Moves & Grooves

Today, they have a full lineup of products, but they've always stayed true to those medical roots, building high-quality devices that work well and stand up to regular wear and tear. The Crafty+ is the latest update to that lineup. First released in 2014, the original Crafty was already a rugged and portable dry-herb vaporizer that was worth a look, but the recent upgrades to battery life, heat-up times and airflow have made the new Crafty+ model one of the best take-and-go vapes money can buy.

The ribs running down most of the exterior are designed to dissipate the heat efficiently. They also give it an '80s sci-fi style you'll appreciate, especially if you've ever wanted to own a prop from the set of Aliens. There's only one button, but you can quickly switch from a slow and full-flavoured 180-degree draw to a thicker, meatier 195-degree pull by clicking it twice (and you can customize those default temperatures via your phone). A third click and you'll engage the "Superbooster," pushing it all the way up to a toasty 210 degrees, in case you're in a hurry or just looking to suck every last morsel from the chamber. The Crafty+ doesn't discriminate or judge how you like your bud baked, it just accommodates. The oven is heated with convection and conduction, so it's both fast and even, and the airflow is easy and breezy. You won't find a smoother or more consistent vapour from a portable device.

The Crafty's best feature remains its durability. It's tough and built to last—the sort of device you'll happily take hiking or camping, or just not have to worry about handling a lot while you're on the go. You can clean and maintain the mouthpiece and cooling unit with relative ease, but the parts are also modular and easy enough to replace (they even sell a "Wear and Tear Set" with spare parts). Storz & Bickel is confident enough in what they've made that the default warranty is two years and they offer a third year for free if you register the device online.

The negatives are mostly nitpicky things: even the improved battery life isn't amazing and while it's certainly pocket portable, there is a little bulk and weight to it—more than some of the sleeker devices available today. And then there's the price. The Crafty+ isn't cheap. That said, the premium you're paying is for both the performance, which really is top-notch, and the knowledge that you'll probably still be using this thing five years from now.