PAX 2 vs. Crafty Vaporizer Review
So you have about $300 to spend on a portable herb vaporizer and you’re wondering “Which is better for me, the PAX2 or the Crafty vaporizer?”. Congratulations! You have a fun decision to make because really, either way, you will have chosen wisely. We are talking about the crème de la crème of portable vapes here!
I’m going to give you my thoughts on each after using them both for about 6 weeks interchangeably. Of course there will be raw data sprinkled in the mix for you data hounds. If I miss something, leave a comment or give us a call.
My husband and I are both moderate herb vapers and we really enjoyed using and getting to know each of these devices. The PAX 2 vaporizer quickly became our favorite to take to friends houses as it is a crowd pleaser. Who doesn’t love a shiny gadget that gets you high? One of my friends even snuggled it to sleep and woke up still holding it to his chest. We had to pry it away from him, it was love at first use.
The Crafty vaporizer is a great daily driver as it will take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. It’s perfect for rough and tumble types who like quality, big vapor hits. The air flow on the Crafty is second to none and makes it perfect for those wanting a no-nonsense portable vape that has very accurate temperature control and perfectly vaped materials every time.
Session Time / Battery Life
How long does the battery last on the Crafty vs. PAX2?
For our purposes let’s say one session is one full chamber’s worth of medium-ground herb. The amount of draws in each session can vary greatly based on the type of herb used, temp setting, and draw strength.
PAX2 - a non-replaceable internal battery lasts about 70-90 minutes or about 4-6 session between charges. Depending on temperature setting you can get about 10-20 draws per session. Charge level is indicated by how many petals are lit.
Crafty - an internal lithium-ion battery lasts about 30-40 minutes of continuous use or about 3-4 sessions. You can use the Crafty while charging if the battery level has not dipped below the 20% range (again, that App is your BFF), and you will be recharged in a bout 2 hours.
As with most of the portable dry herb vapes out on the market, the battery life is nothing compared to the more efficient vape pens for wax and obviously desktop vaporizers. So don’t expect to be able to take these bad boys out overnight and sip and sip and sip and share and share and share and be able to enjoy without charging it by sunrise. I recommend picking up a backup battery charger to keep these vapes full of the go juice needed for all day or all night use.
Ease of Use
1. Maintenance
ISO alcohol is the tidy stoners nectar of the Ganja Gods. Use 91% or higher if you can find it, if you can’t find any local we carry 99% ISO.
PAX - Easy to clean with the cleaning kit provided. You will want to use the included pipe cleaners after a few sessions to clear out the air path and the mouthpieces and screens will need a soak in ISO here and there. Replacement screens, mouthpieces, pipe cleaners and other PAX accessories are available.
Crafty - Be sure to clean your O-rings with ISO and use the included brush between session fillings. Using the brush on the top screen of the Crafty Cooling Unit while the unit is still warm is highly recommended. Make this a part of your filling ritual.
Replacement parts and accessories for the Crafty vaporizer are available on our site. We recommend picking up extra screens to have on hand just in case some get too bent out of shape after use.
2. Filling/Chamber
PAX2 - filling the chamber consisted of pinching my fingers and carefully placing the ground up goodness into the chamber. Unless you get a fancy herb fill tool for it, I suggest making a little funnel to keep herbs from falling out around the PAX2 while filling. PAX 2 chamber fits about .4 grams if using a very fine grind, or .25 grams of herb if using a regular/medium grind.
Crafty - hands down is the most fun to fill because of the included slick fill tool. You can pre-grind your herbs with the included grinder and keep them stashed in the Crafty fill tool. The Crafty chamber fits .3 grams max of finely ground herbs, .2 grams is recommended.
Temperature Control
PAX2
PAX 2 is a conduction style vaporizer with a temperature range of 360 - 420 F.
Heat up time: under one minute and the flower glows green when it is ready.
Settings/Control:
A four petaled flower indicates heat setting and readiness. Push down on the top mouthpiece part to turn on the device. Push and hold down this mouthpiece part for about 2 seconds to enter the heat setting selection mode. Keep clicking mouthpiece area down to run through settings, you can then shake the device to accept desired heat setting. Yes, shake it! This baby has motion in the ocean sensors!
An internal sensor can also tell when you are drawing and will auto-control heat output based on lip and motion sensing technology. It also can tell when in use for battery saving auto-shut off feature.
The 4 preset heat settings are indicated by the lights on the flower petals.
One Petal: 360ºF (182ºC)
Two Petals: 380ºF (193ºC)
Three Petals: 400ºF (204ºC)
Four Petals: 420ºF (216ºC)
Crafty
Crafty is a hybrid conduction/convection vaporizer with a temperature range of 104-410 F.
Heat up time: about 90 seconds
Settings/Control:
A simple one push of the bright orange button turns on the Crafty and when it has reached the selected temperature it will vibrate. It reminds me of those vibrators they give you when waiting for a table, and equally if not more exciting.
If you want very precise control over your temperature settings, go with the Crafty. The Crafty App works on most Android/iPhone devices and you can select temperature, vibration, LED settings, along with other device analytics.
Durability
PAX 2 - One things to note with the PAX 2 relating to durability is the Oven Lid, the part that covers the herb chamber, it can easily swivel back and forth on a magnet. Which is a cool design feature, but it has been known to pop off if given a hard fall to the ground. So be careful as spilled herbs are not happy herbs.
Putting it in a pocket is safe. I did have one instance where I had it laying sideways in a side pocket of my purse, and all the other crap in my purse pushed in the oven lid so some herbs did spill out. If you keep it upright in a purse this is easily avoided. This was also fresh out of the gate after a cleaning, the oven lid doesn't swivel as easily once theres some sticky goodness keeping it closed.
Crafty - Probably one of the most durable vapes on the market. It would be hard to break this one. The lid, or cooling unit, can get dunked up after a few uses especially if sticky herb is being used. But simply brushing the screens out after each use will maximize time between cleaning.
Look and Feel
PAX2 - a sleek high tech gadget that has been mistaken for a backup battery charger. A four leafed flower provides you all the information you need to know about temperature setting, heat up status, battery life and more. I say more because the PAX2 even has fun hidden features!
Weight: about .2 lbs
Dims: 3.8” x 1.2” x .09”.
Crafty - built more bulky like a walkie talkie and can survive a tumble or a thousand. It can fit in a back pocket but it’s big enough to notice it’s presence.
Weight: around .3 lbs
Dims: 4.3” x 2.2” x 1.3”
Versatility of Material
Can the PAX2 vape wax?
PAX2 is for good ‘ol fashioned flowers only. Do not try to put wax in the PAX2 as it will become a runny mess all over the device. Trust us. If you need the versatility of both herbs and wax, go with the Crafty.
Crafty wins on versatility as you can use it with both herbs and extracts. A liquid pad is included in the package so you are able to enjoy it with extracts from day one.
Portability
How portable is the Craft vs PAX2?
PAX2 - The super sleek and slim design fits in the palms of most hands and in the pockets of most pants, making the PAX2 session a very discreet experience. The battery lasts a bit longer than the Crafty so the portability factor is probably just a tad stronger for the PAX2.
Crafty - Very portable. No worries of lids falling off if in the hands of clumsy people. Not as discreet as most hands do not hide the device and will be noticeable in a pocket.
Flavor / Hit Quality
What has better vapor quality, PAX2 or Crafty vaporizers?
Both options have the best flavor and hit quality of any other portable vapes in my opinion. Each of them have a significant vapor products compared to most other vapes on the market right now. Some would argue this isn’t necessarily a major selling point as some people prefer a lighter, less vapor filled hit. But if you do enjoy big vapor clouds, either one of these devices will not disappoint.
PAX2 on Level 3 temp setting with a sticky, moist Super Sour OG herb got 7 big rips before popcorn taste.
Crafty has the most free flow of air through the device of any portable and it results in very even vaporization and very tasty, big hits.
Price / Warranty
PAX 2 Vaporizer retails for $279.99 and has a 10 year warranty. This warranty is one of the best you will find from any other portable vape out there.
Crafty Vaporizer retails for $339.99 and has a 2 year warranty handled by the manufacturer Storz & Bickel.