down to errors concerning which things affect one another, and how and to what extent they do so. In this view, it is then little wonder that sportspeople, being generally superstitious, will also be prone to buying into such duperies as the Power Balance bracelets.
'Luthon64
Being a wellknown national sportsman his example will generate sales. I believe that he was presented with it and possibly even is being paid to wear it.
Watching the cricket at the moment it looks like they are all wearing one. When I switched on the TV just now I heard Allan Donald complaining to Mike Haysman that Morne Morkel needs to be more consistent in hitting the right spot! :-)It would be great if someone could run some analysis on the various statistics of the cricket player before using and after using the magic bracelet…
The problem with these kind of things is that it is almost like praying and psychics - they remember the hits and forget the misses. If they wear the bracelet and do well, ‘What a brilliant bracelet…’, if they don’t do well, then ‘I haven’t been wearing it that long, so it hasn’t got in tune with my body’s natural energy field…’
The sad thing is that although they have been made to retract what they have been saying in Australia, they are still going to be selling their magic bracelets and making a good fortune well into the future…
That’s a good idea. If anyone does put in the time to investigate our local cricketers’ performance with and without the bracelet, please consider tacking it on to this post at “Bomoko” to start the snowball of data that refutes their claims.
This might become a global effort. We have so many sceptics available around the globe who can all choose a prominent sports personality and pick the claims apart.
James
Check out this video: Power Balance Bracelets on Today Tonight 22/12/2009. Power balance debunked ;D ;D
From the hologram on these things:
There’s one born every minute
The Australians earned some respect:
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ordered Power Balance Australia to reimburse all clients that feel they have been misled by the so-called benefits of the bracelet. Is has been found that the bracelet consists of ordinary rubber bands and plastic holograms.http://www.health24.com/news/Fitness/1-911,60325.asp
I see it being advertised for R299 now. I can get a gold bracelet with a charm or two attached for that price, would make me feel much better about myself than a plactic one would.
Would this be a case of “kud-oz”? 
'Luthon64
Even more worthy of respect would be a nation that just ain’t open to misleading claims in the first place. A big bother (I mean brother) is nice to have when you need the band-aid applied, but will he teach you about not coming of the bike again?
Mintaka
Well it is nice when big brother in the very least can make a noise about you being a sucker in the first place…
From Pharngula PJ seems to have a good handle on this scam!!
Power Balance is a company that prospered on gullibility: they sell overpriced silicon rubber wristbands with an imbedded hologram that do absolutely nothing, but which they claimed would enhance athletic performance. And they got suckers to shell out $60 for them.
The law caught up to them and forced them to publicly retract their claims. Here’s what you’ll find on their website now.
In our advertising we stated that Power Balance wristbands improved your strength, balance and flexibility.
We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading conduct in breach of s52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974.
If you feel you have been misled by our promotions, we wish to unreservedly apologise and offer a full refund.
To obtain a refund please visit our website www.powerbalance.com.au or contact us toll-free on 1800 733 436
This offer will be available until 30th June 2011. To be eligible for a refund, together with return postage, you will need to return a genuine Power Balance product along with proof of purchase (including credit card records, store barcodes and receipts) from an authorised reseller in Australia.
This Corrective Notice has been paid for by Power Balance Australia Pty Ltd and placed pursuant to an undertaking to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission given under section 87B of the Trade Practices Act, 1974.
I’d be jubilant, except that I expect this will make no difference at all to their scam. They’re still selling the same old garbage at the same extravagant price.