Äldste Wand var mycket kraftfull, men inte alls oslagbar.
Det var inte bara Grindelwald och Dumbledore; det finns omnämnande av "hundratals" av nederlagets nederlag från några av Dumbledores anteckningar:
What must strike any intelligent witch or wizard on studying the so-called history of the Elder Wand is that every man who claims to have owned it has insisted that it is “unbeatable”, when the known facts of its passage through many owners’ hands demonstrate that not only has it been beaten hundreds of times, but that it also attracts trouble as Grumble the Grubby Goat attracted flies.
— Albus Dumbledore, commentary on The Tales of Beedle the Bard
Det har gjorts anmärkningsvärt kraftfullt magi - till exempel reparerar Harry's old wand, en prestation bortom de flesta vanliga wands - men det är inte ofrånkomligt.