The Hitachi Magic Wand was a Japanese made vibrator introduced into the United States in 1969. It became one of the most popular sex toys of all time. That, however, was not Hitachi’s original intent. They were okay with it being used for orgasms for many years, but in 1999 they announced that it was only intended as a health care device. Women continued to buy it for orgasms, since they understood that orgasms are good for your health.

In 2013, Hitachi decided they no longer wanted to be associated with what virtually everyone considered a sex toy. Their American distributor, Vibratex, talked the company into letting them continue to manufacture it using the original Magic Wand motor. It is now made by them and sold as the Magic Wand Original.

The big question is whether the Magic Wand Original really is as good as the actual original. Fortunately, having purchased a number of Magic Wands since 1995, we can give an unqualified yes to that question. The new model we have for testing is identical in appearance, and seems to function in the same way.

The Magic Wand Original has two speeds, both of which offer strong vibration. This is not a toy for someone who likes a light touch. It is going to be a fairly intense experience. It is one of the strongest vibrators out there.

The head is pretty large, about three inches wide, but fairly short at 2 1/2 inches, so it is not the type of vibrator you use for insertion. It is basically held against the clit or the vulva. The head is attached to the vibrator by a flexible shaft, so it does have a little give to it. The head is covered with vinyl, and is firm but not hard.

It plugs into the wall so that you never have to worry about batteries. We have a long extension cord by the bed just for use with the Magic Wand, as do many others with whom this vibrator is so popular.

While it is a great vibrator, it is not perfect. The stimulation may be too much for some. It is not particularly quiet. It is not waterproof. It is big, so holding it in place can become tiring. It is also not designed for using for long periods of time. It can get over-heated after about 25 minutes or so. You don’t want to fall asleep with this running between your legs.

There are lots of vibrators out there that look like the Magic Wand, and some even claim that they use the original Magic Wand motor. One of the competing vibrators we tested comes from Wand Essentials and is called a Multi Speed Body Wand Massager. It is clearly not of the same quality. It did not take long for the rubber between the head and the body to tear and begin to separate. The cord did not seem securely attached, creating the concern that repeated pulling could cause it to become loose. This may be the reason that some people have reported that it shot sparks out when it failed. Browsing customer reviews on a number of sites revealed reports of a fairly short life expectancy.

The bottom line is that while you can save money buying some of the copies, we recommend going with the original. This is not to say that there are not other vibrators out there worth exploring that are similar but offer different features, but if you want the Magic Wand experience, don’t go with a knock-off. With long hard use it will eventually fail, but we have gotten years of hard use out of each of ours. Look for the company name, Vibratex, and the proper product number, which is HV260. It is widely available, even from places like Walmart.

There are also outright mislabeled fakes out there. The authentic Magic Wand has white symbols on the power button toggle instead of black like the button. In the recess around the power button, the blue label should be square, not oval. There is a silver sticker on the base where the power cord is attached that says Vibratex and has other information. The head should be made from vinyl, not silicone. There is a metal ring at the top of the base where a blue shaft connects it to the head. In knockoffs, this metal ring is made of plastic. Right below the metal ring on the base is a silver UL Conformity sticker. Vibratex also includes a 1 year warranty card. The fake versions use less powerful motors, use cheaper materials, and weigh slightly less than the 1.4 lbs. of the original.

Having been around for a long time, there are a lot of add-ons that slip onto the head. The best of these are silicone. They slip over the head of the Magic Wand and provide different attachments. Vibratex makes two items that allow you use the Magic Wand for vaginal insertion: the Wonder Wand, which has a straight shaft, and the G-Spotter, which has a curved shaft. One of our favorite attachments is the G-Whiz G-Spot attachment from  (see our review).

There are caps with nubs on them, there are male masturbation sleeves, dildos, and attachments that provide vaginal, anal, and clitoral stimulation at the same time. The Lovehoney Multipurpose Pleaser Suction Cup Wand Attachment allows you to attach any toy with a suction cup to the Magic Wand. There are seats and devices that will hold the Magic Wand in place, and Liberator offers a couple of wedge shaped supports that will hold a Magic Wand in place.

Since it has only two speeds, there are also third party variable speed controllers, such as the Wand Essentials Wand Massager Speed Controller. There are a number of companies that make variable speed controllers for Magic Wands, although you don’t need a specialized device. Any variable speed controller that works with brush-type motors should do the job. These have a dial to control the speed. What will not work are the cheap lamp dimmers with a slider controller.

With a large toy like this, there is a difference in the way that you will use it by yourself and with a partner. At a toy testing event, I observed that most of the women used the vibrator by holding the side of the head against the vulva, often using their legs to help clamp it in place. The cord end pointed straight up. When used with a partner, their partner typically held the top of the head of the wand against the vulva.  Because of the flexible shaft, more pressure can by applied with it sideways in a way that is different from head on. You may want to try both ways with your partner and see which is preferred.

There was a new introduction last year of the HV270. This is a cordless version, and while we have not tested one yet, it has been getting a very positive response. Adult Industry magazine AVN awarded it the Powered Sex Toy of the Year.