Arizer Solo Vaporizer Review

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VapeWorld.com $190

The Good…

Powerful like plug-in vaporizers; a good desktop replacement that's durable and portable
7 temperatures are well-suited for a variety of herb strains
Clean taste and flavor due to glass stem
Very efficient herb use; still visible vapor after 20+ hits from a tightly packed bowl
Strong battery life, at least 90 minutes of use on medium temp

With the Bad…

Glass stems require screens; not included
A bulky portable; not discreet or pocket-sized
Stems are fragile; travel using a case
Can't charge and use at the same time

Stronger than many plug-ins, this powerful portable offers great temperature range controls and long battery life. But it’s too big to be pocket-sized or discreet.

Not the most discreet or pocket-sized portable vaporizer (like the Pax or MFLB), but you can take the Solo with you if stealth use isn’t a big consideration.

Arizer Solo has great temperature controls and a well-made heating element. Strong heat delivers strong vapor clouds making the Solo much closer to a plug-in vaporizer in terms of power. Drawing air from the glass stem tastes clean, airflow requires some mouth effort, but still fairly easy to draw slow, consistent and large hits. Its wide range of adjustable temperatures are well-suited for a variety of herb strains, from moist to dry and delicate, you can dial down the temperature fast and easy with separate plus and minus buttons.

The battery is noteworthy for a portable, lasting about 90 minutes of use on medium temperature in our tests; charge to 100% in under 4 hours. Solo warms-up and is ready to use in under 2 minutes depending on the temp setting.

Available in black or silver, our unit held up very well over the course of hundreds of uses.

The Stats

Made in Canada
Battery: lasts 1-2 hours use; 4 hours to full charge
Seven temperature settings for a variety of herb strains (122-410°F / 50-210°C)
Auto-shutoff after 12 minutes
2-year warranty
Specs: 4½ (plus glass stem) x 1.75 inches • 8.3 ounces

How it Rated: 92%

Arizer Solo rivals most plug-in vaporizers in heating power and quality, yet it’s portable enough to take with you when you need it:

Value: 10

Powerful: we didn’t need to use temperatures above 5, medicine tasted dry and burnt past that. Delivers strong hits like a plug-in, but with the convenience of a battery-powered portable.

Ease of use: 9

Once turned on, it’s very easy. Powering on and off is tedious and often requires two hands and quick timing to press both plus and minus temperature buttons at the same time. One benefit: it’s hard to turn on/off by accident.

Design: 8

Available in black or silver, the outside is metal and often cool to the touch. Buttons are hard plastic and feel sturdy and secure. Temperature lights are helpful at times, but bright and distracting in the dark. A red indicator light blinks when the heater kicks on throughout your 12 minute session, detracting from an otherwise simple interface.

Durability: 9

Vape feels solid in your hand, but the glass stems are fragile.

Setup: 9

Both powering on and off is annoying and usually it takes a few times to get the timing right. Even after hundreds of turning it on and off we find this annoying. Charging is however very easy, just plug in the power cord to the bottom of the vape and come back in a few hours.

Loading: 9

We took off points because the glass stems require screens for use with ground cannabis, and we highly recommend grinding your marijuana for maximum efficiency and potency. Arizer sells dome screens, but they are very expensive (a rip off), but you can jam a small round screen in the stem opening and make it work, DIY-style.

Hits: 9

Very clean taste due to an all-glass stem. Aluminum heating element delivers great heat, this is not under-powered.

Clean-up: 10

Pull the stem out and tap the small bowl clean. Very easy. Hold the vape upside down when removing the stem and you won’t spill your ABV herb.

Efficiency: 9

Strong heating element, nice range of temperatures to suit all herbs and personal tastes. Uses herb very efficiently on low temp settings. Often we got over 20 hits from a single tightly packed bowl on setting 4 and the finished herb was dark brown but nothing like burnt ash.

Maintenance: 10

Very low maintenance requirements. Tap and blow clean. Clean the glass stems/straws when they get too yellow/orange. ISO alcohol works great as usual.

Step 1: Prep

Step 2: Turn on

Temperature settings

Many Indica strains we tried were a good dry consistency on heat setting 3 or 4. Temperatures above 4 tasted dark and toasted, but a setting of 3 or 4 seemed to be a nice medium heat. Sativa users might try a slightly higher temperature, or if your herb is slightly moist this helps dry it as well.

Here are the official temperature ranges for the Arizer Solo (and their warm-up times):

Setting 1 50°C/122°F (15 sec)
Setting 2 185°C/365°F (1 min)
Setting 3 190°C/374°F (1 min 10)
Setting 4 195°C/383°F (1 min 30 sec)
Setting 5 200°C/393°F (1 min 50 sec)
Setting 6 205°C/401°F (2 min 10 sec)
Setting 7 210°C/410°F (2 min 30 sec)

Step 3: Attach

Step 4: Enjoy

The Downsides

Problem

The air flow holes let you suck in ground herb straight into your mouth. Yuck!

Solution

Insert a screen into the stem and be worry-free about inhaling bits of cannabis.

1. Glass stems are fragile—many people report breaking them while traveling.

2. Stems require screens—not included.

3. It isn’t very discreet—too large to carry in your pocket or use openly in public. Some folks use a cup and pretend to drink from the Solo straw which is hidden inside your cup! Try the Pax or Magic Flight Launch Box for stealthy options that are more pocket-sized and easier to conceal.

A minor aside, but it would be nice if you could use the Solo and charge it at the same time, you can’t. A $50+ power cord let’s you use it while plugged in, but then you have to switch cords to charge vs use plugged in.

What’s in the Box?

straight glass stem
bent glass stem
battery charger
potpourri glass dish
aromatherapy sample
manual

Quote from Around the Web

“I’ve had my Solo for around 2-3 weeks. I’ve grown to like it more and more everyday. I’ve found that I can use on setting 4…when it cuts off I can run on setting 5. When it cuts off, I can then run on setting 7! I can run the same stem for 3 freaking times!! I get effective vape from each stem. .10grams can give at least 2 sessions, often 3! I usually add a bit of abv to fill it out completely. I generally stir a bit because I use moist, small, nugged material. Stirring allows me to break it down further after each sesh. I’ve also found that metal screens keeps pieces out of my mouth and stem. I trim and dome them, then use it convex style. I love it!

My use has dropped dramatically…and I’ve truly f’ed combustion from the day I got it. Seriously, I turned down a blunt offered by my smoking partner. That just doesn’t happen, lol.”

— Curiousone, fuckcombustion.com forum member

comparing Arizer Solo, Pax, Magic Flight and an Altoids mint tin for size reference

The Bottom Line

We highly recommend the Arizer Solo, capable of powerful vapor clouds from a small portable package. Other pocket-sized vapes are smaller and more discreet, but not as powerful, clean tasting or long-lasting battery-wise as the Arizer Solo. If you’re on the fence about portable vs plugin, this is a nice in-between.

About my Arizer Solo vaporizer review

You made it to the end—I appreciate that! I worked hard to make this Arizer Solo vaporizer review the best on the internet through careful research, taking helpful photos and lots of personal hands-on testing over months of regular medical marijuana use. If you like my work, consider buying from my referral link so I can keep this site going. VapeWorld has top-notch online customer service and I’ve recommended shopping with them for years. Plus they are an authorized dealer for Arizer so you get a legit warranty.

—Vape-Nation

VapeNation