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Nov 05, 2024

Why the Iconic Magic Wand Has Been Our Top Pick for As Long As We’ve Reviewed Vibrators | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Bianca Alba It’s instantly recognizable, with its tennis-ball-size head mounted atop a cylindrical body adorned by three blue buttons. It’s the “microphone” Mom kept in her top drawer. The source

By Bianca Alba

It’s instantly recognizable, with its tennis-ball-size head mounted atop a cylindrical body adorned by three blue buttons. It’s the “microphone” Mom kept in her top drawer. The source of many such jokes, and the source of many more orgasms, the large and powerful Magic Wand has long been a mainstay of sexual health.

It has been Wirecutter’s unrivaled top pick for the best vibrator for over a decade, but the Magic Wand’s history goes back to 1968, when it was first released by Japanese conglomerate Hitachi. This powered massager—which Hitachi did not anticipate people would use to stimulate genitalia—became the first viral sex toy in the 1970s and remains a perennial favorite of sex educators and sex-toy retailers alike.

Veteran vibrator enthusiasts may remember the “Magic Wand shortage” of 2000, which led to its distribution rights being acquired by US sex-toy retailer Vibratex. In 2013, Hitachi dropped its branding from the product name, not wanting to be associated with sex. Vibratex released an upgraded, rechargeable version of the Magic Wand (with two added speeds) in 2015. And in 2023, a keychain-sized Micro version debuted. The storied history of the Magic Wand is chronicled in a 10-part podcast series called Making Magic.

No toy offers the level of power and intensity as the widely beloved Magic Wand. The intense stimulation it provides can be particularly helpful for people experiencing diminished libido or sensitivity.

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This corded toy is almost identical in shape, size, and power to our top pick, but it’s available at a lower price.

The Magic Wand’s evolution from unassuming back-and-shoulders massager to America’s favorite vibrator can largely be credited to the work of sex educator Betty Dodson. Dodson, who died in 2020, started offering “Bodysex” workshops out of her New York apartment in the ’70s—two-day-long gatherings wherein Dodson instructed participants in using the Magic Wand as a tool to experience more pleasure and consistent orgasms.

A landmark 2008 study further cemented the Magic Wand’s place in the sexual-health canon. Researchers in Denmark taught 500 women with chronic anorgasmia—difficulty or inability to experience orgasm—Dodson’s method using the Magic Wand, finding that a whopping 93% of the participants, ages 18 to 88, were able to have an orgasm this way.

Dodson’s work with the Magic Wand also inspired the creation of early feminist sex-toy shops such as Eve’s Garden in New York City and Good Vibrations in San Francisco, which paved the way for contemporary sex-toy retailers such as Chicago’s Early to Bed, Oregon’s As You Like It, Spectrum Boutique in Detroit, the bicoastal Babeland, and many more.

After more than 50 years on store shelves, the Magic Wand has inspired countless imitators. We’ve tested a few of them. Although we consider the Magic Wand the best in its class due to its power, feel, and price, we’ve found a few similar wand vibrators that have performed nearly as well or have unique characteristics that make them great toys. For one, the Doxy Original is another wand-style vibrator that has stood the test of time.

Doxy claims that its Original, which is manufactured in the UK, is 30% more powerful than the Magic Wand we recommend, based on the vibrations as measured in rpm. Our testers found it to feel somewhat less “rumbly” than the Magic Wand. The Doxy vibrator has several other features that some people may prefer, including a 10-foot-long cord (versus the Magic Wand’s 6 feet), an array of colorful options including a red-rose print and build-your-own custom color combos (the Magic Wand is available only in the classic, somewhat clinical white and blue), and variable vibration between 3,000 rpm and 9,000 rpm that allows for fine-tuning as you ramp the speed up or down (the Magic Wand Rechargeable has four fixed power modes).

Year after year, though, we’ve found the cordless Magic Wand Rechargeable, the corded Magic Wand Plus, and the corded Magic Wand Original to be superior values in comparison with Doxy’s lineup. The souped-up Doxy Die Cast 3R rechargeable cordless model costs $220, typically $90 more than the most expensive of our Magic Wand picks.

Although the Magic Wand is an especially effective clitoral vibrator, it can be adapted for use on many different body parts—with or without optional, third-party attachments such as those that turn it into a vibrating stroker or dildo, or accessories that make hands-free operation possible. (We haven’t tested them.)

“The best penis toy, in my opinion, is the Magic Wand,” said a tester who has reviewed strokers, sex toys meant to stimulate the penis. Using it on the frenulum (the underside of the penis head) or perineum, they said, is “pure bliss.” Several trans-feminine people we interviewed also expressed that the Magic Wand was integral to their gender-affirming masturbation experiences.

The chief complaint we’ve heard about the Magic Wand is that it can be too powerful, even on its lowest setting. People who experience this issue might consider using underwear, a towel, or a soft blanket as a buffer to diffuse the sensation.

In the unlikely event that the Magic Wand turns out not to be a great sex toy for your situation, you can always use it as an all-over body massager. Just as Hitachi intended.

This article was edited by Tracy Vence and Kalee Thompson.

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Bianca Alba

Bianca Alba, MPH, is a nonbinary sexual-health educator, coach, and journalist based in Las Vegas. Bianca was formerly managing editor of a Kinsey Institute blog and has presented academic research on transgender-youth health advocacy and menstrual biohacking. She/they are passionate about normalizing healthy discussions of sexuality in everyday life.

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