Here’s the Magic…

by
'But being as this is a Hitachi-style Wand Massager, the most powerful vibrator in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?"' Yep.

Back in the early 1970s, that period of burgeoning sexual awareness in the USA,  the ‘Cadillac’ of vibrators was the mains-powered Hitachi Magic Wand. But its makers were Japanese: Hitachi (motto: inspire the next) is a giant multinational conglomerate company founded in 1913, also known for its power tools, including grinders, trimmers, blowers and routers. So not surprising that its backroom boys came up with the idea of the Wand, an elegant sex toy possessed of a certain ambiguity, i.e. it doesn’t look terribly like a sex toy. However this, coupled with much coyness on the part of its makers about its true potential – it was marketed as a massager for sore muscles – rarely caused any confusion as to its proper use. Veteran sexpert Betty Dodson mentioned it in her Liberating Masturbation in 1974.  And courtesy of  Samantha, it made a guest appearance in Sex and the City. From then on, only small or gullible children were fooled when they stumbled across it under Mommy’s side of the bed.

Sadly, because of voltage differences, the Hitachi Magic Wand could never be sold in Europe, since electrocution, rather than orgasmic satisfaction, might have resulted. Worse still, as victims of their own success, Hitachi were mortified that their firm’s honourable name was increasingly associated with female orgasms. This year they were about to take the drastic step of discontinuing their iconic vibrator altogether. However their US distributors, Vibratex, persuaded them to lose the Hitachi name on this particular product, which is now known simply as the ‘Original Magic Wand’. No doubt the ashes of the honourable ancestors will cease to revolve in their urns, relieved that their successors have finally decided to restore the company’s ‘tarnished’ reputation.

Now, to everyone’s relief on this side of the pond, a generic but cordless, rechargeable version of the Wand has appeared. It has ten functions – i.e. different speeds and rhythms, and it’s arguably more sophisticated in design than its American cousin. Sh!, the Hoxton women’s sex toy emporium, are selling it, and very fine it is, too. Our anonymous sex toy reviewer has this to say about it:

“Its motor is reassuringly powerful and robust, feeling pleasantly heavy in the hand. Its purring sound reminded me of a Rolls Royce or a Mercedes, or some other solid, quality car. This more than compensated the mild ‘made in China’ odour of the silicone head as well as a few mass production giveaways on the bodywork, but essentially it’s a very good value product at this price (£50.00). And it kept going for a long while without me having to recharge (I liked the USB-type plug, too).  Ten different settings – some with a low, slow growl, others pulsating, thrusting, throbbing, and some very intense.  All these different rhythms or tempos catered well for my different preferences and moods. I diligently tried every setting, and I had to remind myself that this apparatus was an inanimate tool at my command, rather than something rather more autonomous.  I came quite nicely eventually, after keeping it away from my clit to avoid over-sensitisation.”

There is a cord version, too at a fiver less, but in our view, nothing beats the freedom of cordless. But remember not to turn it on whilst plugged in and charging. It only works when disconnected to the mains.

Wand Massager: Cordless, available from Sh! 57 Hoxton Square, London N1 6HD

020 7613 5458. Soon to be available by ordering online.

Leave a Reply