A Review of the Kinklab Neon Wand Electrosex Kit

If Darth Maul was kinky, he’d play with this. A review of Kinklab’s Neon Wand

Yes, I just started my review out with a Star Wars reference. Yes, I really am that much of a nerd. And yes, the only good things to come out of ‘Episode I’ was Darth Maul, and a chance to see Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor wielding lightsabers. This electrical toy is infinitely cooler than Episodes I-III, though, trust me. I also admit that I have totally hummed the Emperor’s theme while using this. The Neon Wand is made by Kinklab and is basically a beginner’s version of the Violet wand, which is an electro-stim BDSM item. It looks like something you might see a mad scientist using in a monster movie, holding the wand up next to a helpless ingenue, but don’t let that scare you off. The sensations that the Neon Wand offers ranges from a light tingle to a fairly intense zap that can be painful.

The Neon Wand kit, offered by Shevibe, comes in a fairly heavy duty cardboard box that is magnetically sealed. It is holding together well so far, but I have plans to make my own carrying case, as I find trying to pack the box into my toy bag to be a pain because it takes up a lot of room. The inside is fairly well padded with a foam insert that has slots cut out for the glass probes as well as the handle. I found the foam around the glass probes to be thinner than I would like, also the fact that the entire inner insert can be removed makes it less sturdy. If you don’t have plans to bring this toy out to play parties, though, I don’t see a problem with keeping it in the original packaging. The box has a picture of the wand on the front, so it’s not something you would want to leave out if you have company coming over. The kit also comes with an instruction manual, four different glass heads/probes/attachment things, as well as the body/wand part of the toy.

Here’s the technical specs for the Neon Wand: The Neon Wand uses a USA plug at 110V or a European one at 220V. The working frequency is 50-60 HZ, and it has a power of 10W. People who have pacemakers, heart conditions, or are pregnant shouldn’t use this toy. Other common sense warnings are: don’t use near flammable liquids, near the eyes, or over the same piece of skin for more than 10 seconds, as this may result in a burn. Don’t use this if you, your bottom, the toy, or the surface you’re going to play on is wet, and don’t use the toy if there is anything noticeably wrong, such as smoke or a strange smell coming from the wand.

Also, this is really important: do not use the Neon Wand over jewelry, especially body piercings! Metal conducts electricity, guys. This can result in much more intense sensations/pain, or even burns. Damaging your bottom/sub/playtoy permanently is not cool.

The wand comes with four different attachment, the Electrode Comb, Mushroom Tube, 90 Degree Probe, and Tongue Tube. To simply the review, I’ll be referring to them as the Comb, Mushroom, Pinpoint, and Scoop, as these are more accurate descriptions of the shapes, in my mind. Also, there is an another attachment for the Neon Wand that can be purchased separately called the Tripper, and I want it so badly! It comes with a contact plate that you put next to your skin and it allows you to turn your entire body into a conduit for the electricity and makes your play ‘hands on’. The four attachments that were included are clear glass shapes with a copper bottom that are inserted into the body of the wand.

Now, here’s where we get to the awesome science-y parts of the review. First, you need to know that neon wands and violet wands are entirely different creatures. A violet wand is commonly thought to be a Tesla coil, but it’s not. They are actually an Oudin coil – an iron-core resonant coil where the primary and secondary winding share the same iron core, and the primary winding is attached to a mechanical interrupter. You vary the output of an Oudin coil by changing the interrupter. In a violet wand, the interruptor is a magnet that vibrates very quickly-you change how strong the output is by turning a knob connected to a screw that actually changes the height of the vibrating magnet. That’s why violet wands always make that characteristic buzzing/zapping sound-what you’re hearing is the magnet vibrating.

The Neon Wand doesn’t use an Oudin coil at all-it’s entirely solid state. It uses a circuit board with electronics that are more similar to a camera strobe than they are to a resonating coil, though that’s a bit of an oversimplification. Basically, they’re an entirely different technology that does pretty much the same thing. Also, the fact that neon wands are solid state means that you can hold them upside down without losing power, something you cannot do with a violet wand. Also, neon wands are significantly easier and cheaper to manufacture. This is why they have a $150 price tag, vs the $400+ one for violet wand.

So, what’s the wand like during use? I’m glad you asked. The wand itself is easy to grip, as it’s coated in a ‘non-slip’ type coating, and it’s not terribly heavy to hold, even for an extended play session. I love the sleek look of the wand, and the fact that it glows red when it’s on and arcs little orange lightning-esque sparks to my partner’s skin? Well, that’s just sexy as hell. If red isn’t part of your play bag’s colour scheme, SheVibe also has it in purple! Switching between the different probes was not difficult-while they fit snugly into the wand, I didn’t have to tug or yank at them to get them out. The length of the cord worked well for play in the bedroom as well as the smaller play space we visited, but may not be long enough for dungeon play.

My favourite places to have the neon wand used on me are pretty varied, and they also depend on the type of probe that is being used. The smaller the tip, the most intense the sensations, and I’m a bit of a masochist. For the non-kinky in the audience, this means that my brain is wired differently than most, and certain types of pain frequently will be translated as pleasure. I definitely like the Pinpoint tip best as it is the most intense, but the Tongue tip was a close second. Also, when you use it over areas with more nerve endings, (such as over the spine, on the inner thighs, etc) the sensations are much stronger, though it is still not intense as a violet wand, even on the highest setting.

My sadist and I actually found a spot on my lower back that was sensitive enough to the electrical play that having him run the probe over that particular place a few times actually got me close to orgasm. Obviously, not everyone is going to experience the same sensations or have the same pleasurable reactions to them, but I was able to get similar reactions from a female friend while I was using the neon wand on her outer thighs. Other places that provoked squeaks and squirms were the back of the neck, nipples, inner thighs, and along inner arms and the backs of calves.

I don’t think that this would be the perfect toy for a hardcore sadist or masochist, but if you are new to electrical play, wanting to try a more affordable version of a violet wand before making a huge investment, or just want a shiny new toy to add to your toy bag, the Neon Wand is definitely worth purchasing! I give it 5 zappy paws up out of 5!