Firefly 2 vs Crafty Portable Vaporizer Review and Comparison

The Firefly 2 and the Crafty are both my top picks for high end portable vaporizers. Both of these units do vary quite a bit, and they are both similar in some ways.

These two units are at the top of ladder for a reason; both the Firefly 2 and the Crafty have some of the most outstanding vapor quality out of any vaporizer in general, and both are coming in at pretty small form factors.

In this comparison, we’re going to break down these two high end vaporizers so you can decide which is better for you. The comparison will be broken down into the following categories:

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

With that said, lets get into this Firefly 2 vs Crafty vaporizer comparison!

Crafty and Firefly 2

Ease of Use

The Firefly 2 and the Crafty are both very simple devices to operate. The devices themselves don’t have much going on in terms of control and operation, and they are both accompanied by smartphone applications for temperature control.

This section is going to break down the overall ease of use for both of these vaporizers.

Ease of use with the Firefly 2

The Firefly 2 is paired with a smartphone application like the Crafty. From the app, you can adjust your heating profile, adjust which touch capacitive button activates the heater, and see your battery level.

The app is overall very clean and intuitive. I do occasionally have issues getting my Firefly 2 to be recognized by the app – if your phone’s Bluetooth itself is spotty this could pose issues when you are wanting to adjust your heating profile.

Closing the app out and reopening it has remedied the issue every time so far when it couldn’t pair with the Firefly 2 though.

Personally, I wish I had the option to use the touch capacitive buttons in some way to cycle through the heating profiles instead of having to pull out my phone, but it’s not that big of a deal to me.

Firefly 2 Smartphone App

When preparing the Firefly 2, you don’t really have to do anything special to your material whether it be ground herb or concentrate. For flower, the grind from a normal 4 piece grinder is all you need to achieve good extraction with the Firefly 2.

Likewise, a small amount of concentrate is all you need. Simply load it onto the concentrate pad, and from there load it in the oven. You can vape concentrate at any of the heating profiles, but for best results go for the concentrate heat profile.

Without going too much into vapor quality (we cover that later), the unit is very picky in how long and fast you draw since this a true convection vaporizer. We’re going to go into this deeper in the vapor quality and efficiency section, however from a ease of use standpoint, it takes a bit for someone new to the Firefly 2 or vaping in general to truly grasp how to get good results with the unit.

Definitely not a pick up and get amazing results the first time type of vape, unless you’re an experienced vaporist.

While you are using the Firefly 2, it does require you to stir ovens that are loaded with ground herb. If you do not stir your ovens at least once, the material will come out unevenly vaporized. I typically just use my finger to stir the oven as it doesn’t get hot, and the vapor path gives you a good amount of surface area to mix up the material without dropping ground material all over the floor.

Firefly 2 Dirty Vapor Path

Regular maintenance with the Firefly 2 is a breeze. A simple wipe down with some kind of cloth damped in isopropyl alcohol is all you need to clean this vaporizer in under 30 seconds.

If you don’t stay on top of cleaning it, the process can take longer as the buildup is harder to wipe off, but if you clean it every 5-10 ovens the unit stays pristine.

Ease of use with the Crafty

As we established earlier, the Crafty is also accompanied by a smartphone app for its temperature control and battery life. Also, the app lets you know how many hours your unit has been in operation; this is great for keeping track of how much you actually use your unit and is a good reference to understanding why your battery has maybe diminished since it was new for example.

Crafty Smartphone app

Unlike the Crafty’s big brother the Mighty, the Crafty does not have any tactile temperature adjustment and temperature display, which allows this unit to come in at a smaller size.

All the device has on it is a simple LED light on the front, and an orange power button which is used for powering the unit on and going into the “Boost” temperature setting.

Crafty Power Button

The Crafty also works well with a normal grind consistency from a 4 piece grinder. You can get even better vapor production with a fine grind, but it is not necessary for good results in my experience.

Stirring isn’t necessarily required, but it can bring a pack back to life. The included stir tool is handy for stirring and packing on the go or at home.

You don’t need to do anything special when drawing from the unit either. The best results and most potent hits are definitely from slow and long draws, but shorter fast draws also yield good results as well for someone who doesn’t have the lung capacity to draw a lot of air through a vape for an extended period of time.

Crafty Cooling Unit

As for cleaning, to be honest, I hate cleaning the cooling units of my Crafty and Mighty.

It’s just a lot of work disassembling the whole cooling unit, cleaning the o-rings, cleaning or replacing the screen, and I dread soaking and q-tipping the actual cooling units themselves. Compared to the Firefly 2, the process of cleaning and maintaining the unit is much more of a hassle and you really have to dedicate a portion of your day to doing it.

While you don’t have to clean it that often, it’s still not something I look forward to doing, ever.

Craftys Cooling Unit Exposed

Which vape is the easiest to use?

Both of these units are really simple and easy to use, but they differ in this area in two ways:

The Firefly 2 takes some practice getting the hang of drawing enough air through the unit to vaporize your material. The Crafty on the other hand, in my opinion, is a chore to clean.

In the end, I would personally hand this win to the Firefly 2. While it takes a bit to get the hang of it, the unit’s operation and maintenance as a whole is very simple and easy.

The Crafty and the Firefly 2 almost tied for ease of use, but in the end the Crafty’s long and tedious cleaning process held it back from tying with the Firefly 2.

Temperature Control

Both of these units temperatures are controlled by their respective smartphones apps, however they do differ a little bit in this regard.

Temperature Control with the Firefly 2

The Firefly 2 has no way of adjusting the temperature on the fly without the use of your phone.

Firefly 2 Temperature Control via Smartphone App

From the smartphone app, you have the ability of cycling through 5 different heat profiles for dry herb, and 1 for concentrates. The heat profiles are as follows.

  • Low – 340°F
  • Medium Low – 360°F
  • Medium – 380°F
  • Medium High – 400°F
  • High – 420°F
  • Concentrate – 500°F

While you don’t have the ability to finely adjust how hot you’re vaping at, this spectrum covers most of the areas you would want to vape at anyway.

Temperature Control with the Crafty

Unlike the Firefly 2, the Crafty offers two settings in which you can switch between on the fly without your phone, and these can be set in the app. You can set both your default heat setting as well as the “boost” temperature (and alter them whenever you want).

Crafty Temperature Control From Application

Along with setting the default and boost temperatures, you can use the app to access the rest of the temperature spectrum.

To activate the boost temperature, you simply press and hold the power button after the unit is on, and wait for it heat up.

I like being able to finely adjust my temperature to my preference, and I am not alone on that stance. Most people like to be able to adjust the temperature of their vape freely rather than be limited to presets.

Who has the best temperature control?

I would give it to the Crafty. With the Crafty, you can set your temperature and then a boost temperature and not have to worry about the app if you don’t want to.

The app is always there if you want to go to a different temperature that isn’t preset, but if you only vape at a couple temperatures anyways, you will rarely have to mess with the app.

Vapor Quality and Efficiency

Both of these units have outstanding vapor quality, however they both vaporize your material differently.

The Firefly 2 is a 100% convection heating vaporizer, and the Crafty is using a hybrid of conduction and convection heating to achieve its results.

This section is going to compare the two units vapor quality and efficiency with both dry herbs and concentrates.

Vapor Quality and Efficiency of the Firefly 2

The Firefly 2 offers the best vapor quality out of any portable vaporizer I have had the pleasure of using. This unit utilizes 100% convection heating, and its small oven size allows for you get a tasty experience every hit.

The Firefly 2’s vapor never tastes stale or burnt unless my material tasted that way to begin with.

Firefly 2 and High Quality Dried Cannabis Flowers

It has hard for some people to grasp why they don’t get good results with the Firefly 2 at first. I believe this is because people are not used to convection vaporizers and the difference between them and conduction units.

What the Firefly 2 is doing is heating the air in which you draw over the heater, and then drawing that hot air over your herb or concentrate, which then vaporizes the oils you’re after. This can take some getting used to, especially if you are coming from something like the Haze v3 where you really don’t have to put much thought into how you draw from it.

Also, this is an on-demand heating vape. This is part of the reason why the Firefly 2’s vapor is so consistent and flavorful. The unit is only heating your material when you engage the heater. What this means is that you are not losing any volatile compounds like terpenes like you would with traditional conduction units.

I really liked the vapor from the Medium heating profile up to the High heating profile for dry herbs. The 380°F-420°F temperature range on this device is outstanding.

Even at the High heating profile, the vapor is very flavorful, smooth and potent. Typically I want water filtration when I vape over 400°F, but the Firefly 2 is not one of those cases.

I found the the Firefly 2 to be one of the most efficient vaporizers in my collection next to the VapeXhale Cloud EVO (a desktop vape). The Firefly 2 at the high temperature will fully extract your material. You only need to load roughly .1 of coarsely ground flower to achieve great results with it.

Firefly 2 Oven Loaded with High Quality Dired Cannabis Flowers

I found it necessary to stir the Firefly 2 once or twice a bowl on average.

As for concentrates, the concentrate vapor I have experienced from this device is the best, period. I love concentrates, and this is the best way to appreciate all the flavors and effects from my favorite oils. I’ve noticed so many different flavors that I have never experienced before I used the Firefly 2.

Firefly 2 Concentrate Pad Loaded with High Quality Butane Hash Oil Concentrate

Vapor Quality and Efficiency of the Crafty

The Crafty overall offers a really consistent vaping experience for a vaporizer that isn’t 100% convection heating, and it has such a large oven size compared to the Firefly 2.

From start to finish, the experience is very flavorful and vapor production is really consistent throughout the session.

Crafty, Cannabis Flowers, and Hashish

The Crafty heats your herb from the sides of the oven, and also from the air you draw from below the oven. This creates an overall easy and simple vaping experience and is great for beginners and experts alike. Anyone can pick up the Crafty and get good vapor hits from the get go.

It’s also worth mentioning that this is a session style vape as well, meaning the oven is always on and always vaporizing your material, even when you are not hitting it.

The Crafty is utilizing a proprietary cooling method that only itself and the Mighty are taking advantage of. The Crafty’s cooling unit takes the vapor through various channels and chambers that allows the vapor time to cool down before reaching you.

I found 360°F-380°F delivered some of the tastiest and enjoyable vapor I have experienced in any vaporizer in general. Simply draw air from the mouthpiece and you will quickly feel your lungs fill with the delicious and potent vapor this unit produces. You don’t need to do anything special, anyone can pick this vape up and achieve great immediate results.

This unit is also pretty efficient, but not quite as efficient as the Firefly 2. I found myself needing .2-.3 grams of shredded material to fully load the Crafty’s oven.

You can get away with loading smaller amounts if you use the included concentrate disc to fill the remaining space in the oven. The results when using smaller amounts and the concentrate pad are more or less the same, however the sessions do not last as long, and the clouds aren’t as large or visible compared to loading the Crafty full of herb.

Crafted Loaded with Dry Herb

Stirring the load at least once yielded the best vaporization in my experience, but you can get away without doing it if you do not wish to do so.

Crafty Packing Tool

Like the Firefly 2, the Crafty delivers some of the tastiest concentrate vapor I have experienced in general.

The Crafty does a great job at properly vaporizing small and large amounts of concentrate with the included concentrate pad. In my experience, 410°F has been the best with concentrates.

Crafty Loaded with Concentrate

Who has superior vapor quality and efficiency?

The Firefly 2 has the upper hand in this department. True convection heating offers the best vapor quality I have experienced in a portable, and the unit efficiently uses small amounts of herb, which saves you money in the long run.

Pocketability and Discreteness

The pocketability and discreteness category will go over how easy these units are to transport on the go and how discrete their designs are for public use.

Pocketability and Discreteness of the Firefly 2

Firefly 2 in Hand

The Firefly 2 is 55% lighter and 33% lighter than the original Firefly. Its small and sleek design fits very comfortably in the hand, pocket, or a bag. A very simple and painless device to transport.

Firefly 2 Ergonomics

The device is pretty obscure for public use – to the ignorant eye I am not even sure what you would think the Firefly 2 is. With that said, the unit is pretty easy to obscure with your hand depending on how you hold it.

Pocketability and Discreteness of the Crafty

Crafty in hand

Unlike the Mighty, the Crafty is coming at a much smaller size and this makes it a much better option for on the go than its sibling. The design is very pocketable and fits well in any pocket or bag. It’s not any larger than it has to be and was very thoughtfully designed and crafted.

Crafty ergonomics

I definitely wouldn’t say this is the most discrete vaporizer for public use, but it does kind of resemble a box mod, and most people wouldn’t know what it is anyways.

Personally, I prefer to use the Crafty away from the public eye, but you can definitely get away using it out and about during the day.

Which vape is more portable and discrete?

I would call it a tie. Both designs fit well in the hand, are easily transported in your pocket or bag, and are both pretty obscure designs for public use.

Battery Life and Charging

The battery life section of this comparison is going to compare how long each battery lasts, how they are charged and if they are replaceable.

The Firefly 2’s Battery

Depending on what heat profile you prefer, I found myself getting anywhere from 5-8 bowls per battery. The higher heat profiles will deplete your battery faster, and the lower profiles will preserve your charge.

Firefly 2 Battery

The Firefly 2 also comes with an extra 7.4V Lithium-Ion battery that you can replace yourself. If your battery begins to not last as long over a few months of use, you can replace it with a fresh battery yourself without having to send it in for servicing which vapes like the Crafty and the PAX 2 force users to do.

Likewise, if you get the external charger for the batteries, you can charge up multiple batteries for a long trip or for whatever reason really. The fact of the matter is that the batteries are replaceable, and this gives the end user more control and flexibility with their device.

I’m not a fan of the dock charging, but it does charge super fast. You have most of your battery available after only sitting on the charger for 20 minutes, and after another 20 it should be fully charged.

At a total charge time of about 40 minutes, the Firefly 2 is a super fast charging vape!

Firefly 2 Charging Dock and Charging Pins

The Crafty’s Battery

I get an average battery life of 1 hour, which equals about 2-4 ovens. The Crafty also takes about 2 hours to become fully charged, and it doesn’t offer pass through charging either.

The Crafty uses a standard micro-usb cable to charge instead of a dock like the Firefly 2.

Crafty Charging

Unlike the Firefly 2 also, the Crafty does not have user replaceable batteries. If you wish to replace your batteries after they begin to degrade, you are forced into sending your Crafty in for servicing from Storz and Bickel.

Who wins the battery category?

The Firefly 2 definitely wins here. It has superior battery life, is fast charging, and has user replaceable batteries, which makes this a great option for people on the go all day.

Warranty

This section will briefly go over the warranties on each of these units.

The Firefly 2’s Warranty

The Firefly 2 offers a 2 year warranty on factory defects and and flaws in the devices workmanship.

The Crafty’s Warranty

The Crafty has a 2 year warranty on defects and flaws in the devices workmanship. To my knowledge, batteries are not covered under the warranty.

Who has the best Warranty?

Both units pretty much have the same warranty – they are both covered for two years.

The Firefly 2 does offer user replaceable batteries which is good from a servicing standpoint, but for warranties alone, I would call it a tie for this one.

Conclusion: Which vape is the best for you, the Firefly 2 or the Crafty?

For me it comes down to this: are you looking for a session style vape or an on-demand vape?

The Crafty would be much better for someone who is going to be using this with friends, or someone with a high tolerance.  If you know you’re going to want to dedicate 8-12 minutes every time to have a session, the Crafty should probably be your choice.

>>Click Here to Buy the Crafty<<

Crafty App

The Firefly 2 would be great for someone with a low tolerance, a connoisseur who likes to appreciate high quality flowers and concentrates, a busy person who doesn’t have much time to dedicate to a session, or even someone who wants user replaceable batteries and an overall easier device to maintain and clean.

>>Click Here to buy the Firefly 2<<

Firefly 2 New Yorker Hotel

You can’t go wrong with either in my opinion. They’re both outstanding devices that are always in my daily rotation for a reason.

Both of these vapes delivers potent and tasty vapor, but I tend to use my Firefly 2 by myself, and I find the Crafty being used more with my friends or when I want to vape a larger amount at once.

Regardless which option you choose, you’ll find yourself in the clouds with us here at Paint The Moon!

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