Yes it’s the Cordless, Rechargeable (Hitachi) Magic Wand

Despite what I may say in this review, I am excited about the Rechargeable Magic Wand! But first, a little back-story. I’d used vibrators for a couple of years before I started reviewing. Even the few that worked for me took awhile; longer than I sometimes had patience for. So a whopping 1 month into being an official Sex Toy Reviewer I got my hands on the Hitachi Magic Wand. And, having only tried cheap shit and a few I-feel-like-I-should-adore-this-but-it’s-too-mild Lelos, I was suitably impressed by the old Magic Wand and instructed all to go forth and buy one. Nature of the job though, I kept trying new vibrators. Finally, eventually, I found the We-Vibe Tango. And I realized something: the vibrator best suited for me shouldn’t take 15 minutes if I don’t want it to. Many times the Magic Wand took 15, 20, 25 minutes for two reasons: It’s very broad and I need pinpoint, and it’s kinda buzzy rather than rumbly – on high it feels very itchy to me. Plus, I didn’t like the fact that after longer sessions, I couldn’t feel the pee coming out if I used the bathroom shortly after. My entire vulva was numb.  But heeeyyyy I could sometimes orgasm in a few minutes and it beat the socks off the other vibes I had, so I loved it for awhile.

No lie…..It’s been probably4 years since I used the Magic Wand for anything other than a comparison of vibration strength. It sits in my drawer gathering dust on its menstrual-blood-stained PVC head. Instead, the vibrator I recommend is the We-Vibe Tango, unless someone has anorgasmia or prefers broad stimulation – even then I’ll usually recommend the Doxy for its lower-intensity settings and longer cord. I’ve consistently been one of the very few sex toy reviewers who tries to NOT recommend the Magic Wand and doesn’t think it’s heaven on earth.

Upgrade!

I used to love the fact that the original Magic Wand plugs in – no batteries, no power loss, no wait. But the cord is short and eventually I’ve grown to hate cords. They get in the way, they tether you to the nearest electrical outlet. So the fact that the Rechargeable Magic Wand is, well, rechargeable is a big plus in my book. Not only is it rechargeable but a charge lasts forever¹ and you can still use it while it’s plugged in and being recharged – very handy for folks like me who have a bad habit of turning on 8 vibrators to find them all dead.

Another upgrade is that the head is finally SILICONE. Before I knew that the head was a porous material I used it one night when I didn’t realize I was still spotting. I laid it down beside my bed, and went to sleep. The head never again was visually clean. The new head is also now a little more plush than before; in fact it reminds me of the way the Doxy head feels.

Yet another feature I didn’t love about the first Magic Wand was the rocker-switch and how it went low-Off-high. You could flip past “Off” in a split second but sometimes it messed you up. Now, there is a power button plus an intensity button that cycles through 4 levels PLUS a patterns button if you like that sort of thing.

Oh and the overheating. The Original Hitachi Magic Wand got surprisingly hot – all over. I’d heard tales of people who used it for long periods of time, burning through the motor every year or two. The Rechargeable Magic Wand doesn’t overheat, not even after hours of operation. Of course despite fixing this issue, they don’t believe it so they set a fail switch in  – it’ll shut off at 20 minutes of continuous use. You can turn it right back on, though they tell you not to. It’s annoying for the people who can, not only tolerate it for 25 minutes, but need it for 25 minutes. Or more. This shutting off crap is probably the only Con of the new-and-improved Magic Wand.

Is It Noisy??

Anything on high, against soft fleshy skin, is gonna get noisy just by nature but the motor is considerably more quiet in the new Rechargeable Magic Wand. Gone is the high-frequency whine that reminded some of a not-so-distant leaf blower, or kitchen appliance. I feel like you’ll be able to use this in most situations without any fear of being heard.

Is It Powerful??

Original Hitachi Magic Wand: Low = 5000 RPM; High = 6000 RPM
Rechargeable Magic Wand: 1 = 2700 RPM; 2 = 3800 RPM; 3 = 5400 RPM; 4 = 6300 RPM

Here’s where things get confusing. If you go by the numbers you would think that Speed 4 on the Rechargeable Magic Wand is more powerful than the Original Hitachi. You would think that Speeds  1 and 2 are less powerful. But when I used it the first two times without knowing the numbers I’d assumed that Speed 2 on the Rechargeable was equal to Low on the Original, and Speed 4 on the Rechargeable was equal to High on the Original. I did a lot of comparison feeling before I ever knew the numbers. But really…..RPMs are fairly useless in my opinion for determining vibration intensity. Did you know that the We-Vibe (at least the 4 regular and 3) on high is 5500 RPM? If we’re gonna use RPM as a measure of intensity then the We-Vibe should be as powerful as the Magic Wand Original on low. But anybody who has felt both knows this simply isn’t true. My favorite vibrator, the We-Vibe Tango, has RPMs that only go up to 4800 on high. And while High on the Tango is pretty damn powerful, it feels so much better because of the lower RPMs.

So my whole point is this: I know what the numbers say but my perception says that the top speeds on both feel the same (and they both feel the same as the Doxy, to me). My perception is that there is only 1 less intense speed, and that is Speed 1. This is still not going to be a vibrator that sensitive people can tolerate without clothing/towel barriers and if that is what you need then I don’t see the point. Buy something less powerful.

Are All the Old Attachments Still Compatible?

Yep. The head is the same. I feel that the attachments work better now because the motor is clearly lower-pitched and a bit more rumbly. One thing I noted, that increased my love for the Smart Wand Large, was that the rumbly nature of the Smart Wand Large was way more compatible with attachments (especially insertables) because the vibrations traveled through the silicone much better. The difference was honestly astounding. I don’t think the Rechargeable Magic Wand beats the Smart Wand Large in terms of making awesome insertable attachments feel more awesome, but it’s an improvement over the original.

Enough stalling, Lilly….What’s the Verdict?

I’ve stalled long enough; I have to say it: I don’t love the Rechargeable Magic Wand. I like it better now, in theory, but I personally still dislike it. It still takes me longer to get off with versus the Tango and for the same reasons – broad head where I need more pinpoint and my vulva went itchy at the 2nd intensity level. I literally had to turn it off over and over to reach down and scratch like I’m Al Bundy. Sexy, eh? But I kept going, determined to orgasm and it was……….meh. It was a fizzle. It was bland, even though I’d turned it up to level 2 just to finish off. It felt like a waste of my time, when these days I can come on level 1 of the Tango on good days. Level 1.  I used to require level 3 or 4 all the time, every time. So….yeah. I’m gonna be that person who still doesn’t love it. Who still insists that it’s itchy. Who says “it’s not about the RPMs it’s about the motor”. I still prefer the Lelo Smart Wand Large because the vibrations are less itchy. I still prefer the Mystic Wand, even!

But this isn’t a bad vibrator for the right person. If I were a person who loved and needed broad stimulation, I would be raving about this thing. If I weren’t so sensitive to itchy-vulva-syndrome then I could overlook the broad head and still be overjoyed by it. I think that nearly everything they upgraded & changed is amazing and all very much-needed upgrades. I still don’t think that the Magic Wand, even the rechargeable, should ever be someone’s first vibrator. But if you’ve tried the Tango and the Mystic Wand and felt that it wasn’t enough….then try the Rechargeable Magic Wand. Sure it’s pricey, and it’s even a shocking double on the cost over the Original. But it is a high-quality vibrator, of this I have no doubt. I would recommend it over anything Bodywand in a heartbeat.

Would I still pick the Doxy? I do pick Doxy over Original because the Doxy’s cord is longer, it’s quieter, and there are many lower level settings that don’t make your vulva numb. But now, suddenly, the Doxy has the inferior head material and the cumbersome cord (unless you want to drop even more cash on the fancy metal version of the Doxy – silicone head but still a cord). So it’s a tough call. If you need to ramp up gradually? Go Doxy. If you want the cordless feature? Pick the Rechargeable Magic Wand. They’re about the same price at Shevibe, so it’s a toss-up in my book. Decide which features matter more to you and choose wisely. Then, decorate the handle with washi tape. Because why the hell not.

This review brought to you by the lovely folks at Shevibe who provided me with the Rechargeable Magic Wand in exchange for my no-bullshit all-truth review. How cool are they??