Storz and Bickel Volcano Hybrid

The Storz and Bickel Volcano Hybrid looks like something you might find in a science laboratory, and to be fair that’s half its charm. This German made desktop vaporiser has a rather serious price tag, but it brings some equally serious engineering to the table.
The Hybrid’s party trick is its dual inhalation system. You can fill one of the Easy Valve balloons and enjoy the vapour at your leisure, or use the supplied tube for direct inhalation. This gives you two different ways to use the same machine, without having to choose between them.

Underneath the cone sits a combination of convection and conduction heating, designed to deliver consistent, flavourful vapour. The double helix heat exchanger gets the device up to 180°C in around 40 seconds, a vast improvement over the slow warm up of older Volcano models.

Temperature can be adjusted precisely between 40°C and 230°C using the integrated touch controls and digital display. There’s also Bluetooth connectivity and the Storz & Bickel Web App, which lets you adjust settings remotely. Because apparently even your vaporiser needs an app these days.

Build quality is reassuringly robust, with a ceramic coated filling chamber, detachable power cable and robust construction. The box includes balloons, a tube kit, grinder and cleaning accessories, so you’re not immediately hunting around for extras. Register the device within four weeks and you can extend the standard two-year warranty by another year.

There are drawbacks, of course. At around 1.8kg, this is strictly a stay at home gadget, and the balloon system requires occasional replacement parts. The price will also make your wallet consider moving out.
Still, the Volcano Hybrid combines precise temperature control, flexible inhalation options and excellent engineering in one distinctive package. It’s expensive, enormous and gloriously overengineered, but that’s rather the appeal. RRP €598

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