Crafty/Crafty+ by Storz & Bickel

[Nick Brand]

I'm the type of guy that likes to take a couple hits at a time. One of the main reasons why the Herbalizer and FF work so well for me. I want one of these new S&B vapes so bad, but the heat up time between cool downs and possible lack of battery life may dissuade me.
I guess there's a good reason why the FF battery life is as poor as it is - rapid heating is a big drain on a battery.

(early) r.e.m. fan?

(mostly) Pure convection seems to have that price. The boys over at Thermovape shared a lot of the challenges they had in that regard.

If you use the device at home, and keep it plugged into the charger while using it, and in between, you shouldn't have any problems running out of power. I put to use an already-had USB extension cord to make that easier.

Your preferred "take a couple hits at a time" would be optimal with this unit, as it would just take little hits off the battery to maintain the temp.

Two (other) variables that's being left out of the battery charge life reports is:
1. temp that the unit has to heat up from when cold
2. the ambient temp of the air coming in that it has to heat up
Beyond just the two above, there are going to be a few more factors effecting results.

Possible tweaks to extend battery life could maybe include some sort of wrap-around that insulates the heating unit even further and pre-heats the incoming air. Having the temp read-out will be a valuable tool to monitor tweak progress. Some discoveries found with this unit could be possibly used on other vaporizers as well.

Looking forward to connecting to it the app so that I can run it commando- all bells and whistles turned off, to help max batt charge life.

In the meantime, this purple haze x thai (ace seeds) homegrown's* dark berry and musty wine barrel flavor is coming through brilliantly. No conduction-y off-flavors to interfere with the enjoyment. I also substituted the fine screen into the bottom of the cooling unit, to keep it, and the vapor, cleaner. I use a fine screen in the Volcano, and the valve only gets honeyed, not caked in plant material gak. A soak in a strong dish detergent solution is all it takes to clean up.

happy vaping

*growing me own cabbage saves enough coin to occasionally splurge on devices like this.
i never buy cabbage from the store.

btw, can't we all just vape along?

 

[Roth]

I have a question: It says in the manual that to avoid the auto-shutoff you either have to hit the button OR do another "application" which is S&B lingo for "hit". Some of the reviews say you have to push the button every 59 seconds to avoid shut-off but I get the impression its 1 minute from your last inhalation OR button press. I can't imagine Crafty cutting you off in mid-toke, that makes no sense to me. Can someone please clear this up?

It seems most reviewers rushed the review out without spending extensive time with unit or fully reading the manual. I've notified Vapesterdam and they've changed their review to reflect it.

A user on here got a message from S&B saying some people might not be drawing hard enough to activate the sensor that resets the auto shut off. But I'd imagine most "reviewers" just weren't paying attention.

So yes, the auto shut off should reset if an "application" occurs.

 

[Gonzo]

I have a question: It says in the manual that to avoid the auto-shutoff you either have to hit the button OR do another "application" which is S&B lingo for "hit". Some of the reviews say you have to push the button every 59 seconds to avoid shut-off but I get the impression its 1 minute from your last inhalation OR button press. I can't imagine Crafty cutting you off in mid-toke, that makes no sense to me. Can someone please clear this up?

I think it has a lot to do with draw speed. I find when I am just sipping the unit can cut off mid hit. It does vibrate though and the button is in a very convenient place to reset the device.

When I am hitting it with a good draw speed though it will stay on. It is pretty easy to get the hang of as far as which draw speed you want.

 

[t-dub]

I wonder if the "hit" sensor goes off of temperature drop or if its some kind of vacuum sensor like on an automatic e-cig battery . . .

 

[letter never sent]

(early) r.e.m. fan?

Props for identifying the reference!

Thanks for the additional info as well. I would mostly be using at home as a cordless alternative to the Herbalizer. I think the Crafty/Mighty would also be an ideal option for transporting to different locations/sharing with people who aren't used to vapes, especially units with learning curves. But the vast majority of my usage would be solo sessions at home.

 

[TimeCapsuleMonkey]

What about USB battery backups like these?

http://www.amazon.com/15000mAh-Portable-Ultra-High-External-Motorola/dp/B00D5T3QK4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1414353899&sr=8-3&keywords=usb battery backup

You could still be portable and have a battery backup with you incase you need to plug in for extra juice, but would it work?

I think I remember reading in the manual that they recommend only using the supplied wall charger or car charger but has anyone had success using any other usb ports to charge? Will it damage the battery trying out any usb port?

If the battery backup would work then the crafty would be ultimate because you can bring an extra battery if you need one since you can use the crafty while it charges which is a huge design plus.

 

[Roth]

What about USB battery backups like these?

http://www.amazon.com/15000mAh-Portable-Ultra-High-External-Motorola/dp/B00D5T3QK4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1414353899&sr=8-3&keywords=usb battery backup

You could still be portable and have a battery backup with you incase you need to plug in for extra juice, but would it work?

I think I remember reading in the manual that they recommend only using the supplied wall charger or car charger but has anyone had success using any other usb ports to charge? Will it damage the battery trying out any usb port?

If the battery backup would work then the crafty would be ultimate because you can bring an extra battery if you need one since you can use the crafty while it charges which is a huge design plus.

Yep, one reason I chose the Crafty. I actually have that exact battery pack and can definitely recommend it. It will be my extra power on the road. Took it with me to Bonnaroo this year and it easily charged 6+ phones and still had some juice left.

All manuals for nearly all electronics will say to only use officially branded accessories. No need to worry, they just want you to spend money on their accessories.

 

[natural farmer]

My income is nearly non existent, unlike my love for lettuce vapor and vaporizers, as I have chosen a more natural road in my life...
Nevertheless I am really thinking of selling my champion up to now (Lotus) in order to fund the super expensive Crafty. I have already sold my Firefly to fund an Indica but now with the Crafty in sight I can't find many reasons to get one. The Crafty could possibly give me what the Lotus offers minus the total control of manual heating but combined with stealthiness and one-hand, no-stir use. Which is exactly why I was getting an Indica. I will get a Lotus of course again at some point when I'll be able to… And a used Android phone maybe!

 

[elmomuzz]

I wonder if the "hit" sensor goes off of temperature drop or if its some kind of vacuum sensor like on an automatic e-cig battery . . .

I'm pretty sure it's just software sensing the temp draw down faster then ambient air would normally do it.

 

[JCat]

That's all well and fine for you elmomuzz good for you. I'm happy you think less is more, but only getting 28 hits out of one charge is still piss poor performance in my book.

Thats fewer hits than you get in one session in any other rechargeable I've ever owned and most give me 4-5 sessions. Pretty sure one charge off the DV or NO2 is going to allow you to vape a whole lot more herb(4-5 times as much) per charge at that rate which would make them a bit more useful (to me at least) when on the road.

If You can actually believe less than 30 hits on a charge is an improvement we live on different planets.

Depends how you look at it ... I finish .15-.2 with the MiniVAP in 2-3 hits ... So 30 hits is >10 sessions in this case ...

 

[t-dub]

I'm pretty sure it's just software sensing the temp draw down faster then ambient air would normally do it.

That would explain why it is shutting off on some people when they are sipping lightly. I am not a sipper so I don't think this would be an issue for me.

 

[RUDE BOY]

Depends how you look at it ... I finish .15-.2 with the MiniVAP in 2-3 hits ... So 30 hits is >10 sessions in this case ...

You do that dry? The size hits that would take would kill me lung wise, i mean 2 tenths is 2-3 UD stems that'll milk out large glass pieces 6-8 times or so.

to your lung capacity

 

[JCat]

No ... not dry ... the MiniVAP being so big I usually use it with a small water tool (Zapubbler) mated to the flexicone.

That being said, I can cache about that amount in the EVO dry if it's hooked up to a hydratube with no water for instance (as the glass and path of the vapor in the tube, even without water, cools it sufficiently for me to handle it comfortably)

I am hopeful that the cooling unit on top does a good enough job similar to a waterless hydratube ... that being said ... from the descriptions claiming 5 sessions or so, taking a bunch of smaller hits in each session should be roughly equivalent to a few large hits (despite the difference in length of time running, that is, which would go up a little depending how leisurely one is ... so many variables ... )

 

[philosopher]

Pulled the trigger on the crafty. Figured I'd end up getting one eventually anyway, so I may as well not waste any time. I'm guessing it'll ship first thing tomorrow and land Tuesday. Going to have to borrow a friend's Droid for setup, but once I have it set up I can wait for the iPhone app. Can't wait!

 

[TimeCapsuleMonkey]

@philosopher awesome, I figured the same thing and that is why I decided to just go for it. I am really hoping it will be here Tuesday... Cant wait to here about your experience with it and any tips u have.

 

[Mr. Gweilo 420]

Well this order is now officially causing me RAGE. Ordered from S&B on 17/10. Order left the warehouse in Germany the same day. Still got nothing. Communicated with S&B who informed me that the package was in my country. Like an idiot I sat around all day on Saturday waiting for my order which never came. So this morning I can see some updated tracking for the first time since 20/10 and the package is still in fucking Germany. ARRRRGGGGGHGHGHGHGHGHHHHHHH! Motherfuckers.

 

[mestizo]

Well this order is now officially causing me RAGE. Ordered from S&B on 17/10. Order left the warehouse in Germany the same day. Still got nothing. Communicated with S&B who informed me that the package was in my country. Like an idiot I sat around all day on Saturday waiting for my order which never came. So this morning I can see some updated tracking for the first time since 20/10 and the package is still in fucking Germany. ARRRRGGGGGHGHGHGHGHGHHHHHHH! Motherfuckers.

I think a visit to the FUCK YOU! Thread is in order.

 

[JCat]

Just a quick update on my research in regards to running an Android emulator on a PC w/ Bluetooth 4.0 and connecting to the Crafty app ... the gist of it is that I'm all set to go for when my Crafty arrives and it looks extremely promising that this will all work ...

So here's the summary of my setup:
- Oracle VirtualBox
- Android-x86 4.4-r1
- Built-in Bluetooth 4.0 adapter (Dell XPS12 w/ built-in/internal Intel Centrino Bluetooth 4.0 adapter)
- Downloaded and installed Crafty app from Storz-Bickel site

Results are as follows so far:
- Bluetooth works and can see other Bluetooth devices from within the Android Emulator
- Crafty app loads and works fine from all appearances so far (the real test is whether the Bluetooth will find the Crafty or not ... promising that it finds my iPhone etc. though!)
- Need to change default orientation of your Virtual Machine to portrait or crafty app ends up oriented sideways

If it works when my Crafty arrives I'll post a full tutorial on setting it up (it's really not that bad!)

 

[philosopher]

I've been trying to emulate the crafty app on OS X; so far no luck, can't get the app to load, even with Virtual Box... maybe I'll tweak the settings again

 

[JCat]

Do you have working Bluetooth and everything before launching the app? (Just curious because I focused on that first figuring there was no point trying the Crafty app until I had the Bluetooth running ...)

Might not work on OS X either ... although I see no reason for it not to ... does your Android Emulator work correctly? What version are you running of VirtualBox and Android-x86?

 

[philosopher]

Well, I got it to load, but now it is sideways and thus impossible to navigate through =/ I disabled auto-rotate but it still happens when I load the app. Still working on it.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Well, I got it to load, but now it is sideways and thus impossible to navigate through =/ I disabled auto-rotate but it still happens when I load the app. Still working on it.

You missed this part

- Need to change default orientation of your Virtual Machine to portrait or crafty app ends up oriented sideways

 

[JCat]

Well, I got it to load, but now it is sideways and thus impossible to navigate through =/ I disabled auto-rotate but it still happens when I load the app. Still working on it.

Steps are as follows ...

1. Navigate to c: \program files\Oracle\VirtualBox
2. Run: vboxmanage setextradata "VM Name" "CustomVideoMode1" "480x640x16"
3. When grub loader shows up in startup of machine press "a"
4. add " vga=ask" (don't forget the space) to the startup line
5. select the "480x640x16" video mode from the list (enter the # ... mine was 360 ...)

That's it ... it will launch with the correct resolution!

 

[philosopher]

Whoops, I totally did miss that! But I ended up just downloading an app that let me lock the screen. It's up and ready to go now! Super excited, but not sure if the bluetooth is going to work, since there's no way to test it just yet. Thanks for the help!

EDIT: I looked up the process for changing the default resolution, but I couldn't find instructions for OS X, only Windows. I'll keep searching! The more I look into all of this, the more hyped I am for Tuesday.

 

[natural farmer]

I hope there will be a solution for me as well, running an Android emulator on my 7yo MacBook... I will possibly need an external BT 4.0 USB adapter of course cause my old one has only BT 2.0 I think.