Arizer Solo 2 Review

First Impressions

The long-awaited release of the Arizer Solo 2. The third portable release for the Canadian manufacturer Arizer behind the Air and the Original Solo vaporizer. It appears with this vape Arizer really listened to the long history of feedback from their very loyal fans and following. The Solo is an all-glass conduction vaporizer that is heralded as one of the best vaporizers ever made. Which gives Solo 2 quite a bit to live up to. The Solo 2 still features an all glass vapor experience, now with increased airflow, precision temperature control, and an LCD display to navigate a slew of other features. Precision temp control is something new for Arizer’s portables and a welcome addition at that. For years many would hope that Arizer would release a temp controlled vape and now those prayers have been answered, Arizer fans rejoice.

Also worth noting is the new retail packaging from Arizer for the Solo 2. For those who already own an Arizer product you likely received it in either a brown or white cardboard box. Nothing fancy just a sticker on the front indicating the color of the vape inside. For those who were lucky when buying the Arizer Air, you might have gotten a not so fancy sleeve that said: “Arizer Air” on the front. While the new box is not the flashiest it is still at least a product that I could see being sold in a retail store. The glossy box had a solo image of the Solo 2 on the front cover so nothing too crazy. What was inside the box has always counted more so let’s take a peek at what we have.

Inside The Box of the Arizer Solo 2

Inside the box we find; the Arizer Solo 2, Charger / Power Adapter, 90 mm Glass Aroma Tube, 110 mm Glass Aroma Tube, Glass Aroma Dish, Belt-Clip Carry Case, Silicone Stem Caps, Stainless Steel Stirring Tool, Stainless Steel Filter Screens, a Sample of Aromatic Botanicals, and a User Manual. The Glass tubes are noticeable of a better quality than those of the past with the original Arizer. They fell durable and clean cut. I can also say the same about the Solo2 unit itself. The shape and size are very similar to the original but they were able to even out some of the sharp corners and thin out the frame a bit. It comes in 2 colors a dark almost charcoal grey, and a deep navy blue. Overall I’m very excited and impressed by the presentation and the new features to explore with this old favorite and I can’t wait to try it out.

First Bowl

Before we get started with our first bowl I think it’s important to talk about how to pack the glass tubes of the Solo 2. The Glass tubes of the Arizer portables are much like glass one-hitters. In that, they’re made up of a straight glass tube with a filtered end to hold your herbs. So naturally, you can pack your Solo 2 tubes much like a one-hitter and take the tube and plunge the end into your herbs using force to pack your bowl. Ground herbs tend into float up to the straw as you inhale so whole herb with this method works best. After you have your herbs loaded it’s important to tamp down the herbs so that they sit just below the rim of the glass. This will prevent your herbs closest to the steel heating element from over vaping. Now before you insert the tube into the Solo 2 oven draw from the tube to test airflow. If airflow is tight, remove some herb and repack. Now I find the best results when I insert the tube into the oven as it heats. Now with the Solo 2’s 30sec heat up time I have no problem letting my herbs preheat a little before I take my first hit.

Using the new fancy LCD screen on the Solo 2 I am able to set a precision temperature. I’m excited for the flavor of this all glass experience that the Solo 2 gives me so I decided to set a low temp of 355°F for the beginning of my session. Like lightning the Solo 2 oven is ready and it gives a little beep. The first hit is a little wispy as is typical with the Arizer portables but the flavor that is coming off the herb is incredible. As the herbs inside the tube begin to heat up the hits get thicker and more flavorful as you go. As with any vape, you’ll want to increase temperature as you go along which is made very easy with the new display and buttons on the Solo 2. Two clicks up on the display and I increase the temperature to 375°F. With the Solo 2, you can now change temperature by both 10 degrees and 1-degree increments. Making it easy to skip to your temp and dial it in for precision. At 375°F, the Solo 2 is pumping out vapor like a machine. Which is good because it is a little vape machine lol. What I always thought would be nice with the Arizer portables would be the addition of a carb hole along the stem so you could clear out the stem of your residual vapor as the stem of the glass tube usually stays milky with the cloud of vapor from the bowl.

First Week

In a week’s time and daily use, we only had to charge the Arizer Solo 2 Once. The large capacity battery of the Original Solo was something that helped its popularity. The Solo 2 now doubles that vape time to almost 3 hours or 18 10-min sessions. That is a ton of vape time folks honestly you could charge up the Solo 2 and go camping in without any electricity and be fine for almost a week, I don’t know how many other vapes I can say that about. The battery life made it very easy to explore the many new features and capabilities of the Solo 2 made possible by the LCD screen.

The Solo 2 once was a plain jane 7 light vape. It now has a bit more character and personalization to make it feel like your own. You can now control your temperature, the length of your vape session, and your startup timer. There are also settings adjustments for your volume and screen brightness. Adjusting the session timer is very interesting because there has often been the debate about how long a vaporizer session should be. Me personally I usually am kicking back having a relaxing time when I vape so, I vape at lower temperatures for longer sessions of 15-20mins. Others like to get straight to the point and vape very high in a short burst of 2-5 minutes. The Solo 2 gives you the freedom to set your session length to 5, 10, or 15 minutes making it hospitable for most vaporizer users. The Volume is in increments of low, medium, and high to which I have set too low. The very audible beep of the Solo 2 is noticeable enough it doesn’t really need to be loud. I would honestly have been nice to change the beep to a different chime, tone, or just to turn it off honestly. Anyhow, it was good to see Arizer add some of the technology and features that they incorporate into their desktops into their portable line up for a change.

Overall I really enjoyed vaping with the Solo 2 after a week. It brought back a lot of memories of when I first got into vaporizers and the Original Solo was the secretly the best vape on the market. It always delivers, you know what you’re getting every time you turn it on. No second guessing with the pack or different weird parts. I filled a MedTainer™ with some loosely broken up herb and used the glass tube just like a dugout. I would plunge the tube into the MedTainer™ a few times and plug right into the oven of the Solo 2 and with my set 4-second press we power on and we’re ready to go. Now that being said, these are quite a few big and bulk parts I’m talking about here. The Solo 2 itself is still quite large being about the size of a soda can. Then there are the glass tubes, which are both pretty long even the shorter 90mm and the diameter of the tubes are larger than any milkshake straw you’ll ever drink from. Coupled with a MedTainer™ or whatever your chosen herb storage maybe it doesn’t make the Solo 2 the most discrete vaporizer out there. It’s bulky in the pocket and the glass tubes are fragile and need to be carried either in a case or the pouch that comes with the Solo 2 kit. However, if you are more of an in-home vaper and you use your vaporizer either in and around your home, or a friends house then the Solo 2 has everything you’d need to be the life of the party.

Some cool Tips and Tricks

The Solo 2 like I mentioned before can be used like an old school dugout and one-hitter. Just plunge the glass tube in some herb and then plug into the oven to heat. There are also a few other tricks you can do to make the most of your Solo 2 experience.

Your Solo 2 kit also comes with 2 Silicone caps for the glass tubes. These protect the edge of the glass tubes from chipping but you can also use them to pack a bowl for the road. You can preload both of your glass tubes and cover them with the silicone caps keeping the herb from falling out both tubes will travel with the Solo 2 in the provided carry pouch.

Having multiple tubes available also makes it easy to share with friends. You can either enjoy 2 short solo sessions each packing your own bowl and enjoying it individually. Or you can Share one bowl and then preload the next glass tube with another bowl or a different strain. With this technique, you could swap in a fresh bowl into an already hot oven and start vaping right away.

First Cleaning

The Arizer portables might take home the gold medal when it comes to cleaning. The Solo 2 is no different. As with the others, the only part that really needs cleaning on the Solo 2 is the glass tubes. The Oven is usually dry and clean after every session. The most it needs it s a quick swab with a q-tip and some alcohol.

The Glass tubes of the Solo 2 after a week aren’t too dirty, but after a couple of weeks, they can get really sappy with vape resin. The Solo, Air, and all Arizer products have become popular for “Honey Harvesting” or “Sap Collecting”. This is where users will take care not to let too many herb particles get through the screen and let the tubes get nice and sticky. Then they find ways to extract the resin to be consumed by coating on more herb, dabbing it straight, or even making edible by-products.

My favorite way that I have seen the stems of the Arizer products cleaned has been by soaking the stems in simmering milk. You heat the milk to a light simmer, then you place in your dirty stem. The heat loosens the oils and the begin to melt off and mix in with the milk. Now what you do with it from here is your choice. Honestly, you can use it however you would use regular milk. Pour it in your coffee and make a cappuccino. You can pour a bowl of cereal and have a whole new kind of wake and bake. My favorite would be to continue the slow simmer and add in some chocolate or cocoa powder and make a nice hot chocolate. Alas, to each his own….

The Verdict

If you liked the Original Solo from Arizer, then you should LOVE the Solo 2. Same great flavor, same easy operation, same great vape. The new LCD screen brings you a handful of new smart features without the hassle and complication of a smartphone app. The extra battery life also makes the Solo 2 a Heavyweight champ when it comes to cutting the cable and taking your vaporizer with you outside of the house.

If the Solo 2 were a car I would say it was a Jeep Unlimited. An old tried and true favorite with a little extra room and a bigger gas tank. Simple in its design, it’s not made to be flashy or to win any beauty contests. It’s designed to get the job done and get you from “A to B” or in this case from “Sober to Stoned”, and that is exactly what it does. But it’s also a little bulky and hard to fit into tight spaces when you’re tight to be discrete and not draw attention.

Overall the Solo 2 is a great vaporizer that gets the job done. If you’re a fan of the Arizer products you’ll be a fan of this. Now if you’re looking for your first vaporizer and you find that you’ll only be using the vape inside the house anyway, then the SOlo 2 is also a good vape for you. The Solo 2 is a perfect in-home portable vape that will allow you to use it freely throughout your home or in the privacy of wherever you might take it, just don’t plan on sneaking this guy into any concerts or ballgames.