Crafty vs Arizer Air Vaporizer Comparison and Review

The Crafty and the Arizer Air are both very popular units in the dry herb vaporizing community. Both of these units produce vapor via a hybrid of conduction and convection heating. Likewise, both of these units are hailed for excellent flavor and vapor production.

We will dig deeper into all of the aspects of these vaporizers, so you the consumer can decide which vaporizer offers the experience you want.

This Crafty vs Arizer Air comparison will be broken down into the following categories:

Ease of Use
Temperature Control
Vapor Quality and Efficiency
Pocketability and Discreteness
Battery Life
Warranty

Without further ado, let’s get into the Arizer Air vs Crafty showdown!

Ease of use

Both of these devices are relatively simple designs. However, these vaporizers do differ quite a bit in how you actually use both of them.

The Crafty

The Crafty is accompanied by a smartphone app for its temperature control. Likewise, the application also offers the PDF versions of the user’s manuals, and also lets you know how many hours your Crafty has been utilized for vaporization.

This information is great for giving you insight in how much you use your device.

Personally, I feel the Crafty app is a great companion to the vape, however that’s not to say everyone shares my opinion in that regard.

Some users would definitely prefer having tactile temperature adjustment options on the device. If you find yourself in that camp, you should also consider a Mighty which offers temperature control physically on the device.

With that said, the Crafty’s lack of temperature control on the device allows the unit to come in at a much smaller form factor as compared to its big brother, the Mighty.

The Crafty’s body is a nice shape and form, and I found it to fit really comfortably in my hand. The Crafty isn’t very heavy either, only coming in at 135 Grams.

The mouthpiece swivels out and back into place for storage and travel very easily and fluidly with a simple o-ring. The Crafty also has a stirring and packing tool, which is stored in the device for easy on the go use.

The unit also does need some regular maintenance to maintain maximum efficiency and flavor.

The extent of maintenance is just disassembling the cooling unit, giving it a thorough rinse with isopropyl alcohol and water afterwards. Running a q-tip with a little bit of alcohol also works wonders on keeping the oven from getting gummed up with repeated herb and concentrate use.

The Arizer Air

The Arizer Air offers 5 preset temperature settings which are adjusted right on the device like most vaporizers on the market. We’ll break down the temperature control later in the comparison.

While I have no qualms with the Crafty’s app for temperature control, it is just simpler and easier to control temperature on a device instead of pulling out your phone. Going along with that, if your phone has bluetooth connectivity problems, you may have issues adjusting the temperature of your device with the Crafty, an issue you won’t have with a vape like the Arizer Air.

Unlike most vaporizers, you don’t actually load your herb in the unit itself, but rather the glass mouthpiece. The glass mouthpiece has a built in glass screen in which you fill with ground herb. From there it is placed into the top of the unit which is the oven.

These stems can pose issues from a portability standpoint as if you leave the stem in the device it gives you the possibility of it snapping and breaking in your pocket or bag. And if you store them separately, it just adds more things you need to bring with you besides the vape and a grinder or a container with ground bud.

However, we’ll dive more into this issue during the pocketability and discreteness portion of this comparison and whether or not this is really an issue for you.

The stems are very easy to load; you can either pinch herbs into the glass chamber or you can suck the herbs up into the glass chamber like a straw. The latter method I found provided the best results as the Air doesn’t perform as well with super tight packs or very loose ones. This method allows you to find yourself in the goldilocks zone in between, which is just right from my experiences.

The Arizer Air has a very small and ergonomic design. Resembling a thick vape pen, it will feel very familiar to most people, and is comfortable for someone with either baby hands or gorilla hands.

The Arizer Air with the included all glass stem only weighs 126 grams, coming in lighter than the Crafty.

I found the cleaning process of the Air to be a lot more simpler and quicker than the Crafty as well. There is no disassembly required to clean the Air; all you need to do is simply soak the stems in isopropyl alcohol, rinse, and enjoy.

No need to take apart anything at all – a very quick and painless process for anyone to do.

The Winner of the Ease of Use Category?

I would give it to the Arizer Air for general Ease of Use. It’s much simpler to maintain, temperatures are much easier to alter, and the separate stems aren’t that much of a hassle in reality.

Temperature Control

As we have already established earlier, both of these devices have very different methods of controlling and displaying temperature.

The Crafty

The Crafty only offers two temperature settings in which you can change on the fly without your phone. However, via the app you can adjust these temperatures to your preference.

The Crafty offers a full temperature spectrum up to a maximum temperature of 410°F. If you end up just sticking to two temperatures, you won’t need to access the smartphone app for much. However, it’s always good to slightly adjust the temperature for different flowers and concentrates.

The first temperature you can set is the default temperature the device will heat up to upon being powered on.

Secondly, we have the “Boost” temperature. This temperature can be set in the app, and is activated by tapping the power button 2 times.

The Arizer Air

The Arizer Air offers its users 5 preset temperatures:

Level 1 (Blue) – 180°C / 356°F
Level 2 (White) – 190°C / 374°F
Level 3 (Green) – 200°C / 392°F
Level 4 (Orange) – 205°C / 401°F
Level 5 (Red) – 210°C / 410°F

This is a great spectrum and covers most of the temperatures people would want in a vaporizer.

The Arizer Air has two LED’s. One will display the color of the temperature level you selected and the other will flash blue to signal heating up, and go solid blue to signal you are ready to use the device.

The Winner?

I would have to give the winner of this category to the Crafty. While it only offers two temperatures on the fly, it does allow you to choose from the full temperature spectrum for your two preferred temperatures.

With that being said, if you prefer a more tactile temperature adjustment and don’t feel like messing around with an app at all, the Arizer Air would be superior from an ease of use standpoint.

Vapor Quality and Efficiency

In this category, we’re going to break down how smooth and flavorful the vapor from these devices is and how efficiently they use your materials.

The Crafty

The Crafty offers some of the most consistent vapor I have experienced from a dry herb vaporizer. From start to finish you will produce large flavorful clouds with a full oven.

The Crafty also utilizes a proprietary cooling solution, unique to only itself and the Mighty.

The Crafty utilizes various channels and chambers in the cooling unit, which allows the vapor time to cool down before it gets to you.

I found 360°F to deliver very superb flavor.

Likewise, you can even crank the temperature up to 410°F and produce monstrous clouds while still being easy on the throat for even an asthmatic like myself.

The lack of any draw resistance makes the device very easy to draw from.

Also, the Crafty is one of the most efficient vaporizers I have used. I can load roughly .2.-3 of shredded material into the oven. Or if you do not wish to pack as much, you can pack roughly .1 of shredded flower, and use the concentrate disc to fill the rest of the space in the oven.

This allows you to use smaller amounts to achieve the same great results. Just remember the sessions obviously won’t last as long!

I found it necessary to stir the load at least once or twice with the included orange stir tool for optimal vaporization.

As a concentrate connoisseur, I found the Crafty to deliver the tastiest concentrate vapor I have experienced only second to the Firefly 2! The Crafty allows its users to enjoy their concentrates with the included concentrate pad.

It would be wise to replace these every now and again as it does begin to leave a residual taste on the pad after excessive use.

The Arizer Air

The Arizer Air also offers very smooth vapor, however not quite like the Crafty.

The glass stems provide great flavor, but the glass screens that are built into the stems leaves something to be desired in my opinion. Even with a coarse grind, smaller particulates will find their way through the holes into your stem or your throat.

When the particles find their way into my throat I begin to cough a lot, however this is easily remedied by cutting down a standard metal pipe screen and placing it over the glass screen (see below). This prevents any particulates from being pulled into the mouthpiece or your throat.

The Air is also very efficient, just like the Crafty. I found on average I could pack .2 into the glass stems, and I did not need to stir them at all. It’s good practice to stir with any vape, but it’s not necessary with the Air in my experience.

I loved seshing on the first two temperature settings and finishing up on temperature 3. I found the last two temperatures to be a bit too harsh for my liking.

However, with that said, the Arizer Air with the black tipped mouthpiece will natively fit and seal a 14mm Female joint. I found the last two temperatures to be very enjoyable when filtered through water, just be mindful of the massive draw restriction the Air has. The Draw resistance can alter how certain water pipes function, and can also pose issues for people who have respiratory issues who can’t pull hard on the mouthpiece let alone a water pipe.

It’s not that big of an issue, but it’s caught a couple comments from friends I’ve introduced it to.

I found the flavor of the first two temperature settings to be outstanding, with the third being great at first but quickly degrading to the stereotypical burnt popcorn flavor. I preferred working my way up the first three temperature settings for best flavor and effect.

The Winner of the Vapor Quality and Efficiency Category?

For vapor quality and efficiency overall, I would say the Crafty is superior in this department. Without any extra screens or draw resistance, the Crafty offers some of the smoothest vapor I have used in a portable.

Pocketability and Discreteness

The pocketability and discreteness category discusses how easy the device is to fit in your pocket, and how discrete its use is on the go.

The Crafty

Unlike its sibling the Mighty, the Crafty comes in at a much smaller form factor. The lack of any tactile temperature adjustment control and temperature displays, as well as lacking the second battery, allowed Storz and Bickel to bring us this device in a very pocketable form factor.

The Crafty easily fits into the pocket, and can easily be transported.

The Crafty fits well in the hand and someone with larger hands than I would have an easier time concealing this unit in the hand for public use.

Crafty (top) and Mighty (bottom)

I definitely wouldn’t say the Crafty is the most discrete vaporizer on the market. Personally, I would rather find a place out of sight and out of mind before starting a session with the Crafty in public.

The Arizer Air

Resembling many pen style vaporizers, the Arizer Air has a very portable design. Typically on the go I found myself using the shorter stem with the black mouthpiece as I found it resembled an e-cigarette slightly more than the all glass mouthpiece.

Especially with long sleeves, I found the Air much easier to conceal than the Crafty while I was using them on the go.

However, you do have to be mindful of the glass stems when transporting the unit. If your pants are excessively tight, or if you throw it in a cluttered bag, I could see the stem breaking if you are not careful.

Best practice is to store them separately if possible. With that said, I do walk around with the stem installed into the unit, however I am very mindful of it my pocket when I’m walking about so I do not snap the stem.

The Winner of the Portability Category?

Overall, I would say they’re 1 to 1 with each other on this category.

I found the Crafty easier to transport, however during on the go use I found the Air to be much more discreet and much easier to conceal.

The Crafty can be very discrete as well (most people won’t even know what it is), however if you live in an area of the world that isn’t cannabis friendly, it may set off a red flag to a nosy bystander.

Same can be said for the Air if you don’t conceal it properly. The glass stem does look a bit odd and can set off some red flags especially if its dirty.

For pocketability and discreteness, I would say they are about equal.

Battery Life

The Battery Life category goes over how long the battery lasts, and the overall charging system.

The Crafty

This is my biggest gripe with the Crafty.

I was averaging around an hour of usage before I had to recharge my Crafty, and then it takes about 2 hours for the device to be fully charged from empty.

The battery life isn’t the best, but it does offer pass through charging which does help it redeem itself a bit in this department. However, that really does not help users on the go.

The Crafty is charged with an included Micro USB cable and wall plug.

The Arizer Air

The Air shares a similar battery life to the Crafty. I get about an hour to an hour and half of usage depending at what temperature I vape at.

When I stick to the first two settings, I found my battery life to stretch around the hour and a half mark give or take. With average usage you should expect about an hour of charge.

Like the Crafty, the unit takes about 2 hours to fully recharge and also offers pass through charging.

However, unlike the Crafty, you can remove the batteries with the Air and replace them with a fresh set. The Air uses standard 18650 batteries, and you can even pick up a couple extras and an external charger so you have a few for on the go.

This is great for people who need to spend 4+ hours away from home and need a device that gives them multiple sessions during a long day of work, a camping trip, or a nice long walk or hike.

The Winner of the Battery Life Category?

Hands down, the winner is the Arizer Air. The ability to charge up multiple 18650 batteries allows for the users to have almost limitless battery life if they choose to do so.

Warranty

This section briefly breaks down the warranty of both units.

The Crafty

The Crafty has a 2 year warranty on defective units.

The Crafty anecdotally seems to have a higher defect rate with heavy usage, and while this isn’t something I or other users I know have experiences with, it’s something I’ve seen pop up in the community a lot that I feel the need to mention to potential buyers.

The Arizer Air

This unit offers its users a lifetime warranty on the heating element, and a limited two year warranty covering defects in the materials or workmanship. Please note that the batteries and glass are not covered by the warranty.

The Air is definitely a more reliable unit. Far less users have reported needing to send this unit in for repair or replacement as compared to the Crafty.

Who has the Best Warranty?

I would hand it to the Air. While they both relatively have the same warranty, the Arizer Air does offer better reliability than the Crafty in the devices construction and workmanship, especially with heavy consistent usage.

Price

This is where the two units differ significantly.

Currently, the Crafty is about twice as much as the Arizer Air. The Crafty comes in at $339, whereas the Arizer Air is currently going for only $169.95.

Conclusion – Which Vape is Right for You, The Crafty or the Arizer Air?

It really comes down to a few things in my opinion. How much you are willing to spend, do you need extra battery life, and is superior vapor quality important to you?

The Crafty offers A+ flavor and vapor production in a portable form factor. It is not as easy to conceal for public use, so I would recommend this portable for someone who is not vaping in the public eye or someone looking for a portable home or car unit.

The lack of replaceable batteries also limits the Crafty’s range of use on the go if you are away from home or your car for extended periods of time.

Also at the time of writing this, the Crafty is significantly more expensive, coming in at twice the price of the Air.

On the other hand, the Arizer Air compared to the Crafty offers B+ flavor and vapor quality (but still very good nonetheless).

I also found the design much easier to conceal in public, and the replaceable batteries make this a great option for someone on the go or someone who loves the outdoors but would rather not use a butane vape for extended periods away from home or electricity.

Your Arizer Air can also typically be found for much cheaper than the Crafty.

These are points to consider when deciding between these two vapes, and it is important to note that objectively speaking none of these vaporizers overall are better than each other! They both have their pros and cons.

I hope this comparison helps you use your own judgement when deciding what is right for you personally!