This is the Crafty vaporizer, a strong portable vape made in Germany by the company Storz & Bickel.
S&B are the all-stars behind the renowned Volcano and Plenty vapes. This one’s made with the same level of precision as its parents, and this company is the ultimate example of paying high attention to detail.
It’s sibling, the Mighty, is also considered portable but it’s a bit larger, too big I would say to fit inside your pocket but still easy to hold, store and transport.
These have been two of the strongest portable vaporizers out there ever since they were released in 2014.
Overall Feel & Build Quality
Not surprisingly, the Crafty feels very well made. The outer case is some kind of rigid plastic material (not cheap feeling) and most of it is vented, meaning it almost looks like a heat sink. My guess is this design helps dissipate any heat generated so that the unit doesn’t get too hot to hold, because it never gets hot, just a little warm.
With dimensions of 4.3″H x 2.2″L x 1.3″W and a weight of 135g this vape fits comfortably in one hand and doesn’t feel heavy at all. The shape of it is pretty ergonomic, and its vented design actually helps you grip it better compared to some other vapes that have really smooth finishes.
The mouthpiece design is interesting and I kind of like it. It’s 100% external so when you carry it around it’ll be exposed to the elements (unless it’s in a case or something), which isn’t exactly ideal, but it’s easy to wipe off quickly before using. The cool part is how it swivels out when you wanna use it and back into the stored position when you’re done vaping.
Battery Life & Charging
The Crafty is powered by an internal, rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery. When the Battery’s completely drained it takes just about 2 hours to fully recharge. From a full charge I seem to be averaging approximately 45 minutes of actual usage time before it dies. I typically vape longer sessions of 12-15 minutes, which comes out to about 3 sessions per charge for me. Honestly, this is on the lower end, and if it was any lower I’d be kinda pissed. I’d say 60-90 minutes of usage is the acceptable battery life range for good portable vapes, so it’s not that bad but I do feel that 45 mins is really a minimum for a unit like this.
Something else that’s nice about the charger is that it uses a standard micro-USB adapter, so you can easily and inexpensively buy additional chargers and keep them wherever you need them, even in the car.
So here’s something that I have mixed feelings about… the Crafty has an auto shut-off feature which they say is to conserve battery power, but it’s a little on the aggressive side in my opinion. Basically the vape is programmed to automatically shut off after one minute of inactivity, yes I said one minute. UPDATE: The firmware has been updated in the units that are sold now and they increased the shut-off timer to 2 minutes (smart move), making it an even more enjoyable experience.
Unlike many other vapes with shut off timers, there are things you can do to keep your session going and prevent the unit from shutting off. The first thing the unit will detect is any press of a button, which in the Crafty’s case is the one power button on the front. If you press this button at any point while the vape is on it’ll reset the shut off timer back to a full minute (it even vibrates to let you know).
Another thing this vape will detect is a temperature drop big enough to indicate that someone is vaping from it. So technically it’s supposed to know if you’re using it and not shut off automatically until it notices inactivity, which would mean you wouldn’t even need to do that power button pressing thing if you were taking at least one draw per minute.
What I noticed in my testing though was that you need to take a fairly strong and long draw for the temp to drop far enough to trigger a reset of the shut off timer. For example, if you have your heat set at 365F the unit won’t technically think you’re actively vaping unless your draw is big enough to make the heat drop to about 360F. I’m someone who takes pretty strong pulls, but the unit doesn’t recognize me vaping 100% of the time, so I’m thinkin maybe it should be dialed back to a ~3-degree drop before it registers?
What this all means when you’re actually vaping is that I don’t feel you can totally rely on the vape detecting your draws, so if you don’t want the unit shutting off at all I would still press the button every minute. Alternatively, you could just forget about it and let the unit shut off whenever it wants to, and this isn’t a big deal for two reasons…
This vape will actually vibrate to let you know it’s shutting off, in addition to blinking the LED lights. With some other models you have to keep checking the light to make sure they’re still on, but at least with the Crafty you don’t have to keep looking at it. When it does shut off all you have to do to get it back on is hold the power button for 2 seconds, and it’ll be back at the previous temperature in just a few seconds.
Every time you turn the unit on and off it’ll also indicate how much battery power is left by blinking a blue light at various speeds. The slower the blue light blinks, the more battery life you have left. When it’s very close to being dead the light will flash very quickly.
Usage, Performance & Vapor Quality
To start using this vape the first thing you do is unscrew the top part which exposes the herb chamber. It’s a really cool design, just swivel the top piece to the side and it comes apart, and after you load it you just swivel it back into place, it’s very easy and the action of it is very smooth.
The Crafty’s herb chamber has a capacity of roughly 0.3g (depends how fine you grind). You don’t need to grind your material super fine to get good results with this vape, it works great with stuff from a 4-piece grinder for example. Loading the chamber is pretty damn cool, they give you this filling tool thing that attaches to the top of the chamber and it lets you perfectly and neatly pack it every time. There’s not even any little pieces of material that end up in the wrong place, literally every speckle you put in is perfectly packed inside the chamber, I’m really diggin it. This filling tool also acts as a convenient storage container, you can fit enough ground up herb in it for about 3 full sessions.
Once you have the chamber loaded just reattach the top part with the mouthpiece and hold the power button down for two seconds to turn it on. The vape will vibrate and the LEDs will blink, then the lights will turn red while the unit heats up. After about 90 seconds the unit will vibrate again and the light will turn green to indicate that it reached vaping temperature.
The 90-second heat up time is to the normal or default temperature setting, which is what the unit is programmed for out of the box. It actually has two temp settings, normal and boost mode. Engaging boost mode, which you do by tapping the power button twice while it’s on, makes the vape heat up to a higher temperature. The default heat settings out of the box are 356F (180C) and 383F (195C). These settings can actually be altered using an app they made for your smartphone, and I’ll explain that more shortly.
I actually found the default 356F heat setting to be an excellent experience so that’s what I vaped at through most of my testing. Once it reaches your target temp you can swing the mouthpiece out and start taking draws from it.
This is one of those vapes (like most) that you’ll need to take a fairly long draw from if you want to get a lot of vapor. Through my testing I found that if you take a 5 second draw you’ll get just a light vapor and if you want the clouds you see in my video you’ll need to take a 10-12 second draw. No matter what duration you pull for you should draw consistently at a slow to medium pace for best results. There’s not a lot of draw resistance with this one, it’s not completely free-flowing like the Plenty but it’s not bad at all.
If you’re familiar with the Plenty vape the performance of the Crafty is pretty similar, which says a lot. You can get really strong draws from this thing and the vapor will be smooth and tasty. At the default temperature I didn’t notice any harshness and the vapor doesn’t feel hot, the overall quality is definitely top-shelf.
With a fully packed herb chamber I average 12 big draws per session, and I take pretty big draws. If you take smaller pulls you can stretch it to 15, maybe 20 max. For best results I do recommend vaping it all in one session, the experience isn’t quite as good when you stop in the middle of a sesh and save the rest for later, but that goes for most portables.
If you don’t want to vape that much at once you can pack less in the chamber and use the “liquid pad” they include to fill up the remaining space. Because of the way this vape is designed you don’t want your material loose in the chamber, you want it firmly in place but not overly tight. The liquid pad helps keep your smaller amount of material in place during use so that you’ll still get good performance.
You can also use this pad to vape concentrates with this unit, you just place your wax onto the top part of the pad and place it in the chamber. If you’re going to use a very thin oil I would probably recommend putting a little herb at the bottom of the chamber before putting the pad on top, just to ensure that nothing drips down into the main housing.
Cleaning & Maintenance
After each session you should definitely take the brush they include and wipe clean the chamber and upper screen, nothing crazy it’s just to get rid of any little herb particles left behind. The part that may need cleaning every once in a while is the top piece that detaches.
This whole piece actually comes apart into a bunch of smaller pieces, which lets you clean in all the nooks and crannies. I created a video cleaning tutorial showing what to do to keep your unit fresh, it’s not hard and doesn’t need to be done very often.
Smartphone App
So they decided to make a complimentary app for this vape, they have it for Apple and Android phones and it’s actually kinda cool.
The app connects to your vape via Bluetooth, and then you can control various things about the vape. Remember those default temperature settings I talked about? You can modify those with the app to make them whatever you want (within reason) and the vape will remember those settings even when you disconnect it from your phone.
You can also control the brightness of the LED lights on the front of the vape, which I actually found extremely useful because the first time I turned this unit on I said damn, those lights are super bright.
When you have the app open and the vape is turned on it’ll actually show the true temperature of the heating chamber in real time, pretty cool stuff.
Verdict
This vape is an animal, yet at the same time gentle and elegant. It’s a Plenty for your pocket, which I was always hoping they’d make. Build quality, performance and vapor quality are all excellent, and it comes with a 2-year warranty.
Should you get one? You’re damn right you should, you’d be missin out if you didn’t. The Crafty belongs in everyone’s collection, it really is a special little vape.
Click here to buy the Crafty from the authorized Storz & Bickel dealer I recommend.
Stay up!
So, I see this otherwise awesome vape is riddled with failures.
I’m wondering, is the crafty+ really plus? Is there a review of it coming up by our beloved Bud? Are the issues fixed?
Do not buy one. I had one for 4 months and they refused to replace it because of the small clause in their warranty. If the device is past 60 hours which is only like 3 months for most people, you can pretty much drill that hole through your wallet.
This vape is not built to last more than 3-4 months for the average smoker.
The actual construction of the unit was meant to fail because the heating unit was built too close to the parts that are not suppose to be heating up.
Oh and did I mention crafty has no phone service? All through email good luck with that.
Give your money to a credible company such as pax. I just recently purchased a pax 2 and I love it. Great customer service too!
Your welcome.
Crafty +
you will be disappointed !
I’m disappointed. I only have 31 hours on my Crafty and now it won’t charge. I’ve done all the troubleshooting mentioned on the app. When I plug it in to charge it does the the green red blue thing, then it blinks blue a few times and then turns completely off. If I take it off the charger and press the on button, it blinks blue several times and then turns off. The charger cord and the adapter are in good condition. The crafty app shows that it’s fully charged but it must be a false reading.
What does “permanent bluetooth” feature do?
I’m curious too…
This unit continues to be flawed years after its release. They replaced my first three, all lasted 6 months or less.. The last time they gave me the mighty. This lasted 6 months and no replacment this time. They have offered another crafty for $280. The warranty specifically states it does not cover battery. This will allow them to get out from under all the free replacements since the problems are always battery related. Buyer beware, works great while it works but failure is always looming.
I have to agree. I never bought the Craft, opting instead for its more expensive and larger cousin assuming that bigger is better (both the size and the pricetag) and that it would certainly last as long as the warranty if not more.
Unfortunately, good as the vape was when it worked, its battery life and vapor production began to decline after about a year or steady use and eventually it stopped producing vapor completely, even as it cooked the ground material in the chamber (making it useless for re-use elsewhere).
The review in this article is generally solid, but it underplays the cleaning aspect. While keeping the bowl and mouthpiece in the cooling unit mostly clutter and gunk-free is relatively easy, cleaning the twist-off cooling unit itself is a real PITA. You have to remove the plastic square latch and really dig deep with a flexible bristled tool to prevent buildup instead. It’s tedious to clean a vape after every use; not doing so causes major clogging problems in the vapor delivery system. The plastic body does protect from the heat damage to the user holding it, but after barely a year the adhesive was giving out and the unit was literally coming apart at the seams.
Hi
Is there a way to turn off the bluetooth on the crafty when it is powered off? I see that the app and the crafty are connected even when the crafty is off. Does this contribute to any considerable battery drain?
Thanks.
The crafty is an awesome vape, much better than the Air Vape which I also own. I am now on my 3rd unit, each has lasted approx 200-300 hours of vaping before the battery failed. However Storz and Bickel have replaced each unit under warranty. Despite this fault I would still highly recommend it for its flavour quality and draw resistance
Hello guys.
I’m new crafty owner.
i just want to ask you some things because i am new to vaporation.
With a full fill how many draws can you take and see smoke (vapor) i can see only with 4 draws.Then nothing only taste.
Is this how crafty works?When i have to stop to take draws?Because after those 4 draws that i’m seeing the smoke i think that it is useless to continue.
About the battery i can i finish 3 sessions and i have the crafty with the 20% more battery.
Thanks in advance
I can answer that based on my use of the Mighty, which uses the same convection-conduction hybrid heating system as the Crafty and has the same cooling unit, mouthpiece, and body (minus a battery and several inches in size).
The first 1-3 pulls merely provide flavor, not vapor; this is like the first puff of a cigar or cigarette, which produces less smoke than the next ones after. To get the full potential of the material in the chamber, you have to pull relatively hard in the beginning and then maintain a medium-strong inhalation thereafter, keeping a steady cadence as you do so. The battery will shut off after a minute (or 2, in newer models) so expect to press the power button often to keep it on. As the vapor size decreases, you have to increase the temperature via the APP to get the last few good draws the bowl can get you.
My Mighty could often produce vapor for up to 35 minutes after I started it. That is a LOT of draws and I see no reason why the Crafty wouldn’t be the same.
Good luck!
I may want the crafty i really want the mighty but i got the new cloudious9 for a bigger portable vape. I got all my wax down i just need a pocket herb vape have u heard anything about the kandypen miva the og one. Cuz I want a convection/conduction
It’s ok but there are better ones, check out this page I always keep it updated with my latest top picks: https://vapecritic.com/best-portable/
Bought my crafty on December 2016 and its still going strong. Never had any problems with it and its a probably one of the best, if not the best portable vaporizer on the market right now. If you have the money, this beats any other vape in terms of vapor quality.
Got my Crafty today. I bough it because I have been a little dissatisfied with my Pax 2. The draw resistance is too much, and it doesn’t seem to be anywhere as efficient as my Mighty. Now the Mighty in the other hand is awesome, but it is a little too large to take with me when I go out. So I figured the Crafty would give me the Mighty experience but in a smaller device that actually fits in my pocket. However now that I have the comments below I am a bit worried. Do they all fail? I knew there were problems at first , but I had assumed that Storz & Bickel would have sorted that out by now. Fingers crossed I will be lucky.
I’ve gone through 4 Craftys and they’ve all stopped working. The last one lasted 3 weeks before the yellow light started flashing. A dodgy product considering the price
Do not buy anything from Storz and Bickel. They don’t honor their warranty. Especially don’t buy the crafty as it will die on you between 60-100 hours of use. Storz will RMA once, then, when their flawed product dies again they’ll …
1) tell you your device was exposed to water … or humidity and this voids the warranty. Yes, apparently atmospheric conditions on earth voids the warranty. My device never fell in water, not even a little bit.
2) when you call them on their bullshit, they’ll say. Well, we can’t determine why it failed just we can’t fix it so you need to pay us 175 to fix it.
3) then they’ll come back and say, oh wait, no, we know for sure it was water now.
We need a class action law suit and shut this company down. Spent almost 300 on a device that didn’t last a year without failing twice.
DO NOT BUY FROM STORZ AND BICKEL! Seriously do a google search for Storz and Bickel not honoring warranty. This company is shady, don’t buy from them.
I agree, do not buy the Crafty Vaporizer. Mine stopped working after 14 months and a friend of mine’s stopped working after a little over a year. My friend sent his in and received a new one that quickly developed the same problem of not charging (after a couple of months use). I contacted Storz, but because I lost the packing slip and the company I purchased from went out of business they will not honor their warranty.
I’m on my fourth Crafty and still recommend it because the performance is so much better than most other portable vapes. I got mine replaced no charge under warranty each time, they didn’t know it was me, all I did was mail it in with my receipt and they sent a new one back within 2 weeks, I’m guess I’m a lucky one!
I had mine for almost 2 years without fail (300+ hours) until one day it couldn’t hold a charge. Sent it in, they replaced it with a new one, and had it in my hands within 10 days of sending it off. I was fully expecting to pay for a repair, but it was covered under warranty. I also didn’t have a receipt or packing slip though I still had the original box and the place I bought it from was still in business. I guess I’m a lucky one too! Keep up the awesome work Bud!
I just ordered mine, I can’t wait for it to get here on Tuesday!
I also wanted to be the turd who makes it 421 comments
LOL
420th comment
Hi Bud, I have an Ascent and very happy with it but also need a sneaky one or two hitter portable.
I see Firefly is good but now people are saying one cannot adjust the temp on the unit you have
to do that via app- that’s sounds like a mission to me? Any other advise? Regards, Frank
After looking at the Arizer Air II and putting myself on the waiting list for a Ghost mv1, I decided to go with a Crafty. I’ve got six vapes already, including MFLB, CF, the big basic FM, two APXs for hiking, and a Firefly 2, and used many more. The FF2 has been my main home vape for well over a year. But its quite finicky and requires too much stirring to get an even vape. With FF, taste is delicious, wide glass pathway cools it, and turning it up can produce some big clouds, but there’s too much draw resistance, which has begun to bug my formerly abused old lungs. I seriously considered the MV1, but I’ve had enough for now of being an early adopter of great if still imperfect toys. Every bowl so far on the Crafty is like a breath of fresh air!, the clouds are so big and smooth; there is so little resistance and such good flavor. Instantly, without all the little hassles or worries. The app took me a few trys to get going, but adds to the pleasure and simplicity. I’m very impressed so far. Four superb hits, last on booster vrs. with all my other vapes, 5-7 hits, often without one super hit. In part because I’ve had to keep the temps down to avoid irritating my lungs. Much much better clouds from the Crafty at the same moderate temps, 365f and 385f.
Also I received the new model in the white box with the longer life battery and all the app functionality. Used Bud’s discount code, and got this outstanding, world-class vape for a most reasonable price from VapeWorld. Though I checked the free slowest mailing, VapeWorld, fed-exed the unit in one working day for no additional charge. Another reason to be impressed. Thanks for the many comments I read, thanks to SB for creating and updating this, Thanks to VapeWorld for newest fastest great price. And thanks to Bud for his reviews, discussions, forums, and discount code!
Hey Bud, Any info on the new units currently shipping with “20% more battery?” Have one coming in the mail soon. Is it more reliable than previous units? How much better is the new battery realistically?
Stay up!
Hey extremely late reply but I haven’t noticed much difference in battery life with the newer unit, but it does heat up faster!
I have bought a Crafty by the end of 2014, and as we talk I’m struggling to have my 4th device replace due to clear defect. In any case I just want to present you how the technical support has been handling my case so I’m quoting you the hole conversation as is, unfortunately you have to read it from bottom to top….
25.08.2017 – A
Please do have in mind that you ‘re prompting me to purchase a faulty device for the second time in two years. In order to move to the accountings of the situation in November 2014 I bought a crafty for 300 euros, 4 months later I had to pay extra 50 euros in order to send it back because it broke, after 6 months again I had to pay 50 euros for the same reason and after a year, when the device broke again once more you’re proposing me the ‘solution’ of spending another 198 euros in order to buy again the same device. Sorry but this is 600 euros for a period of 2 years and a device that gives me no credibility over its functionality. My concern is not the legality of your warranty, rather the amount of money I have spent without having a device that works. In any case I will inform you on the process.
Knd regards,
Aris
25.08.2017 – European Market
Dear Mr. N
thank you for your remarks. However we stand behind our decision.
If you have any doubts about the legitimacy of our warranty policy we would be happy if you clarify your legal rights concerning this issue.
For our highest goal is to satisfy our customers we are willing to offer you a new device for the strongly reduced price of 198,00€ which comes with a 2 years warranty.
Please let us know how you would like to proceed.
With kind regards,
Technical Support
24.08.2017 – A
I’m really sorry, but this is totally unacceptable. I bought a device from you, that was clearly problematic from the first day purchased and it’s still not working. In any experience I had with electronic devices, when a faulty device is replaced, the warranty starts counting from the beginning, for any new device. In opposite case you can just replace a few devices and pray for time to pass by so the matter is forgotten. You give 2 years warranty for your product and never in my experience did I manage to use it for 2 years, because simply all of your Crafty devices break after some time.I had to search and find the specific law about product warranties and I must remind you in this case that my device was replaced and not repaired. As quoted from europa.eu, it is my right to claim the legal warranty:
”
Is the repaired/replaced product covered by a new guarantee?
The law does not say, but in general, after a replacement, the consumer can claim legal guarantee rights for 2 years. In the case of a repair, the legal guarantee is only extended with regard to the repaired or exchanged parts.”
http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/germany/index_en.htm
I have never mistreated my Crafty device in any way and clearly you’re still producing products with serious problems that simply break after a little use. I think I ‘ mistreated as a customer in this case and I will have to act accordingly. Please reevaluate your decision and respond accordingly.
Kind regards,
Aris
24.08.2017 – European Market
Dear Mr. N,
The warranty started with the purchase of your first unit CY001732 which you purchased on the 24.11.2014.
The warranty has been transfered to the replacement devices. To calculate if your device, even the replacements, still have warranty you have to take the date of the original purchase.
Therefore the warranty has expired due to the age of the device.
If you purchased the device with the serial number CY001732 within the 2 years warranty and you kept the invoice please sendus a copy.
Otherwise please understand that we do not offer a repair service after the warranty periode.
With kind regards,
Technical Support
24.08.2017 – A
I’m really sorry that I couldn’t find the last invoice…..as it is the 4th device that broke in 2 years time I thought you would keep track of your faulty devices that you replace under warranty.Nevertheless I searched and found the last invoice you issued so I think that’s pretty solid proof.
2016-09-16-448042-Invoice.pdf
24.08.2017 – European Market
Dear Mr. N,
unfortunately there was no invoice in your shipment. The device you sent in for repair is a replacement of your original device with the serial number CY001732 we sold on the 24.11.2014.
Since you did not provide us with the original invoice please understand that we had to use the date when we sold the device to calculate if the warranty is still valid.
The warranty of your device therefore has expired due to the age of the unit.
Please understand that we do not offer a repair service after the warranty periode. We can offer you a new device for the price of 258,00€.
Please let us know how you want to proceed.
With kind regards,
Technical Support
23.08.2017
Hello A,
your device has been received.
You will be notified as soon as your device has been repaired.
Click here to check the status of your current RMA
and to contact our service team.
10.08.2017
Hello A,
your repair request has been approved.
Please be aware that we cannot evaluate the damage or the resulting costs for a repair or replacement, before we have analyzed the device in question.
Please send us:
– Your malfunctioning device without Cooling Units and other accessories
– Your printed packing slip
– A copy of the invoice or proof of purchase
(if you do not have this information, please let us know when and where you bought it.)
Please use this return label.
Please attach the UPS return label on the outside of your package
and bring it to your next UPS station.
Please package the device well (the original box and styrofoam is best) and send it to:
STORZ & BICKEL GmbH & Co. KG
In Grubenäcker 5–9
Tuttlingen 78532
Germany
You will be notified as soon as your device has been received.
Please place any orders for spare parts on http://www.storz-bickel.com.
Click here to check the status of your current RMA
and to contact our service team.
09.08.2017
Hello A
your repair request has been received.
You will be notified as soon as your request is reviewed.
Click here to check the status of your current RMA
and to contact our service team.
09.08.2017 – A
Hallo!This is unfortunately the 4th device I’ll be sending back, so it’s a replacement received from your factory. Once I turn it on, it goes off after few seconds, so it basically doesn’t turn on.
Bud I really can’t understand how is this on your top pick…..what do you do? buy a new one every 6 months?
Aris,kalispera.
I am in the market for a new vape!
I was thinking about this but i read there are many problems!
Do you have any other recommendations that can survive a drop,have nice taste and good battery?
Thank you!
My Crafty Vape is less than a year old, and it has stopped working for the second time and has to be sent back for the second time. Very disappointed in the quality, considering the cost. I would not recommend this item.
Balls to the Crafty. Sure, it gives great vapor. It also has the worst defect rate among portables, the worst battery life, and the worst temperature adjustability.
Just not worth it.
The Crafty is worthy of being the best vape in its class (ultra portable). I think that there are better options. But you are still doing very well if you choose the Crafty.
I click the links on top after the Vape Critics review for the best deals and it benefits the Vape Critic, what more could you ask for?
Hi all, bought a crafty having read all the reviews and comments here, so thanks guys as its a great vape. After 48 hours of use it stopped workign and I have just got my replacement. This Crafty seems to be updated as it had a label on the front “20% MORE BATTERY POWER”. Is that a new thing does anyone know, and is the battery update working well for everyone?
Can I ask where you bought it from? I’m interested in the crafty as well but haven’t seen anyone comment on this
Hi Goose, it was an RMA replacement direct from Germany Storz & Bickel. I can confirm the stronger battery, getting 4 sessions on average rather than 3 previously. Also firmware seems to be updated as there is a couple of warning vibrations before shut off.
Hey Bud – Been using my Firefly1 for a couple years and have been pretty happy (A for flavor, C for battery). Watched a grip of your YouTube vids the other day and got so amped that I bought both a Crafty and a Firefly 2. Can’t wait to take the Pepsi challenge. Any advice on which I should start with? Seems like it might be kind of a read the book/watch the movie kind of thing.
Oh man nicely done! ;-)
Great choices, two of my faves, definitely let me know what you think.
Start with the Crafty because it’s easier to get good results from it, the FF2 will require more technique and way more patience lol
I just ran a poll asking you guys what the best vaporizer is and S&B is currently claiming the top 3 spots with Crafty at #3, check it out: https://vapecritic.com/best-vaporizer/
Bud- Actually just received a new Crafty today. Charging now. Question: The manual says the default setting is 180c (356f) and the booster is 15c (59f). It then says corresponding booster temp is 195c or 383f. Wouldn’t this be 415f? Is it a typo in the manual or am I really rusty on math? Thanks man
Never mind. The manual was unclear but the C to F conversion makes more sense now that the app is open. Feel free to delete comment. Thanks!
Sorry for delay glad you figured it out! I’m sure, by now, you’ve worn this thing out lol
I love my xmax v2 pro! Storz & Bickel can suck it with their ridiculously high prices!
Hahaha, that shit made me laugh my ass off!!!
;)
Well written, accurate and honest. I echo virtually everything in this article from my one year of experience with the Crafty.
Concerned about the aluminum heating element. It’s unhealthy to breath heated aluminum. Causes cancer and Alzheimer’s. Wish there was a stainless steel alternative.
question is do you breath any of that aluminium? Maybe you dont. We need some science here.
Yes, vaporizing doesn’t happen all at once, it is a curve.
I should really do a deep study on this
Still love this vape and use it all the time, 2 years later!
But it definitely has had its fair share of defect issues, I’ve gone through multiple units that have quit working but I did get free replacements each time under warranty.
I still recommend it despite the defect issues because the performance is very very good.
Did you have to pay for the return shipping? If so how much did that cost?
Yes I did but shipping a small vape is actually only ~$7.00 for USPS Priority Mail which is what I did each time
So #4 just died for me….. the vapor quality is fantastic, but I don’t think I’d ever purchase another one again due to the fact that my fourth one in less than two years just bit the dust. Each time around 110 hours or so. Each time same thing….. starts taking longer to heat up, gets hotter per session, then finally a taste of ozone, battery life drops to nearly nothing, and that’s that. While they have been absolutely fantastic about replacing it each time, when I plunk down over $300 for a product, I expect to not be sending it in for service every 4 months or so.
I had comments closed on this page for a while but I just opened them up again ;-)
Bud: thank you very much your videos and reviews, help me a lot to choose vape. am very very new to this stuff. but you make it very simple, and the reviews are very fair. at the beging I though the myghty better for the 2 batteries. but your review from the crafty was higher. I recibe mines today and now I know way you rated that way.
thanks again
Saludos desde mexico.
Awesome I’m super glad to hear it, vape it up!!
I have had a PAX1 since it was first released a few years ago and love it. Ive been thinking of upgrading to either a Crafty or Ascent..Id like something that does both herbs and concentrates so i dont have to go between my pax and a vape pen.are there any videos on a comparison of a pax and a crafty? i havent seen any. Im just wondering if its worth the upgrade price…are there any others i should consider?
Hey I don’t have a comparison video yet but I do have a Crafty vs PAX 2 where I show the main differences: https://vapecritic.com/crafty-vs-pax-2/
If you want to do herb and oil in one unit I would go with the Crafty for sure.
Hi, I watch you on YouTube and have a few questions. I’m new to vaping and thus need some advice. I smoke a lot (3-4 times daily) and need to change for health reasons. I have found a lightly used Pinnacle pro online for 95$ all in. Is this a good deal? Also, on YouTube, a reviewer mentioned the heat on the Pinnacle as a pro not a con and I’m curious about this. Any advice would be appreciated
Bud… Dude… Thank You! i attribute my collection of the Solo, Air and Crafty to your informative reviews… They are greatly appreciated.
Have you tried the sublimator? Also, will you be reviewing it?
Awesome man!
I haven’t tried it yet but will probably be picking one up soon to review.
Thanks for askin!
Hey there thanks for you reviews! Question, I have a Pax currently like it a lot and I use that solely for herb. I also smoke tobacco but wanted to move to vaping that as well.
I was wondering what you think about vaping tobacco and herb from the same device? I’m thinking about the crafty for that purpose. Also could you compare the size of the Pax oven to the crafty?
https://vapecritic.com/crafty-vs-pax-2/#comment-129320
Bud-
The crafty is awesome. Wondering what other owners use as a carrying case? I’m looking for a soft case of some kind that provides a little protection but doesn’t add much bulk.
Case Logic DCB-302 is a perfect fit. Even has a front pouch for holding the brush or other accessories.
Awesome, thanks Mike!
I concur, I recently bought this case and it’s great!
Have you reviewed the elevape smart vaporizer yet sir? I am torn between that one and the mighty. Price is about the same..
Thanks’ BUD
Los
ooops i meant crafty
Hey I haven’t tried that one but it looks ridiculous lol
crafty the best so far…
except for the plastic loader… dropped it recently while trying to operate and walk at the same time (ok, dumb idea)… upon impact, it flew open, cracked off a piece, lost my you know what… not a good day
imagining a nice unbreakable spacecase crafty loader with autoloading mechanism
or i guess i could just use my fingers, duh
Snap!!
Guys, trust Bud!
Bought the Volcano 2 years ago, and I never turn it off (leave the unit running most of the day). Still works like new, and yet to experience better vapor!
had a pax for 2 years, now I have the crafty. It is amazing.
Much cooler vapor, way easier to maintain. Thanks for the advice Bud!
Very glad to hear it!!
I love Storz and Bickel too, but Arizer Solo should be on the list of portable “top picks”. Easiest to clean and maintain by far – cleaning is the biggest downside of all portable vapes. Made in Canada. easily adjustable dose, long battery life, low price, VERY efficient.
Also I’d be skeptical of anyone advising purchase of the “Launchbox”, it’s absolutely awful. Smoking is better!
Hey Bud
Great site , great reviews thank you !
Just after a little clarification if you can help. The crafty is suppose to be able to used while charging if it’s a one 20% charge but in the instructions and on the S&B website it says do not charge if battery is hot. This leave me a little confused as to whether it’s safe to use while charging. If you could help me clarify the best way forward it would be much appreciated .
Many thanks
https://vapecritic.com/crafty-vs-pax-2/#comment-129313
I’m looking for a quality vape mostly for festivals and being out & about. Mostly likely for short sessions, heats quickly has decent battery life.
I have the pax original. It heats up quicker, and is smaller. Every other way the crafty is better. Less odor when carrying around and heating up, better vapor. The pax does the job, the crafty does the job better than any vape I have tried, except the volcano.
Hey Bud,
I just bought a Crafty. This is the first Vaporizer I ever had.
On question:
Is it really normal, that the battery get´s lower when I use it while charging??
I did use it all up, then I charged it until the blue lights were blinking slowly (31-61% I think. Then I started using it while charging and after about 8 minutes it shuuted down completely?!
Is my Crafty defect or is that normal? I thought that like with a smartphone you can use it and it still charges….
Bets regards,
Henrik
https://vapecritic.com/crafty-vs-pax-2/#comment-129311
First of all.. Thanks for the great review. I am now the owner of a brand new Crafty thanks to you. I also purchased the Crafty via your link :). My questions is the following… I am looking for a aroma-safe carrying case. I want to be able to carry the vaporizer and be sure that the aroma of the herb is not noticeable to other people around me. Are there any carrying cases that you recommend?
https://vapecritic.com/crafty-vs-pax-2/#comment-129309
First, Thanks for all the reviews… they are extremely helpful and entertaining.
Second… Suggestions please.. (I dont trust the stores, they just sold me a wax vape claiming it would vape dry herb… nope..)
Im looking to get my first Vape. Im also the type who wants to get the quality first instead of messing around with others until im ready to upgrade.
I want to vape that will kinda serve as a single hitter. quick and easy, with little waste and one that i dont have to wait forever to heat as i have to “sneak” a hit sometimes before bed. (wife is in a position where i have to “hide” it or keep her out of the “know”) lol..
What would you suggest?
Get the firefly. Best made one hitter vape out there.
I agree go with the Firefly ;)
just put my order in, looking forward to taking this for a ride. This is my first upgrade since the original Pax.
Great website and the reviews are top notch! Thank you.
Do you recommend a particular type of alcohol for cleaning the Crafty? Any other tools, like dental brushes?
Well you have made up my mind. The Crafty will be my choice. Expensive but seems worth it.
Hey Bud,
I just bought a Crafty due to your recommendations and I am loving it. The recent discount made it worth it.
I was wondering how should I do to use wax on my Crafty. Could you create a video teaching us?
Thanks,
Many thx for your detailed, thoughtful and data-driven reviews. They are truly amazing.
New to vaping and I’m an herb guy. Been using a trusty Proto Pipe for years to combust and would rather vape on the go skiing. Tried inexpensive ($25-35) pens with miserable results (maybe better for concentrates/wax?)
Been reading about the Crafty, Mighty, Pax and others. What would you recommend for:
-two to three guys stopping for a quick vape in the trees (or on the chair lift?)
-maybe 4-5 sessions/day, with 2-3 guys
-easy to pack and use in inclement weather
-will hold a charge for all day use (would be recharged in the condo at night)
-would be nice to pack once for one to two sessions
Many, many thanks for your thoughts!
Snowgo
I just purchased the crafty vaporizer and using the packing tool filled to the opening and fully charged battery. Yet when I took draws I saw no vapor. Am I suppose to pack it tight of let it be fluffed? I took big draws yet only a mediocre [effects]. No clue why it’s not hitting correctly. I’m assuming if I don’t see vapor it’s not working properly.
Hey Chris yes I would try packing it tighter, overfill the chamber a bit and then tamp it down with the center piece of the filling tool.
Also make sure you’re grinding to a fairly fine consistency and take at least about a ~8 second draw.
Let me know how you make out!
Hey Bud great review! I am interested in purchasing a crafty but I can’t find a shop that sells them yet here in the states. Any suggestions or shops in the midwest that you know sells these. How long until we can see these on every head shops’ counters?
Hey I’m really not sure Marcus sorry!!
Do you have reservations about ordering one online?
Hi Bud,
Hey…I went ahead and bought the Flowermate 5.0s (my first Vape) and have to say I love it so far. Can you please do a comparison review of the Flowermate with the Crafty? I think I still want the Crafty but only if it is truly better than the Flowermate. Anyway, love your vids, you is da coolest kid on the block!
Hey I’m glad you’re diggin it! I’ll get my review up as soon as possible, save up for the Crafty though! :)
i was between Pax 2 and crafty; but based on your review i will go with crafty.
Thank bud, you was such a great help. I’m ordering crafty using your link to give you credit ;)
You are awesome and you made an excellent choice!!
Haze vs. Crafty?
Craf
My brand new Crafty overheats sometimes after a session and a half of vaping on the high setting. How long are you supposed to wait between sessions? It got so hot it wouldn’t charge for a while. Also, when I plug it up to charge it, it flashes all colors quickly (green, red, and blue) then flashes the blue corresponding with the battery life. Is that normal? My battery isn’t messed up or anything from the overheating is it? I can’t get help from Storz & Bickel it seems…
Hmm yea that sounds normal, I’ve heard of it happening sometimes when you vape back to back sessions at high heat levels. I don’t think you’re messing up anything I think it’s just a safety thing to prevent any damage to the unit.
The flashing lights and colors when you plug it in is normal as well :)
Hey Bud, I would like to get the Crafty but also noticed the Flowermate 5.0s. At under $100, the Flowermate is very enticing. Is the Crafty really worth 4x the price? Have you reviewed the Flowermate? I was also looking at the Grasshopper which seems pretty cool. However, I noticed reviews saying people have put money down on a dream that may never materialize. Seems that they keep putting the availability date back. Please advise with your well respected thoughts :)
Citizen
Hey I recently picked up a Flowermate to test it out and hope to have my review up soon.
After some preliminary testing I will tell you it is not one to compare to the Crafty, it is just on a much lower level.
Thanks for askin!
I am having insomnia and want to get a vaporizer at night with some very clean high potent herb. I am totally inexperience with all of this herb stuff but am extremely health oriented (paleo) and want to have all of the parts safe when heated up. What is a safe affordable one for night use maybe 2-4 times a week that I will be able to put a tiny amount in it because I have no idea how I will respond to herb. Thank you so much!
Hey check out the V2 Pro Series 3 pen, it’s pretty good for beginners and it only holds a small amount of material (~0.1g). From that amount you’ll get a handful of light draws from it, but they’re smooth and good quality.
Hey bud outstanding reviews, thank you for that. I have a problem…I’ve been heavily smoking for 20 years and trying to transition to vapor I bought 2 weeks ago an ariser solo, my problem is I don’t get [strong enough results] after 2 bows, not even a little bit, the same amount on the pipe get me pretty [good]. My question is: Is my tolerance to hight that vapor wouldn’t help me? Would a vaporizer like the Crafty would do a better job? Unfortunately I don’t have anyone that I could test from and its hard to commit the money after already had spent some on the solo. My only requirement for the vaporizer is that has to be cordless to move around the house but not necessarly pocket size. Thank you for your work, peace!
Hey the Crafty & Mighty both produce stronger and more satisfying vapor in my opinion, and it’s basically the most potent you can get from a portable.
If you’re mainly using it around the house the Mighty is probably the way to go for the longer batt life.
JP,
I have used the Pax 1 for about a year and it has been awesome. I have not had any mechanical or other issues with it. I upgraded to the Pax 2 this past weekend. It has been ok. The unit has a bad odor after some moderate use that renders it useless for mobility and stealth. Hence why I am considering getting a crafty. Why do you say it’s not good for stealth?
Discretion is an absolute must for me. I fear the crafty is a little too obvious. Would you recommend the pax??
PAX would be a little more discreet than this one yes, but the Crafty is still pretty small.
Crafty users,
I am considering buying a Crafty but am concerned a bit over the battery life. How many sessions or bowls can you get out of ONE single FULL charge? In addition, for those of you who have used your Crafty extensively have you noticed the battery capacity diminishing greatly after 10+ hours of use?
Side note, does your Crafty emit any odor? After you have used it and put it away uncleaned but chamber emptied does it still emit a strong tape/resin odor? Steal is huge for me and am considering getting one but cannot have a “smelly” unit. Any info would be appreciated and very helpful
Hey Martin,
Sessions per charge = 3 on default heat
I have not noticed battery capacity diminishing.
This vape does not smell very much, and when not in use it is virtually odorless.
Hey Bud–I’m one of those rare birds who want to vape tobacco. I’m torn between the PAX 2 and the Crafty. I don’t need to see huge clouds but I would like to get the flavor and effect from my tobacco. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Sorry man I don’t have first-hand experience with that! :((
Maybe someone else does who can chime in :)
I just got a craft direct from S&B, it worked twice before malfunctioning. It gave me the flashing blue/red light error and would not work. Nothing I did would fix the problem; I let it cool down, unplugged it, nothing. After leaving it overnight it worked again for one session and now when I turn it on it goes directly into high temp mode and will not let me turn it down. I called S&B and they told me that was just how they are supposed to work. The tech said that the errors and their frequency were nothing out of the norm. He said I must be pushing the power button at the same time I’m plugging in the unit…I have a masters degree and I would know if that were the case. I have owned a pax, a NO2 and a Da Vinci, and they were all half the price and ten times better than this POS Crafty that I wasted $400 purchasing. Do not buy this vape!!! Horrible customer service..granted I do not have a successful vaporizer review website like you do, so maybe they treated me differently. Also not sure if you really had to deal with their customer service team, but I did.
Hey Nick I have heard their customer service is not the greatest but I do think it’s strange that they would tell you that behavior sounds normal.
If you do still believe yours is defective I would google “Storz & Bickel repair” and follow the steps on that page. Just send it in to them and if they use it and it’s not working right they’ll fix it.
Everyone who’s reported problems with this vape to me has gotten theirs repaired or replaced, please let me know what happens!
Bud, I love your reviews, they are very informative. I’ve used vaporizers before but I wanted to buy one for myself. They crafty seemed like the one for me, and now that I’ve had it for a week.. I love it!
2 complaints (you already mentioned in your review, but I wasn’t sure if they’d bother me until I actually tried it):
1. 60sec shut off time is annoying! It NEVER registers that I’m using it, I need to keep clicking the button to keep this thing on. I WISH there was a way to disable auto shut off, or set it to 120sec or something!! I can’t express how much this annoying “feature” has made an otherwise perfect vape, into a nuisance. If I’m passing it around with friends, they give me a crooked look when they say “it shut off” and I say “yeah you gotta keep clicking the button all the time”.
2. Charge current is limited to less than 2A. You may see it as a feature that it charges by micro-USB, but the heater consumes current faster than charger can supply current. You may be able to charge it to 20% and then finally turn it on, but that 20% will actually deplete while its charging! If you are using the unit while charging, it is actually discharging the battery. Because the charger can’t keep up with current the heater draws, the charger merely slows the discharge. If you are charging from nothing and start vaping once it hits 20%, well expect it turn off on you, because it can drop below 20% while the charger is connected. This is evident in the 45 minute battery life versus the 2 hour charge time. If they just supplied a proper 5A charger with this thing it would be possible to use the unit at 0% battery and actually see the battery charge while using it! I don’t personally see any convenience to a USB charger.
I’d also like to point out that because the charger cannot supply the heater with enough current, when the battery eventually stops taking a charge (as all rechargeable batteries eventually reach their life span), the vaporizer will never work again until the battery is replaced. You will need to ship your smelly vaporizer to Germany to have the battery replaced.
Hei Bud,
Whats up? When are you going to review the new released Pax 2? I’m just waiting on your review before I decided on buying the Crafty which I was impressed with it’s qualities and features based in your review or the Pax 2 which looks promissing according to Ploom, no more pop-up mouthpiece and lubricant which were the major design flaws on the original Pax.
I have 4 vaporizers, Vapir (which is a good vapor, very efficient, but not portable, but I use it a lot at home, it produces good vapor IMO, The Plenty which is a beast but I never take outside my home, The Ascent that has some design flaws and doesn’t produce much vapor, but it has a nice tasting vapor and a very good lasting battery, and finally the Pax the used to be my all favorite vape cause it’s so small and the best on the go until it died on me last week. I think I put to much lubricant so now it doesn’t turn it on anymore. I get a flashing green light when charging it, so Ploom tells me it’s a moisture issue related to the excessive lubricant that I’ve applied in the mouthpiece.
I’m letting it inside a sealed bucket of dry white rice to help dry the moisture out of my device, but so far no success. It sucks and I hope the new Pax 2 is now free of these design flaws, like a button that is so close to the mouthpiece where you put ISO and Lubricant, so it’s so easy to get your Pax malfunctioning because some moisture can get inside the eletronics circuit and break your Pax unit.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the new Pax 2 to make up my mind if I’ll trust Ploom again or go with the Crafty where I know I won’t have any issues for a long time, cause SB’s are a reliable company all the way.
Vape it up!!!!
Hey Franco thanks for posting man!!
I ended up posting my PAX 2 review the day after you left this comment, check it out here: https://vapecritic.com/pax-2/
Stay up!
They should replace it.
Mine died after 2 years of use, I sent it in & had a
replacement sent out by the end of the week.
Hey Bud! When you pull the cooling unit apart to clean it, is the residue inside a strange consistency unlike the experience you’ve had with other Vapes? Mine is and my herb hasn’t really changed so I know it’s not that. Just curious. Peace.
Hey are you referring to the oil-like residue that coats the entire inside or the herb speckles that are concentrated around the screen area?
hey how come if anyone asks about a sublimator review you delete the post, and don’t reply. is it cuz you are a little bitch? or that you don’t get paid by them like the other vaps you “review”/sell.
weak bro
Both! ;)
Hello Bud,
I have been considering purchasing a vapouriser for sometime now and thanks to your detailed reviews and videos I bought the Crafty today. You’ll be please to know I used OwlVapes so you should be getting some sort of commission! Also the level of customer service I have received from Ryan Caron has to be noted, he was so damn helpful I really have never had a better experience buying anything before! What a nice dude.
Thanks for providing such great info on the market and I seriously can’t wait for it to arrive.
Much love mate,
Rich
Very cool Rich, much appreciated!
Really happy you had a good experience, and I’m sure you’re gonna love the vape too ;)
Coming from a “child of the 60’s” your site is a revelation in terms of review and comparison detail. As a result, I’ve ceased to stall and have ordered the Crafty.
Two questions:
1. based on your experience with the Crafty, what would you advise in terms of purchasing spare parts, if anything? Alternatively, is the frequency of required component replacement annoying?
2. my experience is with “burning” rather than vaping. The annoying thing about burning is the coughing the harshness causes. Does vaping significantly reduce this problem?
Thanks!
Excellent choice Mark!!
You won’t need any replacement parts for a while, and all I would do is down the road buy that “Crafty wear and tear set” for $35, it comes with everything you’ll need for quite a while.
And yes, vaping is known to be smoother and less irritating, but this aspect can vary from vape to vape. I usually talk about vapor quality and comfort in my reviews but the Crafty specifically produces very high quality vapor.
If you find that you’re experiencing any harshness it probably means one of two things, your temperature is too high or you’re taking too long of a draw.
Let me know how you like it!
If the battery life is not a huge concern, is there any reason to get the Mighty instead of the Crafty?
Just the ability to use it while it’s plugged at 0% battery, with the Crafty you have to wait ~25 mins for it to charge to ~20% before you can turn it on and use it.
Hi, which is faster charging from computer or plug?
Also my crafty gets empty after 30 mins of usage :(
What do you think is better crafty or its brother?
What is your favourite vapourizer?
Do you have a favourite internet radio channel which you listen to while using crafty?
Charging from the wall will almost always be faster than through the computer, from what I’ve experience.
Damn 30 mins seems short, do you use it at high temperatures?
Both are great, I end up using my Crafty more just cus it’s smaller and easier to take with me.
Crafty is my favorite right now ;)
I usually listen to DI.FM the Minimal House station
So informative! Thinking about getting the Crafty for my first vape. Need something portable. Should I get this or the pax?
Both are excellent – Crafty vapor is stronger and you get more of it, and it’s less maintenance – PAX is better for short draws or “sipping” and for mellow results, Crafty results are more intense.
Thanks for the great review! First portable and replacing an old vapir one. Much better quality and experience! I’ve found that it’s been better to fill it all the way for taking two draws vs smaller amount and the liquid pad. Seems to me like the draws are better and less hassle. Have you had similar experience?
Really glad you’re diggin it!
It’s mostly personal preference so if that’s how you like using it vape it up! I also prefer fully packing it every time but I always vape it all in one shot ;)
Hi
Is it possible to vape [solid concentrates] in the Crafty….just ordered one!
Cheers
S
Hey you can but the best way to do it is to just mix a tiny bit of it in with your regular ground up herbs.
You can try using the liquid pad they include but that works better with very clean waxes and oils that fully melt to a liquid when heated.
Hey Bud,
I love your reviews and I bought the Pax a few years ago based on your recommendation. It has definitely been awesome and 4 other people I know bought one after using it! I am now thinking about purchasing the Crafty, but the price is really making it hard for me to decide. In your opinion, Do you think there will be better portable vapes coming out in the near future? I just don’t want to spend 400 dollars if something better and possibly cheaper will be coming out soon. Also, my wife and I vape on average about 5 nights a week, for only one session with the Pax. We usually get two sessions from one packing that we use on back to back nights and it does a pretty good job! Do u think it’s worth the upgrade to the Crafty based on how often we vape? We are wondering if the effect will be even greater with a less amount of material with the Crafty. We can afford it, but just don’t want to waste money if the Pax is good enough. Thanks man
Hey Brooks I’m really glad you guys like your Pax! The Crafty however is on another level, the vapor it produces is stronger, smoother and tastier.
If you feel that you’re going through too much material in your Pax, or if you find yourselves yearning for stronger results, I would definitely consider this one. As of right now I don’t know of any new portable vapes coming out that are going to be as good or better than this one.
Stay up!
Awesome! I actually ordered the Crafty using your link last night. Can’t wait till it arrives. Thanks again!
Awesome!!
Hey Bud,
Has the factory fixed their problems with this unit? My birthday is next month and it’s time for a new toy for the arsenal. Thank you.
The Dawg
I’m pretty sure they have yes, the number of defective complaints I’ve received lately has been drastically reduced. I would say it’s safe to buy! Great choice btw ;)
Awesome critique! My wife & I both read your review & watched your video & decided the Crafty was the one for us! Thanks for the help!
Excellent choice let me know how you guys like it!
Another question i could`t find answer for is: what made you to rate crafty better than mighty? Thanks!
I am thinking about Plenty as well (hence my earlier question regarding vapour temperature). THX!
Same performance but in a smaller package! Since it’s more compact I feel it’s more portable and convenient to carry around, which bumped it up a little over the Mighty. Plenty is the bomb also!
Hi
Thanks for the info on vapes…cool site
I’m new to the vape scene and thinking of buying a Crafty following the good reviews it receives. Question is: can one use [solid concentrates] in it? Sometimes it leaves a considerable bit of residue, would this be ok for the Crafty? I am assuming it would go on top of the steel pad?
Cheers
L
Hey L you actually shouldn’t use solid concentrates in most vapes, this one included, the oil or wax you use needs to be very clean and fully melt to a liquid when heated.
What you can do is break your solid concentrate up into small pieces and mix a little in with some dry herbs, and then pack that in the chamber. You’ll get better results that way and there’s much less risk of damaging or gunking up your unit.
Hey Bud!
Just bought my crafty yesterday through your link ;)
I hope Im gonna enjoy it! Never tried vapors before so it will be my first experience. So said, have may be stupid question, but still: when you do vapor can people around you smell herbs in steam or whatever it is?!
I heard something like that somewhere but not sure if it right or not?
Thanks bro!
You’re the man! and you’re gonna love it.
Yes, if people are close to you they could possibly smell the vapor, but this vape in particular is actually not very smelly, especially for how strong it is.
Stay up!
Hi, wonderful reviews you have there. Thanks for effort. I have a question regarding the vapour temperature. I am concerned about this topic, so how would you compare temperatures coming from crafty/mighty and plenty (which gas the special tube to lower vapor temperature)? Thanks a lot.
Hey thanks for posting, these 3 vapes all perform very similarly (excellent), but because of the difference in the distance the vapor travels before reaching the mouthpiece the Plenty would have very slightly smoother vapor in my opinion.
It’s a very small difference, but if you really wanted to get nitty gritty the extended cooling coil of the Plenty does help cool the vapor a tiny bit more.
Hey Bud! I got my Crafty last week and it really is an excellent vape. I wouldn’t have dropped 400 bucks, but after your positive review I went for it. My wife however wants a word with you lol.
LOL sorry!! But super glad you’re diggin it! ;)
And herb amount. Can you compare the trench size in the MFLB to the Crafty so I can know how much to expect to pack in relation to what I’m currently using when I pack the MFLB to the top of the trench like the instructions state.
If you use the included liquid pad in the chamber you can pack as little as 0.1g in this one, which is pretty much the same as the MFLB.
With the pad the full chamber can hold roughly 0.3g, which is more than the LB but you get many more draws.
I just my first vape a month ago. It’s a MFLB and I’m really liking it. I’m like another reviewer that can’t have a desktop due to kids and wife. I roll most days and I dig the quickness of the LB. The heat and temp control had a pretty steep learning curve if you’re looking for big deep draws. Additionally, I find myself pre-occupied with making sure it’s hot enough, but not too hot. Its cool, but I do feel a little like its a kit-toy from a boys scout magazine. I’m wondering how you would compare the experience between these two. Since the LB is my only vape experience ever, I dont have anything to compare it to other than a standard bat or spoon glass. 4 bills is a lot of cheese, so I’m sitting here wondering if is should take the plunge so early into vaping (clearly, i like it well enough to be looking into it… I hate smoking out of glass now.) Best advice for a vaping newbie would be appreciated.
Hey I’m glad to hear you’re diggin the Launch Box!
If you wanna step it up to the next level the Crafty is the vape to get. Performance, vapor quality and strength are vastly superior.
However, this vape isn’t as quick as the MFLB, you’re going to need at least 5 minutes for a half-session, and 10-12 minutes for a full session.
If you need portable, and you want the best, go with this one. But if you want to spend a little less there are a bunch of other good ones in the $150-$300 range.
Firefly, Pax & Summit are great, and I have a couple new ones that are good coming soon!
Love the Crafty but it died after only 3 months. Had to send it in for service. I’m hoping they get me back in business quickly. Have others been having problems with their Crafty?
Ah bummer Dave!!
There have been some reports of that happening yes, it seems to have mostly been an issue with the initial batch that was shipped out. Everyone who had a problem got theirs replaced with a new one, please confirm that the same happens for you!
I have started to see around the internet that there are problems with the crafty and mighty that are causing people to send them back for repairs. Have you heard about this? Is any of it true, based on what you’re seeing?
Thanks Bud!
Hey Skip yes there seemed to have been an issue with some of the initial batch that was shipped out but I’m fairly certain they’ve addressed the issue and I haven’t received any more reports of that happening for about a month now. Safe to buy! :)
Bud,
I am on my fourth Crafty and it just died after 9 months (the longest any of the four worked). It is a real pain in the butt to keep returning these units; they obviously have a design flaw. The Arizer Air is much more reliable, the battery can be replaced and it has good vapor and it is much cheaper. The Crafty is nice but not worth the price or the hassle.
hey man, like your site, lots of good info. curious how come you have never reviewed the sublimator?
Awesome man I just haven’t gotten to it yet but it’s on my list! Thanks for askin I’m hoping to get one soon.
Hey Bud,
Thanks for the article it really helped me choosing a vaporizer. I went with the Crafty and I am surprised with how great it works. I may just never smoke again it’s that good.
Hey man I’m really glad to hear it, and it’s awesome isn’t it!!
Got my crafty today it is a total beast,
I wanted to get a vape that would stop me from smoking and this is the one,.,
the best handheld vape i have tried. with good herb and a good draw on this and the taste is silly good, we will see how it holds up over time.
Yes!!
After researching many reviews, including all of your own, I was compelled to buy the best product available as per your recommendation, the Crafty (as of this date). Thanks for your thorough and honest product reviews. Kudos to you for doing something you love to do, and also helping the rest of us at the same time.
Excellent choice and thanks for posting!!
FU
FU2
Lol
Hi Bud, Love the time and effort involved with your reviews! One concern I have about the filling chamber overtime…is it possible to clean behind the chamber screen? Something tells me not and just thinking that by using a brush, you’ll get some particles that will bypass the screen and get into the device! Volcano is awesome because so easy to keep perfectly clean (change air filter).
Hey technically yes it’s possible that some very small particles could make their way down through the bottom of the chamber. It’s sort of similar to how when you attach the chambers on the Volcano and Plenty very small pieces of herb could fall through the screen into the unit.
BUT, somehow this never becomes an issue with S&B vapes, I’ve had my Volcano almost 6 years and my Plenty almost 3 and they both still perform like new.
My gut tells me this won’t be an issue with the Crafty or Mighty either, but I’m definitely keeping a close eye on it!
It’s very simple to clean behind the screen. The cooling unit comes apart easily. You do get some particle buildup in the stock setup, but this can be avoided almost entirely by using a second screen on top of your load. (To assist in easy removal, make a small cut along a radius of the top screen.) This will also make for denser hits much like it does in the Pax.
hey bud, how do you take 12 sec daws I can do only 10 sec and it turns red?
Hey the light turning red is OK and normal, it just means the temperature inside the chamber dropped a little and it’s heating back up (it happens when you take a long draw, it only drops a few degrees)
Hey bud, I’m looking for a vape that is reliable, not to strong of a pull, I’ll mainly use it with dry herb or e-cig juice. But I don’t have enough money to buy a really nice one I’m looking at under $150. If you have any suggestions that would be great.
Check out the Vapium Summit: https://vapecritic.com/summit/
(dry herbs only)
Hey do you think I should save up for the Crafty? Or just go with the cheaper arizer air and why?
Yes you should, I’ll be posting my Air review most likely this week and you will understand why ;)
Hey bud, I left a comment in your pax page about getting either the pax or the launch box, but after reading this review I’m really considering saving and just going all the way with the crafty. Is it worth it?
Absolutely!! The other two are good but you’ll get much stronger sessions with this one and better quality vapor.
I ordered my crafty the day you sent out the S&B vlog regarding customer service. I remember emailing you asking info made a mistake. Thank you for your response: “You made an excellent choice,its my favorite vape right now, let me know how you like it!.” What’s crazy is I don’t regret buying this vape at all.!its not because I shelled out $399.99 on this vape. It’s because your review on this vape is accurate. As is the one on the S&B Volcano classic (proud owner for last 5+ years). Thank you for putting out reviews that IMOP are as neutral as one can be.
I love the crafty so far with 10 hours currently. I received the crafty 5600 series and it has software 2.04. It did on the other hand come with (newer) (possibly different) red color o rings on the Cooling Chamber. Not sure if this is a v2 revision. The crafty has been my daily driver Monday-Friday (so far) with a Classic Volcano Easy Valve bag at night and on the weekends while my crafty is recharging and it seems to work perfect.
My favorite part about the Crafty is being able to pack a perfect bowl with the “filling tool.” Although the “filling tool” is not smell proof. It’s pretty close and does keep your grinded botanical fresh on the go. At first using the vaporizer I replaced the cooling chamber screen with the “fine screen” afraid my cooling chamber would get dirty faster. I ended up putting the original screen back on and don’t regret it. Although I grind my botanical very fine, I do not get any unwanted botanical in my cooling chamber or mouth with the stock screen. I vape at roughly 370 F with a 30 F boost and find it to work perfectly. It gets me exactly where I need to be.
To me this is a personal vape. Sure you can/should share when the time is right, but for a heavy weight, one bowl should be perfect for you and you alone. The Mighty may be better for back to back sessions.
The app via 2.04 on the IOS platform is flawless. The only thing that may be a little off is the battery life. It will only be off by a bar at most. (128gb iPhone 6 plus).
Thus far I have yet to experience an overheat or any gimmicks. I don’t expect my device to stop working the way I received it, but I do expect the app to have”gimmick” every once in a while etc… As technology is not peffect. Even though I have yet to experience any issues.
At the end of the day I’ve had to send my Classic Volcano in twice to S&B to replace the “Green Air” button as it popped out twice. (With all do respect, it is the most used button) and aside from paying shipping to S&B America, they sent back the unit in perfect condition. I am not worried about the Warranty S&B provides as I understand their procedure which is send back the item with original receipt and we will send a replacement or fix your item free of charge. On the other hand, I agree with Buds vlog: your one of the best well known vaporizer companies in the world, step up your game. Again I bought the product with the understanding of what their return workflow is so keep that in mind.
Quality? As a bag user for the last 5+ years, direct draw is very different and I love it. This is the best companion for anyone who owns a legit desktop vape. Again understand what the vape is before buying. It’s ment to get the job done in a very enjoyable way in 10 minutes or less. It’s not ment for BB sessions. Buy a Mighty if you want to share with friends or a Volcano if you want a work horse.
Other than battery life I do not have one issue with this vaporizer. It is as described and does a great job extracting your botanical on the go perfectly. For those who love sessions in the car, this is your vape. Again I am a big believer in a desktop and portable solution but don’t hesitate to buy this vape for your daily driver. It will get the job done for a majority of the population out there. Other than that, thank you bud for the review and advice on vaporizers the last 6 years. It truly has paid off and I’ve saved so much money because of your reviews.
*i have not used concentrates yet
*i plan on beating the shit out of this vape within it’s two year warranty (why not?) (besides I have a Volcano)
*clean this vape every 10 sessions or so. You don’t have too, but you will conserve your botanical and get better results if you do.
Like I said the Volcano was the best purchase I ever made. Same goes with the Crafty. You can’t be mad at consistent results. At the end of the day although I think S&B thinks their shit smells sweeter than others and “I Guess” does not want to step up their game Customer Sevice wise” with proactive communication, if you buy this vape with the understanding that you have to pay shipping to their facilty for a replacement (and you can let your pride swallow that) then you just purchased one of the best vaporizers I’ve had a chance to use. Thanks Bud!
Stay up!
Thanks very much for posting your thoughts!!!
I really appreciate it, and I’m sure everyone else does too. I’m also super glad to hear you’re enjoying the vapes.
I’m gonna send you an email because I want to see pics of the vape you received, red o-rings??
Vape it up!
I’m looking for something not ridiculously expensive with a good draw. I use my PAX and I love it, but the draw resistance is tough and can dry out my throat and lungs. Any suggestion on something easy to pull on that still produces good quality vapor? Doesn’t need to be portable. Was thinking maybe the PLENTY…
YES THE PLENTY
Hey bud,
Fantastic, thorough reviews, as always. Seriously considering dropping the cash for this baby, but am heavily considering the Goboof Alfa. Have you tried it? It’s stealthier and appears to be able to allow for shorter sessions. But across the board, people are raving about the Crafty. Just don’t know if it’s more than I need. Yet I want to make a wise investment. I [partake] on the go when I’m able during the day, and can have longer sessions in the evening. Any thoughts? Thank you!
Hey I plan on getting my hands on that one real soon and should have a review up shortly, thanks and stay up!
Hello,
Buy it. Mine just arrived a few days ago (background: i have a volcano for quite a long time now – and that thing is still good as new, unfuckingbelievable).
It is fucking awesome, the battery life shouldn’t be a problem unless you are planning survival-smoker trips :-)
Cheers,
T
Bud: thanks for the good work, and i second that storz und bickel is the best what money can buy at the moment
Awesome!! Super glad you’re diggin it
Hi Bud, what about the MiniVap? I’m thinking about buying either the crafty, the mighty or the minivap. But your critic on the MiniVap is still missing.
Thinking about doing it soon!
How does the Crafty handle waxes? Is the vapor quality good or would it be worth it to get a wax pen?
It’s good but it’s best when you want to take at least a few draws at a time, ideally all of it in one session. Pens are always good to have for a quick draw here and there.
Bud- thanks so much for your immense review. I went out and bought this badboy the same day and it really is outstanding in every way. As you say an animal with elegance! Cannot recommend this vape any higher for function and form…
Really really glad you think so man! Vape it up!!
Bud,
You mentioned that you were going to follow up on S&B’s customer service and potential quality control issues on the Crafty… any news or developements?
With your help, and thank you so much for your tireless efforts in educating us all, I’ve decided on the Crafty. But, I’m holding off until I can be more assured that there are no inherent design flaws in the Crafty, and that S&B’s service will be accommodating should I have an issue.
Thanks again!
Michael
Hey excellent choice, so far I’ve received a handful of complaints but everybody who had issues was able to get a replacement.
If you order from the store I recommend you’ll at least have the great customer service, but it seems the warranty coverage still gets handled through S&B and their customer service has been lacking.
I wouldn’t expect good support from them but if you have a problem I wouldn’t worry about getting it fixed or replaced, they always come through.
I have to agree on their shitty customer service. They really don’t answer their phone or emails. They have a somewhat cocky we made the best VAPE I don’t care what anyone says attitude. I learned to not even ever email or call them if I have any issue. Just suck it up and send the unit in. It guaranteed gets fixed that way. I’m sure they don’t wanna deal with 5,000 stoners calling all pissed cuz their crafty broke. Just send it in and hope for the best. At least they have a quick turn around time. But think about it it even says just send it in. Doesnt say anywhere to call so we can’t expect anything else. But it would be nice if they ACTUALLY answered the phone. But I too work in the customer service industry so I can understand their policy and how they operate. It’s much easier this way. Some people are not patient and want a response right away instead of sending it in and waiting for an email they get turned off when their calls aren’t answersd or emails aren’t replied to. I was like that at first but I love this vape so much I don’t even care anymore
Thanks for posting man
You should review the grasshopper vape.
Thx for ur request!
Hi — valuable service here… really well done: many thanks!
I just bought a crafty, based on numerous positive reviews here and elsewhere. Was going to go for the solo but decided to really go for ‘it’ instead (seems a lot of people upgrading from solo?).
Anyway, I have just received the unit and my first reaction is a very noticeable plastic smell. Very very noticeable, and can be tasted when taking practice pulls from the mouthpiece (i.e. not in use). Hopefully this goes away? And entirely? Anyone else with experience on this? Should I return it?
Trying to figure this out before actually using it so I can return it with little fuss.
Cheers!
Hey it really shouldn’t smell or taste like plastic, they say they use flavorless and food-safe materials in all their vapes and I tend to believe them, so what I would do is this…
Take the cooling unit off and soak it for maybe 20 minutes in warm soapy water (a little dish soap).
After that just rinse it off and let it dry on a towel. It should be completely odorless after that and stay that way, but if you still smell anything I would return it.
Let me know!
Alrightl mate thanks for all the reviews they been very helpful but there is one thing can you pre load the crafty and carry it around or should you load up just before you use it keep up the good work
Yes you can absolutely pre-load it!
Hey man. Not sure if this was discussed already but I’m new to vaping and I purchased the Crafty for the high end portable experience. So far I’m impressed but I feel like when I smoke I’m still getting some gunk in my lungs and I feel like I’m constantly having to clear my throat after use. Is this normal? I just cleaned the Crafty with warm water and alcohol the inside does get extremely dirty and sticky. Isn’t the vape supposed to prevent harmful tar?
Hey Josh what I believe is happening is a normal reaction to a unit that produces vapor as potent as this one.
The buildup you see and the vapor you’re drawing from it is made up only of the active compounds from the resin in your material. There’s no plant matter being burned or anything, all that’s happening is hot air being passed through your material, which then vaporizes the goodies and leaves behind everything else.
When using this vape I sometimes cough, but from experience with so many vapes I can tell it’s just from the strength/potency of the vapor and not because it’s harsh. If it’s bothering you I would try lowering the temperature a tiny bit or shortening your draws a little.
Hey Bud, just bought the Crafty thru your link. Great review! Im new to handhelds (so maybe this is normal) but should the mouthpiece heat up so that its warm/hot to the lips? Its not uncomfortable but I definitely feel it.
Hey you da man, the mouthpiece on this one shouldn’t heat up, what you’re probably feeling is the vapor coming out on the very edge of your lip. Try putting your lips a little farther up the stem and see if you still feel it, you really shouldn’t feel anything!
Hi,
I have my Crafty for two days and its just so lovely great. Although its plastic, it feels like premium and the taste of vapor and amount are incredible nice, pure and intense.
I recommend this vaporizer to all of you.
Warmest greetings from Poland;)
Hey I’m very glad to hear it!!
Just bought the crafty through your site, hopefully you get credit. Was gonna go with the Pax as my friend has one, but when you said it seems they put too much time and effort into the packaging as opposed to the actual piece, made me go with the crafty. cheers!
Hey thanks I hope you dig it!
I think there is a design flaw with the Crafty.
Both times it broke after going from the solid red light directly into boost mode.
Meaning, if you double click from the red light straight into boost mode, it
will eventually break.
This is what happened with both of the ones I had so far.
I asked Storz Bickel for a refund because this is the second defective one.
They would not give any refund, they said it is against their policy, all sales are final.
I repeat that it is my belief that the Crappy has a design flaw.
If so, they should not be allowed to sell defective products with no refund.
Scott
Thanks for posting and following up Scott, I’m disappointed to hear of your troubles with this vape :\
I’ve received a few reports now about defective Crafty’s but I’m confident any kinks will be worked out, this company is the real deal, but they can absolutely do a better job of support and customer service
Thanks for all the great advice. I am new to vaping and about to make my first purchase (will def go through your link). I am torn between the Crafty and the Pax and was hoping you could make a recommendation. I will mostly be vaping in my condo but I also want something that I can take on the go. Crafty looks to be pretty nice but not sure about leaving the house with it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Hey Tom if you’re torn between the Crafty and the Pax I’d say the biggest differences, besides price, are the draw resistance and the volume/potency of the vapor produced.
The Crafty will produce more vapor and it will be stronger, and the resistance when taking a pull is very low. The Pax is better for “sipping” I’d say and taking short puffs, and it is a bit harder to pull from.
Yo, my crafty broke again….called Storz and bickel today….
Very Corporate….
Maybe I got the Crappy instead lol
Jeeeeez what is the deal with these guys!!
You got another replacement though right?
Not very happy with this piece. The flavor was great, and thick clouds, but the battery is screwed up, and now the plastic is breaking. The battery will no longer indicate that it’s charging when plugged in, and if I can get it to start charging, it stops in a few minutes. Also, the rim that locks the mouthpiece in places has broken in half, so it doesn’t lock on very well at all anymore. I’ve only had this for a month!!! The manufacturer does not respond to emails and doesn’t take phone calls. you just ship it back to them and they’ll fix it or send you a bill.
Hey Dave I’m very sorry to hear you’re disappointed :\ but thank you for posting your experience with it.
A few people have contacted me about defective units now so you’re not alone, but I agree that the S&B support could use some improving.
Please let me know how they ultimately handle your situation and if you get a replacement
Hi Bud,
first, thanks for the great reviews.
I bought a Crafty and it lasted only ten days before it failed, it would no longer charge up! Customer service at Storz & Bickel was appauling and I ended up claiming a refund from my credit card! Buyer beware.
I should add I am, for over three years, a very happy volcano digit owner. I have reverted back to my trusted Magic Flight Launch Box for my portable needs.
In the short time I used the Crafty I was very happy with it’s performance. My only critisisms other than quality control are –
– the device can not be used when the battery is totally flat and plugged in, this is a key design flaw.
– I did not have the unit long enough to be sure but I also suspect the cooling unit needs to be cleaned often too, which could become annoying over time
– Compared to my MFLB which requires no cleaning or maintainence the heat up time is long too
Ah no bueno!
Thanks for sharing your experience, I’m actually posting a vlog video in the next day or two and I’m gonna discuss Storz & Bickel support, because yours isn’t the first complaint I’ve received about them.
Stay up!
I have looked at many reviews by the vape critic. I felt the need to post that the vape critic is by far the best reviewer of all time when it comes to really breaking down the many differences of vaporizers. I wanted to thank him for being such an amazing part of the vape community.
You are the best, great job. Keep up the good work!
-Danny
Hey Bud, I am thinking of upgrading to a vape and I want to know it it will be possible to load the chamber with [pollen]? and if so do you recommend inserting some greens first and then the layer of [pollen]
Yes if you want to vape pollen the best way to do it is to just mix a little in with some ground up dry herbs
Hey bud are you finding your cooling unit is having a lot of ABV in it after a few sessions? I never noticed this with the pax or any portable vape for that matter and was wondering if you experience this as well. I’ve been having to use the fine screen they sent with it for the heating chamber as the screen for the cooling unit because so much leaks unless I break up the buds by hand but then I don’t get as much vapor because the material is less grinded. Are you finding this provlem as well? I didn’t expect a unit that costs so much to leak so much ABV. If I use grinded up materal in the screen it comes with even after one or two sessions it’s ALLLL OVER the cooling unit and it’s a real pain to clean out. I just can’t imagine storz and bickel intended so much ABV to leak into the cooking unit with “normal use” lately I just been using the fine screen and going max temp from start to finish for huge clouds. But the screen gets clogged easily since the holes are so tiny. It’s like you can’t win :-(. I guess that’s the down side of such a free flowing vape
Hey for the reasons you describe I actually find that it’s better to not grind your herb up super fine with this vape, the grind consistency from a 4-piece grinder seems to work best and cause the least amount of buildup.
I use mine a lot and have only had to clean out the cooling units once so far, so maybe for most people I’d say once a month on average.
Also if you brush out the chamber and top screen immediately after a session while the unit is still warm you should be able to get almost all herb particles off with just the brush.
Yea actually I found the Santa cruz shredder to provide the best grind for the crafty. JUST small enough so hardly any leaks through
Would you recommend a specific type of way to [draw] from this vape and from the plenty vape? I sometimes get a huge amount of vapor and other times not so much, I thought it would have something to do with the way I was [drawing]. Any advice on this? Thank bud!
Hey to get the best results from this unit and the most vapor you should draw at a slow to medium pace for 10-12 seconds
Hi :-)
Would it be possible for you to make a video about how to use the grinder which comes with crafty? After grinding we could’t figure out how to transfer the stuff from the grinder to the second orange piece and then to the vaporizer.
Hey Stef thanks for your request
If you’re using the grinder it comes with try tapping the ground up herbs to one side of it before opening it up after grinding. If all your stuff is on one side of it you should be able to get it into the filling tool a little easier.
Just got my Crafty yesterday and absolutely love it! It’s amazing the taste and cool draw is awesome!
Sweet I’m really glad ur diggin it!
I was just about to order a Crafty from Storz and Bickel directly but I’ll do it through your link instead. Helping a brother out? Hell yeah. Thanks as always Bud.
You da man!
Just got the me the beast they call Crafty. First uses will occur this weekend. Your reviews are fantastic and I will add my reviews soon. Same Bat channel, same Bat place.
Haha nice!
Hi Bud, thank you for your great reviews. After a tone of research, I decided Crafty was the best fit for me. I ordered through your link. I’m wondering if you recommend heating up the unit before the first use with herbs? Just maybe to avoid any metal flavor, or did you just fire yours with herbs right away? I also watched your tutorial on cleaning. It was very helpful. What is the best way to clean the mouth piece itself? Thanks for your guidance. Best! Winter
Hey it can’t hurt to do a dry run the first time you use it but I don’t feel it’s totally necessary with this model, they take care of making sure it’s ready to go out of the box.
For the mouthpiece itself I usually just wipe it off with a water-dampened paper towel but if you want to sanitize it just use a little rubbing alcohol and gently wipe it.
You can get some massive clouds from the Crafty if you pull on it a little longer, but when I use the MFLB, I find myself licking my lips, as it tastes so good, not with the Crafty.
Really?? I think the flavor from this one is great
Bud love the reviews and info. First time vape buyer. I think I like the crafty but dam that price. As a first timer u think I would b happy with a unit a step below? Would like it to do dry herbs and maybe concentrates. I don’t do concentrates much but fig for the price best to be prepared. Also any thoughts on a vape pen? Thanks bro!
Hey man if you’re a first timer and don’t want to spend this much I’d probably go with something like the Pax or maybe the Phantom.
The Crafty gives the closest experience to smoking (strongest) but the other ones are good too for the price.
I would get a separate pen for concentrates since as of now I haven’t reviewed any vapes that do both that I think are great.
My Pax review is here: https://vapecritic.com/pax/
My Phantom review is only on my youtube channel at the moment but it’ll be on my site soon along with the newer Phantom Premium. You can get more info on these and buy one here: https://vapecritic.com/shop/cloudv/
As for pens there’s a handful that I like and use regularly and my current favorite is the Dr Dabber Ghost: https://vapecritic.com/dr-dabber/
Thanks man hey is the phantom premium pretty bulky? Kinda narrowed it down to the v2 but wanted to wait for the 7 or 9. Not sure i can wait. But i like the size of the v2 is he premium similar?
Phantom Premium is about 1″ longer and about twice the diameter, so significantly larger than the V2 Pro 3.
I like them both though, the premium is bigger but holds more material and can produce more vapor, although vapor quality is not really better.
Thanks boss ordered a premium through your link! Also emilailed V2 and they did let me know the series 7 is due out this first quarter!
Awesome you da man!
Let me know how you like it
Hey bud! Review time on the phantom. Well I like some things about it. Like the battery life. That first draw. And the chamber is nice size. I just don’t seem to get a good drawl after the first couple. Any ideas or is this it? And if so, what’s a better choice? Still like it small and discreet.
Hey are you grinding your herb up real fine and packing the chamber pretty tight? Try doing that and take a slow, long draw for max vapor production. Let me know how you make out!
Hi,
I am great fan of yours reviews:)
Could you tell me because I know that in Ascent the ceramic bowl is keeping warm or even hot for long time after using, about 10 minutes.
I use all the time MLFB and after about 30 seconds the chamber is cold so it is very efficient to herbs.
I wonder how is this in Crafty.
Hey this one doesn’t cool down as quick as the MFLB, it holds heat longer I’d say for a few minutes after using
Hey Bud, I’ve been trying to purchase a Crafty through your link, and VW has been out of stock for some time now. Any thoughts on another vendor that may carry them, and have them in stock? Thanks, Bud!
Hey Tim thanks for using my link I really appreciate it, I saw that they’ve been sold out and I don’t know exactly when they’ll be back in, but I would imagine it will be any day now
They’re a major distributor and I’d expect them to have them first when they’re available, but if you do decide to look elsewhere I would call or email first to check stock
Stay up!
Hey Bud,
thx a lot for this awesome page and your reviews!!!
My question: Do i really need the App for the Crafty? Or does is work fine with that single button?
I have just a WindowsPhone and the Mighty looks a little too big for on the way :(
Hey the app is definitely not necessary at all to get the most out of this vape
It’s just a nice little bonus if you want to control the LED brightness or see what temp the oven is at (but this isn’t very exciting)
Hey Bud,
thank you very much! Finally, I bought the Crafty and of course you were right, I did not need the app at all!
So I ordered the crafty and I too have a windows phone (nokia icon). I am going to try using bluestacks (windows OS program that runs android apps on my computer) and see if I can control the crafty with that. Tried it while i’m waiting for the unit to arrive at my door and the app launches and is fully functional. It says “could not find crafty”. Seems that there will be no reason for it not to work since I have bluetooth turned on. I’ll keep you posted!
Hey Bud, i was wondering if i want to stay home and do solo session what is the minimum amount of material i can put there?
about 0.15g if you put the liquid pad on top
Yo Bud, I bought the crafty and it was in my hand in less than 36 hours. After about a day of experimenting with it now, I found a great aspect that I didn’t see you cover. Ok, so you fully pack it up to the ceramic, THEN put one of the fine(bottom) screens right on top of the herb. I don’t know what this does for vaping, but it cuts your need to clean the cooling unit drastically! I’ve watched all your vids and am always looking for extra tips with this device. When 4/20 comes I’m gonna get a herbazlizer or volcano. best handheld and best desktop… what else do I need?
Hit me up if you know any other cool tips, and if there is a space for me to share my tips I will as well….
STAY UP
Nice!!
Good tip man thanks, those bottom screens are nice and fine and would def cut down on particles making their way to the cooling unit
Can’t go wrong with Herbalizer or Volcano, and if you have one of those with a Crafty you’re made in the shade
Feel free to share more tips on any page you want!
The big difference is the battery life? Is there any reason I couldn’t use my external USB battery that I got for my phone?
That’s the main difference yes, and you can totally use external usb power banks with this one
Hey Bud, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. I hope all is well. I’m an old school Vape critic disciple and consider myself a highly qualified vape connoisseur based solely on my careful study of your reviews (which influenced my investments in MFLB, Pax, Volcano, and most recently Mighty). I have to admit we share similar taste in quality when it comes to these technological marvels, and your enthusiastic reviews are consistently fair and reliable. Needless to say, after doing my research and of course checking out your opinion on the crafty, I was sold. I ran out to my local shop with the earnings from my used Pax and a few extra bucks. The shop hooked me up with a fresh Crafty and I ran home looking to get to business. And man, what a dream machine it was…until the time came to charge. My unit went haywire and things quickly went from great to tragic as it was incapable of charging. The only LEDs that flashed were a short red and green spurt when I tried to turn it on. You can only imagine my dismay. Luckily I had just purchased the unit from my local shop only hours earlier, and was able to bring it back for exchange the next day. I praised my first hour or so with the Crafty so damn much that I even convinced the shop owner to get himself one. A few days later I head back to pick up my new unit (which is working so far so good) and the shop owner informs me that his brand new Crafty was suffering from some issues as well and would have to be returned. My question is if you have had any similar issues with your personal unit yet? As much as I’ve grown to respect S&B after my experience with their Volcano product, I can only assume that the same level of craftsmanship would be carried over to the Crafty. My advice to any new Crafty owners is to make sure to purchase from a reliable retailer because it is a new product that from my experience may still need some development, and I know I’m not the only one who ran to the store to support this amazing device. I’m aware the Crafty comes with 2 year manufacturers warranty, so there’s plenty peace of mind for a new customer. But I’m wondering if, from your knowledge, this is a bigger issue and if so is there any way to avoid the disappointment.
Hey thanks for posting,
I’ve heard a couple of stories similar to yours but in more than one case there wasn’t actually anything wrong with the vape
This unit actually uses power faster than it can charge up, and it requires a roughly 25% charged battery before it’ll turn on
Some people thought their units were overheating or defective and didn’t realize that it just wasn’t charged enough to use it yet, even if it was plugged in
Do you think that could’ve been what was happening in your scenario?
So for example if you’re using the vape just running off the battery and it dies, and then you plug it in, you’ll need to wait about a half hour before it’ll turn on
If you’ve waited a little while for it to charge and it still didn’t turn on then it does sound like some part of it was defective
I haven’t personally had any issues with mine at all, and actually I’ve never had issues with any of my other S&B vapes either
It’s definitely a good idea to buy from a fully authorized dealer though so that in the rare instance something goes wrong it won’t be a headache to get a replacement
My first unit was most definitely defective Bud. Im certain of that because regardless of how bad the remaining battery life is, your unit should be blinking blue led while it charges, and mine was incapable of lighting up at all after being plugged in all night. But I’m happy to announce that the replacement has been working excellent. Can’t think of any criticism other than what has already been stated. The battery life comes in for a loss, but the Crafty itself comes in for a triumphant win. If you’re reading this and researching, don’t bother…..just get this thing, you will not look back. Talk about something that does its job too damn well. Maximum performance
Also, Bud’s link is the fairest price on a Crafty in the 50 states. Save your time and money and do what you know is right, get it.
Damn ok cool well I’m glad you got a swift replacement and all is good now, vape it up!
Just a thought; make sure that charging leds are on in the crafty app, otherwise no visual indication.
The Case Logic DCB-302 fits the Crafty like it is made for it. It even has a front pocket that perfectly fits the loader, brush and inner pouch in that pocket for the steel wool.
Since it’s a camera case you can wear it on your belt or use the strap. I wore it around Amsterdam a few weeks ago and it was awesome.
Sweet thanks for the tip Rick!
Downloaded the Uniqtec bluetooth conectivity app from the play store amd the craft app now connects with my S5 with lollipop os. You may have to try different apps depending on your hardware.
Ordered my crafty Monday Night and it just arrived, less than 48 hours later! already love it. Looks great feels amazing cant wait to show this off at christmas partys ;).
Very happy customer!
Nice!!
Hello Bud and all fellow vape enthusiasts. I just picked mine up from WildZone in Sacramento. They had both the might and crafty in stock, so nice to put your hands on the unit before purchase. I currently own the Pax, No2, whisper, firefly, pinnacle pro, Pax, Ascent, EZ vape desktop model.
The Crafty is THE BEST!, in my opinion, clean, not harsh, cool, flavorful, powerful clouds, you never waste any flower when there are no more clouds; it’s done. So unlike traditional combustion pipes that seem to burn a considerable amount before you ever inhale the smoke you want, so in the long run you will have a better session and maximize on your flower and vaporizer investment.
Eventually (budget permitting), I may go with the Mighty route, the HUGE plus for me is readily available micro USB charger most have them around for their phones. The convenience of this charging method is a standard that should be followed by others, but proprietary accessories are designed more with the manufacturers interest than that of the consumer.
I have previously used the DaVinci Ascent as my go to, it’s a nice vape but there is a lot of maintenance involved. The Crafty on other hand is so easy to maintain, vape, empty bowl, brush with the included brush and your ready for the next, as Bud mentions, occasional use of a Q tip in alcohol “may” be required at some point. The quality, build and materials are amazing; this is some type of super-duper poly-carbonate, its so light I put it in my pocket and I find myself looking for the piece that’s in my pocket it’s that pocket-able and light.
For the convenience, efficiency and operation you will not be sorry; laying the initial cash out is quickly off-set when you start and complete your first session, you will have the immediate sense “man I’m glad I got this” and you’ll be feeling amazing while thinking it. As Bud mentioned the grinder works great as does the filling tray. So ingenious and I am able to pack about 10-14 bowl in the loading tray lets face it, we need to carry some with us, on the go, its great to place the filling tray; scoop the perfect bowl from the herb. When closed there is no herb odor, when the Crafty heats, there is no noticeable smell as there is with the Ascent, and Pax.
My preference after use of the Pax, it’s size and design were intriguing, but I have issues with a lot of gumming of the retractable mouth piece, and often issues with a good heating, sometimes I have to hold the mouthpiece in a certain position until it heated so as to get the “purple” light if you ever noticed a light “other” than the purple until you see “green”, it’s a problem likely indicating cleaning is required but I often found my self not wanting to mess with that.
If you want an easy and consistent vaping experience YOU WILL LOVE the Craft or Mighty. I like everyone want to save money; I’ve spent quite a bit in my humble collection, and am guilty of spending good money after bad. So with all the reviews on the various vaporizer’s on Bud’s site do yourself a favor save a lot of money on other vaporizers and just invest it in the crafty or mighty, it will be money well spent.
Merry Christmas to all…even Santa can get through the clouds with this unit and laughing all the way. Vape on ya’ll.
Forgot to mention; there is currently no support in the Crafty application for Lollipop OS on the newer and soon to be most android devices.
Also; I’VE NEVER, had to hit the reset button when in a session. As you vape, you see the green light turn to red, it resets at this point and is bringing the oven the correct temp. Resist if you can increasing the initial temp in the app settings until you get a real handle on what vaping is like with this unit at a lower temperature. The flavor and production is amazing and prevents the burnt popcorn odor associated with other vapes at high temps. I could completely complete one bow with great flavor.
Thanks for posting your thoughts Slade!
I’m really REALLY glad you’re diggin this vape so much ;)
Happy holidays and stay up!!
Here’s an update since purchasing my Crafty in late Dec 2014. I’m a daily user of this great device. I just returned mine for service to replace brittled, broken base threads where the cooling unit attaches. I have many vaporizers and am the type to take care of my stuff. Misuse was never an issue, so my best guess as to the failure, is when on the go, you have several sessions throughout the day, maybe at the park etc, then you put it in your front jeans pocket for example, get going, sit down whatever. My thought is while the structural material is very stout in room temps, that the integrity of the material when hot and cooling down and in your pocket. This could “possibly”, subject it to hairline cracks or fatiguing during the heat up/down, a snug pair of jeans or pants, walking or sitting could be a contributing factor. It’s foreseeable that by the portable nature you’re going to be putting it in and taking out of pockets, or backpacks etc…
I emailed Storz and Bickel American, with a description and a photo of the problem and on the return process. I received a reply within 24 hours as I left the email in the evening. They explained the process and said “not” to return the cooling unit, but I had shipped before I received that part of return process. :) Happy to report their reply indicated that it would be repaired or replaced and there should be no problem. I’ll update on the return….so the takeaway here is, be mindful of whether you’re storing or in anyway pressing etc the vaporizer while its hot or cooling, I’m not a chemical engineer, for the same reasons how plastic become more pliable when heated, the cooling effect can make it brittle, like plastic lawn furniture lol. Not only is their product excellent, but customer service is most important before and after the sale. I trust and believe in the quality of their product.
Hey thanks for posting your experience with it!
Bummed to hear about that issue you had, thanks or describing it, but I’m glad they took care of you and are getting you a replacement.
Let me know how long it takes for you to get a new one, vape it up!!
Bud… Just got the Crafty last weekend. I’m coming from a Pax, where I’d learned to take lighter draws at the medium heat setting to maximize the effect. Basically, if I could hear myself (or a new user) pulling to hard (making a hissing noise due to airflow being drawn too hard through the mouthpiece), I’d back off on the pressure. Slow, “quiet” draws seemed to work best.
With the Crafty, there’s less constriction in the air path, so I’m having to relearn how to draw, lol.
Do you have a baseline that you find works best? I’ve been taking 10 to 12 second draws, with an amount of suction that makes an audible hissing noise come from the mouthpiece. Is this too hard or too soft?
I ask since the Crafty seems so much more efficient at extracting essence that I find my sessions being much shorter than with the Pax, and I want to make sure I’m getting the goods, so to speak.
Depending on the material strain, using partially filled chambers with the oil pad as a spacer gives me maybe 5 draws at default temp settings before the vapor stops; I hit boost for maybe 1 more draw (2 if I’m lucky), and the used material is usually light brown.
I’d like to get opinions on this so I can let new users know how to roll.
Thanks for your efforts in the vape world. As others have said, much appreciated.
Stay lifted!
EDIT: Just experimented; make that 8 at normal and 5 at boost with half chamber. Still curious about the “sound” of your draw, though!
Hey I usually take 10-12 second draws and I’d say I pull at a medium pace, a little faster than how I use the Pax but not quite so fast that you really hear the air coming through the mouthpiece. However, this vape is pretty forgiving so it’ll work with basically any draw speed, so whatever it most comfortable for you is the way to go, but for newbies I suggest medium speed :)
Thanks! Have a great holiday…
Do you think the Crafty is going to be the best portable vape in the next 10+ years like the Volcano?
That’s an interesting thought, I can definitely see this vape being a top contender for years to come, but I guess it really depends on how quickly other companies can catch up :)
hey, does anyone knows how to replace oven screen ?
I posted a video showing how to do this recently check it out here: https://vapecritic.com/crafty-mighty-cleaning/
Man this thing is awesome. It arrived today and I have not put it down. I have the volcano and this is totally up there stomping with the big dogs….lol
It arrived today, will post reviews of performance ASAP
Amazing review
Crafty/mighty vs Pax
I’m just worried about how you said the Pax is very draw resistant. I don’t draw very hard and I prefer a free flowing vape. any other points to mention about the comparison?
If you want a free-flowing draw I would probably advise against the Pax, but it’s still a good vape. It would be a better “sipping” vape than the Cratfy or Mighty though, since you do need to take fairly long draws with these to get a good amount of vapor.
These S&B portables produce stronger vapor, more vapor, and they’re built better.
Thanks for the great review. Just ordered mine now. Can’t wait. Will post reviews…..
Hey, I was wondering how this compared to the volcano if you had to choose between one or the other? Also, I know you rated this highest Vape, how would you directly compare the Vapor quality from the arizer solo as that is the Vape I currently use?
Both are excellent but so different that it’s hard to say. At this moment in time though the Crafty is my #1.
I think the vapor quality is better from this one than the Solo, which is a good vape but this thing is on another level in terms of performance.
Thanks Bud,
Storz and Bickel is awesome and they sent me a new Crafty really fast.
They also made it easy to return the old one.
So all is well again :)
Scott
Excellent!
Bud,
I wanted to mention that my Crafty is broken after only
9 hours of use. It says it is “faulty” and is asking me to return it
To Storz-Bickel for repairs.
Not too cool
Wow very strange, definitely keep me updated and let me know how it’s handled
Any recommendations for cleaning the chamber? In the future how am i to replace to chamber screen or clean the unit where particles fall?
Besides brushing it out after each use you shouldn’t have to do any other cleaning to the chamber for quite a while, one day you could maybe take a q-tip dampened with rubbing alcohol and give it a quick wipe. The bottom screen should pop out if you take something like a toothpick and gently pry it up.
Great site, create great service to the community! I’m getting complaints from a neighbor about odors, so my questions is: if minimizing odors is a critical need, is the Crafty the best vape? Are any of the vapes odorless? Thanks so much for your help!
Hey Steve none of them are really odorless but some smell a little less than others. For the amount of vapor this one produces and the strength of it I would expect it to smell more, but it’s actually on the lower end of the odor scale.
The Pax and Launch Box for example can sometimes get a little smellier during & after use.
How would you say the taste is compared to the solo since that has a glass tube? Even though the solo was annoying the taste was abosultely amazing compared to the pax
I think it’s even better than the Solo
I love your reviews and it is the first place I go when look at a new product. I’m not a professional reviewer (I’ve never reviewed anything) and didn’t know if this is the right place to post my take.
Sure man let ‘er rip!
Hey Bud,
Love your site and the reviews are very informative, so much so that I went out and bought a Crafty 2 days ago and just received it today. I do have a question, and hope it doesn’t sound strange. When using my Pax I would always grind my material very fine, to the point where it was almost powder. I also found this worked best in my Pax and the draw resistance was minimal, about like drinking a soda through a straw.
However with the Crafty I get zero resistance and it’s throwing me for a loop, where instead of drawing into my mouth and then inhaling I’m taking it straight in as I feel as if this is the only way I’m getting any vapor.
Any thoughts on this?
Keep up the great reviews!
Cheers,
Scott
Hey Scott yes, what you’re describing is a main difference between the two vapes.
You can “sip” the Pax and get decent little draws, but with this vape you have to do a straight pull for ~5-12 seconds for best results.
Stay up!
Hi Bud,
This is exactly what I did last night, and man what a HUGE difference in vapor quality/taste when compared to the Pax. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Pax but if given the choice, the Crafty would win hands down time and time again.
Thanks for your reply, have a great holiday season and keep up the great reviews !
Cheers,
Hey man. Just wanted to see your comparison of the crafty versus the pax in terms of how big of clouds you get and how good the vapor tastes. all I care about is getting huge clouds and still having the vapor tastes good. I have the solo but never use it because it’s not really portable for me since I like bringing a vape when I’m driving. However my girl has the pax and while I like the sleekness the vapor tastes horrible and the only way to get a nice cloud is to pack the bowl so tight and then the vapor tastes bad. Is the crafty the best and biggest cloud producing vape for the money ?
Hey Dave yes, if you have those complaints about the Pax you should thoroughly enjoy the Crafty. Biggest clouds from a portable, strongest vapor, but still smooth and tasty.
Hi Bud,
I got the Crafty as my first vaporizer also!
I’m switching to vaporizing to be more healthy.
Your reviews are really awesome and insightful.
I agree battery life on the Crafty is a little iffy,
though the overall experience is so great
that I think I’ll get a Plenty or a home unit too!
Thanks for your help,
Scott
Thanks
Hey Scott I’m glad you like it, the Plenty is the bomb too!
Feel like an idiots! Rewatched the Mighty video and see that the mouthpiece of the Mighty does rotate to a storage position, so obviously please disregard that question.
I am still curious about the relative ratings though.
Thanks again for all your very useful reviews!
Bud,
I appreciate the reviews and ordered the Plenty through your link, so I hope you get the proper credit.
I am new to vaping and look forward to the experience. I’ve been a long time combustion user and hope this is a more healthful choice.
My question concerns the mouthpiece of the Mighty vs. the Crafty. From the photos it appears that the mouthpiece on the Mighty doesn’t rotate for storage, like it does on the Crafty?
I’m thinking that if I really like the vaping experience, I may eventually want a truly portable device. I like the longer battery life of the Mighty, and at their price point, I don’t consider that a real showstopper, but I am a little concerned that the Might mouthpiece could be susceptible to damage when transporting about. Is that a concern, or is it a matter of all the photos of the Mighty just don’t show the mouthpiece in the stored position?
In your evaluation videos, you rate the Volcano as your favorite, but you rate the Crafty higher than either the Volcano or the Mighty. Is this just a concession to the price points and portability aspects of the Crafty and Mighty.
Sorry if these are just noob sorts of questions.
im torn between the crafty and the plenty.. any suggestions? or points of interest between the two products? Storz and Bickel and german engineering in general are lightyears ahead of the competition! great review
To put it simply: extremely similar performance but one’s bigger and plugs in for power, the other is tiny and runs on rechargeable batteries.
i tried the crafty with my friend the other day, and it did not produce any clouds. And i found myself getting more of the herb “flavor” than clouds or anything else. Didn’t really seem to get me where i wanted to be. we followed directions, herb was not ground up to finely. Are we doing something wrong or what. i was gonna get the crafty until i tried it now im leaning more towards the pax. I need help!!!
Hmm doesn’t sound right…
You don’t need to grind super fine but your herb should still be ground kinda fine. Also make sure you’re fully packing the chamber with the filling tool.
To get good clouds like you see in my video you’ll need to take a good 10-12 second draw, pulling at a slow to medium pace.
You should get a lot of vapor and it should be very strong, it should def get you where you want to be it’s one of the strongest vapes I’ve reviewed.
Pax is a great portable too just not as strong, let me know how you make out!
Huge fan of all Storz & Bickel-
I own every one of their products and without doubt are the Rolls Royce of vapes.. Be aware I just bought the Crafty and it was working amazing, then yesterday I used it once on a full charge, set it down and went to use it again and now it won’t turn on… I have read the manual and all it does is a few flashing green lights which indicates that the charger isn’t working so I swapped out cords and everything and still no go… Really bummed.. The vapor on this is insane.. The most ingenious part of the whole thing is the loader.. Hopefully it gets remedied STAT!! This will be the true test to see how they handle this… I’ll keep you posted..
Yes please let me know!
I was almost going to buy the Mighty until I saw your review, now I changed my mind I am going for the Crafty. The micro-USB charging port, smaller size, same-vapor-quality and smartphone App capability made me re-think my purchase and even save some bucks.
BTW, thanks to your reviews I ended up buying a classic Volcano vaporizer; best purchase ever! Nothing better that taking advice from a true vape pro. Thanks!
Cool man lemme know how you like it!
Hey Bud,
Great vid/review and very informative! I’m looking into purchasing my first vaporizer and after doing some research, have narrowed it down to two vapes: The Crafty and Pax. Main reason for both is portability.
Another big thing for me is discretion! A couple questions I have in regards to these would be, which would be more discrete? Maybe not in the obvious way of size/shape, but more so of which gives off more of an odor when the oven is heating up?
Also, I personally don’t need much to get [good], generally 1-2 good draws. With this, do these portables do alright and perform well if only needed for a couple draws at a time? So for instance the device is powered on, take a couple draws, powered off and not in use for 7-8 hours, then powered back on for a couple draws, then powered off (Within that process, herbs would be mixed no doubt) ?
So, with not needing to take to many [pulls], I generally don’t need to use as much herb either. In this case, which would be better for loading smaller amounts of herb? I’ve seen the Pax has the screen method and uses less herb, and it sounds like The Crafty you can use the liquid pads. Not sure if that’s similar to the way the Plenty functions or not?
Down to the devices themselves. For me personally, I think the design of both are great! I think the Pax is beautiful and modern, while the Crafty reminds me of a new age light saber (or should I say ‘vape saber’ when viewed from the side at least imo). I like that the Crafty comes from well known makers that produce quality products. I also really like that the Pax is backed by a 10-year warranty.
I think some added pros for the Crafty are the loading and packing tool it comes with. Very cool and great way to bring some travel stock with in case you run out. Another convenient thing is the micro usb charger. The availability to charge from your car, to your computer, to your PS4, very nice touch. The only cons I can really think of is the price point for this device and the battery life.
Some extra pros for the Pax, I know this has already been stated, but I’m giving extra points for it: discretion! The Pax is extra discrete which is something I really look for. Another pro is the battery life. Seems to have a solid battery life for a portable and charges just as quickly as well. A con for this device would be cleaning and maintenance of the device. Seems like it needs to be cleaned quite often. While the Crafty is probably a bit less often, the Crafty maintenance seems to be a little easier as well.
As mentioned, the biggest thing is discretion, as I’ll be using every day around the house and when i’m on the go out in public. Things like draw resistance and taste aren’t huge deals, especially as this will be my first vape and any tastes is better than combustion.
Sorry for the lengthy post. but would definitely appreciate any feedback you’d be able to provide and which direction you feel may be best for my first vape. Whatever the direction may be, I’ll make sure it’s ordered through your site!
Stay Lifted,
Daniel
Hey Daniel,
Believe it or not the Pax actually gives off more odor than this vape does, even though this one produces stronger vapor, and more of it. It’s all in the design basically.
For just a few draws at a time you might actually be better off with a unit like the Firefly. That one is good for taking 5 or less draws at a time, waiting as long as you want in between pulls. The MFLB is good for this type of vaping as well.
The Pax and Crafty provide better results when you pack them, turn them on and let them heat up, then vape the entire contents in one session, taking just short breaks between draws. The experience isn’t quite as good when you turn them off mid-session and start them back up later, although it could definitely be done.
With the Firefly you do mix your herbs between every draw or two, but with the other two you do not.
All of these can be used with small amounts of material but the FF will work best with just a 0.1g packing, the others require 0.15g-0.2g minimum for a good sesh, including the Plenty.
I’d say out of all of them the Pax is probably the most discreet, but the Crafty isn’t far behind. The Pax would also require the most maintenance out of the bunch, but it’s really not that big of a deal to clean.
Hope this helps! You really can’t go wrong any of the vapes you mentioned.
Thanks for your response on this, Bud! I think after doing a bit more research and your input, I’m going to roll with the Crafty! Although I’ll have to use a bit more herbs in each session, it sounds like the Crafty is still discrete and gives off less of an odor while heating up than the Pax, which is definitely something I’m looking for as I’ll be using this on the go and at home! Plus, the Crafty seems to have a nicer clean-up/maintenance than the Pax. Once again, thanks for the input!
Just L-I-V-I-N Lifted!
Thanks,
Daniel
I thoroughly enjoy your reviews; they are concise, address all the key points and contain no bias….thank you.
I would appreciate your feedback on the comparison of the Firefly to the Crafty, based on my experience and thoughts. But before I get to that I must digress a bit.
My experience with vapes is as follows; Volcano, Da Vinci, Pax and the FireFly. Only the Volcano and the FireFly are true convection vaporizers, the others, including the Crafty are conduction in a heating chamber (oven), followed by convection when you take a draw, pulling air thru the oven and carrying the vapor to the user. Of the vaporizers I have used, only the Volcano right out of the box produced superior vapor, extremely smooth with zero harshness. I have never experienced ANY harshness with the Volcano regardless of the type of herb or amount of herb used. The Volcano is the gold standard by which I compare all other units to. The FireFly will not produce vapor quality of the Volcano but with experience you can learn to “surf” (press/release) the heating button to extract the volatile components from the herb WITHOUT experiencing ANY harshness. I have seen so many reviews of the FireFly and recently the Crafty where the user coughs their lungs out after taking a long draw. As I said, learning to surf with the FireFly you can take fresh herb to a finished state that very much looks like the color of dark brown tobacco without experiencing any harshness or coughing. So here is my comparison of the FireFly to the Crafty. I have not used the Crafty but my comparison doesn’t need me to. Assume you are NOT using up all the herb in one session. After reviewing what I list below, I’d like your thoughts on why the Crafty is so much better. Thank you.
Heat-up: Firefly 10 sec. Crafty 90 sec., 8X longer
Type: Firefly 100% Convection. Crafty Conduction/Convection
Moving Parts: Firefly None Crafty mouth piece, vibrator, other??
Vapor Path: Firefly Glass/Stainless Steel. Crafty. Plastic/Other
Battery: User Replaceable Crafty. Not User Replaceable
Battery Life: Firefly Not an issue with extra batteries. Crafty. 45-90 min between charges.
Herb Waste: when the Firefly stops heating and user stops drawing, herb stops vaporizing since it isn’t in contact with the heating chamber. Crafty when unit powers down herb remains in a hot oven and I assume would continues to vaporize some herb, wasting that herb.
Visible Materials of Construction: Firefly Glass/Metal. Crafty Plastic Warrantee: Firefly 5yr Crafty 2 yrs
Overall I’d have to give the Firefly the advantage in every category listed above.
Three additional item I should mention. First, I cannot compare the quality of the experience using the Crafty versus the Firefly having never tried the Crafty; that subjective analysis is certainly the most important factor when comparing these two portable units. Second, my background is in chemical engineering with over 30 years of experience. It is a fact that there is no such thing as a completely inert plastic. Every plastic starts as a monomer which is polymerized to a polymer. Every polymer still has some monomer molecules in its polymer structure that could off-gas under the right conditions. The assumption that the Crafty being made of a food-grade high-temperature thermoplastic polymer plastic is safe, does not preclude it from possible off-gassing under the right conditions, though the quantity released by the plastic may not be detectable and the health effects not quantifiable. And finally, I see way too many reviews and users fixate on the vapor cloud produced by a unit. It isn’t the vapor cloud that’s important, it’s how well the unit extracts the volatile compounds from the herb, and most volatile compounds/components are colorless, the vapor to the user is not hot, harsh or irritating, and depending on the herb used, the unit does not over-medicate. Another words, dense vapor does not necessarily equate to a high quality vaporizer. I have used the Firefly starting with fresh herb and ended the session with a nice dark brown herb remnant without ever producing any significance visible vapor, but fully extracted all the volatiles for a very satisfying session without experiencing any harshness.
Hey man I read your post in its entirely and I totally get where you’re coming from.
Sometimes you can’t really do a technical analysis or comparison of two vapes because the “experience” of it is not always easy to express with words or numbers.
I think they’re both excellent vapes, two of the best I’ve tried for sure, but the experience of vaping with each one is very different. I mean this both in terms of physically using it, and also the end results.
There are many factors I consider in my ratings, and I receive many comments and complaints from vape users that most people don’t see.
Here are a few of the reasons the Firefly isn’t rated higher:
– It’s harder to use, without the proper technique the results you get could be disappointing. The whole pre-heating thing for so-and-so seconds before and during your draw is pretty advanced for operating a vape.
– It’s possible to combust your material if you heat it for too long and don’t draw fast enough. It is not possible to burn your stuff in the Crafty no matter how high the heat is set.
– The results and performance are not very consistent, it’s not that easy to get the same density vapor with each draw or to get the same performance every time, it varies more than other vapes based on how you use it.
– You have to stir or mix your herb at least once or twice in the middle of your session to ensure it’s vaped evenly, with the S&B vapes you do not have to do this.
– It’s a little too big, heavy and delicate to conveniently carry around in your pocket without worry. I’ve dropped mine once (indoors) and it has a permanent dent in it – the smooth finish of the outer shell makes it more feel more elegant but also more slippery than others.
– The chamber is small and it usually needs to be re-packed at least once for me to get the same results as one packing with some other vapes. This isn’t necessarily a negative, because it means it’s efficient with your material, but sometimes I just want a full sesh and don’t want to futz around with things, especially when I’m on-the-go.
– Battery life is even shorter than the Crafty, a typical FF charge doesn’t last me more than 2 or 3 packings (of less material).
– Storz & Bickel doesn’t mess around, they make the highest quality vapes I’ve ever used, and it’s extremely rare that I get a reliability complaint about them. The Firefly build quality is definitely up there, but I’ve received a few complaints from people who say the bowl part can come loose and need replacing.
Again I really really like the Firefly, I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. The things I listed above are just some of the reasons it doesn’t rate as high as the Crafty when I’m being completely objective.
I still think it’s worth the money and I usually recommend it as a good “cordless” option for use at home rather than a true portable vape to carry around, although it can definitely be done if the things I mentioned don’t bother you.
Thanks for posting Jim!
The only reason I haven’t plumped for the Firefly is that it has no temperature control.
I want to be able to vape at 320F if I feel the need for a ‘pick me up’ without any of the sedating effects of the heavier ‘noids.
Oh..I just have to add.. People are far to obsessed with exhaling billowing great clouds of vapour.
[some text redacted]
Blowing out big clouds is just a demonstration in wastefulness if you ask me !
I’ve had my device for two years now and am yet to blow out any visible vapour.
Totally understand, that’s actually what I use my Herbalizer a lot for
I’ve been a fan of yours since I started smoking. I got a magic flight and extreme-q based on your reviews (and I used your link). As soon as I calm down and can type straight I’m headed over to get the Mighty via your link provided here. Just waned to (finally) say thanks for all your work—it’s very appreciated!
Hey glad to hear it thanks for posting!
Bud, may I suggest you have your recommended seller double check their warranty information on their website. It’s 2 years, not 3.
Looks like they fixed it, either way you’ll never need it ;)
Hey Bud! Thanks for all the great reviews!
I have been using the Airizer Solo for a while now and it has treated me very well over the years. It has its drawbacks, but I’ve learned to live with those. One said drawback on the Solo is the draw resistance is fairly high. Is it much better with the Crafty, or do you still feel like you have to pull fairly hard? I imagine that you definitely recommend upgrading to the Crafty…
Thanks,
Bob
Hey Bob thanks for posting,
Draw resistance is an aspect that bugs me, but the Crafty doesn’t have a lot of it which is a major bonus.
It has a pretty free-flowing draw, and it’s definitely easier to pull from than the Solo and the Pax.
Thanks for the reply Bud. As usual you are extremely helpful in these matters. I do have one follow-up concern with regards to the Crafty vs. the Solo. Starting from about setting #4 with the Solo, the draws become increasing hotter and rough on the throat, which of course is understandable since the Solo draw path is pretty much a short, straight shot. Does the Crafty have the same issue? Does it provide better cooling of the draw? The path to the mouth seems short, but I wonder if they did some of that Storz and Bickel magic to cool it better ?
Thanks again!
Bob
I am currently looking to buy my second vape to really be a good one, I bought the PAX as my first vaporizer and I liked it, however I feel it is a little annoying to clean it as it gets dirty really quick. I’m wondering how the crafty compares to maybe some of the home units, or what I might be missing in the home units that portables don’t get.
Thanks, Dustin
Hey man, the Crafty is pretty much the first portable I’ve reviewed that I feel performs as well as, if not better than, most good desktop units.
In most cases you get better vapor quality from a desktop vape, meaning the strength, smoothness and taste. But with this one and the Mighty it’s like having a mini Plenty vape, which is an excellent performing plug-in unit.
The Pax is a great portable, and it was my go-to vape for use on-the-go for over 2 years, but the Crafty has now taken that position. There is less draw resistance and it performs better, you get a lot more vapor and it’s def stronger.
If you don’t need the portability the Plenty is the most comparable home unit to this one, but there are a bunch of other desktop vapes that’ll produce excellent quality vapor as well.
Great quality reviews! Just wondering how dirty the mouthpiece gets with extended use and how easy is it to clean? I have an Ascent and the glass pieces get pretty full of residue and are easily clean by soaking in iso overnight and rinsing with water. Can the mouthpiece on the the Crafty be cleaned the same or does it stay cleaner? Also is there any leakage of the unit while operating?
It doesn’t seem to be getting very dirty or building up residue at all, I’m sure there’s some buildup on the inside of the cooling unit but not enough to affect performance or taste at all.
The mouthpiece on this one definitely stays cleaner than the one on the Ascent, and you can clean this one with rubbing alcohol and water also but I wouldn’t soak it, just brush it with q-tip and wipe off excess.
There is a tiny bit of vapor leakage out of the mouthpiece during a session, but it’s really an insignificant amount, and it’s less leaky than the Ascent.
How does the crafty compare to the ascent? Mine is defect and i don’t like its build quality, but still it is a great vape in many respects.
Overall I think it’s better is pretty much all categories. The Ascent is a good vape but has a few drawbacks and reliability issues.
Currently a Pax owner. I was thinking of upgrading . Is the crafty really better than the volcano? (Excluding the price)
This and the Volcano are very different vapes, but as far as how this compares to the Pax, it’s worth the upgrade.
I really like the Crafty, but the price!
Can you review the Goboof Alfa?
Seems like a contender for top spot but I’ll wait for your expert opinion. ;)
I have it on my list thx for your request!
do you know the path of the vapor. does it pass though any plastic, wiring.or electronic components? 2. have u reviewed the cera?
The top part that comes off (with mouthpiece) is some kind of rigid plastic material and the vapor passes through it, but this company is seriously high-end, they only use inert/flavorless/odorless/food-safe materials in their vapes.
I have not reviewed that one but I appreciate your request!
You mentioned this vape is both convection and combustion? Does that mean it produces actual smoke ? I do not want to combust the [herb], so if the Crafty does so, it is out for me. Please advise. Thanks
It’s actually convection and conduction, which are just two methods of vaporizing dry herbs.
Unless I specifically say in my review that a product combusts or burns your material it is safe to assume that it does not.
Every vape I show on my homepage truly vaporizes dry herbs except the very last one which is noted, you mainly need to look out for pens because most of them combust.
I just ordered one based upon your review and the one in H.T.
I really like my PAX, but I am definitely looking forward to using the Crafty.
Thanks for posting so many terrific (and candid) reviews!
You’re gonna love it!
Just used it for the first time. WOW!
This is terrific – exactly as your review points out.
It’s well worth the $$$. Buy it – you’ll love it.
Vape it up!!
I want to give my input on the Crafty from a different perspective. I am blind and absolutely love this thing. It is an outstanding example of a concept called “inclusive design”. In a nutshell, that means creating products that work with as many of the five senses as possible to create a better experience for everyone regardless of ability or disability. Storz and Bickel nailed it with this vaporizer.
The vibration feedback is fantastic and is way more than a gimmick. It can be felt as well as heard and when combined with the LED conveys status information to the user through three senses. Since vaporizers in general provide sensations of taste and smell, that means the Crafty interacts with users through all five senses. I am not aware of any other product ever that has managed to accomplish that feat. Any potential user will be able to know what is going on with the unit. That multi-sensory feedback together with the one button operation makes the Crafty friendly to just about everyone and in a wide range of use scenarios. You do not even really need a functional finger to push the button (pushing it against a knuckle, edge of a table, or even a tooth will work perfectly) so the unit could even be used by somebody with limited use of their hands. Loading and unloading are also super easy. As a blind person I can do it unassisted without any problem. There has not been a need to thoroughly clean yet but I do not anticipate too much trouble. The chamber and screens are a breeze. The cooling unit seems do-able as well but they also sell complete replacement cooling units for $19. Worst case, I could probably use one for a couple months without cleaning it at all then just replace it with a new one.
The smart phone app provides a huge advantage that you have not considered. Yes, it provides basically the same information and functionality as the display on the Mighty. But, there is one very big advantage to the app. Smart phones already have a wide range of accessibility features already built in to the OS or available through third parties. That makes the Crafty accessible to a very wide range of people with disabilities; people who have already figured out how to make a mobile device work for them in the ways that they need. I, for example, use the screen reader (Voice Over on iOS, Talkback on Android) and can access all of the information and functions that the Crafty offers. A simple display on a vaporizer cannot do that.
The Crafty is an impressive device that is also wonderfully accessible. And, that accessibility has actually made the use experience better for everyone. I really wish that many more products in the world were designed like this one. Huge kudos go to the Storz and Bickel design team. I suggest that the Crafty be your first suggestion to anybody with a disability or serious health issue.
The performance and efficiency of this thing also just blow me away. After a few days of use, I have tentatively settled on a base temperature of 190 C/374 F and a boost temperature of the maximum 210 C/410 F. I vape on the base temp until the flavor is gone then I do several more pulls at max to make sure I have wrung out all of the goodness from the material. No need for me to see the vapor that way. I am admittedly something of a lightweight, but using the Crafty this way I can get [good results] using 0.1g of material or even less. Along with all of its other benefits, this vaporizer is going to eventually pay for itself through conservation of material.
I have not found the auto-shutoff to be a problem. To prevent it from kicking in I act sort of like I am timing my draw with a stopwatch. I click the button at the start of the draw and then click it again at the end of the draw. That gives a full minute to relax in between. Works great and is easy to become automatic. This is not unlike how you recommend just squeezing the handle of the Plenty every time it is picked up.
Thank you very much for posting Glenn, and I’m seriously thrilled that you’re happy with the vape!
They definitely went above and beyond with this one, and as you said it’s impressive from all different angles.
Again I’m very glad you’re enjoying it, and I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
I have to ask. And I read carefully to check if you had already addressed the fact: but are any one of these beautiful vapes, the crafty and/or the mighty good with concentrates.
Please. I must know.
They are, but it’s not really what they’re primarily designed for, so you could probably get better results having a separate concentrate vape.
If you want to use wax or oil with this vape you put it on top of the included liquid pad and then you place that in the chamber.
Be mindful of how thin or runny your oil is though, it’s usually smart to put a thin layer of herbs at the bottom of the chamber first before putting the pad on top.
Thanks for your feedback. Unfortunately… Concentrates are my primary. Form. Of. Sustenance.
I do have the volcano classic. And plenty. But those are my desktop vapes. And I really need a good concentrate vape for my on the fly . For my on-the-road medicinal needs. When I’m out and about. Not driving. Naturally.
So far I’m using the da Vinci and it has been good to me.
At the end of the day if you suggest the mighty and/or the crafty can top the performance of the da Vinci with concentrates. Then I’m going in for either one of those.
Eagerly awaiting the final word.
Have you ever tried vaping concentrates with your Plenty? The experience with these would be very similar, and my guess would be better than the DaVinci (although I never vaped oil in that one).
Also are you set on dual functionality in one unit (herb & oil)? because if not there are some good wax vapes like the Muad-Dib box and Dr Dabber pen. If you’re looking for the best thing to use on-the-go a pen is probably your best bet, unless you’re not into those let me know.
Yup – I have worked on concentrates with my plenty. So your confirming that the crafty/might would handle the same way?
If that’s the case then I’m in.
Not sure about dual functionality setting. And I haven’t tried pens either tho I would be keen if you could identify a solid one on my behalf.
I have tried the magic flight lunch box (with concentrate trey) and it prooved fragile at best. Or maybe I was just too rough with it.
Which of the two would you reccomend besides the crafty/mighty: the Muad-Dib box and or the Dr Dabber Pen? Concentrates concentrates concentrates. And stealth.
Thanks again for all the valuable feedbacks.
————————————
REPLY FROM BUD:
Yes you would use concentrates in these the same way you would use it in your Plenty.
If you want stealthy and not fragile I would go with a good pen, right now I like the Dr Dabber Ghost.
I should have a review up for that pen early next week if you want to see what it’s like first.
Just got my crafty today and tried it out. WOW is all I can say ..you can throw you other portables in the trash once u get the crafty. I didn’t think a portable could rival the vapor quality of a desktop unit but the crafty does. I also own the herbalizer and can honestly say the crafty vapor quality is on that level ..sure the battery life could be better but this vape is the best portable hands down!!! if u can afford the steep price do it!!! worth every penny . Love your reviews your recommendations are always on point
Thanks for posting man and I’m really glad you like it, VAPE IT UP!
Sup bud. Im looking into the crafty for myself. I own a pax and its awesome but the cleaning can be a pain and I tend to forget to do so. Do you see a lot of cleaning with this one having a swiveling type of mouthpiece? Also I seen a few other reviews on it and some have said to get up to 90min of use with it. Could they not be paying attention to time or something? Bottom line should I sell my pax and upgrade?
Hey I know what you mean about the Pax, it doesn’t look like this one is gonna be as much maintenance. The swiveling mouthpiece shouldn’t be affected by residue buildup, if anything the screens in the top piece may just need to be occasionally cleaned.
Not sure about people saying they get 90 mins of usage with it, I got around 45 mins in my testing.
If you find yourself yearning for a better and stronger experience then yes I would consider upgrading ;)
I sold my Pax 30 minutes after the first time I used the Crafty. Think about the strongest draw you ever got with the Pax… every one with the Crafty is like that. Its on a different level
Your a G Bud – Preciate all the helpful reviews, ratings, and easy to navigate website. Ordered a Crafty the other day through your link along with an easy valve starter set for my Volcano; I saw that you use those over the solid valve so I wanted to give it a try. (Got my Volcano back in 08 and still works perfect) Ive been blown away by the quality of the Volcano so I would expect nothing else from the Crafty. Cheers
Hey man,
From your experiences, how does the Crafty compare to the Volcano? Especially in terms of herb efficiency, how long a session takes, and quality of the [effects]. I’m considering getting rid of the Volcano and making the Crafty my only vape, if it really does deliver an experience on the same level.
The Volcano is king (IMO), but the Crafty hit me harder than the Volcano. This thing packs a punch even at the standard temp, and if I could only have one vape it would be the Crafty. You get the big draws/instant satisfaction that you get with the Volcano & its the size of a portable – best of both worlds. BUT…. even though the effects are just as strong, the Volcano is definitely more convenient with multiple people or longer sessions. I wasn’t paying attention yesterday and the Crafty died on us in the middle of a session, luckily all I had to do was plug in my Volcano – crisis adverted. So basically if you enjoy your vape with friends often I would hold onto that Volcano forever! On the other hand if you roll solo most of the time and need something portable then the Crafty is the only option!
Hey thanks, you da man!
The easy valves are great, I’m really glad you’re diggin the V, and get ready to be blown away again!
If you are good at it you can build the standard balloon in under 3 minutes.
Hey Bud,
Good to see you’re still staying up. You helped me out a couple years back when I was deciding on my Volcano and Pax – back again for a little more advice.
I’m debating selling my Volcano and going with the Crafty as my all-in-one solution, and wanted to see what you thought. I love my Volcano (maybe a little too much), but I’m thinking the Crafty might be ideal for me, as long as the Crafty isn’t a step down in herb efficiency or quality, as you say.
I only vape a couple of times a week, and when I do, I want the whole process to take as little time as possible. I don’t really go for the experience, just the effects. Seeing as how the Crafty heats up in about 3.5 mins less than the Volcano, and there’s no time spent filling bags, it would seem as though a session could be much quicker with the Crafty.
Thoughts? Do you think this Volcano owner would be just as satisfied after a session with the Crafty? I don’t really have preferences on bags vs whips vs mouthpieces, just looking for herb efficiency, minimal time spent, and the best [results] I can get.
Thanks for all the help man, you’re the best.
I should note, I got rid of the Pax because it was such a worse overall experience compared to the Volcano. It’s great for what it is, but just nowhere close to the Volc in terms of efficiency or quality of the high. Still skeptical that any portable could deliver the same quality, but hoping the Crafty can!
Hey man thanks for comin back and posting!
My opinion on this is that the Crafty & Mighty can certainly deliver end results just as strong as the top tier desktop units right now, including the Volcano.
If that’s what’s most important to you, I think you’ll be satisfied.
For me the experience of vaping with the Volcano is just so different that I would really want both, because sometimes I still find myself preferring that type of slower session with a balloon.
The vapor also seems stronger with these or somehow more potent, sometimes the more mellow draws you take with the Volcano go down easier. Not that the vapor is harsh with the portables, it’s very good, it just packs more punch per draw.
The experience with these will be packing about 0.3g, waiting ~90 secs for it to heat up, then taking ~10-12 second draws back-to-back with just short ~30-45 sec pauses between them, and you’ll get roughly a dozen draws or so.
After doing this I personally find the end results extremely satisfying, it’s all about being cool with stronger draws and that style of vaping.
Stay up!!
Hi
I use my vapes(Pax and Firefly with tobacco and herbs and have a problem with chamber size.
The Pax has a nice size chamber to vape tobacco but too big for flowers and the Firefly has a nice size chamber for flowers but too small for tobacco.
I was looking for a Plenty with its bigger chamber to vape tobacco at home but i really like cordless equipment.
Do you mind the Crafty and Mighty to be good for tobacco as the Pax is??
Thanks
Hey I haven’t actually tested them with tobacco myself but I can tell you that the chamber sizes are pretty similar. The Pax oven might hold a tiny bit more material, maybe like 0.3g versus 0.35g to 0.4g max.
Hey man,
this is an awesome site. I loved the review of the crafty but i gotta admit it is a little out of my pricerange. I was wondering if you could do a review on the Flowermate Vapormax V 5.0? So far i read a lot of positive stuff about it, it looks nice on the pictures and it doesn’t take a huge bump on the wallet. Are you planing on reviewing that item?
Cheers mate
Hey glad u dig it, I’ll definitely consider reviewing that one thanks for your request man!
‘A Penty for your pocket’
Spot on as usual matey. Battery life is the only negative I have with mine so far.
I also recommend you carry a usb battery pack btw. I picked one up for $20 that recharges the Crafty 5/6 times.
Big up!
P.s you forgot to mention the awesome hologram. …
Cool man I’m glad you like it, and thanx for the tip!
and yea I did forget to mention that ;)
what is the awesome hologram you speak of?
Can you turn off the bluetooth? (maybe it’s save battery life)
& thanks for the reviews :]
I’m really happy these vapes are good! I bought an herbalizer when it was on top and it is truly a pleasure to use every session. What would you say are some of the things this does better than that vape? Or would you upgrade to it from the Herbie?
Awesome I’m really glad you’re diggin it!
Other than being portable it’s really just a different experience from a vape like the Herbalizer.
I like the Crafty because I can easily bring it anywhere in my pocket, it performs just as well as the current top tier desktop models, and the end results after a full session are very satisfying.
I would personally want both a good desktop unit like the Volcano or Herbalizer as well as a good portable vape like this Crafty, each one provides a unique experience.
There are certainly times when I would still prefer to use one of those over this one, so I think it’s good to focus on the vaping experience itself to see what fits your style of usage best.
If you have a Herbie and want something portable that can deliver similar results, this would be the one.
Getting ready to purchase first vaporizer and tending towards the Plenty. How do these portables compare in terms of performance, vape quality, operation, etc to the Plenty? Thinking a Mighty or Tasty might be a better choice for home use with travel option. Your reviews are very helpful! Thanks
Hey these are very similar to the Plenty in almost all areas, which is a very good thing. I basically consider vapor quality and performance the same.
If you ever want to be able to travel with a vape I would recommend one of these as a better home solution than the Plenty, only because of the much smaller size and that they’re battery operated.
The Plenty is awesome, and it does have a larger herb chamber if you like to pack 0.5g+ at once, but it has to be plugged in to use it and it’s not really as sleek or easy to transport.
One other difference is that the Plenty draw is very free-flowing, there is almost zero draw resistance. The Crafty and Mighty are not bad at all, and easier to pull from than a vape like the Pax or Solo for example, but not quite as easy as the Plenty.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the reply! Sounds like they match or exceed quality of a desktop unit, but with a smaller chamber. Do you feel that the herb chamber is about the right size for a good session for two people? I’m thinking that the Mighty would be ideal even if it never leaves the house due to the convenience of portability. Just don’t want to compromise quality, especially considering the difference in cost from the Plenty. Cheers.
No prob, yes I’d say it’s just the right size to share between two middle-weights, if you’re both heavy hitters you’ll probably want to pack twice.
The size and portability factor are definitely benefits over the Plenty, but you really can’t go wrong with either one.
As usual your reviews are awesome and informative. I would love a desktop vape like the Herbalizer but with my curious kids and my paranoid wife I can’t get it. So I have to settle for portables. I have the PAX and I love it, but let’s be honest the vape quality is ok but not great and it’s just better for the go. From your review I’m getting that you are saying this has the same quality as top desktop vapes but still portable?? does it compare to Volcano or Herbalizer? If so, I got to get this
I totally get where you’re coming from, and this vape and the Mighty seem like they’d be right up your alley.
In my opinion yes, this one can perform and produce end results very similar to the top-tier desktop units right now.
The vaping experience will of course be fairly different between this one and a vape like the Volcano or Herbalizer, and there are definitely times when I’ll prefer to vape from a whip or balloon, but if you’re lookin for a portable that can hang with the big dogs you’re lookin at it.
I like the Pax a lot too and it’s been my go-to portable for over 2 years now, but the Crafty has taken that spot because the performance is just next-level.
Your reviews are always what convince me to make the plunge. Just ordered a Crafty through your link – stay up, Bud! :)
Thanks Ethan! Let me know what you think after using it a few times!
Which would be a better choice for quality and for the $$ the Pax or the Mighty
The Crafty and Mighty are both a level above the Pax, but I still like that vape and I think it’s a really good one for the price, it’s been my go-to portable for over 2 years.
Hey Bud, how would you compare this to say a firefly which also has arguably poor battery life and also a Solo.
Right now I have a solo and I’m wondering if another portable is really a step up or would a desktop unit be leagues better.
Thanks, stay up
Firefly can produce nice high quality vapor but the experience is different… it holds less material so you re-pack more often, and there’s more technique involved to get good draws from it.
I would focus on how each vape works and what each experience is like using it and then figure out what fits best into your usage style.
If you choose anything I have rated 93/100 or higher right now you can not go wrong.
How does it compare to the pax? Worth the upgrade if u have a pax?
Pax is still good but this has become my go-to portable, it’s definitely a level up.
thanks for the info. Ordered one through your link.
You da man! Definitely let me know how you like it.
I’ll be ordering one shortly. I like my PAX but it needs to be cleaned too often for peak performance.
Take the shades off slugger, you’re inside.
My future’s too bright
When you’re cool, the sun shines on you 24 hours a day. ;)
Haha, Best response to date, I bet you were thinking of this Timbuk 3 song when you replied.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qrriKcwvlY
Hey Bud, is that “filler attachment” really needed? Couldn’t a guy just put a pinch in the bowl?
Actually it is yes, if you put just a pinch in there it’ll flop around in the chamber when you pick up the vape and start using it, the unit won’t perform very well because the heat will not be hitting a big enough surface area of the material.
Your herb needs to firmly in place inside the chamber, either by being fully packed or by packing less and using that liquid pad spacer.
Love the Crafty! I don’t use the filling tool and it works fine. I do use the wiremesh oil pad on top with less than full fills.
The reason you must pack the herb, is because of surface area, as he said. but also, little is it known, air is an insulator! this means the it does not conduct heat very well. herb however, is not such an insulator and conducts heat more efficiently. therefore, if there is no air in between your herb, the heat will better transfer from herb fleck to herb fleck. There is other reasons I have discerned, this is Just one main reason I thought I would share as I do not think many realize it. I for one pondered why every vape ive ever used worked better when packed. So keep packing!
Great review as always, Bud. Would you mind letting me know if you can stand both the Crafty and Mighty upright? From the pictures and video it appears the Mighty may not be able to stand up straight…
Crafty yes, Mighty no.
;)
Is this both conduction and convection like the Mighty?
Yes sir, I actually read the mfg’s site and apparently all of their vapes are a mix of both
Thanks! I have a Launch Box I ordered using your link, but I just put in an order for this today. Excited to try it out.
nice review dude is the mighty worth the extra cash though?
There would be two main reasons to pay extra for the Mighty, battery life (90 mins vs. 45 mins) and the ability to use it while it’s charging with a completely drained battery, with the Crafty the battery needs to be roughly 20% charged first before it’ll turn on (~25 mins).
Nice one dude the extra battery life is defiantly what made my mind up i ordered the mighty in the end and cant wait for it to arrive hopefully tomorrow!
Great review as always, Bud! I’m loving my Crafty and definitely feel like it set a new standard for portable vapes.
Thank you and I’m very glad to hear you’re diggin it!
Bud I would like to take this time to thank you for all of your help you have one of the most helpful informanative sites ever
Great review as always! Just wanted point out you can use a portable micro usb, phone charger (power bank) to recharge this on the go!
While your not using it it could be charging in your pocket ;)
Oh snap nice!
Been vaping for almost a year now and looking to potentially move up from my Solo, which as you know is a great vape. Obviously, this and the Mighty are awesome products, but with the price range that they are in, what makes me want to purchase one of these over a high end desk top model such as the volcano? Not sure whether to go with a desk top or a portable such as this.
You can get the same results with these portables as you can with those desktops, what I would focus on when making a decision is what the actual experience will be like with each one.
The first benefit of these of course would be that they’re cordless and can stored/transported more easily.
Other than that, it’s all about the experience. Do you want balloons you can fill and sip from at a leisurely pace? One of those desktops might be a better choice.
Or are you cool with vaping whatever you pack all at once in one session, not waiting more than a minute between draws? And can you take a 10-second draw? Then seriously consider the Crafty and Mighty, or even the Plenty if you want to spend less and get the same performance.
There are other questions you could ask yourself also but I think you probably catch my drift.
If any specific questions come up let me know!
To follow up on Crafty vs high end desktops. Can you get the same kind of vapor quality and density out of the Crafty vs desktops like the volcanco, plenty and cloud evo?
Yes you can, you just have to take a long draw (~12 seconds)
New to the vap. What I am looking for is a portable that is great for only using for 1-2 draw sessions that won’t waste anything. What do you suggest.
Launch Box on the low end and Firefly on the high end
What makes the Launch Box and Firefly better than the V2 pro S3 for this purpose?
The Arizer Solo hands-down. Not the most portable, but one of the best-tasting and incredibly efficient, with a true convection design. Or check out the Arizer Air for more portability. Don’t bother with a Launchbox–temp control is critical.