When you think of German engineering, you think of automobiles. But this isn’t a car. It’s a portable vaporizer made by Storz & Bickel, the makers of the Volcano. It is manufactured with the same technology as the Volcano, the Mighty, and the Plenty.
The Crafty Testing and Performance
The Crafty resembles its “big brother” The Mighty, just in a smaller version. It has the same basic design but about half the size of that dry herb. It is ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in the hand and the outer ridges of the device make it easy to grip.
The outer casing on the device is hard plastic and very durable. The dimensions for this device are 4.3″H x 2.2″L x 1.3″W. It is small enough to fit right in your pocket. The design of this device doesn’t give away the fact that it’s a vaporizer. It almost looks like a portable radio or similar hand-held device.
The Crafty vaporizer has one-button functionality. One button turns it on and if you press the button again, it puts it into boost mode. Colored LED lights indicate charging and when the device is ready to use.
The blue light indicates the heating cycle has begun and then when it turns green, it’s ready to go. Press the power button once and it heats up to 356° F or twice for 383° F. It also uses a Bluetooth app that lets you increase the temperature in one-degree increments up or down.
I tested this device over the course of a week in 30-minute intervals. I have to say that it performed very well despite being a compact device and delivered more than expected. I’m not a heavy vaper when it comes to herbs so I would just use it one or two times per day for 15 minutes to half an hour.
Build Quality and Design
The Crafty dry herb vaporizer is very simple in design. The outer shell is hard plastic and houses an internal lithium-ion battery. It is the exact same design as the Mighty and the functions are very much the same. It is well made and rugged, perfect for use in the outdoors on camping or hiking trips and is damage-resistant if dropped.
It’s not pretty by any means but it is efficient. I can’t say I’m a fan of the design, but looks aren’t everything and the fact that it produces good vapor and works very much the same way as the larger vaporizers make up for that.
Discreetness
This unit is discrete in the fact that you can’t tell by looking at it that it’s a vaporizer. The mouthpiece folds down when not in use and it fits nicely in a pocket or stowed away in a purse or backpack. It doesn’t produce huge clouds of vapor so you could use this without anyone even knowing.
Durability
The outer shell is composed of aluminum alloy covered with a hardened plastic shell. The inside is a ceramic convection heating oven and internal battery housing. It is covered in ridges so if accidentally dropped, it wouldn’t sustain any damage. It has an easy grip and is not slippery at all so I don’t foresee any accidents happening with this device.
Power
Once you press the power button, it takes two to three minutes to heat up. Some vapers might see that as a con, but it really isn’t a long time to wait. Turn it on and let it start heating while you do something else and it’s ready before you know it.
The battery lasts about 45 minutes to an hour of steady use. It has an auto shut-off feature to conserve battery power when not in use. Again, it might be a con for some to have to keep pressing the button to restart if it shuts off too soon. If you’re using this with friends you probably won’t have this issue if the device is in use consistently.
It takes a total of 2 hours to recharge the battery to full capacity from completely drained. It charges via USB cable and can be used as a pass-through for vaping while charging but you may need to let it charge for at least 20 minutes if trying to use it before it is completely charged.
Vaping Experience
I find this vaporizer to be easy to use, and personally, I don’t mind that it takes a few minutes to heat up. I can make myself a cup of coffee while it heats and it’s ready by the time my coffee is done brewing.
The vapor is full-bodied in the sense that you get the flavor and a good amount of vapor in each draw. If you have never used this type of vaporizer before don’t expect to see big clouds. It produces a good amount of vapor but not enough to cloud up the room. The vapor is smooth with the perfect amount of resistance in the draw. The airflow is really good so you don’t have to draw hard on the mouthpiece to get vapor.
Packing the heating oven is easy and if you have trouble, there is a tool to help. It looks like another grinder but actually fits right onto the device with a piece in the middle that removes for easy filling. This is good for people with sight impairments and avoids waste from spilling.
There is a Bluetooth app you can use with it to customize the heat settings if you want, but it is necessary to use the device. It has two default settings and I just chose to use that rather than the app. All it really does it let you increase it up by one degree to the maximum setting of 410F.
What We Liked
+ Simple and easy to use
+ Decent battery life
+ Smooth vapor production
+ Pass-through vaping
+ Dry herbs and concentrates
+ Similar quality of full-size vaporizers
What We Didn’t
– There is not much to dislike here. Some vapers may find the heat up time too long.
Value
This device is priced at $279 – $339 and it’s a good value for the money because it works so well. I believe it was priced closer to $300 previously, so the price drop definitely makes it worth getting one if you can. The technology of the vaporizer equals that to its relatives the Mighty and the Plenty and its compact size makes it perfect for using on the go.
Final Verdict
While some people might think $339 is a lot to pay for a vaporizer you are not just paying for the battery. You are paying for the technology that goes into a device that makes it work like the larger vaporizers in a smaller, more portable size. There are other devices out there that are cheaper but you may find them lacking in quality and performance. For this type of technology and quality the price is perfect and its a good investment for getting the full benefit from your herbs and concentrates.
