AUTOSTRADDLE ANONYMOUS SEX TOY REVIEW #53:
It’s our 53rd Autostraddle Anonymous Sex Toy Review! Over the last few years, sex toy companies and stores have asked us to review their toys in exchange for, you know, their toys.
This week, one of our anonymous reviewers tried out the Magic Wand Rechargeable, sent by to us by Good Vibrations.
- Material: silicone head, ABS plastic body, silicone control pad
- Color: white, with blue accents
- Size: 13″ long
- Price: $125
no cord no cord no cooorrrddddd
The Magic Wand Rechargeable is a reboot of the original (formerly Hitachi) Magic Wand that takes “the Cadillac of vibrators” and makes it into something that pings as an actual vibrator rather than a clunky back massager universally used as a sex toy. The biggest and most notable change is that the Magic Wand is no longer tethered to an outlet — it has a battery life of a stated three hours and it runs when it’s plugged into the wall, too.
In terms of the massager to sex toy shift, the new model has four intensities instead of two — about 2,700, 3,800, 5,400 and 6,300 vibrations per minute, compared to 5,000 and 6,000 on the older toy — and four vibration patterns if you’re into that. (Is anyone out there into that? Can we turn the comments into a vibrator-settings-feelings open thread?) The control pad has lights to indicate what setting you’re on and when the battery is about to die. The buttons are just textured enough that you can play with them without looking, but if you have tiny hands this might be either an awkward or a two-handed endeavour. The toy is still pretty loud, but it’s quieter – Good Vibes gives it a 3 on a scale that goes up to 5 (the original was a 4). The head is softer, and is silicone instead of plastic. It’s still not splashproof or waterproof, but a girl can dream.
It doesn’t have to be plugged in. It doesn’t have to be plugged in. And when the battery dies, you can plug it in and keep going, though it won’t charge if you’re using it.
The look is a little different, too. When two Autostraddle reviewers tried it out in 2013, one noted, “This straight up looks like a prop from a 90s space movie that required a giant white ice cream cone that plugs into the wall.” The Magic Wand Rechargeable is half an inch longer, is a brighter white, and has more modern-looking controls and smoother lines. It’s just a bit prettier, but any time-travelling ’80s power feminists that might be around will definitely know what it is.
It’s probably time for a confession: I’ve never used an original Magic Wand.
With rare exception (what’s up, wearing Vixskin in the right harness), I primarily enjoy thuddy vibrators that can pinpoint a few places just around my clit. I also like my vibrators portable, rechargeable and waterproof. I use other toys, because it’s always fun to do something different and because I don’t want to get too used to anything, but when I’m done with everything else and I still haven’t come, those types of toys are what I reach for.
The wand has a reputation for being magic at making people come in about 30 seconds though, so I was obviously game.
The first few times I tried it were more in the interest of scientific inquiry than because I was feeling especially interested in masturbating at that exact minute. Sometimes I like using toys just for the hell of it because orgasm is not the goal of sex or sexual activity, so I was barely trying to come when the Magic Wand just sort of pulled multiple orgasms out of me. (I also don’t usually have multiple orgasms.)
Then it did it again.
My masturbation can be pretty involved (more than one toy, fingers, lube, different positions, different visual materials, etc.) but I could see the Magic Wand turning me in to the laziest masturbator ever. All I have to do to come is to lay back and wait for an orgasm to happen to me? I can’t imagine wanting this all the time but also I will finish this paragraph when my legs are working again.
Other times, I found the wand made it really easy to get too over-stimulated to come – on all but the lowest setting I had to stop a few times and go do something else before coming back to it. (It was better when I used it through underwear or pants, but then I had to masturbate in underwear and pants.)
Using it with a partner was more complicated. So far, most of the ways I’ve used the wand with a partner involve watching a partner or a partner watching me while one of us uses the wand essentially alone. The head is big enough that if it’s near someone’s clit there isn’t a lot of room for anything else. It was fun to touch the head to the bases of various toys during penetration, and having a partner there to hold the wand gave me a little bit more access with my fingers, but it still often felt like it was in the way.
It also automatically shuts itself off after about 20 minutes to keep from overheating. You can turn it right back on immediately, but it seems like only a matter of time before this happens at a crucial moment and the wand accidentally lands on the floor across the room. (I played with it a few times, and even after running it for an hour straight it never seemed to get more than body-heat warm.)
I’m not as in love with the Magic Wand Rechargeable as I thought I’d be, but it’s definitely going to live in my nightstand and not in the closet. If you’ve never used a Magic Wand, this is a great way to go if you like all-over vibrations that are pretty buzzy and crazy powerful. And if you need to replace an original Magic Wand or have been curious about trying one, this is your toy.
I always find the pattern settings on vibrators super frustrating because I like them to give me strong consistent stimulation and I feel like the patterns are the opposite of that
BUT I have a friend who just got a fancy vibe and she’s obsessed with the patterns ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My dream vibrator for my partner and myself is a magic wand head/tennis ball thing that vibrates as intensely as the magic wand. Like, it’s so hard to maneuver around the handle of that thing in the bedroom.
yes, i personally don’t like vibrator settings other than the strong constant one, HOWEVER, i find if i’m using a vibe internally or anywhere other than my clit, i prefer a pulse-type pattern.
i’ve been wanting to try the magic wand for a long time, what has put me off is definitely the look and size, but i’m drawn to something v strong. my experience with vibes so far is the gigi (which i love so much that i might get the second version in a difference color soon) and a cheapo one that i got for free which made me realize how much i love more “rumbly” vibrations over “buzzy” ones. is the magic wand super buzzy?
It’s really rumbly, but you might also enjoy the Wahl!
I find the wand buzzy on high settings but rumbly (and still pretty powerful) on the lowest setting. (I have a low threshold for what I consider buzzy though. Simply by virtue of its size and weight its buzz is going to be more rumbly than say a bullet vibe.)
Hm, where do I sign up to get free sex toys in exchange for reviews.. I’m in haha ;)
The magic wand is my absolute fave sex toy; I do hate how loud it is and agree that it makes me a pretty lazy masturbator haha however no other sex toy feels this good to me. This new magic wand seems amazing and is def a must for me; but I’ll have to save up cause it’s so expensive sigh..As for using it with partners, personally I love sharing it like just put it in the middle and we both have it vibrating on our clits at the same time; what what the most amazing about that is when I have done that it has put us in synch and we came at the same time so yeah.. <3
Vibration patterns are generally useless to me, but once I encountered a bullet vibe that had a setting that sounded like the Trogdor song from Homestar Runner. It was extremely funny, but also very mood-killing.
And then Trogdor cums in the niiiiiight!
That is hilarious!
I highly dislike vibrator patterns. They don’t fit with my own rhythm, so they just throw everything off. I find that any kind of pulsation that goes on and off is never vibrating at the right moment.
The Magic Wand is just soooo bulky. It sounds like a great experience but I don’t think I’d be able to get over how big the handle is.
It is! It’s really bulky, and then there’s the cord, that’s definitely a consideration, especially if you don’t have a roomy sex toy storage situation. I think it’s great if you need/want something that powerful – I haven’t used anything smaller that’s comparably powerful, and certainly not with the same battery life/option to be plugged in during use – but if that will bug you forever (it might bug me forever) then there are other options out there.
I don’t understand vibrator patterns…bzzt bzzzzzt BZZZZZZT is not a sexy feeling to me.
The Magic Wand Rechargeable is the best wand out of the rechargeable that I have seen. The buttons are not very intuitive, takes a while to get used to the different settings. The Original Magic Wand has been my favorite wand for years, but I can’t orgasm from the insanely strong vibrations on its own, so I got a couple of attachments for my wand and it completely reinvented the wand for me. The G-Spotter is really, really good :)
Not gonna lie, I love patterns. Like, a rumbly vibrator that goes bzbzbzbzBzBzBzBzBZBZBZBZBZZZZZZZ or one that goes like the hill setting on a treadmill. Those are just wonderful. I particularly like grinding down on my rabbit vibrator while it goes bzzzzzzBZZZZZZ with a rumbly hill vibrator on my clit. That’s just so darn wonderful I don’t know what to do with myself. (Besides cum, obvi…)
I’ve never tried the original Magic Wand because I was never ever going to use a corded vibrator with no insertion options. But this version I might have to give in to…
they do sell little head attachments that allow it to be *~~*transformed*~~* into an insertable toy (and are also just a little bit life changing)…I wonder with the new head if the old attachments will still fit.
Ok, so I was gonna comment yesterday, but I was shy about talking about my vibration preferences first. BUT, I find that I like the different pulse settings only when I’m edging…otherwise I get frustrated, but if the goal is to delay my orgasm as long as possible, then the different settings usually work QUITE well.
I am also thrilled about this because I had a magic wand and threw it away when I moved because it was too clunky and got way too warm and this is so much cuter and just seems like it could be the bees knees
That’s a really good point about edging!
It is still the same physical size, just fyi (I think it’s very slightly bigger, in fact) – it just looks nicer because it has better lines. But I haven’t had mine feel hot at all even when the automatic shut off kicks in. (And maybe if you’re edging the shut off would be fun too?)
(joke ahead) I thought Larry from OitNB was the only person in the world who actually was edging, lol.
omg! i completely forgot about that plot line! hahahahha
I saw this on Oh Joy Sex Toy! I’ve never used a Magic Wand for masturbatory purposes, but it cures headaches like a champ when placed at the back of the neck.
So my Lelo has 2 (out of like 8?) excellent pattern settings. 1 is a very slow sin wave of wondrousness that is fabulous for ramping up. It’s like when someone’s teasing you and then they give a bullseye pass and then they go back to teasing. There’s also a random one that feels a sort of like a nihilist German woman is trying to give me an orgasm as some sort of dadaist performance piece. The whole thing feels sort of severer, and I’m not always in the mood for it, but every once in a while, the way it goes super hard completely out of nowhere can be pretty exhilarating.
But both of these are good for edging or getting things Good to Go. When it’s time for The Business, standard constant is still my go to.
It had not actually occurred to me to use the wand as the massager it was originally meant to be but this information about headaches is very relevant to my interests.
It feels kind of wrong…like your adulterating the purity of the vibrator.
But, headaches and cramps. Holy crap cramps. Womb cramps. Leg cramps. Back cramps. Butt cramps. It’s the cramp champ.
Cramp champ cramp champ.
Im really excited to talk about vibration patterns, I want to start with that. Personally, I don’t see the appeal. I think It just ends up confusing my body? BUT I worked at a sex shop for a generous amount of time and found that more often than not, the customers I spoke to actually really liked a variety in patterns, more so than they liked just a straight vibration, so!
Also, the day a fully submersible, rechargeable, mostly-quiet magic wand is on the market will be a big day for vagina-owners everywhere.