Shibari Halo Wand Review

Despite the fact that I detail a number of downfalls with the Shibari Halo Wand, I actually do like it. Then again, the Magic Wand, Bodywand and a few others yet to get a review are all “too much” for me. Yes, I require powerful vibrations but it’s about nuances and subtleties. It’s about the difference between 2 Buck Chuck and 2011 Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc. Or the difference between a locally-made cheese and store-brand block of mild cheddar. Basically: I don’t need to vibrated into oblivion. I need my vibrations to work smarter, not harder.

What I Like

I really like the silicone skin that covers the head and neck – very much like the Smart Wand design (just more plastic); I find that the ridges that you see on most of these wands make for really difficult cleaning, even on the Mystic Wands. It also appears that the seam between plastic and silicone is not as pronounced as most Lelo vibes, also a boon to cleaning. The silicone on the Halo Wand is nearly the same feel as the silicone skin on Lelo vibrators, with perhaps just a tiny bit more drag but it’s barely noticeable to most. So of course, it doesn’t collect fur & lint.

The vibrations of the Shibari Halo Wand feel a lot like the Mystic Wand; I’d pretty much call them identical. This doesn’t make this the most super-powered wand vibrator around, but it’s still very strong.  Low on the Halo Wand is equal to power level 2 of 3 on the Mystic Wand; High on the Halo Wand is equal to level 3 of 3 on the Mystic Wand.

Not Travel Friendly

The biggest con is that the power button lacks any sort of travel compatibility. In fact, storage may even be difficult depending on how you store things – a jostle of another item might turn it on. With many vibes, you have to press and HOLD the power button for a second or three, but the Shibari Halo wand just jumps to life with the lightest touch. I think it’s because the button protrudes out from the body, rather than being flush or recessed slightly. It was turned on before I even divested it of its packaging, since the power button is right in the middle of the body, right where I would instinctively reach to hold it to pick it up. I’ve managed to accidentally turn this thing on more times than I intentionally turned it on.  You can see in the photo here that the button, especially the power button, sticks out from the body.

“10X Multi-Speed”

The Shibari Halo Wand has a power button and one function button. There are only two real vibration intensity settings – low and high. The other 8 settings are patterns. If you manage to hit the function button during use and land yourself in the land of pulsating patterns, you’ll have to then turn it off to get back to the steady power settings if that’s where you prefer to be. The information on the Shibari site claims that this is a “10 speed” vibrator. I don’t consider patterns to be a “speed”. If you are a person who really likes patterns? You’ve got 8 to choose from. I detest patterns, so I ignore them.

Size and Compatibility

It’s about the same length overall as the Magic Wand original, but a fraction of the weight – 8.75 ounces for the Shibari Halo Wand versus 21 ounces for the Magic Wand. The head, sadly, is not the same size as the Magic Wand or even the Mystic Wand. If you want to use attachments, you’ll have to make a huge sacrifice – one that I don’t agree with: go PVC.  I genuinely do not comprehend why they would make the Halo Wand with safe materials, but then make the attachments out of PVC. I don’t own the attachments, so I cannot make any educated guesses about possible phthalates content, but PVC is not a chemically stable material – it is porous, and it will break down in time. Of all my nitpicking of the Halo Wand, this is my biggest grudge. I really do not recommend buying PVC attachments. Should the company decide to change this to the only material I will endorse – silicone – I will update you.

Given that the vibrations feel just like the Mystic Wand, I find myself wishing that the body was closer to Mystic Wand size, too. I feel that the Mystic Wand is just a bit more friendly in terms of storage and travel, being that size. Since the Shibari Halo Wand feels so lightweight, I’d bet they have room to shrink. The Halo Wand is actually the same exact weight as the Mystic Wand (with 4 batteries in it).

Charging

The Shibari Halo Wand is USB rechargeable, which is becoming more common these days, as it is universal. You can easily purchase a USB-Wall adapter at any store for a few dollars, but the Shibari Halo wand comes with a wall plug, too. The port is in the middle of the body, in the silicone. It appears as if there is no port at first, but there is a cross-hatch cut in the material to allow the plug in. This makes the hole effectively seal up, allowing the Halo Wand to be 100% waterproof.

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All in all, Shibari Halo Wand is a very decent moderately-strong wand vibrator. I’d like to see changes made to the design, ideally. It’s currently offered in pink, purple and black, and I’d like to see a black-handled version available. With the demise of the Rechargeable Mystic Wand, the Halo Wand could take over it’s spot if some changes could be made – primarily making it more travel-friendly by adjusting the body size and the functionality of the power button, and also making those attachments in true body-safe silicone. 

You can get the Shibari Halo Wand from their site or buy it from my favorite sex toy shop, SheVibe (available there very soon, I’ll update this when they have it listed). Honestly I’m going to advise you to wait until it’s available at SheVibe because the Shibari site is not at all user-friendly, nor is ordering from them.

One weird thing: While I was looking to see if any retailers still might have a rechargeable Mystic Wand, I noticed something – yet another case of “hey, this is the same sex toy…”. I don’t know which came first, but there’s an identical copy of this (but only available in pink so boo to them) known as the “Elevate” wand sold by some company I’ve never heard of.

The Halo Wand was provided to me by the manufacturer, Shibari, in exchange for an honest review.