**The Volcano Hybrid vaporizer has some features only accessible via a smartphone app. On November 15th, 2019, Apple removed all vaporizer apps from its store. Apps that were downloaded before removal will still work. Android users are not affected. Please read our blog post to learn more about the app removal, and how it affects specific vaporizers.**
Update 8/19/2019: We spent time with the latest and greatest from Storz & Bickel, and are ready to share all of our thoughts in our full Volcano Hybrid Review.
Storz & Bickel likes to release vaporizers without much advance notice, and they’ve done it again, with the Volcano Hybrid. Expected any day now, this Volcano works with both whips and bags -- that’s where the name Hybrid comes from.
Details have leaked out, starting with an FCC filing for the Bluetooth adapter inside the Volcano, and continuing with a poster at an industry convention confirming the product. We hope to have one in hand to test soon, but until then, we've rounded up some of the relevant facts below.
Same size
The Volcano form factor hasn’t changed at all. Same shape, look, and size, but with more features, and a detachable power cord. The front control panel looks like it’s had a bit of a facelift, which we’re eager to try out. The photo below comes the FCC filing, which was spotted by keen-eyed Reddit user u/skylined1134.
How much will It cost?
We’re waiting to hear back from Storz & Bickel about the price and exact release date for the new Volcano Hybrid, but it’s fair to expect it will fall around the same price point as the existing Volcano Digit.
Hybrid function
For Storz & Bickel, Hybrid indicates it can blow bags or be used with a whip. The whip is connected to an orange adapter that rotates when on top of the Volcano, so you can pass the whip around a group without tangles. The bag system works the same way existing Volcano owners are used to.
40 second heat up time
The original Volcano vaporizer, designed almost 20 years ago, needed at least three minutes to get up to speed, but the new Hybrid gets it done in just 40 seconds. That’s how you modernize a classic.
Digital controls and a Bluetooth app
**On November 15th, 2019, Apple removed all vaporizing apps from its store, including this Storz & Bickel app. It might not be permanent, but we are planning on an extended absence. The Volcano Hybrid works fine on its own, but can’t be customized with the app on an iPhone, unless it was downloaded before November 15th. Android users still have access to the app.**
The Volcano Hybrid resembles the Volcano Digit more than the Classic, with digital controls instead of the analog dial and switches, and comes with a Bluetooth smartphone app. In addition to the standard controls like power, temperature and fan, the app can also adjust the shutoff timer, and even change the heating patterns. For example, you could start at one temperature, and change to a different temperature 30 seconds in.
More to come
Desktop vaporizers are becoming a rare breed these days, and this upgrade will be a welcome one. Stay tuned for a full review once we’ve given it a complete test drive.
