Crafty/Crafty+ by Storz & Bickel

[perennialflare]

I've been considering getting a crafty, was hoping someone could clear this up for me: how is the reliability? I've heard many negative experiences with the crafty breaking down, and Storz & Bickel being bad about following through on warranties/ bad at keeping contact with you. But a lot of those stories seem to be from the months after release. Has the newest version improved at all on the defect/randomly breaking front? And also, is it possible to find vendors that will field warranties themselves (ie if I get a crafty and it breaks down not due to my fault/mishandling, the vendor would replace it for me right away and I'd never actually have to talk to Storz & BIckel or pay the shipping fee across the ocean)

also, people mention batteries dying. I'd be using this more than once a week but probably less than once a day. Is that little enough that I shouldn't need to worry about the battery life warranty limit, or about it burning out at all over the 2 year warranty period?

 

[Thcgos]

I've been considering getting a crafty, was hoping someone could clear this up for me: how is the reliability? I've heard many negative experiences with the crafty breaking down, and Storz & Bickel being bad about following through on warranties/ bad at keeping contact with you. But a lot of those stories seem to be from the months after release. Has the newest version improved at all on the defect/randomly breaking front? And also, is it possible to find vendors that will field warranties themselves (ie if I get a crafty and it breaks down not due to my fault/mishandling, the vendor would replace it for me right away and I'd never actually have to talk to Storz & BIckel or pay the shipping fee across the ocean)

also, people mention batteries dying. I'd be using this more than once a week but probably less than once a day. Is that little enough that I shouldn't need to worry about the battery life warranty limit, or about it burning out at all over the 2 year warranty period?

I think it's a real hit and miss with the crafty.
I'm on an first release OG crafty (I think Nov 2014) ~42+ hrs and it's fine no issues at all.
My friend's was purchased Dec 2014 and they are almost 60+ hours, no issue either.
(not much heat up time/battery degradation with either!)

But bulk of reported failures seem to be of heavy daily users (anecdotal evidence) and higher 70+ hour mark.

Some are reporting 150hrs and up to 300 hrs (but with noticeable battery degradation with heat up times).
Note: the 300 hour user swapped his battery himself by resoldering.

I bought from a Aussie reseller who will send a new unit on failure and deal with s&b themselves. But I still have to pay local shipping.

People are saying use "puff it up" website. Apparently Randy really looks after his customers.

If you will be concerned about longevity and don't care about portability get a mighty! Double the battery and half the strain on the unit.

I say jump on board. It's definitely my favourite session vape (what you put into it you use in 1 sitting).

For on demand, 1 hit and put it away, convection style... you are better off with a grasshopper or FireFly2 (soon to be released, but the beta tester on FC says it's awesome).
But right now the grasshopper has poor failure rate themselves. And the firefly1 had big issues at first too apparently.

 

[Stinky]

I think it's a real hit and miss with the crafty.
I'm on an first release OG crafty (I think Nov 2014) ~42+ hrs and it's fine no issues at all.
My friend's was purchased Dec 2014 and they are almost 60+ hours, no issue either.
(not much heat up time/battery degradation with either!)

But bulk of reported failures seem to be of heavy daily users (anecdotal evidence) and higher 70+ hour mark.

Some are reporting 150hrs and up to 300 hrs (but with noticeable battery degradation with heat up times).
Note: the 300 hour user swapped his battery himself by resoldering.

I bought from a Aussie reseller who will send a new unit on failure and deal with s&b themselves. But I still have to pay local shipping.

People are saying use "puff it up" website. Apparently Randy really looks after his customers.

If you will be concerned about longevity and don't care about portability get a mighty! Double the battery and half the strain on the unit.

I say jump on board. It's definitely my favourite session vape (what you put into it you use in 1 sitting).

For on demand, 1 hit and put it away, convection style... you are better off with a grasshopper or FireFly2 (soon to be released, but the beta tester on FC says it's awesome).
But right now the grasshopper has poor failure rate themselves. And the firefly1 had big issues at first too apparently.

Do Ausvapes send you a new unit before you send the faulty unit back? They make me pay $500 for a new one each time and I get a refund. My warranty does start again each time though. I'd still prefer not be out of pocket $500 for the week where the refund hasn't cleared.

They also pay my postage for me on both ends. Ask them to do that for you next time.

 

[Thcgos]

Do Ausvapes send you a new unit before you send the faulty unit back? They make me pay $500 for a new one each time and I get a refund. My warranty does start again each time though. I'd still prefer not be out of pocket $500 for the week where the refund hasn't cleared.

They also pay my postage for me on both ends. Ask them to do that for you next time.

Hey stinky, I haven't had to use my warranty yet.
I've been lucky enough not to have any problems with any of my 6 vapes, over the past few years.
I just assumed I had to pay shipping because a while ago, I'm almost certain I saw a dummy item in their store for "return shipping" and an associated cost.

It's great to hear they pay for shipping.
I personally would be happy to pay the $500 if it meant my warranty was going to be reset. But I know what you mean.

 

[TheVaporist]

Hello all! My replacement came back yesterday, with a two weeks delay for the complete process of RMA. Customer service was good, replying all my email in one day or two. They just forget to send me the parcel number for the return. That was a surprise to receive my crafty yesterday!

So, it was a fuse, apparently, who died. The device couldn't be repaired (lol?) and they send me a new unit.
A crafty number 0444xx, on 2.10 firmware with some improvements!

The power Bouton feel better, with a little haptic feedback when you push it during a session. The entire casing feel more tight, especially where the CU goes, when you clip it it feels more robust.

There is no two minute auto shut off, my first mesure was completely wrong due to too much crafty testing

But there is something weird, when I first plug in the crafty to the stock wall charger (and any other charger, I've dozen of it) the crafty goes green, then red, then blue (with half a second of delay) and start blinking in blue like usual while in charge, and I can charge it to full without problem. (Edit: This is a normal behavior, it's indicate that the charging processus is okay, previous unit never did that btw
...)

That never happened to me, maybe some of you know what's is going on here

PS: I'm in E.U, if that count for the RMA process. And I'm also able to connect the crafty with a smartphone on Android Marshmallow.

Edit: The emplacement for the filling tool is a lot more tight than before, on my 2.08 unit it was a bit loosy now it doesn't move.

Good vape!

 

[vapviking]

Hello all! My replacement came back yesterday, with a two weeks delay for the complete process of RMA. Customer service was good, replying all my email in one day or two. They just forget to send me the parcel number for the return. That was a surprise to receive my crafty yesterday!

So, it was a fuse, apparently, who died. The device couldn't be repaired (lol?) and they send me a new unit.
A crafty number 0444xx, on 2.10 firmware with some improvements!

The power Bouton feel better, with a little haptic feedback when you push it during a session. The entire casing feel more tight, especially where the CU goes, when you clip it it feels more robust.

Thanks Jah, they get rid of this stupid one minute auto shut off, this now a TWO minutes auto shut off!!

But there is something weird, when I first plug in the crafty to the stock wall charger (and any other charger, I've dozen of it) the crafty goes green, then red, then blue (with half a second of delay) and start blinking in blue like usual while in charge, and I can charge it to full without problem.

That never happened to me, maybe some of you know what's is going on here

PS: I'm in E.U, if that count for the RMA process. And I'm also able to connect the crafty with a smartphone on Android Marshmallow.

Good vape!

High hopes for the latest iteration!
444xx is very recent, as is 2.10.
Maybe they've added the new light pattern at plugin for this version. All along they've seemed overly fixated on various patterns of blinking lights, and to me it seems to make the Crafty more confusing -- unlike Pax2, which makes a lot of fun and games with the lights. You can play Simon on that thing!

Have you looked in the enclosed user manual for the chart/legend about light patterns? That's the only way I could keep track of my 3 Craftys' light behavior.

Best of luck!

btw, the Mighty functions just fine with no lights at all (but for the readout screen) which is just, uh, less complicated.

 

[biohacker]

btw, the Mighty functions just fine with no lights at all (but for the readout screen) which is just, uh, less complicated.

Not only that, but the performance of the Mighty greatly exceeds the Crafty in my experiences. After just a single bowl, the heatup went to nearly 2 minutes which is nearly double the Mighty. The Mighty doesn't struggle to keep up with the temps like the Crafty too. My Crafty days are over due to the GH.... only had it for 2 hours! But I can't let the Mighty's go.....just too good.

 

[dzoinp]

this now a TWO minutes auto shut off!!

My crafty 2.10 have 1minute auto shut off!! cy0434**
Seems is that it is more sensitive to the cooling resulting from your suction and so lights up more often the red LED, even without press the button!

the performance of the Mighty greatly exceeds the Crafty

Very strong words... I DO NOT AGREE

 

[TheVaporist]

High hopes for the latest iteration!
444xx is very recent, as is 2.10.
Maybe they've added the new light pattern at plugin for this version. All along they've seemed overly fixated on various patterns of blinking lights, and to me it seems to make the Crafty more confusing -- unlike Pax2, which makes a lot of fun and games with the lights. You can play Simon on that thing!

Have you looked in the enclosed user manual for the chart/legend about light patterns? That's the only way I could keep track of my 3 Craftys' light behavior.

Best of luck!

btw, the Mighty functions just fine with no lights at all (but for the readout screen) which is just, uh, less complicated.

I just read the manual and the green red blue sequence is for indicate that the charging processus is okay. This was in my 2.08 manually too, but my previous unit has never shown this light. That's weird!

My crafty 2.10 have 1minute auto shut off!! cy0434**
Seems is that it is more sensitive to the cooling resulting from your suction and so lights up more often the red LED, even without press the button!



very strong words! I do not agree...

Forget about the two minute auto shut off, I was certainly too high and made a mistake when I first use my chronometer! xD

I just mesure it again twice and sadly this is a one minute auto shut off.... Sorry guys for the false hope!

For the more sensitive drawing sensor, I've notice that too. The crafty goes red more often than before.

I agree that the blinking led are confusing, it's like reading an error code on a mother board!

 

[Mr. Me2]

I want a domed screen for my cu, but haven't figured out how to make one like the one pictured! Frustrating for me

 

[vapviking]

I want a domed screen for my cu, but haven't figured out how to make one like the one pictured! Frustrating for me

I did one with a 3/4" brass screen just to try it out. Took me about 20 minutes and 2 screens, slowly conforming to the end of a wooden spoon. Works just fine but I prefer a simple top screen that fits atop any size load. The dome screen seems good when used for about a fat 1/2 bowl. It is convenient for that. So I have the dome in a spare Crafty c/u for use on the Mighty when appropriate.

 

[biohacker]

Very strong words... I DO NOT AGREE

That's fine, care to elaborate? I have had 4 Mighty's and 2 Crafty's. The performance is night and day different, all due to that extra battery in the Mighty. Perhaps my lungs are bigger than yours and I pull harder? Are you debating the heatup time? Ability to maintain temp? Common man, you stated that you do not agree TWICE, yet you don't give an explanation as to why?

I want a domed screen for my cu, but haven't figured out how to make one like the one pictured! Frustrating for me

Super easy! Just find something to dome over....I use an arizer EQ glass stir pin....effortless! Placing it in the CU is pretty simple too....and once you do, you just press down on it and it stays put!

The dome screen seems good when used for about a fat 1/2 bowl. It is convenient for that. So I have the dome in a spare Crafty c/u for use on the Mighty when appropriate.

It's great for micro loads too! .05, .025 with nothing but the dome! I also tamp the micro load with the EQ stir tool, I seem to get slightly better results doing that. I've also used the dome with .25g, but it squishes a bit of the material, and pushes it up the sides a bit, and I can detect that conduction taste.

 

[TheVaporist]

I've found another change with the 2.10 version: the blue large joint on the CU on my 2.08 is a light blue one, while in the newer CU it's a dark blue one like the oven's one. In result the CU seems more sealed than before, it's also a bit more difficult to remove it, due to the joint I think...

About the dome screen for the CU, can I make it with a volcano's chamber screen?

 

[UniqueCrafty]

I want a domed screen for my cu, but haven't figured out how to make one like the one pictured! Frustrating for me

Oh yes, me 2! I hope @biohacker can post up pictures of his domed screen/s with a short explanation

 

[jim-bob]

Perhaps my lungs are bigger than yours and I pull harder? Are you debating the heatup time? Ability to maintain temp? Common man, you stated that you do not agree TWICE, yet you don't give an explanation as to why?

Dude, your lungs might be huge or whatever but it's not cool to call the rest of us 'common'.

 

[biohacker]

There is a pic on post 7061! I think there are some other pics as well (that's how I found the idea). Just dome up a 3/4" screen with something like a Sharpie, and flatten it out enough so it "sticks" in the CU, and then tamp it down a touch to stay. All of my CU's have a dome screen now....I wouldn't go back to flat unless I REALLY wanted to fill the oven, like .3 maybe.... but these days i'm hitting the micros!

About the dome screen for the CU, can I make it with a volcano's chamber screen?

Don't think so. It's too big.

it's not cool to call the rest of us 'common'.

Sorry, you misconstrued.... that was slang for "come on".

 

[UniqueCrafty]

3/4" screen

Okay, coarse screens ?

 

[biohacker]

Personal preference? Guess it depends on if you use the stock CU screen in addition to the domed? I use both! I'll try to take a pic of them if I get a second.

 

[Vapinmofo]

Hello all. for christmas I received a flir camera. this is what my Crafty looks like when its cooling....





uploading images

here is another screen shots




screen shots

 

[Stinky]

Great work with the FLIR pics. I have never seen this done before.

The FLIR would be good to show how the unit cools down faster when the cooling unit is removed as opposed to leaving it on after use.

 

[vapviking]

here is another screen shots




screen shots

Oh, yeah!
Thanks for those.
Great visuals! Brightens this whole page up!

 

[Stu]

I love my IR camera. Here's a video of 4 different vaporizers heated up to temp. In order: Evo, HI, Crafty and Indica. Notice the Indica looks different as it has a reflective surface which fucks with IR readings.

 

[HellsWindStaff]

The FLIR would be good to show how the unit cools down faster when the cooling unit is removed as opposed to leaving it on after use.

I don't think anyone disagrees with this, makes sense that the bowl being exposed to open air would cool faster then it being enclosed, but I agree it would be sweet to see the process and how fast it cools both with it on and off! I still will let mine cool down with the CU on as I don't mind the dirtier bowl with material being left in it, and I feel that if I have to torque the CU while hot or cold/roomtemp, it will be less likely too have stress while cold/roomtemp. Awesome pictures and videos from both of the above

I had a weed/wax/weed sandwich in the Mighty the other day, it was Mighty fine forgot how great it is with concentrates. I most definitely need to clean that out though, its been sittin in there since then...

Edit: I opened the wrong thread

 

[Vapinmofo]

What I think is interesting in these images is that we are sort of looking INTO the machines. they also change their heat pattern once you use it it pulls hot air into the bowl. the cooling unit is DESIGNED to pull heat away from the bowl... without the cooling unit it MIGHT take longer to cool.. the crystalline plastic they use is pretty good at moving heat. part of how the crafty is designed is they it needs to be held in a human hand while in use. the blood flowing to your hand pulls HEAT out of the crafty keeping it cooler.
It looks to me like there is a heat source at the bottom of the heating chamber where enters and more heat near the bowl. so the heated bowl works with the HOT air flowing through the herb. Vaporizing and pulling the vapor out to the lung.
If I find some time I might do a couple experiments to show the effect of the heatsink effect of the human hand its quite amazing. the crafty is sized to fit in the hand so that the hand pulls the heat out while in use. The flir is a really interesting tool. I'm sure there are other higher resolution solutions out there but the flir is a very cool tool. If I find my other iPhone I will create a nice IR time lapse studio for the purpose of shooting a crafty from off to max and back. it will be interesting to see the heat moving around the crafty.
Ill work on it i have a minimum of time......Vapinmofo

[url=http://postimg.org/image/yxo4unu8f/] [/URL]

 

[biohacker]

the cooling unit is DESIGNED to pull heat away from the bowl... without the cooling unit it MIGHT take longer to cool..

True, but that's with pulling through it. I'm not sure how it would take longer to cool, but even without a fancy camera, it could be timed? Maybe i'll try that today. Heat up to say 180c? Turn off and monitor the app until it gets to room temp (20c?)...... then do the same without the CU?

Fuck it, it's testing time! I don't even have to imbibe for this test!

EDIT: empty bowl, spotless CU attached, 180c --> 40c = 15m:30s. I stopped timing at 40c because it was taking too damn long.

Back shortly with the removed CU test!

EDIT (again): Without a CU, 180c--->40c = 15m:05s. Pretty close, but not what I expected!