I like strong vibrations, but the Hitachi was ridiculous! The vibrations were so strong that they left my entire vaginal area numb--I didn't feel ANYTHING down there. Also, if you need more pinpoint vibration/stimulation to orgasm, which apparently I do, the Hitachi isn't for you. The Hitachi's head is enormous, making pinpoint stimulation impossible. And speaking of the head, while the manufacturer claims that the head is soft, I found it rather hard and rough. Definitely do not use this against your skin. Have panties--or better yet, a towel--between you and the Hitachi when using this on intimate areas.

The texture is squishy, but rather rough, and could be irritating if you don't have something between it and your more intimate areas. Mine smelled of motor oil.

It is quite long--about a foot long. The head is about the same size as a tennis ball. I felt the size made it rather difficult to use for solo play. It would probably be fun, if you can withstand the strength of the vibrations, to use for couples play.

If you intend to use this as a body massager rather than a vibrator, then it is very well-designed. As a vibrator it would be wonderful for those who need EXTREMELY strong vibrations, but it literally left me numb.

It would be rather difficult to travel with this item. As noted above, it is very large. On the plus side, because it needs to be plugged in, if you do travel with it you don't have to worry about anyone accidentally turning it on at the airport.

As I mentioned above, the vibrations are extremely powerful. So powerful, that I found them painful and they left me completely numb--and this was using the LOW setting. I always thought of myself as a woman who needed powerful vibrations, but this was too much for me!

There is a warning on the Hitachi that you shouldn't use it for more than 25 minutes at a time, and you should take them at their word. This thing heats up really quickly and becomes extremely hot. There is no doubt in my mind that the motor on my Hitachi would burn out if I used it for more than 20-25 minutes.

The Hitachi is very large and extremely loud. It can be awkward to use because of its size, and due to the noise, there is no way to be discreet when using this item. It sounded like a car engine revving up in my bed!

I also notice a strong smell of what can only be described as motor oil when the Hitachi was in use. I don't know how else to describe it. It was a very strong odor and deeply unpleasant.

The Hitachi is no longer used as a sex toy in my household, but I did find another use for it--it is a FABULOUS back massager. I have a back injury and this did wonders for my aching back muscles. So at least it wasn't a complete waste of money.

This is electric and corded, so you never have to worry about replacing batteries. The cord is long enough that you shouldn't have to worry about it getting in the way or coming unplugged during intimate play.

This item cannot be washed or boiled (for obvious reasons). You must use a toy cleaner or baby wipes.

As for storage, again, the size of the wand could prove to be an issue. Hopefully, if you have children, you have a drawer or someplace in the closet to stash it where the kids won't look. Or just tell them it's a back massager, which is absolutely true in my case.

This should be compatible with any type of lube.

It does not seem to attract dirt or lint, which is always nice.

Never use the Hitachi longer than 25 minutes or the motor could burn out.

The toy came in a simple cardboard box with the words Hitachi and an image of the massager. No, you could not use this box for storage or as a gift box, unless, of course, you wanted to use it as a part of gag-gift. The box is recyclable.

For years I had aspired to own a Hitachi Magic Wand--the Queen of vibrators. So you can imagine my disappointment when I finally purchased one only to discover that it did nothing for me. I didn't even get close to orgasm with the Hitachi. The vibrations were simply too powerful for me. As it turns out, the cheap $10 vibrating eggs do more for me sexually than the Hitachi. Go figure!