Storz & Bickel new Mighty+ vape features faster heating, USB-C and UL certification – TechCrunch

Photo credits: Storz & Bickel

Storz & Bickel has finally updated the Mighty vaporizer. The original hit the market in October 2014 and, despite its bulky form factor and market leading price, quickly became a fan favorite. Users cite the quality of the vapor, airflow, and medical device certification as the main reasons for purchasing the vape.

The new version is called Mighty + and has a ceramic-coated chamber, USB-C charging, a 60-second start time and a new mode that quickly increases the current temperature. And yes, this version has small feet so it can stand vertically on a table. The Mighty + has an MSRP of $ 399 and will be available on September 23.

The company has also updated two of its other products. The Volcano is now available in matte black and the Crafty + comes with a ceramic filling chamber and USB-C charging function that reduces charging time by 25 minutes.

Storz & Bickel succeeded in having the Mighty + certified by UL, a US-based global safety certification company. The Mighty + complies with UL8139, making it the first dry herb vaporizer to officially bear the UL logo. UL certification is important for S&B. The company has long distinguished itself from its competitors through certification by TÜV, which certifies two of its vapes, the Mighty and Volcano, as medical devices. The UL nod certifies that the components of the Mighty + meet the safety standards of the test center for electrical, heating, battery and charging systems.

“The Underwriters Lab (UL) brought out certification,” said Andy Lytwynec, VP of Global Vape Business at Canopy Growth, “and it hit us on a target. It took a lot of collaboration with them and we only recently received certification. “

Lytwynec stated that S&B sees consumers questioning vaporizer options more and more and believes UL certification gives owners added peace of mind that the device won’t implode in their pocket. “For S&B, we believe that it is the beginning of a trend in the vaporizer market for consumers to be a little more careful and thoughtful and say, ‘Well, wait, has a third party actually gone through the rigors of testing? . ‘ ”

The new features of the Mighty + are incremental updates developed from customer feedback. The device is charged via USB-C which can deliver an 80% charge in 40 minutes. It also heats up in 60 seconds, and pressing the temperature button three times activates an even faster so-called superbooster mode, which quickly increases the temperature by 59 degrees. The filling chamber is now coated with ceramic, which should make cleaning the oven a little easier.

Powerful loyalists will be disappointed to hear the bright LED remnants of the original. Some users find the screen too bright in a dark room and susceptible to UV light, which darkens the screens outdoors. The battery system also seems to be a holdover from the original.

The form factor is the same except for the tiny feet. The original cannot stand on its own, which makes filling the bowl without an external stand a challenge. Now there are little fins that help the Mighty + stand on its own.

How do the changes affect performance? Unfortunately I won’t be able to tell you until I get the device next week.

I asked Lytwynec about the use of plastic in the Mighty’s overhead cooling chamber. Competitors go to glass or ceramics because of the improved taste, as I pointed out. Lytwynec points out that the Mighty + is made from a new plastic polymer, and S&B is focusing on using materials that allow its devices to be certified as medical devices. The company is aware of third-party accessories but believes the current refrigeration chamber is providing the consumer with the right benefits.

The company also unveiled a new version of the Crafty +, its smaller dry herb vaporizer. The new model offers many of the same improvements as the new Mighty +. There’s also a new version of the company’s original vape, the Desktop Volcano. This new version has a scratch-free matte black finish and will be available for $ 699 from September 9th.

In 2002 Jürgen Bickel and Markus Storz founded Storz & Bickel and sold the company to the Canadian cannabis giant Canopy Growth Corporation in 2018. Jürgen Bickel will stay with S&B and will continue to manage day-to-day business and drive product development.

Storz & Bickel leads the device segment from Canopy Growth Corporation. According to Canopy’s latest financial release, S&B posted $ 24.1 million in the first fiscal quarter of 2022. This is a 41% ($ 7 million) increase over the previous year. This growth is due to an expansion of the sales network.

Editor’s note: In a previous version of this article, Mighty + was published on September 16. This is incorrect and the article has now been updated with the correct date of September 23rd.