Vaporizer Review: The MIGHTY By Storz & Bickel

VAPORIZER REVIEW: THE MIGHTY BY STORZ & BICKEL

The MIGHTY is Storz & Bickel’s flagship handheld vaporizer. The company has built a name for itself producing units both handheld and desktop that provide a premium experience, albeit with a high price tag. Stoners, industry experts and medical professionals consider Storz & Bickel’s quality to be second to none. With such a high standard to uphold, surely the Mighty vaporizer is bound to be an instant buy?

After spending several months with the Mighty, including a trip to the cannabis capital of Europe, I am delighted to tell you that…you are going to have to wait until the end of the review to find out how it holds up.

UNBOXING

Unpacking the unit, you immediately get a feel for what it is you’re in for. Weighing in at a little over 230 grams and measuring approximately 14 x 8 x 3cm, it is sizeable for a handheld vaporizer. It can still be held in one hand, but it will fill an entire average-sized palm.

There is a positive aspect to the design Storz & Bickel has opted for—despite the plastic exterior, the construction is rock-solid, and certainly in my case, has survived several drops and general carelessness without taking so much as a scratch. I wouldn’t actively encourage you to abuse the unit, but durability is a highly desirable trait from a vaporizer that has been marketed as portable. Under the hood, Storz & Bickel lists the MIGHTY as using a “patented combination of full hot air convection heating and additional conduction”. The vapor path is also entirely isolated; and at no point in the months I’ve used it have I experienced any issues with vapor taste or contamination, even after long sessions.

Additional items include a power adapter, spare screens and seals, a drip pad, filling bowl (this is really useful), grinder, dosing capsule, and a cleaning brush. Thanks to the accessories you get, the MIGHTY will happily accommodate both dried herbs and concentrates, which is another feature in its favour. Lastly, slotting nicely into the bottom of the MIGHTY is an orange packing tool for the herb chamber. This is extremely useful on two levels—firstly, to pack your bowl as tightly as possible, but secondly, if you use the opposite end of the packing tool, you can scrape off any dried-on flower, or pick out bits of weed from the MIGHTY’s vents.

EVERYDAY USE

Twisting the top half of the unit reveals the herb chamber. The only features you’ll find on the outside of the MIGHTY are an LCD display and a handful of buttons. The battery is enclosed, so it cannot be replaced and must be charged via the wall adapter between uses—no USB charging unfortunately. Battery life was never an issue though, even after several repeat uses. On the one occasion it did run out, the MIGHTY can still be used while it is charging, which is immensely handy.

Using the MIGHTY is as you would expect. Fill the herb chamber, reattach the top half, twist the mouthpiece into position, and hold down the power button to turn the unit on. Then, using the LCD display as your guide, fine-tune the temperature using the plus and minus buttons. There are no predefined temperature settings, but it does have a built-in memory so your previous temperature is stored until the next time you turn it on.

The lack of predefined temperature profiles didn’t bother me because the ideal vaping temperature is subjective, and what works for others may not be enjoyable for you. The MIGHTY’S minimum temperature is 40°C while the maximum is 210°C. Right now, the unit is set to 185°C, which I found was an even middleground between decent vapor production and being too harsh on the throat—a common downside to hotter vape temperatures.

Warming up took roughly a minute and a half—not groundbreaking, but by no means a slouch. To prevent the MIGHTY from overheating, and wasting battery, it has an auto power-off feature that kicks in after two minutes. There is haptic feedback to remind you that this is happening, but if you prefer a more laid-back vaping session, having to attend to the MIGHTY regularly so it doesn't turn off can get frustrating.

MAINTAINING THE MIGHTY

I'm not ashamed to admit that my cleaning routine with the MIGHTY isn’t as regular as it should be. Ideally, the herb chamber and screens should be brushed or wiped immediately after a session. This stops herb from getting baked into the fine mesh screens. Outside of a regular brush down, most of the key components can be removed and soaked in isopropyl alcohol before a cotton bud finishes off any stubborn residue. Even with my occasional cleaning, the unit didn’t suffer in any way.

A minor observation on maintenance. If you look at the MIGHTY from above (without the top half attached), there is a small gap between the edge of the herb chamber and the outer plastic casing. If you don’t use the supplied filling bowl, then manually trying to fill the bowl with your fingers can result in herb disappearing into this gap. If it becomes baked on after a few uses, any herb that has fallen into this space is really difficult to access and troublesome to clean. This could be negated by being more careful as you fill the chamber, but when you’re a few sessions in, hand-eye coordination goes a little skew-whiff.

HOW DOES THE MIGHTY HOLD UP?

  NEGATIVES

When the MIGHTY was released, the portable vaporizer market was far less saturated than it is now. Competition is stiff, and the feature set of contenders seems to be getting longer and longer. There is no smartphone connectivity for temperature controls or any temperature profiles, which may deter those new to vaporizers. The battery cannot be replaced during the day if you happen to run out of juice, and of the features they did include, the two-minute auto shutdown gets incredibly annoying when you want a relaxed but extended session with your favourite herb.

While the unit is still classified as a portable vaporizer, it is a tad on the chunky size. I never had any problems fitting it into my pockets or slipping it into my bag’s side pouch, but add in your phone or a set of keys, and suddenly space is pretty tight.

   POSITIVES

Don’t be put off by the negatives listed above; there is plenty to like about the MIGHTY. Call me old-fashioned, but there is something highly admirable about producing a vaporizer without any bells and whistles attached. Storz & Bickel has clearly put their effort into the design, construction, and battery life. The combination of these factors meant the MIGHTY was always there when I needed, even if I hadn’t charged it for a while. I never timed the battery life, but several users report up to ninety minutes of continuous use on one charge—more than enough to get you and your mates suitably baked.

The MIGHTY is also incredibly rugged. It spent most of its life at the bottom of my rucksack while trekking around Amsterdam. Every time I went to dig it out, there was never so much as a scratch, and the unit worked flawlessly every time. That is by and large the MIGHTY’S greatest strength—its reliability is unlike any other vaporizer, at least out of the selection I’ve tried.

SHOULD YOU BUY?

The MIGHTY proves that you don’t need fancy features or an over-complicated design to get the job done. Not only does it deliver quality, flavoursome vapor day-in and day-out; it does so on a battery that seems to last forever. If you want a portable vaporizer that can keep up with regular use, the MIGHTY is an excellent contender. Yes, the unit may be a little bit on the thick side, but you know what they say—big is beautiful. Invest in the MIGHTY (€299), and it won’t let you down.

Luke Sholl

Luke Sholl has been writing about cannabis, the wellness potential of cannabinoids, and the positive influence of nature for over a decade. Working with several cannabinoid-centric publications, he publishes a variety of digital content, supported by strong technical knowledge and thorough research.

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