About Violet Wands for Beginners

About Violet Wands- A Beginner’s Guide

How do you learn about violet wands if you are new to them? What’s the best way to get started with them? We know there are a lot of products on this site and a lot of information about violet wands. It’s not always easy to know what to get.  There are so many options, accessories and electrodes. We hope this Beginner’s Guide about Violet Wands will help you understand where different products fit into how you play. Let’s get started.

First, you need a violet wand

The first thing to know about violet wands, is that your violet wand is your power supply.  It transforms household current into a steady stream of sparks that energize your nerves and stimulate your skin. This is called the output and the output varies between types of wands and different makes and models. There are two basic types of violet wands as a power supply. The first is the heavy duty electromechanical types which run on an electro-magneto coil. The second type are the electronic solid state types that run on a circuit board.

Which type of violet wand is right for you?

The electronic solid state types are best for beginners.  They are easier to use than the electromechanical ones, which can be more difficult for beginners to learn.  Some people jump right to the electromechanical violet wands if they know they are going to love violet wands. Or if they really want to get into them and all the techniques. Electromechanical wands are best if you will be playing ‘heavy’ or using violet wands heavily.

But for beginners, the solid state/electronic types are best. Especially if you aren’t sure how deeply you want to get into violet wands or don’t want to make a big investment. Solid state violet wands have no ‘positional’ issues, so you can hold them at any angle, and their output is consistent. They are much lighter in weight and easy to handle.  They don’t break your bank account either.

If you are sure you want to do all the edge play techniques like violet wand fireplay or branding, then you probably want an electromechanical wand. Though there are many solid state wands that are strong enough to do those techniques, heavy play requires more heavy duty gear.

Guidelines

So here are some guidelines to help you choose.  This beginner’s guide about violet wands is only guidelines: many beginners want an electromechanical wand and vice versa. And many people wind up with both types after they find they really love violet wands.  You can always turn an electromechanical wand down but solid states have some limits. (Think of it this way: They both are cars, both take you where you want to go, but one has an electric motor and one has a hemi engine.)

Solid state: beginners/new to violet wands/on a budget/want to learn violet wands before making more investment/want ease of use/don’t need the heaviest play/prefer ergonomic and lightweight

Electromechanical: know you love violet wands/want to invest in good gear/are a heavy player/really want to get into violet wands and everything they can do/need the highest level of sensations

We have different models of both types. So check our Violet Wand Comparison Chart to get the details of the different models we carry.

THEN you need some electrodes

After deciding on which type of violet wand meets your needs, then you need some attachments.  Violet wands are just the power supply and they require the various electrodes and attachments to do the different techniques and achieve the different sensations.  The most popular attachments to start with are glass electrodes.   For a couple of reasons, they are the best for beginners.  They glow in great colors as the gas inside them is excited by the violet wand current. Made of glass, the glass provides a fail-safe buffer to electrical current. They are easy to use, just plug them into the wand. They look great. And they all feel different too.

Glass electrodes that have a bigger surface area are less intense than glass electrodes that have a small surface area..a smaller surface area concentrates the output more.  You want a mushroom electrode. The general purpose Mushroom electrode is in the middle of the intensity scale of glass violet wand electrodes.  Everyone gets a mushroom.

Best for Beginners

The best kit that we recommend for people just getting started, is the Mirage Violet Wand set, now in a new kit arrangement that comes with 4 electrodes. These 4 electrode styles provide you with a good range of sensations and experimentation in a beginner’s kit. The Mirage violet wand is 35kv in output which is on the erotic end of the output range, but is still just enough to be able to try all the advanced techniques. And its a very economical model so you don’t have to invest a lot in finding out if you like violet wands.  (or not..though we know that you will.)

Glass electrodes all have different properties, sensations and uses, so after you are familiar with these 4 you can always get more and grow your collection, but these basic 4 give you a really good range to start with.  And you don’t have to get more glass electrodes- there are plenty of other things to try.

After the basics, now what? The two ‘Must Have’ Accessories!

Once you have your violet wand and some glass electrodes, you can do Direct Techniques.  Direct Techniques are where you plug an attachment into the wand and apply the current directly from the wand to your partner. Direct Techniques are the first of THREE Basic Techniques sets.  The other two Basic Techniques are Indirect and Reverse.  For Indirect techniques, the wand user electrifies their own touch.  This makes it possible for the sparks to shoot out from their fingertips (or any other body part).  And it makes it possible to pick up something metal or conductive and use that to make the sparks on your partner.

So there are two items that are considered ‘must have’ items after you get some electrodes and want to start expanding your techniques and play.  The first is the Body Contact Cable. 

‘Must-Have’ #1 – The Body Contact Cable

The Body Contact cable is what you use to electrify your own touch.  One end plugs into the violet wand like an electrode, and you hold onto the other end (or tuck it in your waistband, sock, bra or corset, anyplace it makes good contact with your skin.  Now you become electrifed!  You don’t feel it, but the current is traveling through you.  Its a very energizing experience. Now your hands, fingertips, tongue are electrified. If you bump a part of your body against something metal like a table leg, you’ll feel it as a spark. Because you are the one who is electrified.  So use those fingertips to drive your partner wild.  Hold your fingers about 1/4″ above the skin, and lightly move away and closer as you find out the best positioning.  Here’s more information on how to use a Body Contact Cable. 

Violet wand Toys

But wait, there’s more! Plug your Body Contact Cable into your violet wand.  Tuck the other end against your skin, inside your waistband.  Then pick up something metal in your hand, like a butter knife. And turn on the wand. Now you are electrified, but so is the butter knife. You won’t feel it, but the current is traveling through you, then from you to the butter knife.  Now the butter knife is going to deliver the sparks to your partner. Since ANYTHING metal or conductive can be used in this way, this is why a Body Contact Cable is a MUST HAVE.  Once you have a Body Contact Cable, you can get all kinds of violet wand toys like mylar floggers, or ballchain whips.

Or you can make your own violet wand toys.  Or..you can just pick up what you have laying around.  A handful of Christmas garland feels luxurious and picky with sparks all at the same time. You’ll be going through your kitchen drawers and your tool box looking for fun things to use.  YES, a Body Contact is a MUST have after you get your violet wand and glass electrodes, so that you can use Violet Wand Toys.

‘Must-Have’ #2 – The Lightbulb Adaptor

The Lightbulb Adaptor plugs into your violet wand and converts any regular household lightbulbs into violet wand electrodes.  ANY household lightbulbs of regular Edison size (E26) and candelabra (E12) size. Halogens, fluorescents, nightlight bulbs, appliance bulbs, decorative bulbs.  Christmas bulbs, vanity bulbs, mercury bulbs, outdoor bulbs, indoor bulbs, the lamp from your sewing machine. Any lightbulb in your house will work as a violet wand electrode. And all the various lightbulbs will have different properties, strengths, sensations and visual effects.  The entire lightbulb aisle in Home Depot or Lowe’s becomes a violet wand accessory aisle for you to choose from.  AND burned out lightbulbs work too.  That’s because when they are used with a violet wand, the gas inside the bulb lights up, not the filament, so it doesn’t matter if the filament burns out.

So don’t throw your burned out lightbulbs away..put them in your violet wand kit. Some bulbs glow blue, some purple, some red and some white. Some are sharp and painful, some are soft and glowy. You’ll have a crazy good time experimenting with various lightbulbs.  This is a ‘must have’ since it expands your play capacity in hundreds of ways..as many ways as there are lightbulbs.  (There are separate models of Lightbulb Adaptor set for electromechanical violet wands due to their shorter nosecones of the Tesla wands.  Make sure you get the correct model for your wand.)

Metal Electrodes

Metal electrodes and specialty electrodes are next.  Since your violet wand is just your power supply, every electrode you plug into it has different properties, sensations or functions.  Metal electrodes are more intense than glass electrodes. Specialty electrodes have specific functionality or a special purpose, like branding electrodes.

Expanding

When you have your violet wand, some electrodes, and the two must have accessories to use with some violet wand toys.  Now it comes down to expanding how you play, making your violet wand play easier, more intense, or broader.  You may want to start collecting electrodes to get the most variety of sensations and effects. Or decide to get a footswitch for your Tesla type wand, or a converter to take on an overseas trip.  Perhaps you might need another case to hold all your lightbulbs.  You could graduate to a heavy duty Tesla violet wand.  And wish to dazzle your partner with some Charm to mark a special occasion. Intense phosphor or bright lightsaber electrodes could come up next on your wish list.

Or you might want to combine types of play, like electrifying your shibari , violet wand cupping, or including violet wands in your predicament bondage or playing with piercings or needles. You may want to move into Advanced Techniques like violet wand fireplay. Or find out that you like Reverse Techniques better than Indirect.

Ideas about Violet Wands

This beginner’s guide about violet wands is just the tip of the iceberg. Lace a needle corset with colorful wire instead of ribbon; an electrified needle corset makes 10 times the endorphins. And if you already like cupping, then try violet wand cupping. Of course there are some basics about violet wands, but there’s no end or upper limit. You can start out with erotic fizzing and sensuous outputs from the most basic beginner’s violet wand.  And then you can just go up and upward. Set up a chain link spiderweb and electrify it with your violet wand by using a dancing chain with clips or just clamping your body contact cable to the chain. Everyone tied to, or who comes in contact with the chain will feel the spark.

Violet wands truly are the one toy that is for everyone. If you like sensuous and erotic pleasurable sensations, a violet wand does that.  If you like very intense, a violet wand does that too. No matter what you already like to do, whether its spanking or medical scenes or other type of fetish play, you can use your violet wand with it. And that is the best thing about violet wands.  There’s almost no limit when it comes to playing with a violet wand, you are limited only by your imagination.

Using your new violet wand

We have extensive articles on using your new wand under our Information and Techniques tabs at the top of the website so we have a lot more than just this Beginner’s Guide! We provide full support and information so that you can learn in-depth information about violet wands. Look for the articles that show you how to get started with playing. Start slow.  Turn the wand way down and use a mushroom electrode.  Introduce electricity gradually.  And we’d like to recommend these articles.  Enjoy!

Getting your Violet Wand

Playing with your Violet Wand

Violet Wand Basics

Violet Wand Techniques

Ten tips for Successful violet wand use