Today we’ve got a heavyweight showdown with the DaVinci IQ going up against the Crafty by Storz and Bickel. The Crafty has long been considered to be one of the best portable vaporizers on the market, and the IQ has quickly risen to similar prominence. We know they’re both good, but today we want to find out which one wins in a head to head matchup comparing the two on things like vapor quality, battery life, and temperature flexibility. Let’s get to it…
The vapor produced by the DaVinci IQ is very flavourful and strong. While you may be tempted to assume that the conduction style heating means the vapor won’t taste great, you’d be wrong.
The ceramic zirconia vapor pathway probably helps with this. Another thing that really helps the IQ’s vapor production is the many heating styles. They really help you customize your experience to get the best vapor possible.
The Crafty Plus also defies traditional standards and expectations. Plastic is typically viewed as a curse on overall vapor quality and flavour, but the Crafty has a ton of it and still manages to deliver some of the best vapor you’re going to find from a portable. It’s smooth, flavourful, and you can get a ton of it.
The other main difference is that the Crafty uses convection heating, which heats your herbs with hot air, like cooking in an oven. The IQ on the other hand utilizes conduction heating which is more akin to cooking on skillet.
While the flavour of the IQ is probably the best we’ve tasted for a conduction unit, it still can’t beat the pure flavour of a convection vaporizer like the Crafty.
Manufacturing Quality
The IQ is an extremely well made device. From the vapor pathway to the heating styles and the removable battery, there is so much to like about this.
It performs excellently and even comes with a 10 year warranty. Few vaporizers will top the IQ on manufacturing quality, but the Crafty is one of them.
The Crafty wins this category, despite all the aforementioned plastic. If you didn’t know, it’s made by Storz and Bickel. This is the same company behind the king of all vaporizers, the Volcano Hybrid.
They put a ton of engineering into all of their vaporizers, and the proof is in the results. Every single one of their vaporizers are among the best made of all time.
Once again the convection heating technology in the Crafty cannot be touched by the basic conduction technology in the IQ.
Ease of Use
The IQ can be used on its own or with its app similar to the Firefly 2+. There are a lot of great heating modes and styles, but it can take some time getting used to them. Overall, this is a pretty easy device to use but there is one thing we would change.
DaVinci opted to not use a digital display, but instead a light grid display and while this style display looks flashy, it is actually quite difficult to read in bright lighting.
The Crafty also has an app that you can use to unlock extra functionality. It doesn’t pack as many modes and styles as the IQ though. With the Crafty, you’re only going to be able to choose two temperatures at a time.
There is a base level and a boost level. The app allows you to adjust these. When you turn the unit on, it heats to the base level. During a session, you can activate the boost temperature.
The Crafty wins this section because it delivers exceptional vapor with minimal fuss, you will be blowing clouds in no time, right out of the box.
Portability
The IQ is just 3.5” x 1.65” and is less than an inch deep. Just like its sibling the Davinci Miqro, it’s extremely small for a vaporizer that offers so much functionality, and the mouthpiece doesn’t add any height at all.
To make it even better, the IQ is powered by a removable 18650 battery, which makes it easy to carry more power with you wherever you go. This makes the IQ one of the best options on the market as far as portability goes.
The Crafty is also very portable, just not quite so much as the IQ. It measures 4.3” x 2.2” and is a little over an inch deep. This makes it bigger than the IQ in every dimension.
It’s mouthpiece does swivel out of the way, but it’s still not as convenient for carrying as the IQ. The Crafty also has a smaller battery that can’t be removed.
Battery Life
Like I just touched on above, the IQ is powered by a removable 3500mAh 18650 battery. This is enough to power the IQ for about an hour of continuous use. If you get the IQ, you’ll almost certainly want to invest in a second battery.
It’ll cost you less than $30 and double your battery life. By the way, this can take up to 4 hours to fully charge. If that’s not a good reason to get a second battery, I don’t know what is.
If you’ve checked out user reviews for the Crafty, you’ve probably noticed that the one thing people don’t like is the battery life, however, this issue has been taken care of in the Crafty plus.
You’re looking at getting about 45 minutes of continuous use out of the Crafty, which is definitely on the short side. On top of this, the battery is internal and difficult to replace if it fails.
Discreetness
The IQ’s small size makes it pretty stealthy. The majority of the unit can simply be concealed in your hand, or it can be slipped into your pocket if the need arises. When discretion is especially important, there are even heating modes that you can choose that are designed to minimize both visible vapor and overall odor.
The Crafty is just as stealthy as the IQ, even though it doesn’t offer the special heating modes. What it does offer is convection heating, which helps minimize odor when you are not drawing from the device.
This is because your herbs do not cook when you are not drawing air through them. The IQ on the other hand is always heating your herbs and therefore will produce more odor during a session. So while the IQ is smaller and easier to conceal, the Crafty puts off less odor when not being used.
At the end of the day, the heating modes only make it easier to achieve the desired level of stealth, they don’t actually make the device more stealthy. Getting less visible vapor and odor is really as simple as turning the temperature down. However, users who want both the features in one vaporizer tend to prefer devices like the Zeus Arc GTS Hub.
Temperature Flexibility
The IQ is one of the most versatile herbal vaporizers on the market when it comes to temperature range and heating styles. The temperature can be controlled from the device itself in one degree increments similar to the Utillian 620, and you can customize heating modes and “Smart Paths” from the app.
The Smart Paths are essentially presets that automatically increase the temperature of the chamber over the course of a session to ensure you get optimal flavour at the beginning and extraction by the end. What I’ve just described is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to heating styles for the IQ.
The Crafty doesn’t offer anywhere near the versatility of the IQ. The unit is only capable of remembering two temperatures at a time, and the only thing you can change from the device is initiate the boost temperature.
The app allows you to program both the initial and boost temperatures to anything you desire, but that’s about it. While it loses to the IQ in this area, it’s worth noting that what it offers is probably enough for a rather large percentage of users.
SHOWDOWN
They’ve tied in individual categories, but we’re going to give this one to the Crafty!
These are both fantastic vaporizers, but the Crafty seems to offer the better overall experience. It’s easy to use, maintain and still manages to deliver outstanding vapor with its convection based heating chamber.
I’ll be honest though, this was a tough decision. The IQ is a lot of fun to use in its own right and super portable. I’d happily use either of these as a daily driver.
If you don’t think you’ll use all the advanced settings of the IQ, then the Crafty is the obvious choice. On the other hand, the IQ may be better for people that like the extra functionality and removable battery.
If you want to buy the Crafty Vaporizer in Canada and are looking for the fastest shipping rates and best price check out our store. Also make sure to check out the newly updated version of this vaporizer in our Crafty+ review which highlights features such as USB-C charging and an updated heating heating chamber.
Still think you like the DaVinci IQ is better? Everyone has their own personal preference and if you are looking to buy Davinci IQ in Canada then you can grab one directly from our store. If you’d like to see another comparison, check out our recent showdown between the IQ and the Pax 3 and to see how these 2 units stack up against the field, be sure to check out our Portable Vaporizer Ranking Chart.
Alex is a cannabis enthusiast, long time vaporizer lover, writer and filmmaker. He is also a board and video game nerd with a penchant for hosting a weekly board game night. Partygoers have been heard saying things like “is anyone else going to show up?” and “I don’t think I can make it next week”. He strives to make people laugh at every opportunity and sees cannabis as a helpful tool in doing so.
The reviews and ratings are based on personal and decade-plus of industry experience. Such content is based on the opinion of the Editor/Author. They are solely provided as a basis for research and should be used only as guidance. We encourage thorough research by all visitors to attain the most objective viewpoint before purchasing.
