I wonder how this vape will compare to a crafty and other portables. I am in the market for a portable. I enjoy Vapir products as they are good quality and reasonably priced. My biggest issue with this prima is the fact there are only 4 heat settings and you cannot specifically set your temperature. My next concern is whether or not their is draw resistance like seen in the Arizer Air.
I will try to compare the Prima to the Crafty but they are both quite different animals. The Prima definitely comes out on top in many ways over the Crafty, like the fact that it has a removable battery, has a longer battery life, its easier to clean, its slightly smaller, the construction seems more reliable with the aluminum body but the Crafty does have some great features like a full range of temperatures, full convection heat, weighs less, vibration alarm, doesn't get as hot to the touch etc. Both vapes are from great companies that have been around since the beginning of vaporizers pretty much and they both offer great customer service and a wide range of products.
Which vape would I pick if I had to choose one? I don't know, I like them both for different reasons like what I mentioned above so it depends on what your looking for and what you want in a portable vaporizer. If you don't need/want a full temperature control but do want a longer battery life with the ability to remove and replace the battery, then I would choose the Prima. A removable battery is a huge plus and for the price Storz and Bickel should have offered that on the Crafty and the Prima has that and its cheaper!
When it comes down to temperatures, I usually don't mess around to much, I just find a temp that works good and pretty much stick to it but it is nice to have the ability to fine tune your extraction. I think Vapir did a good job finding 4 temps that all work good and they give the user a good range to suit different preferences from a lighter vapor with less affect to thick vapor and a heavy affect, however I do wish that the lowest temperature was a little bit lower. The 4 temps are: 1) 350-360f, 2) 365-375f, 3) 380-390f and 4) 390-400f
If you the absolute best quality vapor from a portable then IMO, the Crafty and Mighty cannot be beat but the Prima produces great tasting vapor that is smooth and potent without any off taste to it and I think it may be slightly cooler too because its not full convection heat. I would say that the Crafty and the Prima have about the same draw resistance which isn't too hard/tight to draw but its not completely airy and resistance free like the Inhalater Vaporizers.
The Prima defiantly feels/holds/hits more like a traditional pipe or spoon, so if your someone who likes that style or feeling then the Prima may be a better fit.
Another thing to consider is the shut-off timer which is 1 minute with the Crafty unless your inhaling and its about 5-6 minutes with the Prima. Both auto-shut-offs can be canceled so the unit will stay on and with the Prima you just double tap the on/off button and it will continue to go another 2 minutes and with the Crafty you have to hit the on/off button to keep it going another minute or inhale and the sensor will know and it will keep the unit on.
The Prima uses mostly conduction heat with some convection so if you leave the unit on without taking any draws then your herb will still be mostly vaped but with the Crafty which is mostly convection, you can leave it on without hitting it and your herb will still be mostly fresh/ unvaped. With conduction, its better to pack the chamber on the tighter side and its the opposite with convection. I have noticed that the Prima works great either way which is a huge plus so you don't need to fill the chamber to get some good vapor.
Both vapes can do concentrates and they both use the same type of steel pad as a medium for the concentrate and they both vape concentrates well. Prima's max temp is 390-400f and the Crafty is slightly higher at 410f. The Prima's chamber is slighty smaller than the Crafty and they are both nice sizes but the Crafty is slightly easier to load and unload thanks to the ingenious filling aid and it helps having a wider chamber.
Also, The Prima heats up faster, about twice as fast as the Crafty, around 30-45 seconds.
Hope this helps a little, let me know if you want to hear more about the Prima or the Crafty. I will be posting more about the Prima as I continue to test it and I took it on a long hike today and it was a great, no complaints. I will have more photos soon.........