Momentary switch on the left, adjustment knob at the bottom.
I’ve been curious about violet wands since I saw one used in a kink show I attended a little over a year ago. Before then the thought of electrical play terrified me. Ah, how limits change.
I wrote about basic violet wand considerations in my violet wand information post. If you don’t know much about violet wands, you should read that first (now updated with a couple of images and a video, so check it out again!).
This review is of the Violetwanda Erotec Series Wand with momentary switch, the mushroom and Y electrodes, the body contact cable, the energy roller and the fingertip talons. I did not purchase a kit as the weight of a case seemed to up shipping substantially. Shipping is already very expensive because it is insured.
Violetwanda is a violet wand manufacturer. Their products are hand-made in the US.
The wand itself:
The wand, like pretty much all Violetwanda wands, has black polycarbonate housing with a ribbed body. It features a grounded plug for extra safety. The Erotec Series wands have a maximum run time of 1 hour before they require a cool down.
I covered the benefits of having a momentary switch already. I like it, it makes changing electrodes a lot easier.
We mostly play on on bed with me lying down and Bride sitting up and using the wand on me. Bride has to be careful not to reach over too far to avoid bleed from the nosecone (the slanted, uppermost section of the wand) and collet (place where electrodes are inserted). It wouldn’t be as much of a problem if we played while standing upright.
The Mjolnir Hammer from Violetwanda’s advanced line has a baffle (see right image) to reduce electrical bleed, which I think would make it more ideal for the way that Bride and I play.
Electrodes:
The electrodes found on the Violetwanda website are all their own manufacture. They seem larger than other electrodes I have seen in photographs (and not just the ones that come with solid state wands, I know they’re tiny). They’re made of Pyrex, so they’re very strong but not recommended for internal use. The Mjolnir site has quartz glass electrodes made specifically for internal use.
I’m happy with the quality of them. They seem very sturdy.
The mushroom is rated “3″ on the scale of intensity (1-10) according to Violetwanda’s site. I chose the purple/argon one.
This one really isn’t very intense. I usually require the higher power settings to enjoy it. Bride likes to hold it on an angle so that the edges are sparking me instead of the flat portion, making it a lot less boring. It’s considered the standard electrode and comes with all Violetwanda kits.
The Y is rated “4″. I chose the neon/orange one.
Due to the fact that we mostly play on a bed, we can’t really use this electrode as intended. Trying to hold it above a horizontal level while not getting too close to the collet is quite difficult if trying to make both ends spark simultaneously, so he typically just sparks me with one at a time to avoid this.
Bride doesn’t usually bother trying to get the curved portion to spark because it would pretty much feel just like the edges of the mushroom.
Accessories:
The body contact probe that Violetwanda carries is 6 feet long, spark gapped (more on 
that here) and heavily insulated. The picture on the site shows the cable being attached to two long probes, but mine has one long one and one short one. You have to be careful not to get too close to the part where the probe connects to the cable as sparks can emit from here, something that can be unpleasantly surprising. I have not experienced sparks from the length of the cable (something that can apparently be a real problem with cables of lesser quality).
Here is a useful comparison of body contact probes and pads offered by various sellers of violet wands. I can’t say how this one compares to others as it is the only one I have experienced, but according to the link it is a cable that can handle powerful wands and one that will carry the most current possible.
The energy roller feels somewhat like a wartenberg pinwheel but much less intense. Unlike a wartenberg pinwheel, it doesn’t really feel too exciting when used outside of violet wand play. If you’re not really a fan of sharp, cutting sensations, objects that offer a less concentrated output such as this one would be ideal. It’s ok but I prefer other things.
The fingertip talons are the same thing as banjo picks. I’ve heard that the ones you get through violet wand vendors are sharper than the usual ones, but I wouldn’t know. The ones I received are gold in colour, unlike the silver ones pictured on site.
They’re fun. Bride finds it harder to know whether he is touching me while using them, but I find that he touches me less than if he just used his fingers. If the claw part does touch me, there’s still a chance that sparks will emit from his fingertips because the tip of the claw acts as a kind of spark gap.
The order process:
The Violetwanda site is in the process of updating and pages are broken here and there as a result. The old site is dated and not very user friendly so the update is much needed, but the transition is a bit of a pain.
From what I’ve heard, quite a few people are unsatisfied with the long waiting times associated with Mjolnir products, Violetwanda’s advanced violet wand line. I would have expected to wait a while had I ordered from Mjolnir, but it was to my understanding that Violetwanda products are usually in stock.
The email I received after I ordered stated that the process of manufacturing, testing and packing the order could take up to 14 days (working days only I presume, as the store is not open on weekends). I placed my order on the 4th of April and was told that my order should ship by the 10th. I got another email on the 18th stating that my order was still in fulfillment. On the 1st of May I got another email stating that it would ship soon. Electronic shipping information was received on the USPS website on the 8th and I received the parcel on the 16th. I understand that all items are hand-manufactured and therefore will take extra time, but it would have been nice to have a more realistic estimation. At least email updates were frequent.
Supposedly a gift was included to make up for the delay, but I did not find any item which I had not ordered included in the parcel.
Warranty / international considerations:
I live in Australia, so there are additional considerations that come with purchasing a violet wand. As I mentioned in the information post, you need a step down transformer if you have a 110v wand and live in a country with a higher voltage. For US$28 you can get a transformer from the Violetwanda website. A plug type E adapter is included in the box. If you require a different adapter, make sure to get one that accepts plug type B. My ex-electrician dad swapped the plug on the transformer to an Australian one.
Here is the information for international customers on the Violetwanda website.
Violetwanda wands come with a warranty that includes lifetime repair services. There are certified Violetwanda repair persons in Australia, the UK and Europe, which makes things easier. If I ever have to get mine repaired, I’ll let you know what the process is like.
Overall opinion:
I’m happy with the quality of everything, but the unexpected wait was a little disappointing. Still, I would buy from Violetwanda again.
If I had to do it all again, I’d probably get an extension handle to allow for use of the wand at any angle (I didn’t anticipate how difficult it would be to keep it above a horizontal level in the position we usually play in) and maybe go for a Mjolnir Hammer instead for the nosecone bleed reduction.1
1. As described here. Mind you, though the Hammer is only $10 more than the wand I own, the shipping costs of wands from Mjolnir is considerably higher than the normal Violetwanda site (at least to Australia). The cost is the same for electrodes and accessories though.
