Which Vibrator is Best? | Psychology Today

The Jun 15, 2009 Psychology Today includes a feature titled Which Vibrator is Best which states:

Which one is best? That depends on you, and maybe your lover, and on the kind of stimulation you enjoy...

Ball-top vibrators are wands capped by a vibrating ball, typically the size of a plum. The world's most popular vibrator is a ball-top model, the Hitachi Magic Wand...

Wall current vibrators generally have more powerful motors so they deliver more intense sensations...

While most vibrators are used by women solo, surveys show that about 10 percent of American couples now use vibrators in partner sex. Lovers can take turns using vibrators on each other for whole-body massage. For genital play, many women insist on handling the vibrator themselves--the clitoris is very sensitive to touch, especially the intense sensations vibrators provide...

Compared with other forms of entertainment, vibrators are quite economical. For less than the price of a restaurant dinner, a vibrator can provides hours--or weeks, even years--of erotic pleasure.

Do you Tweet? Follow the Hitachi Magic Wand on Twitter!

Twitter has grown by leaps and bounds, ranking as the fastest growing Web site in 2008 by Nielson, with a popularity driven by a mix of word-of-mouth and celebrity usage. The Hitachi Magic Wand twitter collects tweets about the Hitachi Magic Wand into a single feed. See what everyone is saying about their favorite massager.

Here's what people are saying about the Hitachi Magic Wand twitter feed:

@JesseBrydle This is the greatest use of Twitter I have come across so far

@XaleD: @HitachiMagic is a VERY amusing feed to read. VERY!

Follow @HitachiMagic on Twitter

Hitachi Magic Wand spotted in Hugh Hefner's bedroom.

In his interview for Esquire's "What I've Learned" series, Hugh Hefner claimed:

Every man should have a Hitachi Wand. It's a very good vibrator.

Thanks to our many readers who reported actually seeing Heff's Hitachi Magic Wand in the latest episode of Girls Next Door.

It isn't on his side of the bed.

Frequently Asked Question: Why is the Hitachi Magic Wand only available in North America?

You'll see the notice "For North American use only 110-120 volts. Do not use with a voltage converter" wherever the Hitachi Magic Wand is sold.   Here's why:

 

The Hitachi Magic Wand Massager is designed and offered for use only in North America so Hitachi strictly prohibits its sale to the rest of the world.  Here are the technical details:

The Hitachi Magic Wand is available only in a 110-volt version for American domestic supplies. As the electric motor is contained in the head and is cooled by airflow through the gap between stem and head, this design is difficult to modify for double insulation according to European CE standards, and remains electrically dangerous, just as most handheld powertools. For extra safety it can be fed via an insulation transformer, and is more than sufficiently powerful when supplied with well under 100 volt alternating current, at either 60 or 50 Hertz. As its power drain is low - under 20 watt - it can be fed with easily available, small 220-to-110 volt travel adaptors containing non-insulating autotransformers, although the combination is technically illegal in Europe.

The History of the Hitachi Magic Wand (Part 2)

In our last post, we introduced the many changes that Hitachi's made to the Hitachi Magic Wand over the years.  In upcoming posts we'll explore each model in more detail, but this week history meets the media in the first (of many!) posts referencing the Magic Wand in the media.

We searched through the archives to find the earliest mention of the Hitachi Magic Wand in a magazine. We found a 24 year old ad from the good folks at Good Vibrations in the July 1985 issue of Mother Jones Magazine.

However, that wasn't the first mention of the Hitachi Magic Wand in print.

Betty Dodson (the veritable expert of orgasm) published Liberating Masturbation in 1973. That book was later purchased by Harmony Books and retitled Sex for One: The Joy of Selfloving

Do you know of any in-print references to the Hitachi Magic Wand from before 1973? If so, please let us know in the comments.

Update 02-Apr 2009:  We received a copy of Betty Dodson's 1973 Getting to Know Me: A Primer on Masturbation article, courtesy of Ms. Magazine.   The article doesn't mention the Hitachi Magic Wand by name, but it is clear that by then Dodson had already discovered its magic:

For the past two years I have been experimenting with different vibrators.   I have found that the vibrator gives me the strongest and most consistent form of stimulation and is especially good for women who have never experienced orgasm. It also overcomes the problem of your hand or arm getting tired while masturbationg manually.  Some women complain that the vibrator makes them go numb.  Of course, if you put the vibrator directly on your clitoris and don't move either the vibrator or your body, you will numb out.   I always use a bit of material between me and my vibrator -- a piece of velvet, satin, fur, a towel.  

Introducing: The History of the Hitachi Magic Wand Massager

The Hitachi Magic Wand has undergone many changes over the years. Here at The Magic Wand Shop, we've got at least one of every model that Hitachi ever made -- a one-of-a kind collection.

Did you know:

- The original Hitachi Magic Wand came in five different colors?

- Several of the early Hitachi Magic Wand models came with their own storage case?

- A couple of the retail boxes from the 80's were quite suggestive of the Magic Wand's true calling as the world's most popular vibrating sex toy. One box offers the challenge: "Try it... you'll like it".

- The Hitachi Magic Twin-Head Massager (HVT-350) was discontinued in 2004. These are almost impossible to find new.

Join us here each week as we explore the history of the Hitachi Magic Wand.