Today we will be looking at the Arizer Solo vs the Arizer Air vaporizers and telling you why you need to add at least one of these to your portable vaporizer collection.
Intro to the Arizer Air and Arizer Solo
The Arizer Solo & Air are both portable handheld vaporizers that utilize a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery and feature a LED temperature control system with a ceramic heating element and an all glass vapor pathway with a standard 14mm glass stem.
With a wide range of parts and accessories, you can customize and protect your Solo or Air.
Features on both
Arizer has incorporated two important features into both the Solo and Air. The first feature gives the user the ability to utilize the device while it is being charged.
The second great feature is that after 12 minutes(10 minutes for the Air) of being powered on, they will power off automatically to help conserve battery life.
While these units do have a lot of similarities, there are a few key differences as well, which we will get into next.
Differences between the Arizer Air and Arizer Solo
The Air is a portable hybrid conduction/convection vaporizer, whereas the Solo is strictly a convection unit.
The Air has some big improvements over the Solo as far as portability, size, and the interchangeable battery system.
Beyond that, the differences between the Solo and Air are purely cosmetic as both units function similarly and the vapor quality is identical.
Air vs Solo size comparison
Now we will break down each unit individually so you can compare their sizes, how they work, temperature settings, and more.
Arizer Solo
One of the first things you notice when handling the Solo is that it feels substantial in your hand. The rock solid aluminum shell reassures the owner that this device was built to last. As a matter of fact, if you check out the picture above, you can tell this thing has been through a lot cosmetically, but it still functions just as well as the day I bought it.
Utilizing a cylindrical design concept, the Solo measures 4.5″ (114mm) in Height and 1.75” (44mm) in Diameter.
The Solo uses an internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can not be removed without disassembly of the unit.
How to use the Solo:
When charging the Solo, the top green LED will flash while charging and remain solid when the unit is fully charged. The Lithium Ion battery takes about 1 hour to charge and provides about 2 hours or six sessions of use.
The Solo features advanced temperature control, allowing you to choose 7 different temperature settings ranging from 365-410 degrees F (185-210 C).
To turn the unit on, simply depress the up and down arrows simultaneously. The LED array will display the current battery charge condition.
After the unit is powered on, press the arrow up to your preferred temperature setting. I like to start with temperature 4 with my herbs and work my way up to 6.
I have found that the typical heat-up time is between 1:20 -1:30 depending on the temperature selected, but it can reach any of the 7 desired levels within 2 minutes.
Once the desired temperature is reached, the device will continuously monitor and adjust the chamber temperature as needed.
Depending on the build date of your Solo, the glass stem may be a little loose, but Arizer has resolved the problem with a silicone O-ring that can be placed between the top half of the Solo and the heating chamber. This will reduce stem wobble to a minimum.
Arizer Air
Arizer put the Solo on a diet and the result is the Air, but don’t let this units small stature fool you; it packs quite a punch.
A durable metal shell protects the Air from general wear and tear and the vented top keeps the surface temperature of the body cool. Continuing to utilize a sleek and compact cylindrical design concept, the Arizer Air measures 4.8″ (122mm) in Height and 1.1″ (29mm) in Diameter, conveniently fitting inside the palm of your hand, pockets, or purse.
How to use the Air:
The Arizer Air features a high quality ceramic heating element with 5 temperature settings, but other than that, it operates much like the Solo. Offering an hour of continuous use per charge, plus the ability to use the unit while charging the battery, and the option to have spare batteries fully charged, the Arizer Air is ideal for day to day use at home and on the go.
In fact, the portability and interchangeable batteries are one of the main selling points of the Air. Unlike the Solo, you never really have to worry about not being able to use your Air when you’re out and away from a charging source. Just charge a few batteries up before you leave and swap them out if the Air starts to die.
Flavor & Vapor Quality On Both the Air and Solo
The vapor quality you get out of both these units is phenomenal. While they may not be as good as what you get out of something like the Firefly 2 or the Crafty, for around half the price of those units, they are very close.
To use either unit, you want to take slow consistent draws lasting about 15 seconds. This will ensure a thick vapor and evenly extract all essential oils.
Both units will deliver great vapor quality while maintaining medium vapor density.
A Few Other Points
The glass stems are interchangeable between the Air and Solo. With only two parts, maintenance is nearly non-existent.
To clean the glass stem, simply run some rubbing alcohol through it, rinse and dry.
Depending on the glass stem used, the chamber size can vary in capacity from .1g to .2g of material per fill.
Regardless which device you choose, one minor downside to both of these units is that the four holes in the bottom of the glass stem are too big.
Depending on how fine of a grind has been used, you may experience small pieces of plant material being drawn up the stem and into your mouth.
This would be a major downside for me personally if it wasn’t so easily fixed. To resolve this issue, simply cut a screen to the right size and place it at the bottom of the stem. This will completely eliminate herbs passing through the holes and into your mouth.
Final Thoughts
Both the Arizer Solo and Air perform exceptionally well in vaporizing herbs thoroughly and evenly. However, if you were to ask which one is better, it’s the Arizer Air hands down.
Personally, I found that the size of the Solo is not nearly as stealthy and portable as the Air. Not only that, but with the Air you have the ability to swap batteries out, making battery life a non-existent issue.
Also, the Air can now be purchased for only $169.95, making it a very affordable unit.
Because of all these factors, the Air is my choice for the winner between the Arizer Air vs the Arizer Solo.
