A few weeks ago they send me their newest product, the Kandela wand (thanks!). It’s almost like the Kymera wand, but instead this is cheaper version and only works on a included LED candle.

However, that’s really not that bad at all. Read further if you want to find out why.

Design and functionality

The first thing I noticed was the packaging. I’m sure most people don’t care about that but I think a great packaging makes you more excited when you’re just about to use it for the first time.
The Kandela wand comes in a long nice box. It was a little hard to open and I was also disappointed not to see a big beautiful manual as with their other product, the Kymera wand, but it was still pretty good.

The wand itself is very beautiful and made of plastic. That isn’t as good as wood but it still feels very good in my hand. It’s very satisfying to swing it in the air because the weight is just right.

And let’s not forget about the candle, which I think is really awesome. After turning it on it lights and looks just like a real candle, sometimes I’m even wondering why it isn’t as warm.
A cool bonus feature is that instead of turning it off, you can just blow it out with your mouth. I really like this because it makes it seem more real.

Using it

I haven’t told you what the wand does yet but I think you might’ve guessed it. Well, it’s very special because it can detect when special movements, called gestures, are done. Like a Wii remote. The Kandela wand can do three:

1. Flick to turn the light on
2. Shake the wand to turn off
3. Double-tap the wand on the middle to set a 60-min timer

So basically the wand is used to turn on the candle! Very cool, especially if you like Harry Potter. You can watch a demonstration video here.

Unfortunately you won’t be able to teach it any signals or gestures yourself. Oh, and both the wand and candle uses two AAA-batteries which weren’t included.

After some use
Now, when I’ve been using it for some time now, I still think it’s pretty awesome. Especially the candle. It’s very nice to turn it on in the evening when I’m just working on my computer. Makes everything more cozy.
It does, however, gets boring sometimes, but then after some time it gets fun again. Guests are always surprised to see it because even though it’s simple it still feels like magic.

Compared to the Kymera Wand

The Wand Company has another wand, which is called the Kymera Wand. It’s a little higher priced at 49,95 GBP, but what’s the difference?

They look almost the same but the Kymera is actually a universal wand remote. That means if you pay more, you’ll get a something with 13 gestures that can control more than just a LED candle. It will control everything that uses an infrared remote control.
The Kymera wand also comes in a nicer box with batteries included and it vibrates when you do a gesture with it.

I have both myself and I would defintely choose the Kymera over the Kandela. That doesn’t, however, mean you should do the same. The Kymera doesn’t come with a candle so I would probably buy both, but that’s a lot of money to lay down on infrared wands.

Overall

Just like all products from The Wand Company, I really like this product. Because you both get a wand and a LED candle I’m sure a lot of people are going to like it and buy it. It’s really fun for Harry Potter fans and just for basically showing guests.
I do, however, like the higher priced Kymera wand better, and I advise you, if you’re not interested in the candle, to read my review of it before buying the Kandela wand. But remember, both products are really awesome!

• good: beautiful, works very nice, comes with a candle, not super expensive
• bad: not as advanced as the Kymera wand

You can buy it on The Wand Company’s official website or a little cheaper at Kymera-wand.com (a reseller).

More information and review soon!

Update
My review is done, read it here.

The Pocket is also made by TheWandCompany, but I think it’s only the reseller Kymera-Wand.com that are selling it right now. It costs EUR 9,95.

You might remember I made a post about this wand a few weeks ago, but at that point in time I didn’t know whether I should buy it or not. As you can see now I have!

What is it?

The Kymera Wand is basically a universal remote – as a wand, made by The Wand Company. It can learn up to 13 IR (infrared) signals from almost everything, which of course uses a IR remote. Like TVs and music players. All 13 signals are assigned to “gestures” which are moves you do with the wand to send out the signal again. For example “Big Swish”, which is a gesture where you make a swish in the air. Here’s a list of all the gestures:

1. Rotate anticlockwise
2. Rotate clockwise
3. Flick upwards
4. Flick downwards
5. Flick left
6. Flick right
7. Tap on top
8. Tap on site
9. Big Swish
10. Push forward
11. Double tap on top
12. Double tap on site
13. Pull Back

When a gesture is performed, the wand pulses to confirm that the gesture was done correct.

The Packaging

When I got the wand the first thing I was amazed about was the box. It comes in a big long white box and inside that is a smaller black box, which has “Kymera” in gold printed on. It really reminds me of Ollivanders in Harry Potter!

Inside the black sleek box I found a very nice big manual. It’s very beautiful because it looks like some sort of old parchment and it’s very easy to understand the instructions. In the middle of the box I found the wand and it was nicer and more beautiful than I thought it would be.

The pictures on the internet might show how the wand looks, but nothing can tell you how it truly is to hold and look at, before you hold it yourself! Honestly, I actually thought the plastic would a bit “cheap” but it’s a lot better than you think!

After removing a small piece of plastic the wand was ready to be used (batteries are included with Kymera Wands!). It was in “practice mode”, which basicually means I could train the gestures without sending any IR signals out (it hadn’t learned any).
I quickly learned it a signal with the “Big Swish”-gesture and I made a big smile the first time when I turned our TV on. It didn’t just control the TV, it also gave me a feeling of… real magic, as if I was holding a real wand in my hand. I learned it some more signals, and soon I was controlling everything – volume, channels, on/off etc…

Since then, I have also tried it with a music player, and that also worked very well! Hovever, I think the wand is better for a TV, so I’ll probably use it for that instead.

Overall

So is it worth it? It’s a bit expensive, but I would say yes! The wand is a great remote, and it’s a lot more fun to use than an ordinary remote. It can be boring sometimes but then, suddenly, I can’t resist to hold and use it again.
If you love Harry Potter or just think the idea behind a real wand is great then buy it. Kymera is definitely the closest thing to a real wand you can get today. It’s also very fun to show to guests and friends. If you think about 100 dollars is expensive for just a “remote” then it’s not for you.

You can buy the wand at kymera-wand.com or at the official site thewandcompany.com. If you have any questions, just post a comment, and I’ll be happy to answer you.

Update: Check out my Kandela Wand Review

So how does it work…? According to what I’ve read, it can actually copy the infrared signals remotes are sending out when a button is pushed. You can learn the wand up to 13 commands, which all have they’re own movement, you must do to send the signal out again. You could for example flick it to the site to switch channel on your tv, or rotate it to adjust the volume on your music-player.

What do you think about? I think it’s awesome, and I’m actually considering to buy one right now! I’m still not sure if I’ll buy one, because they aren’t cheap. If you want one, then you can buy it at different websites. Here are links to some of them:

http://thewandcompany.com/ (The official website) ,

http://www.kymera-wand.com/buy-a-wand/ ,

http://www.thinkgeek.com/cf9b/ .

Here is a funny video ThinkGeek has made about the wand. You can find others at YouTube.