knotheadusc's Full Review: Hitachi HV 250R Magic Wand Massager Vibrator.
First thing's first. I am a woman in my 30s and I haven't seen my husband, Bill, in months. Like lots of women in their so-called sexual peak, I have certain needs. Unfortunately, while my husband has been off defending God and country, my old massager started an irreversible death spiral. As I was shopping for a replacement, I remembered my husband's comment that the Hitachi Magic Wand Massager HV-250R was the "Cadillac" of vibrators/massagers. Guess he read the ads on the Internet, too. Remembering that little tidbit of information, I decided to purchase one to keep me company until Bill comes home.
What is the Hitachi Magic Wand Massager HV-250R?
Chances are, most people reading this review already know that lots of women use the Hitachi Magic Wand to satisfy their sexual needs. However, I think it's important to point out that the Magic Wand is actually billed as just a plain old massager. If you look at the packaging, you see leotard clad women using the device on parts of their bodies that are perfectly acceptable for public viewing. Read through the instructions and you'll find no mention that this product can or should be used for intimate purposes. In fact, the instructions even include a diagram of a fully clad woman marked with positions where the massager should be used. There are no arrows pointing toward the diagrammed woman's genital region.
This massager is sold by drugstores and sex shops. Attachments are available and sold separately. They looked kind of scary to me, so I opted to just buy the wand. I had high hopes for this product, since it got so many great reviews and seemed to be so powerful.
Specifications
The Magic Wand has two speeds, high and low, which have vibration frequencies of 6000 and 5000 per minute respectively. Designed to be used in North America, the massager uses a 110-120 volt power source and consumes 20 watts. The manufacturers don't recommend using the wand with an electric converter, which means that when I move to Germany, I'll have to find a new toy. The Hitachi Magic Wand is about twelve inches long and has a soft, smooth, flexible head. The power cord is about seven feet long. The massager comes with a one year limited warranty and is intended for home use.
My first impressions
Oh boy, was I excited to get this package in the mail last week. I was especially happy because DHL had lost my package in transit and I had visions of some DHL employee playing with my new toy. I was relieved to get my new Magic Wand in a box that showed no signs of tampering. When I pulled my new machine out of the box, I noticed that the plastic seemed a bit lightweight. The power cord was also flimsier than the cord on my other massager.
I plugged in the Hitachi and tried it out at both speeds by just touching the vibrating head with my fingers, something the manufacturers warn that I shouldn't do. I wasn't all that impressed with its power, or lack thereof. Later, I tried it as a sensual aid and found that it's not as powerful as my old massager was when I first bought it. For me, that's a big drawback, especially since it takes longer to get the desired effect. The Magic Wand uses a motor to make vibrations. The longer you use it, the hotter the motor gets. The hotter the motor gets, the sooner it will overheat. Others may find the Hitachi Magic Wand plenty powerful.
One thing that does strike me as a good thing about this massager is that it's very compact. Lightweight at just 1.2 pounds, it's small enough to easily stow in a suitcase. It would be very easy to travel with this massager as long as you're staying in North America. I also don't think this massager is excessively noisy, so that's another plus.
The Hitachi Magic Wand Massager HV-250R is widely available, so even if you're feeling a little unfulfilled, you can buy it without embarrassment from a number of different retailers. The list price is $69.99, but I wouldn't pay more than $40 for this massager. Luckily, that's pretty much what it's going for these days.
Precautions
I have to admit, I found reading the instructions for the Hitachi Magic Wand very entertaining. Obviously, they weren't written by a native English speaker, although whoever did write them is very fluent in the language. Here are a few direct quotes from the precautions section in the instructions.
You'll want to use your massager on your shoulders, arms, back muscles, and legs. It's not for your chest and certainly not for use around you [sic] thyroid gland (just below the Adam's Apple)...
The rated maximum continuous use of your massager is 25 minutes. That's really long enough. Should you wish to use it longer, turn it off and wait about 30 minutes before using it again...
Don't turn the vibrating head by hand or press it tightly to your body. You could bend the head-supporter, and heavy pressure does not produce a stronger massaging effect anyway...
Never drop or insert any object into any opening.
Yuk, yuk, yuk...
There are also standard warnings about not using the massager while taking a bath or on inflamed or swollen areas of the body. In fact, the folks at Hitachi even specifically warn that the Magic Wand should not be used on an "unexplained calf pain". Ouch.
Seriously, this massager seems safe to use as long as the user has common sense. Don't use it around water, on open wounds, or when the motor is so hot your fingers are burning, and you should be just fine. And be sure to avoid that "thyroid gland", too... (snicker)
Would I recommend the Hitachi Magic Wand Massager?
It depends. Frankly, I didn't find this massager powerful enough for my particular "needs". I don't like the fact that it's made of flimsy plastic and has a lightweight and somewhat short power cord. However, I think this massager would be fine for general use on sore muscles. And I also think that some women would find it plenty powerful enough for their sensual tastes. Hell, I find that just reading the instructions is a source of entertainment all its own! But for me, personally, this massager is less like a Cadillac and more like a Dodge Neon.
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