Every once in a great while, a curious thing comes into one’s life. And in a consumer cannabis world that’s pumping out new products faster than its population can discover them, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to spot those objects that rise above the din.

Meet the Feather.

Earlier this week, our friends at Feather Co. were good enough to pass along a prototype of their soon-to-launch vape pen for some careful consideration by the seasoned stoners at The Her(b) Life. The buzzed-about unit is set to drop in a few rec states in the spring (Colorado first, followed by Nevada, Oregon and Canada upon recreational legalization), and we were eager for a sneak preview before it hits the shelves.

The basics:

The Feather is a stainless steel-bodied, disposable pen, pre-filled with pure, unactivated cannabis oil (more on the science behind it later). It’s inhalation-activated; the air that rushes through the unit triggers a sensor, which activates an internal atomizer. Each pen contains one half-milliliter of oil, at an estimated 100-150 draws per lifecycle. It comes in indica, sativa and hybrid formulas, and will retail for about $50 when it drops.

The unit is wrapped in a subtle, muted gold tone, punctuated by a little silver feather silhouette toward the base.

Where practicality is concerned, the Feather is the ideal all-in-one to toss in one’s purse or pocket. It’s mind-blowingly simple: no charging, no buttons and no readiness indicator lights – it’s ready to go whenever, wherever.

The finer details:

On closer inspection, it’s clear the minds behind the brand crafted the unit with everyday life top-of-mind. The consideration and intention is revealed in its design details; it’s no longer than the width of the average palm, and a gentle white light illuminates with each inhale so the user is sure it’s working.

Producers aim to position the product as a lifestyle tool, and one of those refined, future-forward pieces of cannabis culture that helps re-define the role of consumption and image of those who celebrate the plant.

There’s something of a dichotomy to the Feather; it feels completely brand new, but altogether familiar. To that point, they’re coining it the “other essential,” one of those dependable, failsafe objects that you didn’t quite know you needed, but now that you’ve got one, it’s impossible to live without.

For all its benefits, full disclosure: I’m dealing with a few challenges relative to this little vape pen. First, a rising anxiety connected to the reality that one day (at this rate, soon!) the resin will run dry, and second, writing this review in such a way that it doesn’t look like the company paid me to do it (they didn’t, but I’m starting to think they should have).

The Other Essential

My first 24 hours of Feather ownership was nothing short of an exercise in self-restraint. As a regular – albeit, conservative – cannabis user, I found it uncharacteristically difficult to put the pen down after opening the package. The effects of the sativa pen are equal parts uplifting and euphoric with exceptional clarity. Drawing from it and handling it feels like some kind of next-level intersection between functionally futuristic and couture cool – the Feather is a design junkie’s eye candy, a tech nerd’s favourite new toy and a cannabis enthusiast’s conversation piece.

What’s most intriguing about the pen, however, is on the inside. Each unit is filled with cold-pressed, unactivated resin. Feather’s extraction ensures that all the natural terpenes, compounds and full-flower attributes are retained in the process. Basically, it’s a close-to-nature, fresh flower vaping experience, but packaged in an oil. Feather’s internal atomizer converts the liquid to a gas, and a fast-acting temperature sensor activates the oil’s THC upon inhalation. The vapour is clean, odourless and distinct.

Feather’s creative lead (and founder of Nesta Holding Co. and former creative director of Tweed) Ian Rapsey says, “unactivated oil is more wholesome and closer to nature. Realistically, the plant is the hero. We want to celebrate it.”

Hear, hear.