O'Brien Super Screamer Review — The Towable for Riders Who Want to Send It
The O'Brien Super Screamer is the chariot-style tube we recommend for teens and adults who want to ride hard. Chariot shape carves the wake, the cover and bladder are top-tier, and the speed-valve inflation is genuinely faster than the Slice. Score 8.4 — not a family tube, by design.
By Sebastian · Published May 12, 2026
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What a chariot tube is — and isn’t
If you’ve only ridden deck tubes (think Airhead Slice), a chariot tube feels like a different sport. You sit upright, you grip two real handles, you brace with footrests, and you turn the tube by leaning. The wake becomes a feature, not an obstacle.
The Super Screamer is one of the best chariot tubes O’Brien has made, and it’s specifically not what you buy if you have small kids on board. It does one thing — aggressive riding for teens and adults — and it does that thing better than anything in its price tier.
What you’re paying for
The 1100-denier cover material is the headline. It’s noticeably tougher than the standard 840D on entry-level chariot tubes, which matters because riders are constantly gripping, bracing, and bouncing off the cover at speed. The cover is also bonded to the bladder in a way that resists the most common failure point of chariot tubes — the bladder shifting inside the cover after a season.
The Speed-Valve inflation is the other meaningful upgrade. It’s not a marketing term — the valve genuinely fills the tube in roughly half the time of a standard Halkey-Roberts. On a busy summer afternoon with multiple riders, that’s the kind of small thing that adds up.
Ride character
We tested the Super Screamer behind the same 20-foot center console as the Slice. At 22 mph it carves the wake — meaning you can lean and the tube actually turns, rather than just sliding sideways. At 25 mph it jumps the wake cleanly and lands with predictable cushioning. Above 28 mph, ride quality starts to degrade and risk increases.
The footrests and dual handles are the difference between a fun ride and a wild ride. Riders who use both have control. Riders who don’t get launched.
Who should buy it
- Buy the Super Screamer if: your primary riders are teens and adults who want speed, turning, and wake jumps.
- Skip it if: you have small kids (get the Slice), or you want a tube the whole family rotates on (also get the Slice).
How we scored the O'Brien Super Screamer 2-Person Tube
| Criterion | Score |
|---|---|
| Speed | 9.5 / 10 |
| Turning | 9.3 / 10 |
| Build quality | 9.0 / 10 |
| Family friendliness | 6.5 / 10 |
| Value | 8.2 / 10 |
| Overall | 8.4 |
What we liked
- +Chariot shape carves and jumps the wake
- +Speed-Valve inflation system is noticeably faster
- +Heavy-duty cover survives aggressive riding
- +Two handles + footrests = real control at speed
Watch-outs
- –Not a kids' tube — small riders can't ride it safely
- –More expensive than the Slice
- –Less stable when boarding from the water
Bottom line
If you want a tube that turns, jumps wakes, and feels exciting at speed, the Super Screamer is the better answer than any deck tube.
Compared with the Airhead Slice, it's the pick when budget and forgiveness matter more than every last gram of weight savings.