Wands

I don't think I mentioned how I discovered Wands recently. mmmm... wands...

Originally I tried them out and they seemed weak. Really weak, like I was a bug mildly annoying my enemy. I think I actually saw some mobs try to shoo me. Then something made me try them again. I'm glad I did. Now, I can't seem to live without them.

Blizzard doesn't have a page on Wands but there is a reference here:

Item Basics

Wand use can be interrupted when the user takes damage. Wands can be used by all classes that possess the Wand Proficiency; fire, frost and shadow skills are not necessary. Wand damage is reduced by resistance in the appropriate school. Wand use is not prevented when silenced. It is prevented in all the same situations melee is prevented.

Wands - The Shoot Wand ability is a toggle. While active, it will continue attacking with the equipped wand until cancelled (e.g. moving).

Here's what I know about Wands:

They are only usable by Priests, Mages and Warlocks

They do not require training from a Weapon Master

They are a Ranged Attack (place them in your Ranged slot)

They Require NO Mana

They are Interupted by stuns (you then have to recast)

Although disarmed, you can keep casting your wand

They Auto-Cast

They are on a shared cooldown with other spells

The combination of the Auto-cast and the Shared Cooldown make it tough to cast other spells (like DoTs, Heals, etc.) You have to break the wand casting to do it.

There is a "Wand Specialization" talent available for Priests and Mages which can give an extra 25% to Wand Damage. For Priests, it takes 5 talent points and for Mages it takes 2.

and

Blue Wands kick butt! If I can afford one, it makes fighting MUCH easier. Actually enjoyable. (My Precious....)

How do you use a wand?
Equip it by placing it into your "Ranged" slot on your Character's paper doll. Then Open your Spellbook to the general tab and drag "Shoot" to your controls. I replaced my "attack" button with my "shoot" button. If I want to Melee attack, I just right-mouse click to switch from Wand to Melee.


Research
So here's where the rubber hits the road. As someone who doesn't Raid or do the dungeon thing I wanted to know which wands to be on the lookout for. So I spent a lot of time on Thottbot researching the best DPS (regardless of damage school - fire, arcane, etc.) for each level that I thought I could get my hands on. The best turned out to be the Enchanted Wands and Rare (Blue) Drops (except for the Uncommon Glowstar Rod at level 52). In many cases, as I level, I anticipate not finding the Blue Wand I want on the Auction House, or being able to afford it. So I posted some Uncommon (Green) wands as alternatives. (The damage is in grey text in the table for those wands.)

World of Warcraft Soloer's Wand List*
(Pre-Burning Crusade)

Level	Wand	Damage	Notes
5	Lesser Magic Wand	11.3 Arcane	Uncommon BOE: Made by Enchanters.
12	Blazing Wand	12.7 Fire	Uncommon BOE
13	Greater Magic Wand	17.5 Arcane	Uncommon BOE: Made by Enchanters.
16	Skycaller	21.6 Arcane	Rare BOE: Has a Glitter Trail
22	Thunderwood	27.1 Nature	Rare BOE
26	Lesser Mystic Wand	25.4 Arcane	Uncommon BOE: Made by Enchanters.
29	Starfaller	32.9 Arcane	Rare BOE: Has a Glitter Trail
30	Greater Mystic Wand	29.0 Arcane	Uncommon BOE: Made by Enchanters.
33	Earthen Rod	35.6 Nature	Rare BOE: From Uldaman
34	Freezing Shard	35.8 Frost	Rare BOE: From Razorfen Downs
36	Ember Wand	33.7 Fire	Uncommon BOE: Various Versions
37	Jaina's Firestarter	39.4 Fire	Rare BOE: +6 Int, +3 Spirit
40	Umbral Wand	35.7 Shadow	Uncommon BOE: Various Versions
44	Flaming Incinerator	47.2 Fire	Rare BOE: +8 Fire Resist. From Zul'Farrak
45	Wand of Allistarj	48.4 Arcane	Rare BOE: +9 Arcane Resist
46	Ivory Wand	42.1 Arcane	Uncommon BOE: Various Versions
48	Wizard's Hand	44.4 Arcane	Uncommon BOE: Various Versions
52	Glowstar Rod	50.0 Arcane	Uncommon BOE: Various Versions
53	Torch of Austen	56.8 Fire	Rare BOE: +10 Fire Resist
54	Wand of Arcane Potency	58.4 Arcane	Rare BOE: From Dire Maul. Glitter Trail.
55	Dragon Finger	53.2 Fire	Uncommon BOE: Various Versions
59	Lunar Wand	56.8 Arcane	Uncommon BOE: Various Versions
60	Antenna of Invigoration	71.6 Nature	Rare BOE: +4 Intellect. +5 mana per 5 seconds. +13 Healing Spells.

* Note this chart excludes wands that are: Quest Rewards; Specific only to Mages (example); and Wands that are Bind on Pickup. It also excludes many wands at the lower levels that deliver less damage than their Enchanted peers do.

Links & More Info:
wowwiki on Wands
Something strange about wands
Warcraft Rookie: Get a Wand ASAP