Arizer Air 2 Vaporizer Review
Before we start the Arizer Air 2 Vaporizer Review, I must confess, the Arizer Air was not a favorite vaporizer of mine, Although it produced great vapor, I was not much of a fan of the way it felt in my hand. The button sequence and beeps and no temperature readout on the original Air gave it a cheap feeling. Then there were the glass stems which I actually did break in my pocket on a BART ride to San Francisco from Berkeley. While I enjoyed the size of the unit it was my perceived notion about the sturdiness of the unit itself and the glass stems which cannot retract into the body like they can on the Argo, also made by Arizer.
Opening up the Arizer Air 2 Vaporizer
On the Arizer Air 2 , the packaging is a huge improvement. Arizer previously was shipping their products with plain brown boxes and had Styrofoam inserts to pad the vaporizer and accessories. I personally didn’t have an issue with it as I got good vapor from both the original Arizer SOLO and Air and that is what it’s all about. I get this cerebral feel other companies are going for on the PAX 3 and Firefly 2+ trying to replicate the iPhone unboxing experience, but I am impartial to how they decided to package a vaporizer up. Overall this new Arizer Air 2 packaging does make the unboxing experience feel more refined and gives the customer a greater sense of satisfaction in shelling out $149 for a portable herbal vaporizer.
The packaging on the Air 2 opens up like a book and even has a magnet clasp on the cover. I must say this is my favorite packaging on any vaporizer so far and as mentioned, I am someone who has long been impartial to packaging aesthetics. Arizer makes it easy to understand.
Arizer Air 2 | Comes With
- The Arizer 2 Vaporizer
- Potpourri glass diffuser
- Open Ended glass draw
- Glass Draw with mouthpiece
- 18650 battery
- 2 Screens
- Charger
- Cleaning pic
- Carrying case
- Operation Manual
- Lavender mix
- 2 stem caps
Using the Arizer Air 2
With the easy instructions and my past usage of Arizer Products opening and using out of the box was a breeze. This won’t vary greatly for the vapor newbie who can easily be going with the Arizer Air 2 in a few minutes. The Air 2 follows the same principles as using the SOLO 2 and you can easily adjust your settings with the updated LED readout.
Turn on – To turn on the Air 2 hold down the “m” button and the “-” button at the same time. The unit will countdown to turn on. This was designed so it would not accidentally power on in your pocket. However with the draw piece being a glass stem which doesn’t retract it’s not ideally something you should be transporting in your pocket.
Once powered on you can adjust your settings, this is not essential but something I like to do to get it out of the way. To adjust your settings simply hold down the “m” button again and you can toggle between
- Sound notifications
- Automatic shutoff time
- Fahrenheit or Celsius
- Brightness of Screen
- Seconds before powering on (countdown)
To adjust any of the above just press the “+ or -” button and then press the “m” button again to move on. The vape will switch to usage mode in a matter of seconds once you are done adjusting the presets. From there adjust your temperature accordingly to your desired vape session temp.
Removable 18650 battery
One of the things I liked most about the Air 2 was that I didn’t have to pre charge any batteries. It arrived with a battery in place that had about ½ power already in it. Also an added benefit is that the battery is removable and has a tad more power than the original Arizer Air.
Heating Up
From switching the unit on to reaching 379 degrees (Fahrenheit) the Air 2 took one minute 8 seconds, reaching 340 degrees (F) around the 50 second mark. The Air 2 heats via conduction, although the claim has been made it is a combination of conduction and convection. I have seen this claim alot lately by vaporizer manufacturers and while there is truth to it , I kind of find it a marketing ploy. Very limited amounts of stand off distance between the heating element and the herb, or the herb in direct contact with something serving as a conduit between the heating element and the herb does not do enough for me to call in convection.
As is the case with the Arizer Air 2 the herb is heated from the bottom via the heating element and on the sides via the glass stem’s contact with the heating element . One thing I absolutely loved is the even baking of my herb. There is no need to stir mid session and the glass greatly assists in even heat distribution throughout the plants and attributes to the great initial flavor.
Temperature Range
Doubling as a potpourri diffuser the Arizer Air 2 boasts quite the variance in temperature unseen by other vaporizers. It’s lowest temp is 122 Degrees (F) to 428 Degrees (F)
Filling up
I have found a coarse grind and lite pack to work best. In filling your glass stems it is easiest to dip them in your herb, as Arizer demonstrates in the instruction guide. You can fit .15 grams of ground herb into your glass stem comfortably without impeding air flow. With this filled place your glass stem into the heating chamber and begin pulling.
A great benefit about the Arizer Air 2 is that you do not need to fill the chamber full as is required with other vaporizers such as the Firefly 2+ and PAX 3.
There has been some mention in the vapor threads about using the Air 2 to vape larger nugs which you do not ground up as to get better taste. I personally think this is a waste of time and herb for the following reasons: you get no sufficient vapor as not enough surface area is exposed to the heating element. You get minor hints of flavor which you will get anyway with the herb ground up on the first hit. Also you need to then remove the nug and grind it up to get the rest. The glass stem is hot and now the grind herb you put back in will not taste as good.
Vapor Quality and Draws
On a fully packed glass stem you can manage 12-15 draws out of the Arizer Air 2. This has made it one of the top herb conservering vapes out of all the vaporizers out there.Starting out the vapor quality is top notch. The texture is a happy medium between fine mist and thick & billowy, but as you continue through your session and increase the temperature to around 400 degrees the vapor can get a little hot and harsh. This is caused by the short (glass) draw and heating element which is very close to the mouth. A good aftermarket modification would be a longer draw stem. The Arizer SOLO 2 has the same set up with the heating element, but with a slightly longer draw than the Air 2 , the vapor is cooler at higher temps.
Another issue which Arizer has addressed is the cookies (herb particles) which get drawn into your mouth via the glass draw. In the 2nd edition of the Arizer SOLO and Air, Arizer has included screens which you can insert into the glass. Typically you will only get cookies if you pull fast or have very fine ground herb, but they will occur with repeated daily use.
The vapor quality of the Air 2 is tad below the SOLO 2, but not by much and at only $229.99 the Arizer Air 2 vaporizer produces the best quality vapor for the price.
Charging and battery life
On a full charge I was able to get 8 sessions of 10 minutes each. Mind you I vape at around 390 to 400 degrees. The battery will last longer at lower temperatures. I would say you can get 90 to 120 minutes of usage on a full charge depending on your vape temp.
Another nice update on the Arizer Air 2 is the mini USB port for charging. You can charge the battery in the device itself. This will take some time and I strongly recommend getting another 18650 battery and using an external charge. In charging with the mini USB after only 2 hours the battery life increased only 20%. The 18650 batteries are becoming the industry standard and you can swap out the batteries from the Dr. Dabber Boost, HAZE V3, etc with your Arizer Air 2 vaporizer.
Cleaning
Cleaning the Arizer Air 2 is just as easy as cleaning the original Air. A simple wiping out of the down stem and heating chamber does the trick between sessions with the deeper clean only requiring soaking the glass stem in ISO. With the glass stem surrounding most your herb the resin build up doesn’t occur in the chamber.
Conclusion
The Arizer Air 2 vaporizer is an easy to use portable herb vaporizer which encompasses a great design by a reputable brand and delivers good vapor. It is lightweight and can be easily moved around the house with you, but probably not one you want to put it in your pocket and take off.