The Volcano Vaporizer Classic Review: Our Favorite Vape

UPDATE: 16 Years in there’s no need to update this Volcano Classic review. I still use it everyday, and have yet to find a worthy replacement.

Well, it’s been 3 years of bliss since I first ordered my Volcano Vaporizer. After much internal debate I decided to get the Volcano Classic instead of the Volcano Digital. The decision was purely financial. Had I the extra cash, I definitely would have sprung the extra $ for the Digital Volcano. But the main reason is I think the LCD display is cool. After 3 years I think I’m finally qualified to write this Volcano Classic review.

The classic Volcano is a very capable vaporizer. It warms up fast and produces consistent reliable heat. I use the Solid Valve System instead of the Easy Valve. I did this for economy as well – I can clean and replace the parts indefinitely. But there certainly are times I wish I had the luxury of the Easy Valve.I purchased my Volcano Vaporizer direct from the manufacturer – Storz & Bickel. Their US warehouse shipped my order fast and free and my Volcano Classic arrived within a day. I got the best price online by buying direct from the manufacturer, and the assurance I was getting the real deal.

Switching to vaporization has improved my health, and made it much easier to remain a non-smoker. I find I use much less material since the vaporization is so efficient at extracting the active ingredients. Plus the taste and flavor are much improved and not lost in the harshness of smoke.

I’ve had no problems, and with twice daily use for 3 years now – the Volcano Classic performs like new. My only expense to maintain the vaporizer has been replacing the bag and cleaning supplies.

Visually it’s an appealing addition to any room. The brushed stainless cone looks good in any decor.

I truly believe it was worth every penny. I’ve saved my lungs, improved my health, and am saving money. Click here for the best price online and start vaporizing tomorrow!

Are you a Volcano owner? Do you agree or disagree with our Volcano Vaporize Classic review? Let us know in the comments below!

Overall Rating: 10/10

10 Star Rating

Verdict

The most reliable consistent desktop dry herb vape on the planet. Excellent vapor quality. Easy to use and maintain.

Pros

  • Durable and reliable (Ours is 16+ years old and still rockin')
  • Consistent high quality vapor
  • Simple temp adjustment
  • Easy to use

Cons

  • Not portable
  • Less than ideal for concentrates

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23 Comments

  1. paul on April 28, 2014 at 6:30 pm

    my classic is extremely noisy, not the bags, but the vapo itself, almost like a small dirt motorcycle. i can not tighten up anything else on it besides the 3 screws, which i did and made no difference, since they weren’t loose. but noise is quieted a little if i manipulate the easy stem or sometimes the silver top itself, but as soon as i let go, back comes the noise. help???



    • Vapormaster on May 9, 2014 at 7:29 am

      Hi Paul, how noisy is noisy? It’s all relative. My classic can be heard from across the house when it’s filling a bag.

      Sounds like you’re experiencing a rattle from a loose part, or the whole unit is vibrating against the table top. Since pressure on the top seems to silence it, I wonder about the latter.

      Have you checked to see if the rubber feet are still intact on the bottom of the unit? Mine fell out a long time ago and it made an awful racked until I replaced them.

      Hope that helps!



      • paul on May 10, 2014 at 7:33 pm

        noisy!
        can the entire chrome be taken off and i can see what might be loose inside? it vibrates , but i have all the feet, and i can stop the noise mostly if i hold it tight or push at various spots, like the top or side. it varies.



  2. Lyaysan on April 1, 2014 at 11:47 am

    Even light vapor will be visible in the balloon and as you exhale. If you want the vapor to be more dense there are two things you can do: put a little more herbs in the chamber, or leave the herb chamber connected on top of the unit for an extra minute or two before filling the balloon. Sometimes if the vapor is too light it means the chamber didn’t have a chance to heat up enough first. Overall this is still my #1 vape and I’m sure you’ll love it.



  3. blank on August 12, 2013 at 3:27 pm

    I bought my volcano around 2 months ago. So far I think its been a great purchase but I have 2 major problems/questions with the Volcano.

    My first issue is that it is smelling much more then I expected . I did some research online and I have not found anyone with the same issue as me. I vape in the end room on my apartment, and through 4-5 rooms I can smell it when I come into my front door. Its quite noticable, and a few times it even smelled outside of my front door. This smell can persist for 2-3 hours and it is very frustrating. I didnt really have this issue until I had used it for around 2 weeks.

    My other issue is that after around 1.5 months of heavy use, it started to hurt my throat. Its not the usual scratchy coughing type of pain you get from smoking, its more of a dull deep dryness in my throat. I generally smoke around 5-6 days a week and will smoke a average of 3-5 bags the days I do smoke. Some of my friends also report this issue though not nearly as severe. Its gotten to the point that I am not smoking as much as I would like because I know that if I smoke my throat will hurt a decent amount during the session, as well as the next day.

    If anyone has any advice on these issues it would be greatly appreciated. I wouldnt be surprised if these 2 problems are related somehow. The smell issue is especially mystifying considering I havent heard of anything smelling even close to as bad as mine.



    • Vapormaster on August 12, 2013 at 3:34 pm

      Congrats on your purchase! I would experiment with lower temperatures. My Volcano definitely stinks up whatever floor of my house it’s on. Especially if the ingredients are good. But the smell is nothing compared to combustion and with a little ventilation clears quickly. If you have neighbors and are concerned with smell, you should use a spoof – ie: a cardboard tube with dryer sheets you can exhale through.

      Make sure to drink lots of water when vaporizing, you are inhaling hot dry air after all. You might also consider some water filtration.

      Let us know how it goes!



      • blank on August 12, 2013 at 4:21 pm

        There have been times when I make sure that there is good ventilation and it still is sometimes an issue. Its just surprising considering that most people dont have any issue at all. I think I will just try to be excessive about ventilation in the future and maybe consider a spoof.

        When I vape I drink an excessive amount of water. I usually drink around a gallon a high sess so I know drinking water isnt the issue.

        I wasnt able to find much specific information about water filtration for the volcano. What would be the best way to do that?



  4. vapomaster on July 5, 2013 at 5:57 am

    The classic is virtually indestructible, I still prefer the Volcano Digit though it has a more accurate temperature control.



  5. Only-Vape on September 24, 2012 at 8:54 pm

    I have been using the Volcano with a Solid Valve herb chamber for about 2 months now and I thought I would leave a tip. I have been interested in cheap bag replacement, and decided to give turkey bags a try. I must say, I really prefer the turkey bags. I prefer them for a number of reasons. First, the cost. I was able to purchase 5 large bags (16 in x 17.5 in) by Reynolds from WalMart for about 3 bucks. I do believe they make a bigger size, but this is the size I prefer. Next, the turkey bag makes much less noise. I would say that they make about half the noise of the Volcano bags. One feature that I really like is that I don’t have to tie them. I know that tying is not a big deal, but it is one more place you could potentially lose vapor. I messed up tying one once and lost a bit of vapor before I realized. The most important feature though, has to be the ease of replacing. In my experience, the Volcano bags are very stiff and not easy to position around the valve housing. The turkey bags are much more pliable and are very easy to manipulate when evening out around the valve housing. This is just my opinion, as I tend to Vape alone mostly. If a lot of friends are coming over, I tend to replace with an extra large Volcano bag, just for volume. For me though, I find the turkey bags to be fine for 1 to 2 people.



  6. Only-Vape on August 12, 2012 at 12:20 am

    I am relatively new to vaping. I first purchased the Magic Flight Launch Box about 3 months ago. I went with th MFLB due to price, portability, and mainly to avoid the larger investment without knowing if I would even enjoy vaping. I must say, I do like vaping, and I love the Launch Box. As much as I love the Launch Box though, I really wanted the option of pulling bigger hits while in the privacy of my home. So, I decided to buy the Volcano, and it has completely convinced me to stop smoking.

    The taste is amazing, and it is so simple to operate. I purchased the Classic, mainly because I really prefer the looks and simple design. I grew up in the 80’s, and it reminds me of a super advanced, and high end piece of equipment from that era. After reading other posts, and learning that the Classic performs the same as the Digit, and that the Digit has a 30 min kill switch, my mind was made up.

    I opted for the Solid Valve, which works great, but I would like to experience the Easy Valve for comparison. I have never vaped from any other unit, so I really cannot compare, but I will say that if you require complete stealth, you should consider the MFLB. It is super well built and comes with an unconditional lifetime warranty. If you want what is considered by most to be the best vape on the market, and love big volume hits, you should consider the Volcano Classic or Digit. You will probably find like I did, that you will want both a stay at home and a portable device. I would just suggest that you do your research before you buy. I read a ton of forums and watched a lot of videos to see what experienced users thought. From what I have seen, there are a lot of really good vapes on the market, and not all cost what the volcano does.

    Whatever you vape with, you will be happy, and your lungs will thank you. I will never smoke again, unless vaping is not an option.



    • Vapormaster on August 12, 2012 at 6:47 am

      Thanks for your comments and insight.

      This is a reminder to me to write a post on the Magic Flight. It’s a great stealth portability solution. My biggest gripe is how fast it tears through batteries.

      Congrats on the new Volcano and happy vaping!



      • Only-Vape on August 12, 2012 at 8:08 am

        I agree that the batteries do drain quickly. I purchased 4 new batteries and only use each for about 3 to 5 draws. I found that if you try to squeeze every bit of juice from the battery, it will prematurely go bad. Additionally, by continually using fresh batteries, you will get more consistent hits.

        Thanks for your initial reply to my post. The Volcano is the first product that I have ever used that I wanted everyone to know about.



  7. Victor on February 16, 2012 at 12:14 am

    Yeah I’m not all that psyched about the 30 minute auto-shutoff feature myself… lame inclusion if you ask me. Still, I like my Digit not that I wouldn’t go back and buy a Classic instead lol.



  8. Finlandia on January 14, 2011 at 6:24 pm

    I paid extra 100 bucks and bought digital and that was the best decision in my life. I have temperature chart next to my Volcano and my friends can just explore what is the difference and they like to know what temperature they are using preciesly. I like 194 celsius for blue cheese strain and maybe little bit higher for northern lights to make me really smashed in a blink of an eye.



  9. Steady Vapin on December 23, 2010 at 1:47 am

    I also endorse the classic over the digital, for all of the reasons mentioned above, as well as the fact that they used buttons instead of switches for the digital, which get stuck and can be very frustrating. Basically you are paying $125 more for something of inferior quality, but asthetic appeal. As the numbers on the classic obviously represent temperatures, once you have learned how to use the classic, the display is not needed.



    • frient on January 23, 2012 at 10:55 pm

      Isn’t the temperature variance on the digital only +- 4 degrees vs the digital which is +- 20 ? Doesn’t this make the digital one a much better investment since your herb is burned that much more accurately?



      • frient on January 23, 2012 at 10:55 pm

        analog +- 20*



        • Rajeev on May 20, 2012 at 7:01 pm

          I saved for 3 months beausce I only wanted the best. Well, I beleive it paid off beausce I love this thing..really. I found I am using half the amount of herb needed to feel the buzz. My Volcano has literally paid for itself. You mention how the Volcano feels like a high-end kitchen appliance, you’re right, I thought the exact same thing! Anyhow, do yourself a favor and buy the best people!



  10. Jp is me on November 1, 2010 at 9:51 pm

    Definitely would go with the classic any day. The digital is much more likely to have problems (even though neither model ever does!); if anything were to go wrong with a Volcano, it would be the digital temp gauge first. I feel better moving the knob on the front to an exact region, instead of using up/down buttons to seek out “perfect temp”, whatever that is.



  11. Unclebob100 on November 24, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    Be glad you bought the Classic Volcano…you made the right decision! The Classic heats up much faster than the Digital by at least 1 minute(see youtube videos). The Digital volcano has an annoying feature…a 30 minute auto-shutoff. I have contacted Storz and Bickel and they tell me this function can’t be by-passed or deactivated.



  12. Vaporizer on June 18, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    That’s so great and helpful! The Volcano Vaporizer is such a big investment for people, it goes a long way to have such a detailed review with strong positive feedback.