Crafty/Crafty+ by Storz & Bickel

[OG_LH]

I am in Australia. My retailer pays for shipping on both ends.

Lucky you AusPost slugged us 60AUD to send it back to SB Germany HQ.

This time we are ready for the unit to die quickly (like before), although, hopefully next time it breaks SB will actually give us a newer unit when they replace.

We picked up vaping exclusively to stop smoking, so this was problematic in our personal lifes.

In preparation of unavoidable failures I am looking for a secondary to the Crafty (need something reliable, over time) This is what I have in mind:

Home: Silver Surfer,
or
portable: VaporGenie or Ariser Air.

I'd love to hear some combo suggestions from some others?

 

[elmomuzz]

My curiosity got the best of me and I ordered a muzz style adapter from vapefiend. Then I read the negative reviews. Crap! My first thought is maybe the glass portion draws or sinks up to much heat compared to the stock plastic cooling unit attachment. I'll let you know my thoughts once I receive it.

 

[MinnBobber]

My curiosity got the best of me and I ordered a muzz style adapter from vapefiend. Then I read the negative reviews. Crap! My first thought is maybe the glass portion draws or sinks up to much heat compared to the stock plastic cooling unit attachment. I'll let you know my thoughts once I receive it.

...................................................................

Yes, please do a comparison.
Trying to decide between your mod and the Vapefeind version.
Sometimes I have the worst timing--- I bought Mighty cooling units to make your mod and then Vapefeind announces theirs.

At first theirs looked like a sweet stock piece but I thought it was one piece like ours. I also thought it would work perfectly, I mean why wouldn't it....
And then find out it's two pieces, a collar and glass AND it appears to not work perfectly so might be back with homemade??

 

[BioSector]

@OG_LH I recently borrowed a friends VG will both of mine were being repaired, I really liked it when I hang of the heat.

I took an image tonight that should speak to how many care packages I've received..

Not pictured are the 5 full cooling units for each Mighty and Crafty as well as a @elmomuzz muzzmod and 2 @Ratchett SonG adapters.

http://chattypics.com/files/sbaccessories_dvzoe2ry80.jpg

 

[Stinky]

Lucky you AusPost slugged us 60AUD to send it back to SB Germany HQ.

This time we are ready for the unit to die quickly (like before), although, hopefully next time it breaks SB will actually give us a newer unit when they replace.

We picked up vaping exclusively to stop smoking, so this was problematic in our personal lifes.

In preparation of unavoidable failures I am looking for a secondary to the Crafty (need something reliable, over time) This is what I have in mind:

Home: Silver Surfer,
or
portable: VaporGenie or Ariser Air.

I'd love to hear some combo suggestions from some others?

See if Bickel and Storz will give you a refund. $60 is terrible. Buy it from Ausvapes so that you have support.

 

[Mr. Me2]

Lucky you AusPost slugged us 60AUD to send it back to SB Germany HQ.

This time we are ready for the unit to die quickly (like before), although, hopefully next time it breaks SB will actually give us a newer unit when they replace.

We picked up vaping exclusively to stop smoking, so this was problematic in our personal lifes.

In preparation of unavoidable failures I am looking for a secondary to the Crafty (need something reliable, over time) This is what I have in mind:

Home: Silver Surfer,
or
portable: VaporGenie or Ariser Air.

I'd love to hear some combo suggestions from some others?

How about a pax 2? That's my switch off with the Crafty. But I'm waiting for a gh, and am keeping my eyes on a couple upcoming new releases (Prima, for one)

 

[Vapinmofo]

Can anyone advise me, if I vape with this unit in my car or walking down the street, how noticeable would the smell be to people walking past? Have to take my vaping outside while we look to move out and it's gotten me a little paranoid. Any advice would be great. Thanks all

The real problem here is the LAW. If they catch a whif or SEE you they will bust you. Stick with walking down the street not driving with it. you will be fine. YES it smells. BUT not nearly as much as say smoking a Joint.

Well Now it happened to my crafty.
at around 20 hours my 2.07 (firmware) unit started blue fast flash during charge (instead of slow flash) then a day or two later orange green flash dead unit.... It would charge and connect to the app but not heat.
Why S and B doesn't use the APP to study usage patterns and investigate these failures.

OK So I sent my unit into S and B.
Will they send that unit back fixed or will they send me a new unit?
How long will it take?
I am in so cal so when I sent in my unit they received it the next day. How quick is their turn around? I have heard nothing from them and they aren't answering their phones...

I know the Crafty is the best portable vaporizer. BUT it is too delicate for real portable use. Thats the GREAT thing about the pax being that it is made from ALUMINUM it is heavy duty.
IF the crafty was made from ALUMINUM it would not only stay cooler (plastic even the special stuff B and K uses does not move heat as well as ALUMINUM or COPPER. as a result of poor heat transfer the batteries are subject to overheating. the circuit may be pulling power from the batteries and close to their rated maximum. this makes the batteries hot and because of the poor thrmal transfer they get too hot. This ruins the lion cells.
The mighty with 2 batteries is a better design because the power being pulled from each cell is much less the work is divided... aluminum would help the MIGHTY too.

If S and B were really doing R and D they would research better batteries and design the units so that the end user can change the cell.
loose the PLASTIC-go to aluminum.
investigate a PWM system for controlling energy to the heating elements for more efficient heating.

The thing is this. when I use my crafty I feel it warm up. I use it while holding it in my hand.
IF the Crafty was ALUMINUM the heat would migrate from the CRAFTY into my hand where BLOOD FLOW carries the heat away. BUT The crafty's Plastic makes the heat transfer MUCH LESS EFFICIENT than it needs to be to work correctly. if you want the blood flow to the hand to take away the heat you have to get the heat into the hand. the crafty does not do this well ENOUGH... as a result FAILURES.... LOTS OF THEM. IMHO this has to have S and B rethinking the design. SOOOO At this point in time the CRAFTY is NO Longer on my MUST HAVE list unless it will be used at home no more than 2 or 3 times a day allowing the unit to COOL completely between uses... I recommend charging between uses as well.

So much for the CRAFTY being the ultimate portable vaporizer. That title just can't go to a device that breaks after 20 hours of use.

Lucky you AusPost slugged us 60AUD to send it back to SB Germany HQ.

This time we are ready for the unit to die quickly (like before), although, hopefully next time it breaks SB will actually give us a newer unit when they replace.

We picked up vaping exclusively to stop smoking, so this was problematic in our personal lifes.

In preparation of unavoidable failures I am looking for a secondary to the Crafty (need something reliable, over time) This is what I have in mind:

Home: Silver Surfer,
or
portable: VaporGenie or Ariser Air.

I'd love to hear some combo suggestions from some others?

I would go with the PAX 1 or 2.
I have a first
unit and it has proven to be more reliable than the Crafty. So I use my Pax 1 as a backup to the crafty. Im happy with this setup until there is a new crafty or something better,

 

[DoubleVanos]

It's been a while since I last posted... But my 2nd crafty has gone kaput. Yellow/red lights of death, at only 31 hours. My first one made it to 100 hours before quitting. As much as I love this thing (when it's working) maybe it's time I consider something else.

My cano has faithfully filled bags for me for almost 4 years now, without the slightest sign of problems. I'm surprised that this crafty is so unreliable. Looks like I'll be hitting my vapman for the next few weeks.

 

[Mr Mellish]

Just got back from Washington state. My checked bag had a cleaned herb container, a cleaned grinder, a cleaned Elevape, a cleaned Crafty. By cleaned, I mean that I did an ISO soak and a water rinse (but not too carefully since I didn't have a lot of time). There was a note from TSA saying they inspected the bag. No issues

 

[vapviking]

It's been a while since I last posted... But my 2nd crafty has gone kaput. Yellow/red lights of death, at only 31 hours. My first one made it to 100 hours before quitting. As much as I love this thing (when it's working) maybe it's time I consider something else.

You might be able to upgrade to a Mighty for a reasonable price.

 

[skeletor]

Just got back from Washington state. My checked bag had a cleaned herb container, a cleaned grinder, a cleaned Elevape, a cleaned Crafty. By cleaned, I mean that I did an ISO soak and a water rinse (but not too carefully since I didn't have a lot of time). There was a note from TSA saying they inspected the bag. No issues

This is interesting. On my recent flight to Denver from California, United staff hemmed and hawed about how "If you have any portable vaporizers or e-cigarettes in checked luggage, please notify us immediately as lithium ion batteries cannot be kept in checked bags, but can be brought on in your carry-on."

The return flight did not have this announcement, and I wondered if maybe United started making this announcement on Colorado bound flights due to concerns about weed-tourism and a sudden increase in checked vapes that people don't take through TSA x-ray/security.

 

[Stoned Cold]

My curiosity got the best of me and I ordered a muzz style adapter from vapefiend. Then I read the negative reviews. Crap! My first thought is maybe the glass portion draws or sinks up to much heat compared to the stock plastic cooling unit attachment. I'll let you know my thoughts once I receive it.

hello!...just to share how I use Vapefiend's WTA...for full loads...put a flat screen on top of your weed to flatten the surface when sealed....and for small loads, a liquid pad is needed. For almost a month of using this Crafty WTA...I can say that it works great...in fact,I paired it with my Fbomb and it me realize that this is just like a portable EVO...imo....fYI guys. I am a totally blind vaporist and can't see clouds but I can sure feel it when my lung is full with good vapor.....hope you like it...

 

[vapviking]

This is interesting. On my recent flight to Denver from California, United staff hemmed and hawed about how "If you have any portable vaporizers or e-cigarettes in checked luggage, please notify us immediately as lithium ion batteries cannot be kept in checked bags, but can be brought on in your carry-on."

The return flight did not have this announcement, and I wondered if maybe United started making this announcement on Colorado bound flights due to concerns about weed-tourism and a sudden increase in checked vapes that people don't take through TSA x-ray/security.

Very odd.
What about all the other devices that have l-ion batteries? They're saying don't put a phone, camera, etc. in your suitcase?

 

[pakalolo]

Very odd.
What about all the other devices that have l-ion batteries? They're saying don't put a phone, camera, etc. in your suitcase?

This rule has been in place for quite some time. I think it was introduced after there were some incidents involving li-ion batteries that had rapid discharge ignition. You can pack items with non-removable li-ion batteries (i.e. Crafty), but no loose or removable batteries. This makes as much sense as removing your shoes and/or belt.

As has been posted many times on FC, TSA is not looking for drugs or paraphernalia, they are looking for threats to security.

 

[fumes]

.

In preparation of unavoidable failures I am looking for a secondary to the Crafty (need something reliable, over time) This is what I have in mind:

Home: Silver Surfer,
or
portable: VaporGenie or Ariser Air.

I'd love to hear some combo suggestions from some others?

My original 2.05 crafty died at 111 hours but I knew it was on the way out so I bought an Arizer Air as backup. Pretty much as soon as it arrived my Crafty died so I started to use the Air while waiting for a replacement Crafty.

I noticed several advantages/disadvantages over the Crafty:

- Battery life on the Air is noticeably better. Even though my sessions were longer on the air I found myself needing to charge it much less. The user replaceable battery is also a major bonus.

- The glass stem design of the air makes cleaning/maintenance virtually non existent. You can keep vaping forever it seems without doing anything but if the residue build up inside the stem bugs you just chuck it in some alcohol for a few minutes, rinse it off and it's like new.
Cleaning the Crafty certainly is not bad. I probably only do it every 30 hours or so, but Air still wins.

-The bowl size of the Air is considerably smaller. I found myself filling it with 0.1-0.15 grams. This however was not a major issue for me as I often only do half bowls in the Crafty anyway. You can of course purchase multiple stems for the Air and have a bunch packed so you can swap with a new one on the go.

-Now when it comes to vapor. We all know the Crafty is great here. As for the Air, I could definitely get very dense clouds by upping the temperature but generally I would only work my way up the lower 3 temperatures which would still provide very nice clouds with quality herb. I also feel I can taste the flavour when using the Air a bit stronger, especially in the first few hits but then comes my least favourite part of the Air. Once things start to heat up after a few hits, the air coming through into your mouth starts to get rather hot and harsh. I find once this happens I can only take short hits/sips otherwise it's just too hot & dry on the mouth/throat. I've actually woke up the next day a few times after hitting it hard the night before and ignoring the mouth dryness and it feels like the top of my mouth is slightly burnt or my throat is sore.

However despite this I learnt techniques to manage this like having a sip of a drink between hits or changing to sipping once it started to heat up. I'm sure this could also be solved by using longer stems or attaching to a bubbler etc. I mainly use the small stem with the black plastic tip included with the Air, I like the portability as I usually vape on the go.
I also found myself using less herb when using the Air than I did with the Crafty.

Overall was really liking the Air and my plan was to keep using it as my main vape and keep the Crafty random uses, but then my new replacement v2.08 Crafty arrived in the mail.....

Form the first sesh I was hooked on it again! The vapor is just so smooth and more notably, Cool compared to the Air. I mean don't get me wrong, the Air still provides very good vapor and I still use it a lot when my Crafty goes flat. However of the 7 portable vapes of tried, Crafty is the God of smooth hits.
I'd still certainly recommend the Air as a backup vape. I still use mine nearly every day and it's still going as strong as the day I bought it. It's considerably cheaper than the Crafty here in Aus too & with the replaceable battery and stem design I still really like it.

 

[vapviking]

fumes,
Welcome and thanks for the comparison. I've been wondering about the Air!

I got a Pax 2 when Crafty was circling the drain. Like it a lot and though it is second to the Crafty in the vape department, it's great in several other ways.

 

[Astedra]

Units dying at 20 and 30 some hours my third one at 40 some hours this thing is a pos lol.

 

[OG_LH]

@fumes Thank you! This literally answers any questions I've had regarding the air. Great comparison! I find myself yet again being more persuaded to buy one.

 

[justcametomind]

It's now sort of "common knowledge" in the forums that the Crafty is not a good portable because there are many faulty units.
As soon as I used mine with glass I started to see all the overheating alarms people were talking about, both in the app and on the unit.
I try to be conservative with herb, I usually finish a bowl in 2 sessions one at 185°C, the second at 205°C.
My only back to back sessions are done if the previous 205 session gave poor result, and I reload it while still hot.
Constantly doing so, can also alter the screwing for the CU and the CU, so people who vape A LOT, would probably better served by something different (or a well deserved slow down on consumption imho).
So my point is that if you use the Crafty like me, a couple of bowls a day after work, x2 during week ends, the Crafty can handle it. If you vape more you probably are a medical user and should think about a home unit.
Mine has 70 hours of use and since having bought a Cloud I think I'll never use the Crafty with water anymore resulting in zero overheatings. I'm also planning to reduce my intake to a single 50mg session before sleep and keep recreational use confined at the week ends.
I wonder how many of the people who are now using their 2nd or 3rd unit are such light weights.

 

[biohacker]

I don't consider 20-40 hours of usage and then breaking light weight usage, unless it's within the span of a few days!

But I completely agree with your post, the Crafty is designed for here and there use, and not constant - like the Mighty! NO problems with my Mighty using it as my daily driver for 6 months....used it just like a desktop. Zero problems.

 

[Deano]

I just received my Crafty and had a few questions.

So, my first bowl I packed completely full and heated it to roughly 385. I chose this temp because I'm also an Air owner and the blue temp setting (392) is perfect on it. The first 2-3 hits produced great flavor (not necessarily better than the Air but definitely on par) but hits 4 & 5 were much lighter in terms of vapor production. Instead of nice thick clouds it immediately turned to a lighter, wispy vapor.

I also noticed the heat coming off the unit. My Air was never hot in my hand and barely even warm but the Crafty was really warm and I didn't push it any harder than my Air.

I generally can get 2 sessions from a single bowl pack since I don't require much. My Air stayed cool to touch throughout so to have the Crafty get really warm in my hand with the same usage concerns me.

Just curious what others experiences are with heat and this unit?

In terms of draw resistance there was virtually none. It felt like I was sipping through a straw whereas my Air requires much more effort to get the same hit.

 

[fumes]

I just received my Crafty and had a few questions.

So, my first bowl I packed completely full and heated it to roughly 385. I chose this temp because I'm also an Air owner and the blue temp setting (392) is perfect on it. The first 2-3 hits produced great flavor (not necessarily better than the Air but definitely on par) but hits 4 & 5 were much lighter in terms of vapor production. Instead of nice thick clouds it immediately turned to a lighter, wispy vapor.

Just a few observations from my experience with the Crafty & the Air.

- Don't pack the crafty bowl too tight (just a light tap with your finger)
- I find having a very fine grind works best in the Crafty, in the Air it really didn't seem to matter much but I definitely notice the difference in the Crafty
- I generally use the default temperature settings 180C +15 boost and it works fine for me. If your grind is more coarse then a higher temp may be needed but like I said, try to grind your herb really fine and don't pack too hard
- In regards to flavour, any vape is going to give you the best flavour out of the first few hits & it also depends a lot on your herb how long the flavour lasts. However assuming we are using the same herb & the same amount in the Crafty & Air to compare the two, I've noticed the Air seems to give me a lot more hits in both flavour and visual vapor before it's all used up and you can't see anything much left on exhale. HOWEVER even though the clouds from the crafty don't seem much larger than the Air and I take less hits before it's all used up I find that I get more effect from the same amount of herb in the Crafty than I do with the Air. Not a major difference but noticeable.

I just received my Crafty and had a few questions.

I also noticed the heat coming off the unit. My Air was never hot in my hand and barely even warm but the Crafty was really warm and I didn't push it any harder than my Air.

Yeah, this is normal. The Crafty does get rather hot, much more so than the Air. My old one started getting really really hot before it completely failed but my new v2.08 Crafty still gets pretty toasty hot after 10mins or so

 

[Deano]

Just a few observations from my experience with the Crafty & the Air.

- Don't pack the crafty bowl too tight (just a light tap with your finger)
- I find having a very fine grind works best in the Crafty, in the Air it really didn't seem to matter much but I definitely notice the difference in the Crafty
- I generally use the default temperature settings 180C +15 boost and it works fine for me. If your grind is more coarse then a higher temp may be needed but like I said, try to grind your herb really fine and don't pack too hard
- In regards to flavour, any vape is going to give you the best flavour out of the first few hits & it also depends a lot on your herb how long the flavour lasts. However assuming we are using the same herb & the same amount in the Crafty & Air to compare the two, I've noticed the Air seems to give me a lot more hits in both flavour and visual vapor before it's all used up and you can't see anything much left on exhale. HOWEVER even though the clouds from the crafty don't seem much larger than the Air and I take less hits before it's all used up I find that I get more effect from the same amount of herb in the Crafty than I do with the Air. Not a major difference but noticeable.



Yeah, this is normal. The Crafty does get rather hot, much more so than the Air. My old one started getting really really hot before it completely failed but my new v2.08 Crafty still gets pretty toasty hot after 10mins or so

How can I tell which version mine is?

Also, thanks for the reply. My Air still works great but the draw resistance is my only real issue. I find my glass stem with the black tip/mouthpiece works better than the others, even my Eds TnT Bog Wood stem.

So far I've owned the Solo, Air, Flowermate v5s, and the Crafty now. My solo and air didn't get warm at all in hand but the Flowermate and Crafty get quite warm.

 

[Krizzle]

My Crafty has just hit 150hrs. 1st one no issues to date. Used heavily every day. It does get hot towards the end of a 15-20min session sure but not really, really hot.

I got a Pax2 the other day and sad to say I will be returning it tomorrow and getting a Mighty instead. The pax compared to crafty is no contest in the flavor, vapor production, cleaning and herb conservation departments. The only things I liked about the Pax was the size of the device and the battery life. Everything else from the mouthpiece down to the restricted draw to the dodgy screens, all sucked!! IMO of course

 

[fumes]

How can I tell which version mine is?

From the phone app. Select the Device tab and you'll see the Firmware version displayed

Also, thanks for the reply. My Air still works great but the draw resistance is my only real issue. I find my glass stem with the black tip/mouthpiece works better than the others, even my Eds TnT Bog Wood stem.

I agree, the Crafty has the least draw resistance of any portable vape I've ever used.
Glass stem with black tip is my favourite too. Only ever tried the 2 stock ones though. Good to know.