There are times in life when you are holding a product, or perhaps driving a car, and you can tell that it is German-made. You can tell that it doesn't have that cheap mass produced feel like something made under questionable conditions in some third-world sweat shop. No, this feels like a special brand of quality, with not only a serious attention to detail, but a feeling that every step of the process was analyzed with a ridiculous amount of scrutiny. All variables were considered, every user scenario was mapped out. This is how it feels using the Crafty vaporizer, from Germany's own Storz & Bickel.
The famed maker of the Volcano, which existed before vaping was as hip as it is now, brings us the surprisingly light Crafty. With its form factor, it looks like it might weigh as much as the Davinci or similarly sized vapes. It does not. It feels much lighter in the hand and with a design that feels like it could win an architecture award if it was building sized. The Crafty is the first vape that might unseat the Pax 3 in my personal vape wars. It's not just about the design elements. It's about how those design elements deliver the experience.
The Crafty uses a combination of full hot air convection heating and additional conduction for a high-yield return. You aren't going to get giant clouds of vaping showmanship, instead you get a smooth draw from the pivoting mouthpiece that doesn't waste any of that precious air flow. The filling chamber can not only handle your cannabis, but it can also handle liquids with a liquid pad that comes with the device. With such a clean draw, you get all the flavor of that blueberry crush (I have no idea if I made that name up or not) as well as vapor that isn't like sucking the steam off a pot of boiling pasta.
Here's my favorite thing about the Crafty, and it's a simple thing. It comes with a grinder and another plastic canister that fits onto the top of the Crafty so you can easily fill the chamber without making a mess. That is huge for someone like me, or anyone really. Especially if you are using the Crafty and cannabis for medical reasons, having a tool to help you fill the damn thing is huge. There is a pick tool located on the device, perfectly slotted under the standard USB charging port just in case you do get some product somewhere it doesn't belong. Cleaning the Crafty is also simple, as everything comes apart with little effort. There are extra seals and screens included in the box.
Out of the box the Crafty has two preset temperature levels which can be adjusted with the single button used for powering on the device as well. Through the Remote Control App the temperature can be modified to fit your personal preference (in case you like scalding hot vapor or a slow burn). The app also allows you to extend the automatic shutoff time and locate your Crafty in case it's fallen in between the couch cushions again or you left it in the fridge when you went for a refreshing iced tea. The app will also turn on and heat up you Crafty while you fix yourself a bowl of pretzels, M&Ms, ice cream and pizza.
Additional features of the app are changing the LED brightness, switching the vibration on and off, checking battery status (which is terribly helpful when usage time can vary depending on the person) and keep track of operating time. There is probably more, but those are the top line items. Having a vape with an app (that is available for Google Android, Apple iOS and certain firmware versions — Apple Watch) is terribly helpful. This is the age of the Internet of Things, so it's nice to be connected to the thing that is helping you cope with the anxiety of it being the age of the Internet of Things.
For me, the Crafty is worth the price of admission for the cooling unit alone. I have not come across a vape with such a powerful draw that is as smooth as the Crafty delivers. The intensity of whatever product you have in the chamber is maintained as it is heated and delivered to your mouth hole. With many vapes I feel that they cut a bit off the top, but the Crafty delivers every molecule of vapor with precision care. My point is that it took less draws on the Crafty than it does on other previously reviewed vapes to get to the point of putting it down. With the app, when you do put the Crafty down, you'll be able to locate it, but I don't think you'll be putting it down as much as you'll be picking it up.
The Crafty is available now from Storz & Bickel for $279. A review unit was provided by the manufacturer.
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