9 Best Wand Scanner Reviews with Buying Guide

Imagine a scenario where you are out traveling, and you suddenly need to scan a very important document or page of a book. But failing in your search for a scanner, you become disappointed and defeated.

What if we told you that there was a solution to this problem? Yes, the solution is getting a portable wand scanner. Wand scanners are basically handheld image scanners. It serves the same purpose as a traditional scanner at a smaller scale but with the added advantage of portability.

If you are looking to buy a wand scanner for cashing in on this advantage, then you have come to the right place. Here, we will go through 9 wand scanner reviews and try to determine the best wand scanner.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Wand Scanner 

Let us first know about the multiple benefits of a portable wand scanner, and then we will dive into the few drawbacks that they have.

2. VuPoint ST47 Magic Wand 

The second product from VuPoint is a much more budget-friendly option. While that means you have to give up some key features, it more than makes up for them in other fields. With an extraordinary battery life that survives 400 scans, this scanner can give you great, long-lasting performance in unision with the best printers under 50.

Even when you are low on battery, you can dock it in the docking station for prolonged use. The scan quality isn't a great as the previous one and only works up to 900 dpi. But that is understandable considering the low cost. However, you can get up to 1200 dpi by docking it.

Like most scanners, it also supports a maximum of 32GB SD card. But it doesn't come with a separate SD card. The 1.5-inch color supported LCD screen is good enough to give you a good preview of what you are scanning. This scanner has an additional power-saving feature that makes it turn off after 3 minutes of inactivity.

And this device also greatly saves up on time as it can easily scan a 125 inch long and 8.5 inches wide in 2 seconds. But we have to mention that the docking station significantly lacks in portability. A power source is almost obligatory, which makes it very redundant while traveling.

Also, there have been multiple complaints about the scans not being straight enough.

4. VuPoint Solutions PDS-ST415-VP 

And now we come back to VuPoint, the company that dominates our list. This particular product is a great budget-friendly alternative to the previous two VuPoint products.

Unlike the two products, this one doesn't have any docking station and doesn't support docking either. So you have to rely on its battery life. Fortunately, it has a great battery life that lasts nearly 400 scans.

When it comes to resolution, you can alternate among 3 levels with this device. These levels are 300 DPI, 600 DPI, and 900 DPI. The maximum resolution is lower than some scanners, but it is still good enough for the price.

The power-saving option comes in handy if you forget to turn it off because it shuts down automatically after 3 minutes of inactivity. It is also extremely easy to use. The interface is simpler than most devices with very little added complications. This unit is a perfect fit for users who occasionally do scanning and printing tasks and already own a printer for infrequent use.

However, when it comes to the flaws, we have to mention that it doesn't come with a preview screen to assess your scans, and that may be a problem for many people. It also takes more skill and accuracy to operate this device efficiently.

5. VuPoint Handheld Magic Wand Portable Scanner 

Almost all wand scanners are portable, and that goes without saying. But this scanner takes portability to the next level. It is extremely lightweight compared to the standard wand scanner. So it is one of the best scanners for traveling. The interface of this device is absolutely fantastic.

It's so simple that anyone with no idea of using wand scanners can easily operate this with little to no trouble. And we were surprised to observe the level of details it rendered through a black and white photo printer.

This scanner is also one of the very few wand scanners that can deliver up to 1050 DPI speed on high resolution on a budget like this, and that alone is an incredible feat. In the low and medium resolution, it can deliver 300 DPI and 600 DPI, respectively. 

Speaking of the budget, it is very budget-friendly. There are some features that are less than attractive or are lesser than other portable scanners. But considering the low budget, these flaws can be forgiven.

For example, this device can only scan an image up to 98 inches long and 8.27 inches wide in 3 seconds, which is honestly quite less than the other scanners on this list. But you can look past this issue if you need to save costs.

Similarly, the battery life on this scanner isn't really special. On low settings, this device can perform up to 200 scans. Compared to a lot of scanners, this is quite low.

Many scanners of VuPoint itself offer much higher and long-lasting battery life. But again, this is one of those flaws that you can ignore if you choose to do so after considering the price of the product.

6. VuPoint Solutions PDS-ST470-VP 

The biggest issue with this device ultimately comes down to the battery life, as it isn't very long-lasting. Particularly in high settings, the device really drains the battery. The fact that it doesn't support a docking station like the first two products from VuPoint makes the issue even more problematic.

We have seen a few budget-friendly options on our list so far. But this device pushes that to the limit. This is the cheapest wand scanner on this list, and it is a wonder how it still maintains such amazing features.

Firstly, this device actually gives you the highest resolution of scans possible at 1050 DPI. This is almost unheard of at this price. Much more costly scanners fail to give you this amount of resolution.

But of course, like any other wand scanners, you also have options to scan at low (300 DPI) or medium (600 DPI) resolution if you want to save power.

This product also comes with an 8GB SD card for storing your scans. But if you want to change it for an SD card with higher storage, you can do so because it can support the memory of 32GB. This product comes back with the 1.5 inch LCD screen.

Moreover, this screen is also color-supported and gives you a very accurate preview of the scans. A seemingly insignificant but very helpful feature of this device is the fact that you can set your desired format of scans beforehand. In many scanners, the default format is fixed to JPG, and you have to manually select PDF.

Furthermore, this is minor trouble, but if you are someone who mostly deals with PDF files, it can understandably be an extra hassle for you. But in this device, you can select the default format to suit your needs.

7. MUNBYN Magic Wand Portable Scanner for Documents 

If VuPoint is the leading company in wand scanners, MUNBYN comes second. What makes these products so special is their Wi-Fi connectivity, which is something VuPoint products lack.

Because of this Wi-Fi connectivity, you can connect this device to your phone or computer wirelessly and get your scan results directly from there without needing a USB cable.

But while on paper, this feature does exist and seems very lucrative, many complaints have surfaced regarding issues with connecting phones with this device wirelessly.

However, this product does manage to deliver when it comes to performance. The maximum storage it can support is 32GB, and it comes with a 16GB SD card. The resolution of the product is also quite good. While it doesn't support 1050 DPI, it is definitely good enough for the price it comes at.

The low resolution comes at 300 DPI, the medium resolution comes at 600 DPI, and the highest resolution is at 900 DPI. Like the previous product, this scanner also gives you the opportunity to set the default format according to your preferences, which is a nice touch as always.

Speaking of options, you can also choose the type of scan you want. You can choose between a black and white image and a colored image.

Even though you have a lot of options in this product, the complicated user interface can make the options difficult to access. Also, the tech support in this product is also very subpar and doesn't help you significantly figure out how to operate the device.

8. MUNBYN Magic Wand Portable Scanner for Photo, Document, Receipt and Old Pictures 

This product is essentially an upgraded version of the last product we reviewed. And because of its upgraded features, the price of the product is also naturally higher.

Compared to a lot of other products, this one is a fair bit expensive, and it is understandable if you want to avoid it. But the device is a fantastic scanner when it comes to its performance.

Like the previous product, this one is also Wi-Fi enabled. It can connect to your phone or computer wirelessly through Wi-Fi without needing any external app. Unlike the previous product, though, this one doesn't have any issues in establishing this connection.

After the scanner is connected to your device, you can access the scans on a website. But it should be said that the interface of the website is far from ideal, and accessing it is quite hassle. It doesn't have problems in the storage area. And it also has a maximum storage of 32 GB and comes with an SD card of 16 GB.

It can deliver a top-notch resolution. The maximum resolution it can extend to is 1050 DPI, which is always a welcome feature. You can also run it on 300 DPI (low) and 600 DPI (medium). This scanner also allows you to alternate between PDF and JPG format. You can also choose beforehand what the default format is.

However, the feature that really makes this device special and justifies its price is the advanced and stylish interface. It is much easier to navigate all the settings and options in this scanner. The preview screen also gives you better and more accurate previews.

9. VuPoint Solutions PDS-ST414PU-VP

The last product on our list is also the most expensive product on the list. This is certainly not the product you want if you want to save costs. An argument can even be made for the product being overpriced.

However, this product makes up for that greatly through its nice design, great battery life, and consistent performance. The design is very sleek and unique. It looks different from most wand scanners you have seen in our wand scanner reviews. It also comes with multiple color options.

Speaking of options, you also get to choose what type of scan you prefer from black and white images and colored images.

And the battery life is fantastic. It can endure over 200 scans, even in high settings, which is absolutely unprecedented. The LCD screen is of very high quality and allows you to easily preview the scans accurately.

Moreover, the scan quality is also quite good. It maintains the standard three levels of resolution, i.e., low resolution at 300 DPI, medium resolution at 600 DPI, and high resolution at 900 DPI.

However, the results of the scans have been subjected to many complaints. A lot of users have said that the bottom parts of the scanned images are often cut off. And the bad tech support doesn't really help in resolving the issue.

Things to Consider before Buying 

Now that you know about 9 of the very best wand scanners out there, you need to know about all the key features that you need to consider. Before buying any product, it is always wise to know what you want from it. For that, you must know about all the features that are relevant to the product.

The following are the things that you should consider before buying a wand scanner.

Handheld vs. Hands-Free 

As we have mentioned in our wand scanner reviews, a wand scanner can be used in two ways. You can use it in the handheld mode to scan the required documents, or you can dock it in a docking station and scan through that. The benefit of scanning in handheld mode is that it is very portable.

Scanners that come in this mode are perfect for traveling. Again, the hands-free mode with the docking station is great because it conserves more battery. Also, it can give you a higher resolution compared to a scanner used in hands-free mode.

Purpose of Use 

You need to be sure of the exact purpose you need the scanner for. And you can use a wand scanner for multiple purposes like scanning pages of books or magazines, scanning business cards or other cards of the same material, scanning letters or other necessary documents, etc.

If you want to scan pages of books, there really is no alternative to the handheld scanner as you can't scan it through the docking station. But for documents or business cards, a hands-free docked scanner is the better option as it is much simpler than keeping the document completely flat and scanning it.

Battery Life 

You obviously want your wand scanner to run as long as possible. For that, you have to ensure that the scanner has sufficient battery life. It is always better to buy wand scanners with rechargeable batteries as they usually have a higher battery life than the ones that use AA batteries.

While buying the product, you should also look up the features to see how many scans the product can do before running out. If the scanner can do 200-400 scans on low settings before running out, it is a good pick.

Resolution 

The resolution is obviously an important detail. You want your scanner to be able to give you the best image possible. For that, you should look for a scanner that can run at 1050 DPI in the handheld mode.

And if you are not using the scanner for pages of books, then getting one with docking support is a much better idea as they can run on 1200 DPI.

Storage Capacity 

If you need to get a lot of scans at once, you need to make sure that your wand scanner has enough storage capacity to contain them. Traditionally, most scanners come with an 8GB SD card. But you should make sure that your scanner supports at least 32GB of storage.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here we have the most commonly asked queries regarding the best wand scanners:

1. What is a wand scanner?

To put it simply, a wand scanner is a scanner that has the added advantage of being portable. It does everything that a scanner does with a different working mechanism.

2. How does a wand scanner work?

A wand scanner works through image sensors. The image sensor picks up the data, which are then converted to a color signal and then digital data. This data is saved in the SD card.

3. How to use a wand scanner?

To use a wand scanner in the handheld mode, you have to line up the page properly along with the markers. Then you have to roll the scanner over the page to get a proper scan.

4. When to use a wand scanner?

Wand scanners come in really handy when you are traveling. It is impossible to find a scanner when you are not sure where you are. In times like these, the wand scanner can be a real blessing.

5. Where to buy wand scanners?

Like most products, wand scanners are always available on Amazon. It is the perfect place to buy them. If you don't want to buy things online, you can go to any electronic store and inquire about these scanners.

Final Words

With that, we are at the conclusion of the article. We hope you were benefited from this article and now have a much clearer concept of what you are looking for. Asses your priorities, determine what you need, and then choose the best wand scanner that fulfills your requirements.