Viben Obsession vs BMS Swan Era Wand Side-By-Side Comparison
Performance Ratings
Our Verdict
The Viben Obsession is a wand I haven’t continued to use after testing it because it’s extremely buzzy and has only intense power levels. Nothing soft or moderate.
Though some people may enjoy its vibrations, many will find its combination of extreme strength and buzziness overwhelming. I can only use its lowest power level without feeling overstimulated – and even then I need to use it over my clothes.
If you prefer more rumbly vibrations, the Viben Sultry and BMS PalmPower Extreme are better wands in a comparable price range. Most people will enjoy their deeper vibrations more than the Obsession’s high-pitched buzzy vibes.
The Obsession is easy to use and maneuver, and the silicone is comfortable. But I’d only consider it if you know you enjoy buzzy vibrations.
The BMS Swan Era Wand is great if you’re on a budget and want gentle to moderate, rumbly vibrations with more precise stimulation than a typical wand vibrator.
The controls allow very gradual adjustability, and every setting is rumbly – a rare feature in this price range. This is great for those easily overstimulated because there are no big power jumps or buzzy vibrations.
The small head allows you to limit contact to the spots you want, preventing fatigue from vibrations hitting your leg or blanketing too much space.
However, it only reaches moderate strength, though good for its tiny size, and has poor mount and attachment compatibility due to its small head. If you need more intensity, or prefer the broad stimulation of a typical wand, the Orion Your New Favorite Wand is a stronger (though less rumbly) option with a full-sized head at a similar price.
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Vibrations: Power And Range
The Viben Obsession is significantly stronger than any of my non-wand vibrators, even on its softest setting.
There are three power levels. The lowest starts at 7.7 out of 10 vibration strength, and it goes up to 8.5 on high. It doesn’t provide any warm-up, which is a bummer because I typically need softer power when I’m starting out. Otherwise, the vibrations feel too overwhelming.
I can only use the Viben Obsession’s lowest power level without feeling irritated. And even then, I need to use it over my clothes.
I find the second and third levels wildly unpleasant. They’re extremely buzzy which feels overwhelming and uncomfortable combined with the immense strength. I’ll talk more about that in the next section.
Many wands have a broader power range than the Viben Obsession – packing extreme power on high, but beginning gentler on low. I prefer these wands like the Lovense Domi, BMS PalmPower Extreme, among others.
The BMS Swan Era has a reasonable power range, starting gently and reaching a moderate 5 out of 10 strength on high.
This is only half the strength of my strongest wands, but it’s still stronger than most of my non-wand vibrators, and enough for me.
This is a wider power range and higher max power than most of what you’ll find in this price range. Only one wand at this price has as much range as the Swan Era while reaching a higher top strength – the Orion Your New Favorite Wand.
The Swan Era Wand’s press and hold, continuous control system allows you to make tiny adjustments to the power. If you want a slow, gradual build and don’t need anything too strong, the Swan Era is a great choice at this price. For more power, consider something stronger like the Orion Your New Favorite Wand.
Vibrations: Frequency (Rumbliness)
We rate wands with rumbly vibrations more highly than those with buzzy vibrations. Most people prefer rumbliness. But, there is definitely variation in peoples’ preferences.
For example – I really enjoy neutral or moderately buzzy vibrations when they’re moderately powerful (roughly vibration strengths between 4 and 7). But when vibrations are both extremely buzzy and immensely powerful they become unbearable to me.
And that’s the problem with the Viben Obsession – it’s extreme in both power and buzziness.
It’s one of the few wand vibrators we’ve tested that is already buzzy on its lowest setting! And on high, it’s the buzziest of all our wands. On the second or third power, I don’t even like to touch it to any part of my body. And I definitely don’t want it near my clit!
You can find comparably priced, powerful wands with better rumbliness. Whether that’s extreme rumbliness, like with the Lovense Domi, moderately rumbly like the Viben Sultry, or more neutral like the BMS PalmPower Extreme. I enjoy each of these wands, and each provides powerful stimulation with deeper, more enjoyable rumbliness.
We rate rumbly vibrations higher than buzzy ones because it’s what most people prefer. However, this is an area of personal preference, so consider what you enjoy.
The BMS Swan Era Wand is impressively rumbly, especially considering its tiny size and affordability. Every setting in this continuous range is either extremely or moderately rumbly. These low-frequency vibrations travel deep into your body for an impactful, spread-out feel.
The depth of the vibrations stood out to me when I first started using this toy because vibrations with this much depth are often more expensive. The Orion Your New Favorite Wand and Satisfyer Wand-er are the only comparable wands at this price point, but they’re larger.
It’s a great choice for those seeking rumbly vibes on a budget!
Comfort & Ease of Use
The Viben Obsession has a comfortable handle that’s relatively narrow for a full-sized wand. People with small hands like me will find its slim, silicone handle comfortable and easy to grip. I also don’t feel any uncomfortable vibrations in my hands as I do with some wands. This surprised me since the Obsession is extremely powerful.
The head is large, which means you can’t fit it into tight areas, but it provides wider stimulation instead. Since the vibrations are so strong, you probably won’t need to position its head in a precise spot – it broadly stimulates the entire area. It’s also lighter than other full-sized wands so maneuvering it is fairly easy.
The head is firm, but the neck is extremely flexible which keeps it comfortable.
The controls are great. They’re easy to feel without looking, but I don’t accidentally press them. And you can both increase or decrease the power, which is necessary since this wand is so strong. You may need to step back down sometimes.
The BMS Swan Era Wand is very easy to use and comfortable, with the exception of some vibrations in the handle.
It’s hard to avoid feeling hand vibrations on small wands like this since the motor is so close to your hand. However, since it’s so rumbly, I don’t find the handle vibrations distracting. But if you’re extra sensitive to this, the Romp Presto does a better job of keeping the vibrations isolated to the head.
Leveraging the short handle for long periods could be more tiring than wands with longer handles. But at just 4.9 ounces, its very light so it’s easy to hold. And the flared base provides a good leverage point for the thumb when applying pressure. This tiny wand is easy to move around, and the silky silicone provides a comfortable grip.
Traditional wands have a large head for broad stimulation, like the Orion Your New Favorite Wand. But the BMS Swan Era has a small head, which is great if you prefer more precise stimulation than large wands provide.
Since the Swan Era’s vibrations are so rumbly, they can bump against your pubic bone more easily since the vibration movements are bigger, so the small head is important. This way, you can limit contact to fleshier areas to keep it comfortable.
The single button press-and-hold control system is different than most and takes some familiarization if you’re not used to it. But it allows very gradual power adjustments instead of limiting you to preset power settings.
Hold the button until you reach the desired strength, then let go. Then tap once to turn it off, and again to start at the lowest strength. This makes it easy to reach the strongest or weakest power quickly.
Use During Sex
In this section, I try to rate how easy it is to use the wand during sex. I consider aspects like whether a wand limits how my partner and I can position our bodies and whether maneuvering the wand and keeping it in contact with my clit during sex is easy.
I try to compartmentalize how the vibrations themselves feel. But I experience such discomfort from the Viben Obsession’s extremely buzzy vibrations during sex, it’s impossible to separate that component out completely.
With all the movement happening during sex, the Viben Obsession’s wide head bumps into my legs and other areas that I don’t want to be stimulated. And since the vibrations are so powerful and buzzy it feels uncomfortable and distracting.
This is especially the case in positions like Missionary or Spooning where I can’t lean back to create more space for the wand’s head. The Viben Obsession’s firm head also bumps uncomfortably into my pubic bone in Cowgirl.
The Obsession’s vibrations seem to feel more diffuse in Doggystyle, and I’m able to enjoy the lowest power level a bit. And the Viben Obsession has a long enough handle that I can support its weight by resting the wand’s base on the bed. So my arms don’t get tired using it in this position.
The BMS Swan Era Wand is great to use during sex. The small head and short handle easily fit into tight spots.
In positions facing your partner, you can get direct contact, and since the vibes are so rumbly, they travel deep into your body, so stimulation is great. Since the head is firm, it can be uncomfortable if it gets pressed against your pubic bone, but the small size makes it easier to keep out of the way.
In doggystyle, the handle is too short to rest on the bed, but it’s so light that I can hold it for a long time without getting tired.
The head moves around more in the spooning position since it’s so small. It’s harder to keep wedged between your legs, but this also means the vibes don’t fatigue your legs as much. The stimulation is still good, but it’s not as consistent in this position as I’ve found with other wands with slightly broader heads like the Romp Presto.
If you want something small for easy maneuverability and versatility during sex, this is a great mini wand.
Noise
The Viben Obsession is my loudest wand vibrator. I find its noise distracting, and it’s certainly not discreet.
My partner can hear it from the other side of our closed bedroom door on all power levels. And it’s the only wand that was not drowned out by playing music in the bedroom. My partner could still hear it on the other side of the door!
The Viben Sultry and Magic Wand Rechargeable are comparably powerful, but much quieter (and more rumbly too!)
The BMS Swan Era has mediocre noise levels, particularly because it sometimes rattles.
In our test from behind the closed bedroom door, my partner could not hear the lowest power, but mid-strengths were audible whenever I didn’t have the wand pressed to my body. And high power was always easily audible.
Our decibel recordings on high power are based on the noise level with the rattling sound. You can hear what it sounds like with and without the rattling in the video above, but of course you can’t control that. Sometimes when using the wand it wouldn’t rattle. Other times it’d start rattling after several minutes of use.
Even with a box fan running, my partner could still just barely hear the rattling on high power. Only music would mask the noise.
This means it’s not a good choice if discretion is important. The Romp Presto, another affordable mini wand, was inaudible from the other side of the door in all our tests if you need something quieter.
Attachment Compatibility
The Viben Obsession has excellent compatibility with wand attachments. As a full-sized wand, the majority of attachments are designed for heads this size.
There are compatible attachments for a range of stimulation including G-spot, prostate, anal, penis, clitoral, and dual-stimulation. Below are the wand attachments we’ve tested for compatibility with the Viben Obsession.
The BMS Swan Era Wand has poor attachment compatibility, but you can still find a few options that work.
A couple of my smaller, or extra stretchy attachments worked well. The PalmPower Rechargeable attachments stayed on with friction, but they don’t snap into place for additional security like they do with their own wand.
Large wand heads have the best attachment compatibility, so the Orion Your New Favorite Wand is a better affordable wand if you prioritize this.
Mount Compatibility
I test my wands with the Liberator Wanda and Axis mounts which hold your wand so you can play hands-free. The Viben Obsession fits well with both mounts.
The Axis works best lying on your stomach while the mount holds the wand between your legs. The Viben Obsession’s head rests in a good position for clit stimulation, sticking out just past the fabric.
In the Axis, I prefer wands with an upward curve or angle like with the BMS PalmPower Extreme which put a little more pressure on my clit. But since the Viben Obsession’s power and buzziness are so intense, I’m happy to have slightly less contact with my clit.
The Wanda mount also holds the Obsession in a good position. I can comfortably straddle the mount while keeping the head in contact with my clit. The broad head provides plenty of surface area to lean against. And the flexible neck is comfortable when I press my weight back on it.
The BMS Swan Era Wand has very poor compatibility with mounts.
It does not fit in the Wanda Mount at all.
In the Axis, the small head prevents it from making good contact with your body. Some of the vibrations do travel for some stimulation since the vibes are so rumbly, but most people will find this stimulation underwhelming.
The Orion Your New Favorite Wand is a better wand in this price range if you want to enjoy hands-free play with a mount.
Battery Life
The Viben Obsession lasts around 65 minutes on high power, which is shorter than other comparably strong wands. You’ll have to be vigilant about charging between uses.
If you tend to forget to charge your wand like me, you might want something with a longer battery life, like the Magic Wand Rechargeable.
The BMS Swan Era Wand is rechargeable but has a shorter battery life than other wands. It lasted for 55 minutes on high power in our test, which could be enough if you charge between uses.
But the Orion Your New Favorite Wand lasts longer on an even higher top strength, so this is a better option if you frequently forget to charge.
Build Quality
The Viben Obsession’s construction is decent overall. The buttons feel a little clicky. And the neck feels somewhat flimsy and makes a weird noise when I apply pressure. This makes me more cautious to press the Obsession as firmly as other wands.
Other than that, the silicone and construction quality feels good.
The BMS Swan Era Wand seems to have good build quality.
The all-over silicone provides a sleek, comfortable, and completely sealed feel. The neck has some flex but seems sturdy and not prone to breaking. The button has a nice press-feel, and I like the weight of it – neither too light nor too heavy.
Within the first week or two, the motor started rattling after a few minutes of higher-powered use, which could indicate degradation over time. It hasn’t affected performance so far, but it could be annoying to some.