Who Is Storz and Bickel?
Storz and Bickel is responsible for the granddaddy of all herbal vaporizers, the infamous Volcano. If you are not familiar, that is the vaporizer that looks like its name, sits heavy on the table, and fills up a bag of herb-infused air. It first hit the market in 2000, but the company designer has been working on vaporizers since 1996. That is more than twenty years of quality design and construction. The result? The only company worldwide that produces vapes good enough to be medically certified.
Vaporizers Offered by Storz & Bickel
Storz & Bickel did not stop with what is possibly the most reliable, imposing, consistent desktop vaporizer in existence. They also created several pocket vapes and have been improving upon their original designs.
Here is a look at their current product line:
The Plenty Vaporizer
The Plenty is a different looking vaporizer, with a gas-pump style handle and a winding aluminum straw. This straw, an air-exposed metal vapor pathway, helps this vaporizer boast some of the coolest and smoothest smoke in the vape pen existence. It is designed with excellent airflow in mind, so it is easy to draw on without restricting your breathing. If you want Storz & Bickel quality and huge clouds of vapor without breaking the bank, the Plenty is plenty.
The Plenty combines radiation and air heating for a very even herb bake. It allows you to set a custom temperature within the range of 266-396°F. All this tech comes with a slight cost - it takes more than two minutes for the vaporizer to reach its highest temperature. If you are going to be sitting for a while - near a computer, in front of the TV, or laying in bed - this function is actually perfect. The vaporizer retains heat very well, and will be useful for several minutes even if it is lower than the full temperature. If it isn’t being used, it will shut itself off to keep you and your belongings safe.
The Crafty+ Vaporizer
The Crafty Plus is a battery-powered pocket herb vaporizer. It has a single-button design and generally works like most other pocket vapes. True to company form, it produces top-notch flavorful vapor and does an excellent job fully extracting the goodies from your herbs. It takes a little longer to heat up than most pocket vapes, but once it is heated the vapor is thick and consistent. You trade a longer initial wait time for a stronger end product.
The Crafty boasts an extremely flexible temperature range, from 104-410°F. With the button alone, you can only select three of these, but using the smartphone app allows for full customization. The app has the awesome feature of helping you find the vape by forcing the vape to vibrate, something we can all appreciate in moments of herb-derived forgetfulness.
The Mighty Vaporizer
When vaping from a Mighty, you seem to be holding something between a lightsaber and an electric transformer. Aside from the awesome appearance, that shape helps cool the vapor as you smoke it. You can expect huge clouds, full flavor, and consistency. Like other Storz & Bickel products, you might have to wait a little longer for that hit, but your patience is well rewarded.
It uses a hybrid convection and conduction heating method to ensure consistency at your chosen vape temperature, between 104-410°F. Unlike most pocket vapes, it has buttons for full temperature control within that range on the vape itself.
The Mighty is a bit bigger than most “pocket” dry herb vaporizers. It could fit in your pocket, but not very comfortably. It is best carried around in a backpack or jacket. The long battery life makes it perfect for extended trips or sharing with friends.
The Volcano Classic Vaporizer
The infamous Volcano! It is a large, tabletop unit that fills a portable bag with herb-infused vapor. This bag is revolutionary for smokers - it wastes absolutely nothing and gives the coolest possible hits. Not only does it produce thick and smooth hits with remarkable herb-efficiency, but it is one of the most reliable devices on the market. Some users report that their volcano still works perfectly after ten years of heavy use.
True to form, the Volcano takes a little time to heat up. Once it’s heated, however, it can fill a bag in about 30 seconds. Custom temperature selection happens between 350°-446°F, and reaches the top temperature in a little over 5 minutes. Once it is heated, it can be left on to fill as many bags as is desired. It works its perfect magic on both herbs and extracts.
The Volcano Hybrid Vaporizer
The Volcano Hybrid is an upgraded version of the classic. It can be left on 24/7 for usage at any time, and has an auto-shut off which fills vapor bags to perfect capacity. It also heats up much quicker than the original, reaching top temperatures in just two minutes. Instead of the basic switches and knobs of the classic model, it has an electronic display with buttons.
What Is the Best Storz & Bickel Vaporizer?
Storz & Bickel shoppers can narrow down their choices pretty easily. If you want something pocketable, the Crafty Plus Vape is the choice. If you want to buy a portable vaporizer for camping trips, extended use without charging, and sharing with friends, the Mighty is for you. If you are interested in smoking only at home, the question is more budget-centered. The Plenty is there for budget buyers, while the Volcano is the luxury product. If you host a lot of parties or want to share with friends, the Volcano is definitely the choice for you - bags are visually impressive and easy to share.
Where to Buy a Storz & Bickel Vaporizer?
Their vaporizers are available in many head shops. The Volcano can be found in most head shops, as it remains one of the most popular tabletop vapes in production. The best deals for smart shoppers are found online. If you are interested in saving a few bucks and getting a Storz & Bickel product shipped to you in the US for free, go to vapevetstore.com and order your vape there.
Storz and Bickel Vaporizer Frequently Asked Questions
The Storz & Bickel Vaporizers are pretty unique. It is normal to be confused by their design. Let’s look at some common questions:
How to Pack a Storz & Bickel Vape
If you want to know how to pack a Volcano or how to pack a Plenty, you need to find the removable herb container. On the Plenty, the whole top screws off. On the Volcano, the chamber is inside the mouth of the “volcano”. These chambers screw apart and your herb (or extract) goes inside.
The pocketable Storz & Bickel models, the Mighty and the Crafty, are packed like most other pocket vaporizers. They both have small herb chambers on their tops, under the mouthpieces.
For all dry herb vaporizers, it is generally best to finely grind your herb before packing it into the vape. If you are using an extract, make sure to place it on a liquid-containing disk and place that entire disk inside the heating chamber.
How to Adjust Temperature of the Vape
All Storz & Bickel vaporizers adjust the temperature with clearly marked controls, except for the Crafty. The Plenty adjusts temperature with a wheel, the Volcano with a knob (or button for the hybrid), and the Mighty with a button. The Crafty employs a two-click quick press method for boosting the temperature unless you are using the app.
Is It Worth It?
Storz & Bickel Vaporizers are an easy product to say “Absolutely!” to. They are reliable products with excellent customer service. Many parts are replaceable in the event of damage. The quality of vapor gained from anything they create is absolutely stellar. They do run more expensive than some of their competitors, and also take a little longer to heat up. Volcano is a household name for a reason, though, and every Storz & Bickel product is made to that same quality.
How to Charge a Storz & Bickel Vaporizer Battery
The Mighty and the Crafty Vape are both charged via micro-USB port built into the device. They can be plugged into a wall or a computer and will glow blue when fully charged. The rest of the Storz & Bickel vaporizer devices must be plugged into a wall outlet at all times.
How to Use a Storz & Bickel Vaporizer?
All vaporizers follow the same basic pattern for use. Find the herb chamber, fill it with ground herbs (using an herb grinder), put it back in the vaporizer, wait for it to heat up, and inhale.
If you are using a Volcano for the first time, things will be a little more complicated. After you have filled and mounted the herb chamber, you will need to attach a bag to the mouth of the Volcano. It should clip on pretty easily. If you aren’t sure where it goes, think about a real volcano. The bag is like the “smoke” of the real thing. Watch an online video tutorial if you have trouble visualizing it.
After you have the bag clipped onto the receptacle of the Volcano, you need to flip the flow switch to start pumping vapor into the bag. The bag will fill with vapor pretty quickly - if you only need one hit, turn it off after a few seconds. If you want to smoke for a while or pass around a bag, let it fill until it is expanded fully.