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The Omura Series X Delivers High Design for High Times

02.01.21 | By
The Omura Series X Delivers High Design for High Times

It was back in mid-2019 when startup Omura arrived onto the burgeoning luxury cannabis scene with their Michael Young Studio-designed Omura Series 1. It was a vaporizer that looked like nothing else on the market, and also stood out for how it delivered its effects, offering the convenience and temperature control of vape pens with the characteristic pleasures of whole flower sessions. For its sequel, Omura tapped Michael Young again to design what would become the Series X, a vaporizer improving on nearly every facet of the original.

We wanted to create a product that would step away from traditional vape device typologies to become a visually subtle object, reminiscent of matchboxes or oldshool Dunhill lighters, which would help instill a sense of ritualistic approach the whole flower experience.

– Michael Young

Like the Series 1, the new Series X delivers the same heat-not-burn experience, with a dual heating mechanism engineered to gently heat pre-rolled flower inserts following a carefully calculated heating curve intended to maximize the delivery of terpenes and cannabinoids – alongside a mild and relaxing high if used with THC options – without the off-putting side effects associated with combusting plant and paper matter. The resulting draw is smoother and less “funky” odor inducing than smoking a traditional pre-roll, with the Series X allowing for temperature control and equipped with a vibrating tactile notification at the start and finish of each approximately 3-minute session.

While the technology inside the Series X has been fine tuned to improve upon the groundwork set by the Series 1, including a new USB-C powered charging stand, most users will mostly note the improvement in ergonomics between this new device and its antecedent. Designer Michael Young’s original Series 1 was cylindrical and narrow – a matte and ribbed shape with the “gentle curvature” evocative of the work of Naoto Fukasawa. This new Series X seems more akin to a finely mottled river stone, one could say an elegantly engineered stone for aesthete stoners, offering users a more comfortable design to hold during use and easily pocketable. In comparison, the experience is evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but offers an ideal entry point for anyone who wants to experience the benefits of CBD or THC whole flower without the potential negative health effects associated with smoking.

Available in gold, jade, onyx and quartz color finishes, the Series X is available for $99.99 with packs of CBD-only compostable pre-rolled sticks starting at $20, and THC flowersticks currently limited to the cannabis-legalized states of California and Massachusetts.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.