The wand is great, of course. Yes, this newer version is not quite what the earlier version was, but I knew that going in. The tell-tale silver sticker is there by the cord, as is the stamped serial number indication this is in fact genuine product. The speed control is what I'm really focusing on here, and I did knock off one star based only on that device. (I'd have only taken 1/2 a star had that been an option) Here's the deal. The speed control has a three position switch, which is good. Center position off, yes, good, but then it says "Multi Function On," and, "Multi Function Off," in the other two positions. Not a big deal as just plugging the wand in and trying them will allow you to discover quite easily that, "Multi Function," just refers to the ability to adjust the speed with the rheostat knob. Not enough to knock off a whole star, or even half, but it's less than 100% perfect none-the-less. The other thing though, is that when in "Multi Function," mode, turning the knob to it's highest setting will not allow the wand to run at it's maximum speed. Hitting the switch to flip it to the, "Multi Function Off," position will kick the wand up to it's maximum potential, but it is in fact quite a jump. Anyone searching for something between the maximum speed allowed when controlled by the knob, and the maximum potential of the wand by itself is out of luck. There are a couple other things I need to point out here that are *VERY* important. First off, I'll say that I tested the wands' output on the controller with it in the, "Multi Speed Off," position and with the wand plugged directly into the wall without the controller and there was no distinguishable difference in speed or power, so that's a really good thing. More importantly, however, is that I want to make it clear that you HAVE to use a motor controller to control the speed of an AC (Alternating Current) motor such as the one in this wand. (Also fans, blower motors, any motor that runs off of house current) You can NOT SAFELY USE A LIGHTING DIMMER OR SIMILAR! A.) You will eventually destroy the motor. B.) When the motor DOES eat itself, you could be hurt, possibly seriously! It's kind of funny because, I had been thinking of just using a router control. They are used to slow down single speed only routers, and are rated plenty high enough to handle a Magic Wand. I decided to get the wand and control packaged together because I couldn't beat the price by buying a router control separately. So sure enough, I get my new wand and control, and doesn't the control box say, "Router Control," right on the side?! I don't know if there is any practical way to get a full, smooth control of the motor speed all the way up to the wands maximum potential, and in no way wish to dissuade you from making this purchase. I'm just writing all of this so you'll know what this will and will NOT do, and much much more importantly, to let folks know that using lighting dimmers on a device like this is NOT SAFE!
