Crafty/Crafty+ by Storz & Bickel

[vapviking]

Whilst I would love to help people with a video, Id need a faulty crafty to repair in the first place, mine has not failed since I repaired it. It's not something id have time to do especially with another baby on the way, a wedding early next year and a very busy business to run, life is on full throttle at the min. Good job I have my reliable crafty.




But I do have sympathy for you, I get heart rate increase and sweaty palms when I abstain its not nice. It usually takes about a week or two though, probably because there is that much in my system it takes so long to come out.

I'll have a vape for you my friend!!!

Thanks! That was sweet!
And, this just came into my awareness,an existing video!
Mod,if I knew how to do it with my phone, I'd have just linked to the Mighty thread with the video, rather than duplicate the content. Someday I'll get the hang of this...

Hey Mighty users! I was watching the Crafty teardown video (

)

So the battery is just a rather typical 18650 that is soldered directly to the unit. I'm not a wiz with electronics although I sort of have an understanding, wondering why someone with a little knowhow couldn't just replace the battery themselves (if the batteries go bad, I mean). This would probably be a lot less than whatever S&B charges I'm assuming.

I wanna see the insides of the Mighty, given that it is larger perhaps it even has enough room to, I dunno, replace the soldered battery idea with more typical terminals that you can just place new batteries into. Am I crazy? Has this question been asked?

 

[Vambo1980]

@Vambo1980 wow man, over 300hr on your crafty, I am very impressed I must say. Well mate I have this feeling that all these units those guys are sending back to Storz and Bickel are due to a faulty battery, either the battery is completely dead (r/y lights), and/or these batteries overheated and blew the thermal fuse, triggering the r/o lights. I was considering on buying a pax 2 for its reliability, but I really want a crafty, would love to have a true convection vape. Reading your report is really inclining me to forget the pax and go for the crafty, may I ask you what batteries are you using in your device and are those with the metal plates spot welded to it or just conventional 25rs ? Cheers dude, really appreciate your input, it is helping me a lot.

Modnote: back to back posts merged

I went back to your post @Vambo1980 and you stated what batteries you are using on your crafty, sorry. I am thinking on using panasonics with a higher capacity. By the end of the month I should have made a decision on either a crafty or a pax 2

Hi, I've not had any battery 'fail' even the original Panasonic INR 2700mah battery which I removed was still working fine just at slightly less performance and heat-up when I changed it out. It certainly was not the Battery that caused the r/y lights, it was the crappy heater connection to the main board. Both the heater cables/leads terminate in the main board by way of a push fit connection. This poor connection was causing excess heat and battery drain. Then eventually it got too hot and the thermal fuse blown open, it was only this that caused it to fail/flash r/y.
You shouldn't concentrate to much on battery capacity, yes it important but what is more important is the battery internal resistance and voltage under-load. The craftys heater element is around 30watts this equate to requiring a high drain battery. If I had a choice of battery i probably go with a Sony VCT 5 as they are tried and tested. As long as you buy a real one, lots of fakes.

 

[Vambo1980]

Thanks! That was sweet!
And, this just came into my awareness,an existing video!
Mod,if I knew how to do it with my phone, I'd have just linked to the Mighty thread with the video, rather than duplicate the content. Someday I'll get the hang of this...

Yes I have seen this video before. I certainly couldn't do a slick video like that I'm only good at tinkering and modding things.
Anyone who opens up a faulty crafty should look to the heater connection first and test the fuse for open circuit.

I have just done another timed heat up to 190deg from 22deg on brand new Samsung battery it takes 1min 22seconds. The last Samsung had about 150hrs on it and it was taking nearly 2mins. The internal resistance of the battery has a direct link to how fast it heats up.

 

[Thcgos]

My review of the Easyflow brand glass adapter(GonG).

I have to say, initially, I was less than impressed with the unit due to it's build quality. Let's face it, it's a cheap glass peice and a plastic sleeve.

It doesn't really seem to fit on perfectly, e.g. you can't twist it on all the way like you can a normal cooling unit.
I turn mine till it gets enough resistance and then stop. If you over tighten it you WILL damage your crafty housing as has been mentioned in this thread, thanks for the warning).

I tried it with the stock screen (as it arrives) and it seemed to work. Later I realised there was a huge gap between the screen and where it meets on the crafty heating chamber.
So I put an oil pad in place of the stock screen and by golly eureka!!!
Seems to work better in my opinion.

It also makes it sit perfectly flush with no gap! It also has a lip for the stock screen, which also prevents the oil pad from going to far down the GonG. It's like it was meant to house it!
No more air gap for the material to fly around!

The oil pad does add some minor draw resistance. But in my opinion it performs better with the oil pad.

^^notice with the oil pad it sits flush

^^^The point at which I have to stop twisting, before it noticably puts strain on the crafty housing.
It doesn't fit that well and you don't get a click for some reason on mine (poor tolerances/QC from the manufacturer?)

I don't think it's worth the high price tag, as it was obviously cheaply made and not an elegant solution.
.... But it does perform well, and is a greatsolution if you can't be arsed with making your own muzzmod
(and can deal with being robbed for something that obviously cost them mere $$$).

 

[Roth]

I'm having issues connecting my Crafty to my phone.

My phone just updated to Android 5.0.1 the other day. Ever since, I cannot connect to my Crafty. The app tries to make the connection, but just times out after a minute or so. I have the most up to date version of the app.

I know there were issues in the beginning with Android 5.0, but I had assumed they were fixed by now. Are they not?

Or is the issue my Crafty is still firmware 2.04?

Thanks, don't like being cut off from the app!

 

[Thcgos]

I'm having issues connecting my Crafty to my phone.

My phone just updated to Android 5.0.1 the other day. Ever since, I cannot connect to my Crafty. The app tries to make the connection, but just times out after a minute or so. I have the most up to date version of the app.

I know there were issues in the beginning with Android 5.0, but I had assumed they were fixed by now. Are they not?

Or is the issue my Crafty is still firmware 2.04?

Thanks, don't like being cut off from the app!

Kind of odd... It should have happened when you first went to 5.0 on your phone (that's what happened to me).

And yes crafty firmware version 2.04 is the version known to have compatibility issues with Android 5.0.

 

[Roth]

Kind of odd... It should have happened when you first went to 5.0 on your phone (that's what happened to me).

And yes crafty firmware version 2.04 is the version known to have compatibility issues with Android 5.0.

I've been running 4.something until just a week ago. My phone just updated. I had put off updating because I knew there were issues in the beginning. Didn't realize my phone updated til it was too late.

But there's no workaround to get a 2.04 Crafty to work with Android 5.0 without sending it in for a firmware update?

At least I have my temps set to something I can work with.

 

[Vambo1980]

I'm having issues connecting my Crafty to my phone.

My phone just updated to Android 5.0.1 the other day. Ever since, I cannot connect to my Crafty. The app tries to make the connection, but just times out after a minute or so. I have the most up to date version of the app.

I know there were issues in the beginning with Android 5.0, but I had assumed they were fixed by now. Are they not?

Or is the issue my Crafty is still firmware 2.04?

Thanks, don't like being cut off from the app!

Id say it's to do with the old firmware, send it to SB with a note saying it does not connect to your Bluetooth, you should get a new crafty in return, I thought they just replaced all 2.04's if sent in.

 

[Dorian Gray]

After about 60 hours of magnificent use the button on my crafty stopped working. The battery performance was always good. I sent it in to colorado and got a brand new crafty back serial number: cy02300X and all the accessories that come with it.

I'm a very happy SB customer.

 

[vapviking]

After about 60 hours of magnificent use the button on my crafty stopped working. The battery performance was always good. I sent it in to colorado and got a brand new crafty back serial number: cy02300X and all the accessories that come with it.

I'm a very happy SB customer.

We're hearing some very good reports on SB customer service of late, and I recently had a very satisfactory interaction.

Returned to Colorado? My last Crafty, direct from SB America, received around 01Aug this year, was also in the 26xxx sn range. This (turnover of product on shelf) is why I try to buy direct when possible.

Not really a big deal, I'm glad you got satisfaction, and happy vaping!

Ps
That Crafty gave red/oranges lights of doom at about 60 days old, with something like 65 hrs use... and was covered by warranty. I've upgraded. Very excited to meet Mighty soon, after love/hate relations with 3 Crafty's!

Don't mean to be a wet blanket here, I do wish all the best. I'm simply trying to add to the knowledge base !

 

[Krizzle]

@Vambo1980 Awesome to hear your reports about changing the battery out successfully. Really wish I had a tiny amount of soldering skills just so I can get the job done!

I notice you also live on our cheery little island in the northern hemisphere. I wonder if I was to ship you my dead crafty in future (when it dies, but nicely loaded with some organic goodness) then you can work your magic and ship it back to me no questions asked haha JK

 

[Thcgos]

I've been running 4.something until just a week ago. My phone just updated. I had put off updating because I knew there were issues in the beginning. Didn't realize my phone updated til it was too late.

But there's no workaround to get a 2.04 Crafty to work with Android 5.0 without sending it in for a firmware update?

At least I have my temps set to something I can work with.

Hey Roth, then yes the problem was caused by the migration from Android 4 to 5.
The root cause is in fact due to the crafty firmware 2.04 (this is what needs to be upgraded).

As @Vambo1980 suggested send it in and they will more than likely replace it with new unit and updated housing too.

There is a work around using the 3rd party app "vaporiser control" but I wouldn't recommend it... It tends to play up a lot (not the apps fault, obviously the crafty firmware).

I'm still running mine on 2.04. I rarely change the settings. I leave it at 180 and 205 boost and I never need to use the app. I have a android 4 tablet at home or my friend's phone.

My OG crafty has been running flawlessly for, just shy of, 1 year.
I'm scared to send in my OG and risk getting one of the units others are complaining about here (which seem to be newer units).

Murphy's law: "don't fix it if I ain't broken".

You're choice though, maybe keep it up the sleeve for when the battery starts getting worse ... It's like your free ticket to a battery replacement..... Nomjustsayin

 

[Mr Mellish]

Hey Roth, then yes the problem was caused by the migration from Android 4 to 5.
The root cause is in fact due to the crafty firmware 2.04 (this is what needs to be upgraded).

As @Vambo1980 suggested send it in and they will more than likely replace it with new unit and updated housing too.

There is a work around using the 3rd party app "vaporiser control" but I wouldn't recommend it... It tends to play up a lot (not the apps fault, obviously the crafty firmware).

I'm still running mine on 2.04. I rarely change the settings. I leave it at 180 and 205 boost and I never need to use the app. I have a android 4 tablet at home or my friend's phone.

My OG crafty has been running flawlessly for, just shy of, 1 year.
I'm scared to send in my OG and risk getting one of the units others are complaining about here (which seem to be newer units).

Murphy's law: "don't fix it if I ain't broken".

You're choice though, maybe keep it up the sleeve for when the battery starts getting worse ... It's like your free ticket to a battery replacement..... Nomjustsayin

Same here. Nearly a year old, 2.04, keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[vapviking]

My OG crafty has been running flawlessly for, just shy of, 1 year.
I'm scared to send in my OG and risk getting one of the units others are complaining about here (which seem to be newer units).

Murphy's law: "don't fix it if I ain't broken".

Can you please tell me what "OG Crafty" stands for? Thank you.

Btw, Murphy's Law is more like, "If anything can go wrong it will go wrong."
Your message was still clear regardless!

 

[Thcgos]

Can you please tell me what "OG Crafty" stands for? Thank you.

Btw, Murphy's Law is more like, "If anything can go wrong it will go wrong."
Your message was still clear regardless!

Sorry, I was just using slang, it's not a different model.
The term OG means "original gangster". In this context, I meant it in the sense that it was an original unit (first 1000 production series) that is still going harder than most other units (from the anecdotal evidence in this thread).

Yes correct, that was the original Murphy's law, however there are a series of other "law's".
I always assumed "if it ain't broken don't fix it" was also one of them. But I stand corrected... My bad.

 

[Vambo1980]

@Vambo1980 Awesome to hear your reports about changing the battery out successfully. Really wish I had a tiny amount of soldering skills just so I can get the job done!

I notice you also live on our cheery little island in the northern hemisphere. I wonder if I was to ship you my dead crafty in future (when it dies, but nicely loaded with some organic goodness) then you can work your magic and ship it back to me no questions asked haha JK

Yes I would happily have a look at it for you when the inevitable happens, but really if its still in warranty you should use it, you paid for it in the asking price! I did send my first one back and they replaced it. Although i'd already looked inside that one too but I never removed the heater in that one so didn't realise it had silly push fit connectors, although it too was having the same problems overheating and the base of the unit getting hot.

Please bear in mind though I only know how to replace the battery and fix or remove the fuse. I'm only a pesky electrician & LEV inspector with a few self taught tricks that gets me out of trouble. I'm no electronic engineer and only know the very basics of it. Doesn't stop me taking things to bits though! Always have ever since I was a very young nipper.

Oh and as much as I like to try the different fruits of the world, sending it in the post loaded would be a bit silly :-)

VJ

 

[vapviking]

Sorry, I was just using slang, it's not a different model.
The term OG means "original gangster". In this context, I meant it in the sense that it was an original unit (first 1000 production series) that is still going harder than most other units (from the anecdotal evidence in this thread).

Yes correct, that was the original Murphy's law, however there are a series of other "law's".
I always assumed "if it ain't broken don't fix it" was also one of them. But I stand corrected... My bad.

And I stand educated!
One of the original 1000 pieces may be a collectible someday:
THE INTERNATIONAL INTERGALACTIC MUSEUM OF VAPOLOGY (I guess some here already have that going on at home!)
I do agree that, "if it ain't broke" is one of the immutable laws of nature...

 

[YetAnotherUsername]

I'm on hour 45 on my 4th unit and a single sesh leaves batter half empty, literally 62%. How bad is it at 100 houres ?

 

[Astedra]

Crafty the disposable vapourizer.

 

[Krizzle]

@YetAnotherUsername how long is your session? My Crafty is at 150hrs and I still get about 35-40mins battery life on a full charge and that gets me 2 sessions.

Oh and my Crafty is an OG

 

[YetAnotherUsername]

@Krizzle about 10, max 15 minutes, 2,5 sessions per charge. If at 150hrs you still get 2 I'm cool with that. I also observed how at first it took 8% of juice to heat up and now it's 12%. It's such a powerful device I can deal with the drawbacks of not getting a Mighty, though I'm definitly going for unit swap just before my warranty ends.

 

[skeletor]

Welp, here we go again.

Hour 33. 2.08 firmware. Boosting from 190 to 205. Orange and red lights.

Hilariously? I ordered an Arizer Air as a backup on Friday from PuffitUp. It's sitting at the Post Office, waiting for me tomorrow, just in time for my next round of Crafty run-around.

At least it fails predictably!

 

[TeeJay1952]

At least it fails predictably!
Here is the Crafty tagline!

 

[jdee]

Just killed my replacement crafty, time to get an updated model for free.

 

[vapviking]

Hilariously? I ordered an Arizer Air as a backup on Friday from PuffitUp. It's sitting at the Post Office, waiting for me tomorrow, just in time for my next round of Crafty run-around.

How efficient, only one trip to the post. With my 3x Craftys, I didn't wait for ship label, just sent them in with escalating frustrating love notes. Third time was the charm and I went for a Mighty instead. Asked for it in the note and the response was a reasonable invoice which I paid and new Mighty shipped right out. I'm off the Crafty merry-go-round!