Europe
USA-CanadaThe Plenty is the first ‘portable’ from Storz & Bickel, makers of the iconic but expensive Volcano. Technically, yes you can carry it in one hand, but the need for an electric cable for power is the reason for the ‘air quotes’. Looking like a re-purposed power tool, it’s big, clunky and long since overtaken by S&B’s subsequent (genuine) portables.
The heating chamber, which is the majority of the vaporizer, encloses a “double-helix” design and is operated by a trigger style button.
The vapor produced is actually very dense, and the flexible cooling coil rather clumsily attached by a piece of flexible plastic really does cool the vapor well. There’s clearly some real functionality built into this ugly duckling, meaning it could one day recapture the interest of hipsters seeking retro-authenticity.
From first glance, I had to laugh at this thing…
Then I had to laugh again. Because as I pulled it out of the box, I saw an electrical cord attached. I wonder what dictionary Storz and Bickel uses to define “portable”. I wonder if I know the definition.
Anyway… the Plenty vaporizer is marked as a handheld vaporizer. So I guess there is another type of vaporizer we have to deal with here. No it’s technically not a portable, but yeah you can carry it around…
The Plenty vaporizer looks like a re-fabricated power tool. Big and clunky! I wondered why the company that made the Volcano vaporizer, with all of it’s luxurious luxuriousness, would make the Frankenstein’ of all vaporizers?
Using the Plenty vaporizer
S & B were smart enough to use a bright orange color on the controls and filling chamber. This keeps the Plenty from looking like some kind of detonation device for Halloween night pranksters.
It’s not the sexiest of vaporizer designs either. But hey, even Frankenstein had a wife.
Aside from the hand-triggered heating chamber, the Plenty also includes:
- a filling chamber
- flexible metal cooling coil
- one mouthpiece
- screens
- cleaning brush
- an herb grinder
- and an instruction manual
So how does it work?
The Plenty vaporizer has a simple off and on button and a dial numbered 1-7, to control the temperature you want. It reaches temperatures between 130°C to 202°C (266°F to 395°F), and does so pretty fast. I timed the Plenty, reaching max temperature in about 3 minutes.
The hand trigger makes the Plenty vaporizer heat up again to the temp you’ve set, since it doesn’t seem to be built to hold temperature for more than a few minutes. The filling chamber is about 5cm in diameter and can fit a good amount of material inside.
Be careful of the metal part of the filling chamber. It gets very hot. There’s a little-ass sticker that says to be careful, so do what it says, trust me. I burned my finger on it, but not too bad.
The heating chamber, which is the majority of the vaporizer, encloses a “double-helix” design to heat the air that vaporizes the plant material. From what I understand, this same sort of heating design is used in space heaters and air conditioners.
There, I just wrote more about double-heating heating than Storz and Bickel did on their website.
The flexible cooling coil, which is somewhat clumsily attached only by a piece of flexible plastic to a socket on the Plenty, does cool down the vapor when inhaled. It’s a nice feature, and pulls really nice. Really nice!
Verdict: Super vapor quality
By far, the Plenty vaporizer is hands down the biggest “vapor maker” on the market. I was surprised by the amount I was exhaling. If you’re someone (like me) who is trying to make the transition from smoking to vaping, the Plenty will do the job. Vaping with this thing felt like I was smoking. I never really had that feeling testing other vapes, portable or otherwise. This thing is a monster.
Seems as if S & B were thinking function before form when creating the Plenty vaporizer. At a €248 price tag, is this obtrusive and not-really portable vaporizer worth the money? As for form, it’s not my style. Some of the construction looks a bit shotty but Storz and Bickel do have a 3-year warranty.
As for function it lives up to its name without question. This thing gives you PLENTY of quality vapor.
The Plenty is the first ‘portable’ from Storz & Bickel, makers of the iconic but expensive Volcano. Technically, yes you can carry it in one hand, but the need for an electric cable for power is the reason for the ‘air quotes’. Looking like a re-purposed power tool, it’s big, clunky and long since overtaken by S&B’s subsequent (genuine) portables.