Storz & Bickel has earned a reputation for fantastic vapor, and the Crafty takes it anywhere, with a pocketable size and vapor that could make you forget it’s a portable, at least until the battery dies. Its wide open airflow, big clouds, and strong effects set the bar for on-the-go vapor that has withstood the test of time. If you’re looking for no-compromise vapor quality from a portable, and can stand the high price tag and slow heat up time, the Crafty is a strong offering.
Big, delicious clouds
From the moment its light turns green, the Crafty pushes out thick, tasty, potent vapor that’s been perfectly smoothed by the cooling unit on top. The open air flow makes for an easy draw and the bowl size (0.2 grams) is just right for a strong session with dry herbs or extracts. You’ll be hard pressed to find more satisfying vapor on the go.
Efficient hybrid heating
Storz & Bickel started the hybrid heating trend for portable vaporizers, with a perfect blend of convection and conduction heat. The first few hits from the Crafty vaporizer are from convection heat that preserve the flavor until conduction builds in the oven to finish it off, resulting in efficient, full extraction for the selected temperature.
Impressive design
The Crafty uses medical grade materials, like stainless steel and aluminum, with no fragile glass or ceramics, so you know it can take a beating. The air path is isolated from the electronics. German engineered and manufactured, the Crafty has electrical certifications and has been tested and certified by TÜV SÜD (the “Southern Technical Inspection Association”) in Munich, Germany. Simply put, Storz & Bickel vaporizers are more thoroughly tested than others so you can vaporize worry-free.
Related: Mighty vs Crafty
No learning curve and a full function app
**On November 15th, 2019, Apple removed all vaporizing apps from its store, including this Storz & Bickel app. It might not be permanent, but we are planning on an extended absence. The Crafty works fine on its own, but can’t be customized with the app on an iPhone, unless it was downloaded before November 15th. Android users still have access to the app.**
The Crafty’s so easy to use, anyone could do it. Fill the bowl, push the button, and draw on it when the light goes green - it’s a breeze to share. Out of the box it comes set to 356° F with a boost setting at 383° F, perfect for a tasty start and a cloudy finish. We like to live on the hotter side and customized the temperatures to 375° F with a 410° F boost, which is simple with the free smartphone app, and the Crafty remembers our settings.
The app doesn’t stop there, though, and you can lengthen the shutoff timer up to five minutes, soften the vibrations and dim the lights, check how much you’ve used it and access the manual and support. You can even get your phone in on the act and have it play your favorite song when the Crafty reaches temperature, or use it to find your Crafty when you can’t remember where you left it - a more useful feature than we’d like to admit!
Easy to load, no stirring, less mess
The Crafty can vaporize a whole bowl evenly without stirring unless you overpack it, and in case you live on the messy side, Storz and Bickel has included a filling aid that holds your ground herbs and comes along for the ride so you can fill the Crafty without spilling anything. If you like to be even more prepared you can prefill the included dosing capsule, and even buy a few more to quickly swap in fresh herbs at will.
Bring your charge cable
Last year’s update gave us 20% more battery power, but the Crafty is still saddled with weak battery life that you’ll be hard pressed to get six bowls from. We like longer sessions, around seven to eight minutes each, and for this review we were able to squeeze out a full night’s use with four relaxing sessions. The Crafty takes about two hours to fully charge via micro-USB, but after 20 minutes is ready to vape while charging if you need it sooner. Don’t expect to get more than 30 to 40 minutes of total run time on a single charge, and consider bringing a power bank along for a re-charge.
Heats up slowly, but it’s ready to go
The Crafty debuted four years ago, and its two to three minute heat up time really shows its age. That’s painfully slow compared to today’s designs that typically heat up in under a minute. To its credit, though, when the Crafty says it’s ready, it’s ready without extra time for a heat soak or primer hits. We get tasty, satisfying vapor every session from the moment it goes green.
A little big and a little hot
The Crafty is easy to take with you, but it now sits at the bigger end of the pocketable spectrum - small enough to go anywhere, but not discreet like a PAX vaporizer. The outer shell is covered in cooling fins but we still found a couple of hot spots with extended use, even though they were in places we didn’t touch while vaping.
Accessories that hit the bullseye
The Crafty’s included accessories tie it all together with a capable grinder and a filling tool so you can take ground herb with you without the mess. The stainless steel mesh pad helps out when you’re working with sticky stuff and doubles as a spacer for smaller loads, while the dosing capsule is perfect for preloading so you can quickly swap in fresh herbs while on the move. A brush, extra screens and o-rings complete the package.
Size specifications (base unit)
Height 4.4 in / 11.1 cm
Depth 1.3 in / 3.2 cm
Width 2.3 in / 5.7 cm
Weight 4.7 oz / 134 kg
Two year warranty
The Crafty comes with a two year warranty on workmanship and defects. If you decide to buy your Crafty vaporizer from us, you are covered by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
What’s in the box
Power Adapter & USB Cable
Instructions
Filling Aid
Herb Grinder
Dosing Capsule
Cleaning Brush
Spare Screens
Spare Seal Rings
For best results
The Crafty is pretty foolproof and easy to share, and you only have to stir during a session if you’ve packed too much, so keep the herbs below the top of the stainless steel rim to keep it trouble free. If you like a spotless vape, do yourself a favor and use the Crafty dosing capsules to keep the oven squeaky clean. And don’t forget about the app so you can customize the Crafty just the way you like. We like our temperatures higher than the factory settings, and our shutoff timer is set to the maximum five minutes so we can relax into a session.
Maintenance is not a big deal
Cleaning the Crafty is fairly straightforward and you’ll need a cup of isopropyl alcohol and a cup of soapy water. The included instructions cover all the details so we won’t repeat them here, but it ranks about average on the pain scale for cleaning a vaporizer and is limited to the bowl and cooling unit. The best thing you can do is brush off the cooling unit screen and the oven after each use, and pay attention to the app - it’ll tell you when it’s time for a cleaning.
Who’s the Crafty for?
The Crafty was made for someone who doesn’t want to compromise vapor quality for portability, and can live with the short battery life, slow heat up time and $279.00 price tag. It cooks up some of the best portable vapor we’ve ever had - thick, potent clouds that aren’t missing anything. But the battery life won’t last more than an evening, and less than that for a heavy user or group of friends.
Who’s the Crafty not for?
The Crafty is pocketable but not tiny, and it’s got a high price tag to go along with a short battery life and slow heat up time. It’s not for anyone who doesn’t want to use their phone to change the temperature or tweak the settings. Passthrough charging is nice, but if you find yourself using that feature much you’re probably wearing the Crafty out and should look at the Mighty or a desktop unit like the Volcano vaporizer. The Mighty is bigger than the Crafty and not pocketable, but has twice the battery life, heats up faster and has full on-board controls so you don’t have to fiddle with the app.
Final thoughts
The Crafty is a fantastic vaporizer and four years ago set the standard for portable vapor that the competition still hasn’t caught up with. It’s not perfect - it’s a little big and slow to heat up, has a high price tag and the battery life is still shorter than most of your other choices. But the vapor is always thick, strong, cool and tasty, and never leaves us wanting for more. If you’re in search of the best vapor that can fit in your pocket, the Crafty has to be at the top of a very short list.
