Crafty+ by Storz & Bickel

S&B's Crafty+ vape is made almost entirely from plastic. For some, that’ll be a negative aspect of the design, but if there's a single vape manufacturer I trust with plastic, it’s Storz & Bickel. The body feels very high quality and the cooling unit is made from PEEK, a material used in medical implants. They were definitely choosing their materials carefully. The body of the Crafty+ has been reworked to feel better in the hand. It’s more rounded at the heating chamber rather than squared off, so the piece feels more secure on the go. At the same time, it’s still pretty light for its size, so it doesn’t feel cumbersome in a jacket pocket.

At the bottom of the vaporizer, you’ll see the LED status light and the stirring and filling tool that stores away inside the vape and covers the micro-USB port. The whole device is controlled by a single button, and you can further tweak the settings through the optional app. The exterior dimensions are the same as the old design; it’s reasonably small at 4.3” tall, 2.2” wide and 1.3” deep. I'm pleased to say, every original Crafty accessory I’ve tested on the new Crafty+ has worked perfectly.

Like any good vaporizer, the app is a totally optional accessory. You can easily use the Crafty+ without the app, but I do advise installing it to tweak things to your liking at least for the first-time set-up. Once you connect the vape to your app, turn on Bluetooth permanently if you plan on using the app regularly. You can also turn vibration on and off, adjust the automatic shutoff time between 1 and 5 minutes, and adjust smartphone vibration and alarm settings as well.

When you go to the Crafty tab you’ll see the device info, total operation time, firmware version, and even a “Find My Crafty” function that makes the Crafty+ flash all colors of lights and vibrate. This is super useful if you forget where you place things. In the temperature tab you set the vape’s base level temperature – I set mine to 365F. Below that you can set your booster temperature, which I like to go up by 25F, so the oven is at 390F.

The batteries are much more efficient than even the 20% boosted batteries we’ve seen from S&B lately. From a full charge, I measured 4 complete bowls, getting 2 sessions per bowl and the second session running at full power max boost heat level. This kind of performance is very good for a true travel vape. Heat up time has also improved over the older model, though it still takes around a minute to reach full temperature. There’s also a strong vibration to let you know when it’s ready.

It’s too bad S&B didn’t upgrade to USB-C because it charges so much faster. If the vape is totally dead it takes a long time to recharge. At least you can use it while plugged in as long as the battery has a minimal charge.

When you plug it in, the Crafty+ lights change and blink blue while it’s taking juice. The blink slows down as the battery powers back up, and when full, the blue light stays solid.

Vapor quality is one of the main reasons that people revere Storz and Bickel vaporizers, and the Crafty+ does not disappoint, vapor production is substantial. The mix of conduction and convection gives you vapor right away and really pumps out big clouds with very little draw restriction. That convection heating gives you clean terpy flavor right from the very first bowl.

The cooling unit works really well, especially considering the volume and density of the vapor it handles. That said, remember these are some huge clouds, so you may still cough from time to time. As you can imagine, the effects are really potent from the Crafty+. Usually, with a fresh pack, just three or four draws is plenty for me.