When vapers are serious about dry herb vaping, it's common to start looking at higher-end vaping devices. More advanced devices offer more impressive battery life, larger dry herb capacity, and a more satisfying vaping experience. You'll still find several options to choose from in the high-end vaporizer market, with each model offering unique advantages and overall experiences.
Two of the most popular dry herb vapes available today are the Firefly 2+ and the Crafty+, made by Stroz and Bickel. While both devices offer excellent vaping experiences when compared to lower-end devices, there are noticeable differences when examining a Crafty+ vs. Firefly 2+ comparison.
Curious about the differences? Below, we'll take a close look at each device, comparing features, performance, ease of use, and even their respective warranties! If you've been trying to decide between these two devices, you owe it to yourself to see how they compare below.
FIREFLY 2 PLUS VS CRAFTY
We'll get into some of the more specific details, but the biggest difference between the Firefly 2+ and the Crafty+ is how they heat dry herbs and their overall build. These will also be the differences that are most likely to impact which device you ultimately choose.
The Crafty+ uses a standard heating mechanism, which is a mixture of convection and conduction heating. Dry herbs are heated by both flowing, hot air (convection) and are also heated by direct contact with a heating element.
The Firefly 2+ uses proprietary dynamic convection heating, which is different than a standard convection vape. Not only is hot air used to create vapor, but the unique technology inside the Firefly 2+ offers more precise temperature control to target and enjoy all cannabinoids and terpenes in the dry herb.
Heating Speed
It's a common problem for dry herb vape beginners to be unsure when they should take a hit. After all, most dry herb vapes take time to heat up and begin producing vapor. For example, the Crafty+ will take around a minute to reach temperature and actually produce vapor.
The Firefly 2+ is one of the few devices on the market that avoids this problem entirely. It uses on-demand heating, which means you'll go from a completely powered-down device to taking hits of vapor in around five seconds. It's about as fast as vaping e-liquids, and beginners will enjoy avoiding the vaping delay.
Build Differences
The other significant difference between these two devices is their overall build. The Firefly 2+ uses a full metal build for the exterior, while the Crafty+ uses a plastic mold to house internal components. We'll talk a bit later as to why the overall build quality is important when choosing a dry herb vape.
Source: https://craftyvape.org/
Design
Each of these devices takes a completely different approach to the overall design. The Crafty+ was made as a smaller version of the Mighty, so it has a focus of being more compact and easier to handle. However, true to the Storz & Bickel brand, the Crafty+ offers a tremendous amount of power, especially when you consider that it's meant to be smaller and easier to travel with.
However, the Crafty+ has a rather bulky, inelegant design (a common criticism of the overall brand), and this is a point where the Firefly 2+ shines. It makes use of its all-metal finish to provide a sleek, satisfying aesthetic, and its design is naturally more discreet than the Crafty+.
Good Design Award
The design philosophy behind Firefly vapes is so finely tuned that it won the prestigious Good Design Award in 2019. This award is given to products that "go above and beyond ordinary consumer product design." While this specific award was for our original Firefly vape, the Firefly 2+ takes that original design philosophy and adds some excellent performance updates.
Firefly was the only vape brand to win this award in 2019, which should give you an idea of how much thought was put into the aesthetic design. Considering that Firefly was founded by a former Apple product designer, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Firefly is laser focused on appealing, functional aesthetics.
Dry Herb and Cannabis Concentrates
If you're interested in a hybrid device that can handle both dry herbs and cannabis concentrates, you're in luck! Both the Firefly 2+ and the Crafty+ are designed with both substances in mind, and each brand has a reputation of handling concentrates very well.
With that said, overall flavor quality is not the same, and we'll touch a bit on that later in this article.
Ease of Use
Vapers will find that both the Firefly 2+ and the Crafty+ are easy to use. Both devices load easily, and both devices use a companion app to provide precision heating options. Neither device offers advanced features that would be challenging for a user to learn, so the majority of vapers will enjoy an easy experience with either device.
The Firefly 2+ uses touch sensors to activate heating on the device. While this is a great safety feature (it's almost impossible to accidentally turn it on), some users struggle to get used to touching sensors on each side of the device to fire. The vast majority of users quickly get used to this feature, but beginners to the device should keep it in mind when they first vape.
Cleaning
While the actual vaping portion for each device is pretty easy, cleaning the devices offers a very different take. The Firefly 2+ is very simple to clean. The metal top lid is easily removed, and a dry microfiber cloth (or an isopropyl alcohol wipe) is generally all you need to get your device clean and shiny.
The Crafty+ is far more challenging to clean. The entire device needs to be disassembled for cleaning, and each component needs to be carefully scrubbed. For certain components, you may need to soak them in a cleaning solution (like rubbing alcohol) to make sure the device is completely clean. For beginners, the cleaning process may feel a bit daunting.
If you find that you struggle to keep up with cleaning maintenance (or are intimidated by taking your device apart), then the cleaning requirements of the Crafty+ may be a deal-breaker for you.
Vapor Quality and Taste
The Firefly 2+ simply cannot be beaten in terms of overall flavor and vapor quality. Its unique dynamic convection technology, exceptional airflow, and borosilicate glass vapor path means that vapor is quickly produced, maintains authentic, rich flavor, and is consistently cool and smooth. The performance holds up regardless of if dry herbs or concentrates are being used.
The Crafty+ also offers great-tasting vapor and was one of the first brands to focus on quality vapor taste. It uses hybrid heating technology to produce a ton of vapor, and hits from the device are generally tasty and smooth. However, towards the end of your bowl, it's common to get harsher, hot hits (which results from the use of conduction heating technology).
Plastic Taste
Remember when we mentioned that build materials in a vape were important? Any dry herb vape that uses a large number of plastic components runs the risk of plastic flavor leaching into the vapor. While the Crafty+ seems to avoid this problem most of the time, there are still informal reports of users struggling to get rid of the plastic flavor.
You can usually get rid of the plastic taste by performing "burn-offs" (when the device is heated without any dry herbs inside). However, flavor chasers will want to keep this in mind when deciding which dry herb vape to purchase.
Manufacturing Quality
We mentioned earlier that one of the biggest criticisms of the Crafty+ is its plastic, bulky design. With that in mind, the rest of the device's build is excellent, and the Crafty+ has a solid reputation for long-lasting performance.
The Firefly 2+ has exceptional build quality, which is one of the primary factors for producing consistently great tasting vapor. The modern-looking build, magnetic bowl cover, and glass vapor path all come together to provide a satisfying visual appeal that produces fantastic results.
Portability
You may be surprised to hear that neither device is particularly portable. Both are fairly large and, compared to devices specifically designed for incognito travel or use, these devices seem bulky. If you want a powerful device that produces great-tasting vapor, you'll usually sacrifice a bit on the size of the device.
Having said that, when you compare the two, the Crafty+ is larger and bulkier than the Firefly 2+. As we said earlier, the Crafty+ was designed as a more portable alternative to the Mighty (which it is), but when compared to the Firefly 2+, it's still far less compact.
The Firefly 2+ will fit into the palm of some users' hands, and you'll find that it's noticeably trimmer than the Crafty+. Still, you'll need to keep in mind that neither of these devices has portability as a primary concern, which is common for high-end dry herb vapes.
Device Size
To give you a better idea of how their sizes differ, take a look at the specifications of each device:
Crafty+
- Height: 4.4in (11.1cm)
- Depth: 1.3in (3.2cm)
- Width: 2.3in (5.7cm)
- Weight: 5oz (141g)
Firefly 2+
- Height: 5.1in (13cm)
- Depth: 0.95in (2.4cm)
- Width: 1.4in (3.5cm)
- Weight: 4.9oz (140g)
Battery Life
Both devices have a fairly modest battery life, which will typically last around 45 minutes for each device. However, the Firefly 2+ has some significant advantages in its design that helps to extend single-session use.
You can remove and replace the battery in the Firefly 2+, which means, you can effectively double your vaping time by switching batteries. Over time, as batteries begin to fail, you can purchase replacement batteries without needing to purchase an all-new device.
The Crafty+ sports an internal battery, which means once it runs out of juice, you'll need to wait to charge it back up. You also won't have the option to replace the battery as its discharge time decreases with extended use.
Should you find yourself with either device and not enough charge to vape, both the Firefly 2+ and the Crafty+ support pass-through charging, so you can still enjoy a vape session while you have the device plugged in and charging!
Temperature Flexibility
While the Firefly 2+ and the Crafty+ offer some manual temperature adjustments on the device, each will require the companion app for access to more precise temperature settings. On the Firefly, you can manually adjust the temperature in 20 degree portions, while the Crafty+ allows access to three preset temperatures and the option to "boost" the heat for a big hit of vapor.
The Crafty+ supports vaping between 104-410F (40-210C), which is a wide range that will vaporize nearly all cannabinoids. The Firefly 2+ supports vaping between 200F-500F (93-260C), which allows it to vaporize all cannabinoids and allows it to provide a fantastic concentrated vaping experience.
The Crafty+ can also vaporize concentrates, but the low max temperature may be too low for seasoned concentrate enthusiasts.
Accessories
If you look at what comes with each device, the Crafty+ will give you a little more right out of the box. Inside the box, you'll get:
- Micro-USB charger
- Concentrate vaping pad
- Extra mesh screens
- Extra O-rings
- Cleaning brush
- Grinder
- Filling tool
With the Firefly 2+, you'll get:
- USB 3.0 Charger
- Charging dock
- Concentrate vaping pad
- 3 rubbing alcohol wipes
Some of the extras in the Crafty+ aren't compatible with the Firefly 2+ (for example, the Firefly 2+ doesn't use O-rings). The addition of the grinder and filling tool with the Crafty+ may appeal to beginner vapers who haven't already bought those companion accessories.
Price
There is a significant price difference between these two devices (which is one of the reasons the Crafty+ offers a more robust accessory offering). The Crafty+ will cost you €298 (about $346), while the Firefly 2+ is $249.95 (or about €214).
It may feel like you're getting more bang for your buck with the Crafty+, but you're essentially "pre-paying" for the extra accessories. Depending on what specific grinder and related accessories come with the Crafty+, you may be end up paying a premium for accessories you could have bought separately at a better price point.
Warranty
Finally, each device offers a two-year warranty, and Storz and Bickel will give you an extra year if you register the device with them. Aside from that, there isn't much difference between the warranty coverage provided for each device.
Conclusion
Both the Firefly 2+ and Crafty+ offer above-average dry herb vaping experiences. Let's look at a summary of their strengths and weaknesses.
Firefly 2+ Pros and Cons
- Superior vapor flavor
- Convection-only heating
- Higher build quality
- Higher max temperature for concentrates
- Easier cleaning
- Dual sensors can trip up beginners
Crafty+ Pros and Cons
- Excellent vapor flavor and production
- Larger heating chamber for dry herbs
- Hybrid convection and conduction heating
- Can be difficult to remove the plastic taste from new devices
- Bulkier and heavier design
- Complicated cleaning process
Which device is right for you will depend on your specific preferences and needs. We encourage you to take time to identify what you value most in a dry herb vaping device and then to choose the device that you think will be the best fit!
