I originally picked up the Oura Portable Dab Rig from our local smoke shop a while ago. It was my first smoke toy and product to review. I liked it because it looked like it was so easy even a crazy Squirrel could use it. Boy was I wrong!
The smoke shop owner walked me through how to use it. How to dissemble it (which seemed pretty easy) and clean it. It all appeared too good to be true.
Pros:
Cons:
In A Nutshell
I will admit, the first few weeks I had this unit, when I wrote my original review, I really loved it. It wasn't wow worthy but it did get 4 out of 5 stars. Then reality hit when my first coil stopped working and I had to buy a replacement.
The first time it happened I was a little miffed that it cost $39.95 plus shipping to replace. Then when another stopped working 30 days later, no matter how much I cleaned the quartz crystal cup, it frankly bristled my fur! The third time, well , let me just say this, there hasn't been a fourth time. This unit has been sitting gathering dust ever since. With an unused coil sitting next to it.
The one "button" control seems like a great, easy idea but it can be a bit of a learning curve. The "button" is a touch sensor that tended to be a little on the fickle side for me. For whatever reason my thumb worked better than other fingers. I think I prefer more traditional buttons that you can feel work.
It's 5 touches to turn on and off. 3 touches to change temperatures (3 times for each change to cycle through the various temps) and 2 touches to start or stop a 60 sec session. Unit will automatically shut off after 4 minutes which is a nice feature because I almost always forgot to shut it off manually.
The way you hold this vape unit it is easy to accidentally end a session. Usually that was the only time the touch sensor consistently worked, when I didn't want it to.
The manual could use some improvement too. Nothing in the manual documents that when this unit starts flashing, that's indicating an active session is in process. When it started flashing on me I assumed I broke the dang thing and it was spazzing some sort of warning. Usually flashing means error! Not with Oura, flashing means working, go figure!
There is conflicting information on what can be used in vaporizer. Smoke shop and product reviews say only concentrates like wax, crumble, shatter or pull-n-snap. Website from manufacturer says concentrates and oils. Email response from customer service was extremely fast: "the Oura works with ALL concentrates".
The hole in the glass needs to line up hole in the base. There are no markings on the glass that helps you line up these holes or to check to make sure they are still aligned correctly, if the glass accidentally gets turned (which is easy to do).
It comes with ceramic and glass bowls. There is no documentation on why the two different bowls. I think it's just a personal preference on which you like to use. I know my Lookah Seahorse *which I LOVE and still use a year later, with only ONE coil replacement* offer both too.
Included is a carrying pouch, usb charger and wall plug. This unit seems to last a long time on a single charge but it also takes a long time to recharge it. I was told to let the battery completely drain before recharging the unit, so I don't keep it plugged in between usage. The company stands behind a lifetime warranty for all parts, which doesn't include their expensive coils.
This could honestly be a great product if it was redesigned. The reason I think the coils burn out fast is the atomizer top doesn't really snuggly fit over the crystal basket. This allows for concentrate to get on the outside of the basket which then gets to the coil. Then when it gets to the coil the basket is almost superglued to the it.
No matter how much I cleaned it between usage I could not prevent this from happening. It didn't mean squat how careful I was putting my dabs into the quartz either, it still go onto the coil. I finally gave up and that's when I found the Lookah Seahorse--and I haven't looked back. Two out of five stars, Oura.