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Crafty Vaporizer Review: The Tiny Beast with Big Performance

Crafty Vaporizer Review: The Tiny Beast with Big Performance
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Crafty is one of the latest portable vaporizers by the makers of the Volcano — and aims to be the second strongest. Should you get Crafty or upgrade to the Mighty?

The image shows a vaporizer against a plain gray background. The device is primarily black with a distinctive ribbed cooling unit at the top, a cylindrical body, and a mouthpiece angled slightly to the right. Near the bottom, the word "Crafty" is visible in a stylized font, illuminated by a green light. There is also an orange light on the opposite side near the bottom.

The Volcano has long been the king of vaporizers, ever since Storz & Bickel started making them in 2001. These Germans obviously know quality, and they had set my expectations high going into this. They make straight-forward design that’s useful, not just attractive. The knobs and switches on the Volcano and Digit are impressively built and easy to use.

Holding Crafty in your hand feels fairly solid — its industrial-grade plastic is a good shape and feels like a well-made electronic device.
Crafty is a small portable vape with an industrial look — people might mistake it for a small car or motorcycle part, not unlike the odd looking Volcano. (Throughout this Crafty vaporizer review you’ll see many references Storz & Bickel, the famous makers of the legendary Volcano vaporizer.)

The Good

  • Powerful, desktop-grade vapor production
  • More discreet than its big brother, Mighty
  • Control temp, check battery level, and adjust presets from a smartphone app
  • Micro-USB charge while using
  • High quality German manufacturing
  • 3 year warranty

The Bad

  • Heavy users will recharge often; 45min battery life best-case
  • Less discreet than the Magic Flight and Pax
  • Auto-shutoff can be annoying
  • Bright LED light is distracting/can attract attention at night

An App for That

Crafty allows you to control its temperature from an app installed on any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone. You can also customize the pre-set temps and boost temperature for certain strains and situations.

The image shows a hand holding a smartphone displaying the control app for a Storz & Bickel Crafty+ vaporizer. The app interface shows temperature settings, with the current temperature set at 293°F and the booster temperature at 372°F. A battery level indicator is also visible. In the blurred background, the Crafty+ vaporizer itself can be seen on a white surface, along with what appears to be a small amount of plant material, likely for use with the vaporizer. The hand is interacting with the app, presumably adjusting the settings of the device.

Tweak custom settings via the Crafty smartphone app (iOS and Android) but only if you want to. I find at least 370°F for most Indica cannabis strains seem to reduce inflammation more than lower temps.

How to Use Crafty

The image shows a pair of hands manipulating the cooling unit of a Storz & Bickel Crafty+ vaporizer. One hand holds the main body of the black vaporizer, while the other hand is detaching or attaching the black ribbed cooling unit from the top. You can see the connection points between the cooling unit and the main body. The background is a blurry white, focusing attention on the device and the hands interacting with it.

Twist mouth piece and pull up.

The image shows a close-up view of the loading chamber of a Storz & Bickel Crafty+ vaporizer, held by a hand. The chamber is circular with a fine metal screen at the bottom. It is surrounded by a tan-colored ring and a blue silicone gasket, all set within a black plastic housing. The hand is holding the device in a way that exposes the loading chamber for filling or cleaning. The background is a blurry white, keeping the focus on the vaporizer's component.

Pull the mouth piece off to reveal the convection bowl.

The image shows a close-up of the loading chamber of a Storz & Bickel Crafty+ vaporizer, filled with a relatively large bud of cannabis. The bud is light green with visible orange pistils and a coating of trichomes, suggesting it is mature and potent. It is nestled within the tan and blue-ringed chamber of the black vaporizer. The background is plain white, drawing all attention to the vaporizer and the cannabis it contains, ready for vaporization.

Spend the time on a fine grind. The finer the grind the better the vape session.

The image shows a Storz & Bickel Filling Aid for vaporizers, specifically designed for devices like the Crafty+. The orange, funnel-shaped device is placed over the loading chamber of a black vaporizer (partially visible at the bottom). Inside the Filling Aid, there is a quantity of finely ground cannabis, ready to be easily transferred into the vaporizer's heating chamber. A hand is partially visible on the left, likely holding or stabilizing the Filling Aid. The background is white, focusing attention on the filling process.

Fill the bowl using the special orange plastic loader that comes with Crafty. I was sceptical at first, but quickly found it useful for loading without spilling into the cracks. It’s a decent storage container for ground herb, too.

The image shows a close-up of the loading chamber of a Storz & Bickel Mighty+ or Crafty+ vaporizer, held by a hand. The chamber is circular with a fine metal screen at the bottom and contains finely ground cannabis. It is surrounded by a tan-colored ring and a blue silicone gasket, all set within a black plastic housing. The hand is holding the device, presenting the filled loading chamber, ready for the vaporization process. The background is a plain white, ensuring the focus remains on the vaporizer's loading area and its contents.

Perfect every time. I like when tools are useful. Nice touch by the Germans, per usual.

The image shows the bottom portion of a Storz & Bickel Crafty+ vaporizer being held in a hand. The device is black and features an orange power button with a circular symbol. On either side of the power button are illuminated red indicator lights. The ribbed texture of the vaporizer's body is visible above the base. The hand is holding the device firmly, likely about to turn it on or off. The background is a plain white, keeping the focus on the vaporizer's controls.

Press the power button. Crafty vibrates when it turns on. It also vibrates when turning off and reaching a set temperature. In my timed experiments, warm-up time (to 370°F temp) took 1 minute 45 seconds; that’s almost 40 seconds slower than Mighty. Boost (set to +27°F) took 20 seconds.

The image shows a person using a Storz & Bickel Crafty+ vaporizer. The black vaporizer is held in their hand, and the mouthpiece is placed to their lips. A small amount of vapor is visible near the mouthpiece. The green indicator light on the vaporizer is illuminated, suggesting it is powered on and likely in use. Only a portion of the person's face, including their mouth and some facial hair, is visible. The background is a blurry white, focusing attention on the act of using the vaporizer.

Inhale slowly but you’ll notice right away the air flow is nice and open compared to most other portables. Some portables require suction like a thick smoothie or milkshake—not this.

 The image shows a close-up of the loading chamber of a Storz & Bickel Mighty+ or Crafty+ vaporizer, held in a hand. The circular chamber, surrounded by a tan ring and a blue silicone gasket within a black plastic housing, is filled with finely ground, brownish plant material, likely cannabis, ready for vaporization. The hand is holding the device, presenting the filled chamber. The background is a plain white, ensuring the focus is entirely on the vaporizer's heating chamber and its contents.

My session is over after 2 minutes and the bowl looks mostly toasted. I didn’t even stir! That’s the sign of a good quality heating element that evenly distributes the bowl temperature.

The image shows a small pile of already vaporized cannabis, often referred to as AVB or ABV (Already Been Vaped). It has a brownish, somewhat dry and crumbly appearance. The texture suggests it has been heated and had its cannabinoids extracted. The pile is situated on a plain white surface, allowing the characteristics of the AVB to be clearly visible.

 

Well-vaporized my friends.

⭐ How it Rated: 96%
If you’re a regular smoker looking for a medical-grade portable in the smallest package, meet your pocket’s new best friend.
Category Rating Review Summary
Value 8/10 You could waste a lot of money on sub $200 vaporizers that break after a year of regular use, especially portables. Granted, $280 is a lot for a portable, but this is also the most powerful portable in the smallest package. So you pay a little extra for the smaller size at the cost of battery life.
Ease of Use 10/10 One-button for on/off/boost feels simple and intuitive after a short time. Micro-USB charging is convenient and easy to find cables for. The default temp is 356°F (boost +27°F) but you can easily change them both with the smartphone app using Bluetooth.
Design 10/10 The design is industrial and bold, not exactly something that flies under the radar, but you can hold this in one hand and conceal it pretty well inside a long-sleeved sweatshirt. The mouth piece fits snug in the base. And unlike Mighty, Crafty will stand upright on a flat surface.
Durability 10/10 I wouldn’t recommend dropping it, since it has some electronics inside, but overall the durability of this is something I come to expect with all of Storz & Bickel’s products.
Setup 10/10 1) Unscrew the mouthpiece and load the bowl. 2) Push the on button on Crafty and wait about 90 seconds for warm up. 3) Medicate.
Loading 10/10 The twist-off top makes it super fast and easy to load the bowl. The included herb loader helps a lot, but you could also use a small tube to quickly load your herbs without much fuss.
Hits 10/10 Unmatched for a portable. Pax and Arizer Solo have long held the top spots for hardest hitting portable but Crafty and Mighty are setting a new high bar for vapor quality in portables.
Clean-up 10/10 Turn upside-down and the bowl empties with a light tap. Sometimes you’ll need to use the brush that’s included. It’s a nice wooden brush with soft bristles, another small but thoughtful detail of quality.
Efficiency 10/10 You could argue some small amount of vapor is lost waiting for warm-up, but I won’t. Some vaporizers work better with a smaller load, but that’s easily fixed by adding the oil pad to fill the space.
Maintenance 8/10 Regular use requires regular cleaning. Spend time cleaning the mouth piece parts in ISO alcohol according to the manual.

 

Clean-Up

The image shows a person cleaning the loading chamber of a Storz & Bickel Mighty+ or Crafty+ vaporizer. The black plastic housing of the vaporizer is held in one hand, while the other hand uses a small brush to clean the fine metal screen at the bottom of the circular chamber. Some debris or residue is visible on the screen, indicating it has been used. The background is a plain white, focusing attention on the cleaning process of this part of the vaporizer.

Clean-up is light duty. Quickly brush mouthpiece screen and bowl to dust any crumbs off. And don’t forget routine maintenance inside the mouthpiece with alcohol.

The Downsides

Like many of the high-end vaporizers, if you’re not a regular user, save your money and get a Pax, Solo or Magic Flight Launch Box instead. Customizing Crafty requires a smartphone app, but using it does not. And like just about any portable electronic device, the battery life could be better.

What’s in the Box?

  • the unit
  • micro-USB cord + power adapter
  • 1 liquid pad
  • 3 spare screens
  • wooden brush
  • two-piece herb grinder
  • three-piece filler/stash box
  • quick-start guide + manual
  • spare o-rings

Crafty vs Mighty

Crafty vs Mighty
Can’t decide? Here’s our take:
Model Price
Crafty $280
Mighty $350
Category Winner Details
Value Mighty Mighty is only $70 more and you get double the battery life and can use while plugged in at any battery life %. Crafty limits you to above 25% to use while plugged in.
Versatility Crafty Crafty is so small and portable, it’s easier to conceal in one hand or inside a sweatshirt sleeve. You can do this with Mighty too, but it’s harder unless you have big hands.
Battery Mighty Double the battery life (90 min) while not even close to double the size
Medical use Mighty For heavy regular use you’ll probably want to use plugged in below 25% life. And if you switch strains a lot and change temperatures often the Mighty makes that much easier.

The Stats

  • can use both dry herb flowers and oils/waxes/concentrates
  • second most powerful portable we’ve reviewed
  • one-button easy operation (356°F default; customize via app)
  • temperature boost mode: (+27°F default; customize via app)
  • 3 year warranty
  • Dimensions: 4.3 inches tall, 1.3 inches wide, ⅞ 1.3 inches long • weighs less than .3 pounds

The Bottom Line

Crafty is a solid choice if you want power in a small package. Only Mighty is more powerful while not nearly as portable. Crafty is also the easiest portable to use of any we’ve tested. The airflow is great and inhaling requires minimal effort, so you can relax and concentrate on medicating. At $280, Crafty isn’t for the novice smoker, but if you want desktop-grade power in your pocket, then you get what you pay for.

You made it to the end—I appreciate that! I worked hard to make my Crafty vaporizer review the best on the internet by making it useful through careful research, taking helpful photos and lots of personal hands-on testing over months of regular medical marijuana use. If you like my work, consider buying from my referral link so I can keep this site going. VapeWorld has top-notch online customer service and I’ve recommended shopping with them for years. Plus they are an authorized dealer for Storz & Bickel so you get a legit warranty.

    FAQ

    The Crafty Vaporizer is a portable vaporizer designed by Storz & Bickel, which is known for producing high-quality vaporizers like the Volcano. It is favored for its compact size, efficient vapor production, and convenience. Despite its small form, the Crafty delivers desktop-grade vapor quality, making it an excellent choice for those who want a portable yet powerful vaporizer. The Crafty’s sleek design and functionality, coupled with its app-controlled temperature settings, add to its appeal. It's perfect for those looking for something portable, durable, and easy to use, delivering consistent, high-quality vapor.

    While both vaporizers are from Storz & Bickel, the Crafty and Mighty differ in size, battery life, and price. The Crafty is smaller and more portable, making it easier to carry around, whereas the Mighty offers double the battery life and can be used while plugged in at any battery level. Although the Crafty is more affordable at $280, it’s ideal for those who prioritize portability over longer battery life. The Mighty, priced at $350, is better suited for heavy users who prefer longer sessions and more flexibility in terms of usage.

    The Crafty has a battery life of around 45 minutes, which is one of its most significant drawbacks. However, it offers quick heat-up times (about 1.5 minutes to reach the default temperature), and the charging is convenient with a micro-USB port. The Crafty is designed for short, on-the-go sessions, so frequent users will need to charge it more often. For longer battery life, consider the Mighty, which offers up to 90 minutes of use. That said, the Crafty still provides top-notch vapor quality, even if the battery life is shorter.

    Using the Crafty is straightforward. First, twist off the mouthpiece and load the bowl with finely ground herbs. The vaporizer comes with a small orange loading tool to help fill the bowl without making a mess. After loading the bowl, press the power button to turn it on, and it will vibrate once it reaches the set temperature (around 370°F). The Crafty has an open airflow system, making it easy to inhale without excessive suction and giving you smooth and even vapor. It’s simple to use and perfect for users of all levels.

    Yes! The Crafty Vaporizer allows you to customize the temperature settings via an app on your smartphone. The app is available for both iOS and Android, allowing you to control the temperature with precision. The default temperature is set to 356°F, but you can increase it or change presets depending on the strain you’re using or the effect you're after. The app also allows you to adjust the boost temperature (+27°F by default), so you can tailor your sessions for optimal vapor production.

    The Crafty is highly portable. Unlike many larger vaporizers, it can easily fit into your pocket or bag. Its compact size and ergonomic design make it perfect for discreet vaping on the go. While the Mighty is also portable, it’s more significant and less discrete. The Crafty is ideal for those who prioritize portability without sacrificing vapor quality. Its design makes it ideal for use in public or while traveling without drawing too much attention.

    Maintaining the Crafty is relatively easy. After each session, make sure to clean the mouthpiece and screen to prevent build-up. The unit also comes with a wooden cleaning brush, which is useful for brushing out any residual herb from the bowl. Regular cleaning ensures that the device works efficiently and that the vapor quality remains high. The mouthpiece and other parts can be cleaned using ISO alcohol. Storz & Bickel recommends cleaning the device every few sessions to maintain optimal performance.

    At $280, the Crafty is a premium portable vaporizer. While it may not have the most extended battery life, it compensates with its excellent vapor quality, compact size, and ease of use. If you're a casual or moderate user, the Crafty offers good value for money as it delivers desktop-grade vapor in a portable form. For those who use vaporizers regularly and want something that fits in their pocket, it’s definitely worth the investment. Plus, with a 3-year warranty, you’re getting a durable, high-quality product from a trusted brand. If you prioritize portability and quality, the Crafty is definitely worth considering.

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