The vape industry moves fast, with new releases hitting the scene all the time. It can be easy to get swept up and find yourself endlessly chasing the hot new thing.
However, let's not forget that some of the best vaporizers on the market have already been released and firmly established themselves as some of the very best devices on the market today.
Among the most notable of these are the Arizer Solo 2 and The Pax 3
The Arizer Solo 2 is the crowning achievement of the Arizer Solo range of portable vaporizers. It is designed to maximize the flavor of dry herb, using a system of convection heating and non-reactive materials to generate the most authentic flavor possible.
It also uses a unique aroma tube system, this non-reactive tube acts as the device's airpath and can be loaded with a herbal blend to add an extra dimension to your vape experience.
The Pax 3 is a landmark portable vaporizer. With its release, the vape industry went mainstream and dry herb vapes became a stylish must-have rather than a niche product for enthusiasts.
It brings together the sort of understated, minimalist design usually only seen in smartphones with high power convection vaping and great vapor quality.
However, which of these two all-time classics are the best? Which holds up better in the modern world of dry herb vaporizers?
Let's take a look!
A quick comparison
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Arizer Solo 2 |
Pax 3 |
|
|
Price: |
$164.99 |
$199.99 |
|
Compatible with: |
Dry Herbs |
Dry Herbs and concentrates |
|
Size |
1.75 in x 4.5 in |
1.75” x 3.61” x 0.97” |
|
Chamber size |
0.20g |
0.5g |
|
Heating System |
Convection |
Convection |
|
Battery life |
60 Minutes |
60 minutes |
|
Charging Time |
4 Hours |
45 minutes |
|
Temperature Range |
112 F to 410 F |
250°F to 430°F |
|
Temperature Display |
LCD |
LED |
|
Auto Shut Off |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Smartphone compatibility |
no |
Yes |
|
Warranty |
2 Years |
2 years |
Design and Features
The design and features of a device are the first things anyone looks at. This makes sense because after all the design philosophy behind a vaporizer is what sets it apart from the rest of the market. Design is in many ways, a balancing act, an emphasis on discretion often comes at the sacrifice of power, and a drive to pack as much power into a device as possible means that the end result will be a larger device.
The Arizer Solo 2 is an incredibly hardy and reliable vaporizer. There are few devices even today that can stand up to the sheer resilience of this device. It has a fairly nondescript design, being discreet and easy to carry. The face of the device is dominated by the large display and control system.
This gives you a huge amount of control over everything that happens within this device, and its intuitive enough that anyone with even a passing familiarity with electronics will be able to get the very most out of it.
The glass aroma tubes are somewhat fragile, owing to their nature, but the pure, untainted vapor they help create is more than worth the extra care needed.
The Pax 3 is a device that was created with a philosophy that puts style and discretion at the top of its list of priorities. Measuring in at a tidy four inches long, the Pax 3 is an understated and slick device with no extraneous details.
That isn't to say that it doesn't feature any eye-catching details, the luminous LED "X" on the front of its body serves both as a designer's mark and as a display.
Each segment of the X will light up to indicate a temperature setting, it will flash to show that it has reached vaping temperature and a whole host of other indications. Though it is compact and stylish, the Pax 3 is still a very hardy little device, featuring an outer body composed of anodized aluminum that is more than capable of standing up to the trials and tribulations of everyday carry.
Both of these vaporizers are designed with resilience and ease of use in mind. The Solo 2 has elected to sacrifice a few style points in order to have a large control system mounted on the device, while the Pax 3 has gone the opposite direction.
At the end of the day, however, with the sheer amount of features packed into one device, it is the winner of this category
Winner: Pax 3
Ease of use
Vapes are for everyone! It's important to remember that. Thus, it's important that anyone should be able to pick up a vaporizer and be able to use it. It doesn't matter how powerful and efficient a vaporizer is if it takes hours and a 300-page manual to figure out how to use it!
At the end of the day these are consumer electronics and they need to be intuitive and easy to use.
The Arizer Solo 2 is one of the most natively intuitive vaporizers on the market today. There are few devices of its age and size that can offer a full, easy-to-use control scheme and large, clear display.
On top of this, Arizer's expertise in vaporizer design allowed them to create a vaporizer that is easy to load, easy to maintain, and a breeze to take hits from. It comes with glass mouthpieces of several sizes that easily slot into the top of the device.
The large screen takes all of the trial and error out of finding the perfect vape settings, all you need to do is take a glance to know exactly what the device is doing!
Finally, the Solo 2 comes with a range of quality-of-life features that allow you to customize its layout and notification sounds to your heart's content.
The Pax 3's onboard controls are pretty simplified when compared to larger devices. It is a single-button control scheme with an accompanying LED X display. This is perfect for basic use, and most users will get to grips with it fairly easily. The scheme can be used to cycle through the device's 4 default control schemes.
This ease of use is further augmented when you use the Pax 3's Bluetooth connectivity to hook it up to the Pax smartphone app. This app allows users to not only see more about what's going on inside their vape, but it also allows them to have more control over its heating settings.
The app doesn’t just let you enjoy more precise temperature controls, it also unlocks entirely new functions. Chief among these is the boost mode.
This gives the heating system a kick to quickly generate a burst of dense vapor. Another handy function is a stealth mode, which turns off all the LEDs on the body, perfect for lowkey vaping.
The Arizer Solo 2 is the clear winner in this category. It is an incredibly user-friendly device that is a breeze to control and enjoy
Winner: Arizer Solo 2
Temperature options
The temperature options of a vaporizer are indicative of how versatile the device is and how many different vape experiences the user can expect from it. Lower temperatures, for example, are often used by those who want to preserve the unique flavor of their herbs, exchanging dense vapor for increased taste.
Higher temperatures yield denser, more potent clouds that are ideal for those who want as much power as possible.
The broader a device's temperature settings the more permutations between these two extremes can be enjoyed.
The Arizer Solo 2 has a convection heating system. The chief stand out of this is the high level of precision users can enjoy with the device thanks to the onboard controls. It features a super-rapid heat up time, capable of reaching vaping temperature in around 30 seconds.
This pairs perfectly with its comprehensive control scheme, allowing you to navigate the full gamut of its heating system effortlessly. The Solo 2's temperature spectrum stretches from 122 ºF all the way up to 410 ºF. This means that users can look forward to a massive range of different vape experiences.
The Pax 3 is a convection-powered vaporizer. This means that it vaporizes dry herb by heating the air in its chamber and gradually baking the active ingredients out. Out of the box and using the on-board controls the Pax 3 has four temperature presets to choose from 360 °F, 380 °F, 400 °F, and 420 °F.
Cycling through each of these is done by simply holding down the main control button. Using the app, however, users can adjust the Pax's temperature in tiny increments, opening up a massive new selection of different settings.
This allows for an incredible level of versatility that gives users who know what they want to tools to get the vape experience they crave.
Though both of these devices have similar temperature settings and heat-up times, the ability to access the full spectrum of heat settings without the need for a smartphone app means that the Arizer Solo 2 is the winner of this category.
Winner: Arizer Solo 2
Vapor Quality
The first thing anyone asks about a vape is whether its vapor quality is good or bad. Regardless of the price, size, or design of a vaporizer, the vapor quality is where the real importance lies. This is because, once you get past all the bells and whistles, the quality of your vapor is going to be what you interact with most.
Vapor quality describes how smooth, tasty, and powerful the hits generated by a vaporizer are. While some may think that quality equals clouds, other people think that quality equals flavor. Good vapor quality can keep both of these people happy.
The vapor quality of the Arizer Solo 2 is notable for its focus on the authentic flavor of the vape experience. Its stainless steel heating chamber combines with its precise temperature settings and heat-up time to create some truly impressive clouds. These then pass through the aroma tube, which is made of non-reactive glass and thus preserves the delicate flavors of your herb.
It doesn't end there. The flavor tube can be filled with a herbal blend of your choice, allowing you to put a twist on your vape experience.
Though it is an incredibly small and compact vaporizer, the Pax 3 can still produce some seriously impressive vapor quality, easily standing shoulder to shoulder with premium quality devices and many more recently released devices.
It has a heat-up time that few contemporary devices can beat, hitting vaping temperatures in around thirty seconds, a massive advantage for any portable device.
Despite its short length, the resulting vapor is cool and smooth. This is thanks to some clever engineering that puts the vape chamber as far from the mouthpiece as possible, maximizing travel time and increasing cooling.
The Pax 3 wins out here. The incredible engineering of Pax Labs means that it is capable of creating some stunning clouds and vape experiences. For vapor aficionados, look no further.
Winner: Pax 3
Cleaning and Maintenance
Vapes need to be cleaned, it's not the most glamorous feature of these devices, but it's important. When the dry herb is subjected to high temperatures it emits a sticky resin. Over time, this can build upon any part of the vaporizer that comes into contact with vapor.
This includes the airpath, chamber, and mouthpiece. If ignored, this grime can build-up to the point where it causes blockages and interferes with the operation of the vape's heating system.
The best way to prevent this from happening is to give it a good clean. How easy this chore can be, is down to the design of the vaporizer.
The Arizer Solo 2 does require a little disassembly to properly clean. However this only really requires users to remove the aroma tube. This tube can be cleaned separately from the rest of the device by steeping it in isopropyl alcohol.
The rest of the device can be cleaned with a solvent and some q-tips, the chamber is particularly easy to clean thanks to its stainless steel construction.
Finally, when you are finished cleaning, you should always put this device through a test cycle to ensure that all the residual alcohol has evaporated away.
The sleek, discreet design of the Pax 3 makes it a breeze to maintain. As with any vape, all you'll need are some q tips, paper towels, and isopropyl alcohol to fully clean it. There is no disassembly required, all you need to do is rub-down the mouthpiece, airpath, and herb chamber.
The Pax 3's simple construction is the winner here, being far less labor-intensive to clean
Winner: Pax 3
Final Verdict
The Arizer Solo 3 is a serious piece of vaping technology. In the years since its initial release, there are few devices in its price and size range that come close to providing a similar level of incredible vape power. Its emphasis on flavor and control has become an industry-standard, that all devices should strive to meet.
A modern classic, the Pax 3 is a truly incredible vaporizer that is as good today as it was on the day of its first release. It is the culmination of all the lessons Pax has learned over the years.
The result is a stylish and compact vaporizer that is packed with the power and vapor quality usually only seen in far more expensive devices. This is one of the best everyday carry devices, suitable for beginners and experts alike. It was also among the first devices to pioneer the now common Bluetooth connectivity features.
The overall winner of this face-off is the Arizer Solo 2, but only just. The Pax 3 is a notable device, but when it comes to ease of use combined with vaping power the Arizer Solo 2 cannot be beaten.
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