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Fairy Wand Massager Showdown: Electric vs Rechargeable

I seem to have amassed quite the collection of these “massager style” vibrators. While originally these vibrators were mass-marketed and intended for body massage (not orgasm) the obsession with their power has caused some companies to make sex toy versions that are not found in your local drugstore like the Hitachi Magic Wand or the Acuvibe massager are. I used to be a die-hard Hitachi MW fan. But over the years of reviewing I’ve figured out that it’s less about holy-shit-power and more about the type of vibrations. A rumbly, deep vibration that will stimulate more than just the outside portion of my clitoris is ideal. And it doesn’t have to be Hitachi MW strength to achieve that.

But, on to the review. At the same time that I was testing out all the Vibratex Mystic Wands I had two of the Fairy Wands to try out. The Fairy Wand massager line is a long line from a Japanese Company called Media Craft Inc. They have come out with almost an overkill in sizes – but given what I’ve seen the Japanese do with KitKats¹ and Pokemon, it seems to be capitalizing more on the “collect them all!” angle. I have the Fairy rechargeable wand massager and the full-sized plug-in Fairy wand massager. There’s also the Fairy Baby Wand (high-pitched, teeny vibe, USB-charged); the Fairy Mini Wand (plug-in, slightly larger than the Fairy Rechargeable); the Fairy Miniature Massager (either an attachable 6-AA battery pack or a more powerful a/c adapter); the Fairy Pocket Mini (rechargeable, slimmer handle than the Fairy regular rechargeable, shorter in size). Is your head spinning yet? Mine is. You’ll see them referred to in some reviews a little different. Some use the term “mini mini” for one of them, I can’t figure out which one. They’re all pretty much the same from what I’ve read; they’re all pretty powerful, most have that variance wheel for power, they’re all a version of pink and white, none of them offer any “patterns”, they all come in basic cardboard boxes with lots of Japanese text and with very chintzy drawstring pouches. The smaller ones are more “buzzy” (which buzzy + high powered can feel more numbing to your genitals and/or hand).

The plug-in style Fairy massager wand is best compared to the Hitachi Magic Wand in that both are large, both plug in to a wall outlet rather than recharging or requiring batteries, and both are very VERY powerful. Where the Hitachi has only two speeds, “wow” and “holy fuck”, the Fairy wand improved on that idea by using a dial controller instead. Think mouse-wheel. It acts like a dimmer switch, giving you many different speeds. The lower end is rumbly but yet still manages to be a bit buzzy. The lower speeds on the Fairy are definitely less than the Hitachi on low. And with the dimmer switch aspect, you can easily (almost too easily, sometimes) vary the speeds without ever turning it off. The Hitachi’s rocker switch goes “low” then “off” then “high”.

At first I thought that maybe the Fairy wand was a bit more powerful than the Hitachi wand². I probably thought that at first because it’s honestly been a long time since I’ve used the Hitachi. Side by side comparisons though show that they’re pretty dead equal when comparing their top speeds. Both also are loud, emitting that high-pitched weed-whacker like noise. So not discreet. Neither Hitachi or Fairy have the nice silicone head like the Mystic wands do, so cleaning/sanitizing/sharing isn’t easy. The Fairy wand heads are all hard plastic, with lots of ridges. Not the most pleasurable feeling on high. (also, a bitch to clean)

The Fairy rechargeable is a bit less “rumbly” than the full-size Fairy, but almost as powerful. Which makes the vibrations a bit itchy, to be honest. It’s loud as well, but lacks that high-pitched whine of the full-sized Fairy and the Hitachi MW. The Japanese companies like to have interesting rechargers, I’ve noticed. The recharger for the Fairy has a weird iPod-like plug for the massager but the plug to the wall is fun: You know how some a/c chargers have prongs that fold so that it’s less bulky when traveling? This one kind of does that except it folds out – so that the base takes up very little space in your outlet. Shown below is folded out and “normal”.

 

The full-size Fairy has a head that’s pretty darn similar in size and shape to the Hitachi MW, so attachments for the Hitachi could be used on it. The smaller Fairies have specially made attachments (which like to feature “nubs” – way to make an itchy vibe even MORE itchy! no thanks).

If you really like the Hitachi Magic Wand, then you will likely really like the Fairy Wand (unless you hate baby-girl-pink – their only color scheme) because it matches the power but gives more variance. For a rechargeable, the Fairy does pack more of a punch than the rechargeable Mystic wand, but in a less pleasant way for me.

SO. Super high powered is what you want? Go for the original Hitachi or the Fairy plug-in. Otherwise, I’m going to direct you back to the Mystic Wands: Superior looks and materials and a more pleasant-feeling type of vibration.

 

Thanks to EdenFantasys for providing me with these sex toys in exchange for my bluntly honest review :)

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A Vibratex Comparison Review: Mystic Wand vs. Mystic Rechargeable vs. Mini Magic

 

You all know that I like comparing apples to apples, vibrators to vibrators – even if sometimes it’s like comparing a Granny Smith to a Red Delicious. The reason is because that’s what *I* want to read most in a review: How it might compare in vibration intensity and type to other toys I might own. Today though I’m taking on all three of the Vibratex massager-style vibrators from their more basic, and original, battery-powered Mystic Wand to the tech-savvy Mini Magic Wand that has a handy charger.

I would only classify the Mystic Wands in the “massager style vibrator” class, with their large heads and ability to pull double duty (you just won’t find them in CVS next to the Wahl); The Mini Magic appears to be a shrunken version, looks wise, but it doesn’t have the same type of vibration that the larger Mystics do. Are any of these as powerful as the Hitachi, the plug-in Fairy Wand, or even the Wahl original (on high)? No, not quite. To be fair, the Wahl Massager just really can’t be compared to anything else because both types of vibrations (low vs high) are so unlike anything else I’ve used.

Battery-Powered Massager-Style with Power? Yes!

I have to admit to not always being “green”. I like batteries in my toys. Sure I like cords, too, but I like batteries. You know why? Because I almost always have a bunch on hand and immediately my toy is ready for action again, unlike rechargeables¹. The original Mystic Wand uses batteries (4 AA) and gives an impressive level of intensity with that rumbly, deep vibration I love. I don’t find that my skin gets itchy from using it too long, like the Hitachi can. Another thing that I noticed, actually during filming for the video – that blue light isn’t just for pretty looks; when my batteries are dying, it blinks. But then, I can already tell they’re dying because I’d notice the lack of power.

Intensity from a Rechargeable Vibrator? Yes! Well…mostly

The Mystic Wand Rechargeable again delivers on that same exact rumbly, deep vibration and intensity. When you compare a 100% fully charged Mystic to an Original Mystic with fresh batteries it’s almost impossible to say that one is more intense than the other. It keeps up this level of intensity for at least one session on high, maybe two. The decline in battery power doesn’t equal a steady decline in vibration power. ² My black Mystic flashes purple while it’s charging (via standard wall plug) and goes to steady purple when it’s done. Another really good discovery: With a lot of rechargeable vibrators that I’ve tried in the past, I notice that when you press the vibrator more firmly to your body it immediately drops a little in intensity. I noticed that with the Acuvibe and a few others. This one does not do that. Granted it might mean you have less overall battery time til recharge, but it’s a very good thing for those who like the pressure. Another thing to note: Extended use will warm up the head³, but not nearly as much as the Hitachi.

Baby Wand = Baby Vibes? Almost

If you prefer more accurate pinpoint vibration, then you might like the Mini Magic Wand (they should have kept in line and called it the Mini Mystic, but I digress). It still has a good amount of power for a rechargeable – I’d say it’s almost as strong as the full size versions and a bit less rumbly. I can still orgasm from it, though, on full charge and high power. The neat thing about the Mini Magic is the charger that comes with it. Unfortunately, Vibratex has yet to get a handle on their English-speaking customers; the instructions for the charger are minimal at best. It plugs into a USB port and they give you a short cable that runs from that charger to the toy. It can only be charged via USB, at least with what they give you. When the Mini Magic is charging properly the light is a steady blue. Use time runs about 30-60 minutes unless you never put it on high power or apply pressure, in which case more like 90 minutes. But keep in mind not all of those 90 minutes are going to give you the same level of intensity as you had in the first say, 20 minutes.

How They’re Alike

• All three vibrators have the same visual style (just the mini is, obviously, a mini version).
• Silicone and plastic: The head, neck and control pads are all made out of true silicone; the body is plastic coated with a velvety soft texture.
• Splashproof: The don’t fully back up being waterproof but they are splashproof. This means that you can safely take it in the shower, but don’t submerge it. You can wash it under running water.
• Flexible Neck: Like any massager-style vibrator, the neck has some flex. Unlike the Hitachi or the Ideal these necks are encased in silicone. I always used to worry about the Hitachi neck being so exposed.
• Ridges on the head & neck: The neck obviously has to have ridges to allow movement. The head though….I will never understand this design method. I’ve seen it in many different types of vibrators. Ridges don’t add anything (to me) as far as stimulation is concerned, they just make it a lot more difficult to clean. Especially if you’re using masturbation as a means of relaxing enough to fall asleep and leave the cleaning till morning. Either way, I have to use my fingernail to go around the ridges (You could also use an old toothbrush).
• 3 levels of intensity and 3 patterns: The patterns are oddly not identical from model to model, most of them are not annoying. Foreplay, but not orgasm (for me).
• Clear plastic “boxes” not ideal for storage: These are the flexible-ish type of plastic, and they don’t stay shut very well.
• Storage bags: They’re not fancy, but they do the job. Simple drawstring closure, vinyl lining (think windbreaker jacket material), and a “velvet” flock that hangs onto pet fur and dust.
• Silicone that isn’t a magnet for pet fur and lint!: The silicone on these is different from the type used in mold/poured dildos and vibrators; it has a soft feel, matte finish and won’t attract fur
• Lube: Only water-based lube, please!
• Good size/weight: Even the full size Mystics are not really very heavy. Easier to hold/lighter than the Hitachi or full-size Acuvibe. Full size are about 8″ overall length, Mini is about 6″ in length.

Noise Levels

The Mini Magic is the loudest of all, but it’s not the vibration that’s loud – it has this odd rattling sound to all levels of vibration making it quite noisy. I checked and found that others hear the same rattling so it’s not a defective product.

Mystic Wand Original and Mystic Wand Rechargeable are the same in noise level of vibration – a lot less noisy than the Hitachi, not as quiet as the Wahl, but discreet enough under covers or behind closed door. Oddly though the Mystic Rechargeable has noisy buttons – the buttons on the other two are virtually silent, but the Rechargeable one has an audible click that is much more noticeable than the vibrations. I don’t like it.

Comparing & Contrasting, Pros & Cons

Both the Mystics have two buttons: The power button that turns it on to “low” setting, the second cycles through the settings. They both also have two lights: a slightly bigger, steady light that just tells you it is powered on, and then a smaller light that corresponds with the power level and pattern setting. Yellow, Orange, and then Red equally highest power. The power button means you can quickly turn it off.

The Mini Magic has only one button to do everything, which means you either have to cycle past the patterns, or press and hold for 2 seconds to turn it off. Only one small light which never changes color or flashes with the pattern. The charging port though which is silicone (and only a teeny hole) glows blue to let you know that the charging is working – although the control panel light stays on, too, steady all the time.

The heads are all too small to use any Hitachi-compatible accessory. However, the Mystics will accommodate a Tenga Egg stretched over them for either added texture or ease in cleaning / covering up the ridges. Handled with care, you could get a lot of use out of a Tenga Egg when used solely as a vibrator cover. Thanks for the reminder, Garnet – Tenga eggs are TPR, not silicone, so if you choose that route make sure you’re the only one using the Tenga egg as a cover. Since they’re not silicone, as I keep thinking for some reason, they won’t react with the silicone head of the Mystics.

Discretion: The original Mystic wins for discretion – it only beats the Mystic Rechargeable because of those stupid clacky clicky loud buttons. While the Mini Magic is more portable, it is fairly noisy.

Colors: Original Mystic has a black body and a white head. Rechargeable Mystic comes in either mostly-black or mostly-hot-pink. The only white portions are the neck and control pad. Unless you really have to have pink, though, I’d choose black on the Mystic. The Mini Magic only comes in hot pink for now and I noticed something – the plastic body can get stained. I stored it touching a black leather item, and there are now permanent black smudge marks. Since it didn’t happen to the part that touches my body, it’s not a huge issue but it makes it look dirty.

Traveling with the Rechargeables: For those who own a Lelo toy, we’re spoiled. They can be locked for travel so that they won’t turn on – Vibratex didn’t add that feature.

The Mini Magic comes with a unique charger: You can use it to charge other things. It has a mini-usb port and micro-usb that works with many cell phones, an iProduct style port, a 2.5 and 3.5 DC male end and 2 other odd looking ports that are not for any US-based item I’ve come across. However, you can’t charge more than one thing at a time, so don’t go thinking you can charge up both the Wand and your cell at the same time from it. The downside to this unique charger is that there is no A/C wall adapter.

Who won?

The Original Mystic Wand. Overall the least noisy and it retains the highest of high power for longer than the rechargeables. I prefer the vibration type and intensity over the Mini Magic Wand, although sometimes I do like the smaller head of the Mini Magic better. Original Mystic needs 4 AA batteries. For travel you can take out 1 of the batteries (to prevent it from turning on) and even put a spare set into the pouch. I couldn’t get the charger for Mystic Rechargeable into the included storage bag, so that and the noisy buttons are irksome. All in all though – if travel and the need for a quiet vibrator (and buttons!) aren’t high-ranking for you, I would still recommend the other two. They both have their good qualities and provide non-buzzy non-itchy vibrations.

 

Thanks to EdenFantasys for providing me with the Mystic Rechargeable and the Mini Magic Wand for review. The Mystic Wand original was purchased on my own just because I had to have it for comparison. Had to. Dedicated to sex toys!

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Review: Je Joue MiMi Vibrator

After hearing a LOT of hype and talk on how powerful and rumbly the Je Joue MiMi was (and how underwhelmed I was by the vibrations of the G-Ki) I decided to take matters into my own hands and not wait to be offered one for review, I just bought it. I got the purple and it’s not a bad color. Very dark, eggplant-like purple.

The vibrator itself is pretty plain and discreet. It looks like a flattened egg – not the sex toy egg, but the chicken egg. In fact it’s about that size, too. A jumbo egg, probably. The quick specs borrowed from the EF page for MiMi:

• Small, elegant, discrete, and powerful
• Rechargeable via magnetic clip
• Waterproof
• 5 levels of vibration and 5 pulse patterns
• Covered in new soft and smooth 100% silicone
• Packaged in a beautiful black gift/storage box
• Available in pink, rose, purple and black

I would say that MiMi is discrete in how it looks, but not in how it sounds. It’s twice as loud as my Doc Johnson bullets. At least in my opinion I don’t agree with the “2 bee” sound level rating listed on the site. Yes, it is rumbly and pretty powerful but it’s just shy of surface-buzzy, too, on the highest setting. It’s hard to describe. If the vibration pitch were lower, then the top level of vibration wouldn’t feel like “too much” to me. And it kinda does sometimes. Given the shape of the toy I also find it hard to really get good contact with the toy and my clit. I think I prefer the shape of the traditional remote handpack bullet vibes over this. I’ve used it a number of times and can get off about half the time. Just the other night I was using it and I’ve noticed it has a bad habit of not really giving you great warning that it’s about to die. I thought it was feeling fairly strong, maybe in need of a little charging and then bam. It shut off. Do you know how irritating that is?!? It’s even moreso with rechargeables because you can’t just pop in a new battery and quickly return to business. No, you’re out of commission for a good few hours at least. It’s these moments I’m thankful that I have my Wahl permanently plugged in and within easy reach from the bed.

I had been warned by a few other reviewers that the buttons on the MiMi are notoriously difficult to press. And when it’s actually turned on, they’re not so bad – it’s getting the thing turned off or on that I find difficult. You have to press and hold it for a few seconds. (and press hard) Since it’s a uniform shape you can have a hard time knowing without looking which way you’re holding it, i.e. is the up button on the left side or the right side? Perhaps if you’re very thin and all, you have no obstacles in your view but I do. I’ve found that the Up button has a subtle raised plus sign on it while the Down button has an engraved minus sign on it. Once you know this and are accustomed to it you can employ a little rudimentary braille reading into your masturbation session.

There is a tiny red light that emits from underneath the silicone skin right where the tiny Je Joue logo is etched into the silicone, but again….if you have it turned around you won’t see that red light. It blinks when you’ve successfully depressed a button. Does it give off warning blinks when the power is about to slam shut on you like prison gates during a riot? I guess I’ll have to experiment to find out.

MiMi comes in the typical Je Joue box – pretty, textured pressboard like, black, with a lid that ties shut to the box with a black ribbon. Since this one is a lot smaller than the G-Ki I’ll probably keep the box for holding various little things. No little bag or anything for the vibe, but that’s ok. MiMi, like all Je Joue toys, recharges magnetically. The Up and Down buttons are metal for a reason – that’s where the charger attaches. Now when I had the G-Ki, I never had any issues with the charger staying on the toy. The magnets were strong enough to keep it in place, but not so strong that you had trouble disengaging the charger from the toy. Not so with the MiMi, or at least the one I own. The magnets seem weak and I had to set up the toy and the charger “just so” otherwise the charger fell/slid off the toy. It’s really irritating to think you’re charging a toy and come back to find the charger just laying there like it passed out from the sheer effort of it all.

So….is MiMi worth it? While I applaud the new motor (which would have been greatly appreciated on the G-Ki), I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this thing. Unless you really have your heart set on an earth-friendly rechargeable handheld clit vibrator. When compared to the power of the Lelo vibes, however, it’s much better. But there’s still something just slightly “off” with either the shape or the pitch of vibration that makes it a little more difficult for me to orgasm with this as compared to either of my Doc Johnson bullets. But then again many women are easier to get off than I am, so I have a feeling it will appeal to a lot of people.

Who would like this vibe: If you consider yourself to be middle of the road in terms of sensitivity and ease of achieving clitoral orgasm. If you really liked the idea of the Lelo clitoral vibes but felt they weren’t quite powerful enough, I think this one has a little more oomph.

Who would probably not like this vibe: if your clit is really sensitive AND you like patterns, this might not be the vibe for you. Unlike Lelo toys where you can set the intensity level and then pick a pattern, this one does not. So most patterns have all or some of their pulsing times on the highest power setting. If you fall into this category, then I’d suggest the Lelo Siri.

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Extase Liberte Vibrator

When I saw the Extase Liberte clit vibe come up in the new products list at EF, I was intrigued. I read the sole review (the descriptive review) and the reviewers said that the vibe was both powerful (4 vrooms!) and deep/thuddy/rumbly (they’ve said this both on their EF review and their site). Silly me for trusting a single review, but I bought the toy with high hopes.

If you want to read my in-depth review that’s over at EF, here’s the link to it. I wanted to include some photos of everything, because while I don’t like this vibrator and I think that the original reviewers were way off in calling the vibrator deep/thuddy/rumbly, it’s still a good vibrator. Hint: If you liked Lelo’s Mia, you’ll like this one.

While I fully appreciate that vibration intensity perceptions are just that- personal perceptions – it disappoints me greatly when the type of vibration is described incorrectly. This vibe is buzzy as hell, surface only even on the pulsation settings that seem like they might kinda be thuddy. It’s not overpoweringly buzzy though, it won’t numb you unless you’re extremely sensitive. I think it’s probably very slightly less surface buzzy than Lelo Mia, and maybe has a little more oomph to it, but I couldn’t successfully get off with this vibrator.

Anyways, here’s the photos of it. I have to say that the bag that comes with it ranks in my Top 3 of all time favorite luxury sex toy bags. It’s a really soft faux brushed suede with a great closure. Right now it’s being repurposed as a mini jewelry bag for traveling :P

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Lelo Isla Review – Lelo Insignia Vibrator Line

Lelo asked me to review the Isla from their super-premium line called Insignia. The Insignia line as far as I can tell is marketed towards the upper-middle class who might choose form over function. The Insignia line is, by far, their best visual work yet.

Ah if only beauty trumped brains. Or, rather, brawn in this case. Isla and the other Insignia vibrators are beautiful but they don’t really appear to be anything special. The trademark Lelo box is a little more posh on the outside, but the black pressboard is still the same, just bigger and compartmentalized. The black and white satin pouch remains the same. For some reason, the line includes a brooch of the Insignia logo – does wearing this signify to others that you are a modern, vibrator-using woman? ;)

Isla and the others all have three big design changes – the buttons are totally different and are underneath the silicone; the handles are pronounced and oval with a cut-out; finally a metallic plastic “interior” is added for looks. It surely doesn’t add anything to the use. In fact….it makes it a lot harder to clean. As you can see below there is a fairly noticeable gap between the plastic and the silicone – I had a bitch of a time cleaning lube and fluids out of the crack. If this portion were actually made of metal I might be more impressed but it’s still plastic. Before I go further, let me point you here to the details section on Lelo’s site about the toy where you can see exact measurements and other specs. Specs don’t vary, but opinions do, so I’m focusing here on my opinions of the toy in use, not a technical paper.

The buttons….instead of four buttons in a circle, there’s now three in a row. One to increase power, one to decrease power and the center button changes between straight vibration mode and pulsating mode.

The charging port – a source of mass confusion on Twitter as the first wave of the Insignia line reached reviewers. Basically unlike the prior vibrators that had a cover/plug going into the charging port that you lift away, with these you just poke the charging jack through the silicone dimple and it will still be waterproof.

Isla is marketed as their g-spot vibe of the line but the curve is subtle. The size is subtle and feels slim to me. In short….it’s a boring vibe that just doesn’t have a prayer of doing squat for my g-spot. Mona far outranks it in function; even Gigi as well. It also seemed that the motor is not quite as powerful/rumbly as Mona or even Gigi. It felt a bit more diffuse and nothing to write home about.

I’m a harsh critic – but I’m picky and I’m fair. I don’t like dropping cash on a lackluster vibe anymore than you do. This probably wasn’t the best specimen of their line for me to review because I already have my g-spot needs very well taken care of. However, given the cleaning issues and the motor I can’t exactly see myself having a hugely positive review of the Alia, either, which is their Siri/Lily version of the line. So far as I can see the Insignia line is made to appeal visually and it best used by women who have sensitive clits and g-spots and want their vibrator to look posh. I can’t really find a justification for the price increase, either.

 

I was given this vibrator in exchange for an honest review, by Lelo. I thank them for the opportunity to try out one of their newest sex toys.

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