A better brand.
Storz & Bickel is a German company that began in 1996 with the development of the removable valve balloon for the Volcano Inhaler. The brand moved towards the development of the Easy Valve, followed by the development of handheld vapes, and have been an officially certified manufacturer of high quality vaporizers since 2009.
The Classic and Digital Volcanoes
The Volcano is the first and most widely known vaporizer created by Storz & Bickel. This powerful vaporizer is a tabletop, meaning that you plug it in and set it down on a surface to vaporize. The Volcano is one of the first tabletop vaporizers to use balloon bags that become filled with vapors from dry herbs.
The Volcano is known for its “aromatization” capabilities, which allows for foods to be infused with different flavors by vaporizing spices in the Volcano’s heating chamber.
For smokers, the Volcano is one of the most luxurious tabletop vapes on the market. The Classic Volcano is Storz & Bickel’s original vaporizer that uses an analog knob to control the internal temperature. The Digital Volcano is the updated product, and it uses a digital LED screen to more accurately control internal temperatures. While both are essentially the same product, the Digital Volcano allows for better precision for vapers who are looking for the perfect setup.
Easy Valve vs. Solid Valve
Generally seen as the valves for beginners, the easy valve package comes with five balloon attachments and one filling chamber. Each balloon generally lasts between 50-100 uses, so when you’re finished with one you can go ahead and move right on to the next one. These balloons are much less maintenance than the solid valve, which must be cleaned and reused.
The solid valve is best if you are looking for customization; its single mouthpiece can use any length of balloon, or even two at one time! These balloons can be removed from the main mouthpiece, and then the smoker can cut any length of balloon to fit back on. The solid valve has only one attachment to the main vaporizer and filling chamber, so it must be kept clean to be reused.
The Crafty
The Crafty is Storz & Bickel’s most portable handheld vaporizer. The Crafty resembles a walkie-talkie and uses a straw to inhale vapors from the internal heating chamber. Vaporization is created through both convection heating and conduction, ensuring both immediate and constant vapors from the first inhale.
Interestingly, the Crafty is set at an automatic temperature device set at 356 degrees Fahrenheit unless paired with a smartphone with the Crafty app. Through the Crafty app, an Apple or Android user can boost this temperature up to 383 degrees Fahrenheit for further personalization.
The Crafty uses dry herbs which are placed inside the vape’s filling chamber. The filling chamber attaches to the piece’s mouthpiece, which is also connected to a cooling unit for improved aroma and flavor. The Crafty uses a single power button to initiate the heating process, during which the LED light will change from red to green.
After use, you can turn the Crafty off again using the power button or allow the device to shut off on its own using its auto-shutoff capabilities. The Crafty uses a single lithium-Ion battery that must be charged or replaced separately.
The Mighty
You could think of the Mighty vaporizer as a more powerful version of the Crafty. The Mighty looks very similar to the Crafty but is slightly larger. It also heats dry herbs using convection heating and conduction. However, the Mighty has an adjustable temperature control LED screen that allows you to see both the desired temperature and the actual temperature. Because of these differences, the Mighty also uses a double Lithium-Ion battery pack that can be charged separately, but also comes with a power adapter that allows the Mighty to function even with dead batteries.
The Mighty is very similarly built to the Crafty, and so it also uses a filling chamber and cooling unit which attach to the mouthpiece. The Crafty’s single power button is used to turn the unit on, and the heating process is finished once the desired temperature matches the actual temperature on the digital display screen. Once your sesh is over, once again you can turn the unit off or allow it to shut off automatically.
The Plenty
The Plenty is somewhere in between handheld and tabletop in that you hold it in your hands, but is less portable due to the power adapter that must be plugged into an outlet. The Plenty uses a hot air generator to generate vapors similar to the Volcano, but does not use the balloon bags. Instead, the Plenty sports a long stainless steel cooling coil that also acts as a mouthpiece. The internal heat exchanger uses a double helix to ensure high-yield vaporization, making the Plenty one of the most powerful vaporizers that Storz & Bickel makes.
The Plenty uses an analog thermometer to display heat. This temperature can be set from 266 to 395 degrees Fahrenheit. The Plenty also shuts off automatically after prolonged use.
Storz & Bickel is one of the most contemporary selections of high-end vapes, and Smoke Cartel is one of the few online headshops that carries their products.
