The “World’s Best Sex Toy” – An Overview of the Hitachi Magic Wand

To call any manmade object “The World’s Best” anything is almost always hyperbole. But, as far as sex toys go, there’s a strong case that the Hitachi Magic Wand is certainly one of (if not the) best sex toy in existence for a great many people.

Here are just some of its many accolades and achievements:

Named 2005 “Greatest Gadget of All Time” by Mobile Magazine
Awarded the 2006 “Best Vibrator Award” by entertainment company CAKE
Voted “Favourite Sex Toy” for Women at the 2013 Sex Awards
Called the “Rolls Royce of Vibrators” in 2003 book Sex Toys 101

Here’s a little more about the bizarre history of this iconic toy, and some recommendations if you want to get one of your own.

What is a magic wand vibrator?

A brief history of magic wand vibrators

Why are magic wand vibrators so good?

Recommended magic wand vibrators

What is a magic wand vibrator?

Magic wand vibrators are pretty much any vibrating toy that looks approximately like this:

A Guide to Hitachi Magic Wand Vibrators - Advice on sex toys and buying wand vibes by Lascivity

While the very first magic wands were mains powered and came with a soft foam head, magic wands are now available in all different shapes and sizes. You can get battery powered wands, waterproof wands, miniature wands, and even adaptable, insertable wands.

Regardless of their design, they tend to all do more or less the same thing: the head of the wand vibrates very powerfully, and is usually used for external stimulation of the clit, cock, or general vulva area.

Magic wands often appear in porn, but are mainstream enough that you can get them in high street sex shops. There’s even the inevitable Fifty Shades of Grey edition. They’re often perceived as a toy which is especially good at enabling women to orgasm – a reputation that, by most measures, they certainly seem to deserve.

A brief history of magic wand vibrators

The very first magic wand vibrator was made by Hitachi, which is why even to this day many people refer to any magic wand vibe as a “Hitachi” or a “Hitachi magic wand”. It was designed as a general use massager for relaxing sore muscles and relieving tension.

For this purpose it was pretty good. Deep, intense vibrations have an analgesic effect – and so the original magic wand was pretty good at helping soothe sore limbs. However, it wasn’t long before people discovered that it was much, much better at providing sexual stimulation.

The use of the device as a masturbation aid was popularised by Betty Dodson – an artist and sex educator who ran classes to teach women how to wank effectively. She used Hitachi Magic Wands in many of these classes, and was effusive about their ability to quickly and reliably make women come.

(That’s not, by the way, to give credit to the wand alone – Dodson did a huge amount of work to address shame, and teach good self-pleasure technique. The wand was merely her tool of choice.)

Fuelled by word of mouth, the Hitachi Magic Wand became steadily more and more popular. It was a bestseller in prominent US sex shops, and featured in women’s magazines and numerous books, including Good Vibrations: The New Complete Guide to Vibrators, where it was included in the cover illustration.

By this stage it was known that the Wand was dramatically effective at making women come. And this reputation helped popularise it as a toy that was liberating, sex positive and feminist.

As its popularity soared, numerous mainstream media sources couldn’t help but comment. The Times, The New York Observer, The Village Voice, Out Magazine, Chatelaine, Cosmopolitan, Engadget, Shape Magazine and hundreds of others carried stories about the vibrator. It appeared in films, in art shows, and in episodes of Sex and the City and Louie. It was recommended by more sex therapists, educators, doctors and general sexy people than it’s possible to count.

Hitachi (who had built their reputation on manufacturing dependable but boring domestic appliances) were, to say the least, not 100% comfortable with all this attention. In 1999, in the course of what sounds like a deathly uncomfortable interview, their Public Relations Director said:

“Clearly, [the Magic Wand] is a straightforward product. There are no implications of anything beyond standard health-care use.”
Gerry Corbett, Hitachi PR

Sure, Hitachi. No implications here.

This discomfort lead to a brief halt on production of the ~~toy~~ massager in 2013. Thankfully, they got over it and started selling vibrators again later that same year – although now without their name on the box. It’s now the “Magic Wand Original”. Despite this, alas, Hitachi’s name is inextricably linked with the device, and probably will be for decades to come.

Why are magic wand vibrators so good?

There are a few reasons why people really like magic wands. Here are some of the most common.

They provide powerful vibrations

Most magic wand vibrators are mains powered (they plug into a wall socket rather than relying on batteries). This allows them to use a very powerful motor to provide intense, deep vibrations… something which a lot of people find more pleasant than the shallow, buzzy sensation offered by smaller battery-powered vibes.

If you’ve only played with small vibes before, a mains powered magic wand offers a completely different kind of stimulation. Even some people who don’t like most vibrators still really enjoy the more intense vibration of a magic wand.

Likewise, though, for some people it’s a bit much to take… Betty Dodson herself recommended using it through a towel to help take the edge off.

They have a broad area of effect

The head of most magic wand vibrators is relatively large, meaning that the sensation they provide isn’t focussed in one small area. Many people find stimulation over a broad area like this much more enjoyable than pinpoint targeted stimulation to just one spot.

They’re easy to use

Magic wands have a large handle and a large head. Unlike dildos, vibes or other toys, you can use them without having to grip too hard or reach right down between your legs. This makes them an ideal toy for anyone who has limited mobility, or a body that’s on the larger side.

While magic wands aren’t perfect as far as accessibility goes, they do work for many people in a way that smaller or fiddlier toys just don’t.

They work for any anatomy

A magic wand can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their anatomy. In porn they’re often shown being used by (or on) women… but they work just as well on men or intersex people. The powerful vibrations can sometimes stimulate the prostate even without insertion, and the head of the wand can be held against the glans for direct stimulation.

They can be adapted and extended

Because magic wand vibrators are so popular, there are plenty of variations and attachments on the market. You can buy add-ons that make your wand insertable, or that change the texture of its head, add a projecting tongue, or allow you to hang it off your dick like a shower curtain.

And if it turns out that you really like playing with a magic wand, you can get travel sized versions, battery powered devices, waterproof wands and so on to suit your every need.

They look innocuous

The magic wand is one of those sex toys that doesn’t really look like a sex toy (in part, perhaps, because the original Magic Wand wasn’t a sex toy). This not only makes it less intimidating to play with, but also means that it’s not a complete disaster if you accidentally leave it lying on the bedside table when you have family around.

They’re good at making people come

For all of the reasons listed above (and probably some more besides) magic wand vibrators are extremely good at making people come. So much so that they’ve been recommended again and again as a tool in the treatment of women with anorgasmia.

Again, a wand is just a tool. Despite the name, it doesn’t magically make everyone it touches come in an instant… but used in combination with other tools techniques, it can be a pretty handy device for that purpose.

Recommended magic wand vibrators

There are a lot of magic wands on the market. Here are the ones I’d personally recommend.

The best powerful magic wand vibrator

The Doxy Extra Powerful Magic Wand Vibrator is fairly straightforward. It’s mains powered, big and solid, and has really simple controls. It doesn’t do anything particularly fancy… but it is insanely powerful. It’s developed a bit of a reputation as an orgasm machine – a reputation which somewhat justifies the relatively high price tag.

The best inexpensive magic wand vibrator

The Lovehoney Extra Powerful Multispeed Mains Powered Magic Wand Vibrator is a cheap and cheerful wand that comes with a lower price tag than many of its contemporaries. Despite its cheapness, this vibe is still well-made and powerful. The level of vibration can be adjusted easily using a scroll wheel.

Of course, the low price tag comes with some tradeoffs. It’s loud, a bit fiddly to clean, and won’t last as long as a more expensive toy.

With all that in mind, this is the magic wand to opt for if you’ve not played with one before, and just want to see if you enjoy the sensation (without spending too much on a better quality toy).

The best magic wand vibrator for travel

The Lovehoney 3-Speed Micro Wand has a lot going for it if you’re looking for a compact wand to take with you on a trip. It’s really small, still quite powerful despite being battery-powered, relatively quiet, and gives you three different vibration levels.

On the flipside, the head is smaller and harder than on most wands, so it might not be what you’re looking for if you’re into really broad or deep vibrations.

The best luxury magic wand vibrator

Lelo’s range of magic wand vibrators are eye-wateringly expensive, but justify their pricetag with their quality. As well as looking fantastic, they’re also waterproof and easy to clean. They hold their charge for a long time, and have a huge range of vibration options. They’re also pretty quiet.

Of course, being a battery-powered wand rather than a mains-operated one, they may not be what you want if you’re looking mainly for super powerful vibrations.

The best magic wand vibrator add-ons

Uberkinky stock a surprsingly varied range of magic wand add-ons. Whatever you want attached to the tip of your vibrating wand, they’ve probably got it. Their range includes:

For the most part, these attachments should fit any standard-sized magic wand. If you want to be sure of compatibility, though, you should opt for either a Doxy wand or a Lelo wand, both of which are specifically noted as compatible with the add-ons above.