In January, our friends over at Namaste declared 2018 "The Year of the Arizer Vapes" and they weren't wrong. The Canadian kings of the vape scene have established a name for themselves for manufacturing high-quality vaporizers that produce amazing vapor, no matter the device or price point. Since the drop of the Arizer Go earlier this year, the Arizer family have proven themselves to be adept at producing a variety of vaporizers to suit every preference - from desktops to portables to even-more-portables. It was a hard task, but after much soul searching we've whittled down our 3 favorite Arizer products across their expansive range.
Arizer Solo 2
With the Solo 2, Arizer basically took all the best features of the OG Solo and made them even better. As a hybrid dry herb vaporizer, you get the high-quality vapor production of convection energy with the faster heat up time of a conduction heat source.
The Solo 2 has an amazing temperature range of 122°F-430°F, with full digital temperature control. You can adjust the temperature either in jumps or in one-degree increments, giving you total control over the heat and amount of vapor. The Solo 2 also has a really speedy heat up time, of approximately 15 seconds from room temperature to your first draw – three times faster than the original Solo.
The Arizer Solo 2 also boasts a longer battery life than either the first Solo or the Arizer Air. The brushed steel top and bottom make it more durable than the original Solo, which had a plastic top and bottom prone to cracks and breakage. Arizer also improved upon the original oven design to amplify the Solo 2's heating ability even more.
One thing that thankfully didn't change with the Solo 2 are the vapor path materials. All Arizer vapes are made with high-quality silica-free ceramics and contain no mercury or glue. During product testing all parts and materials used are heated to much higher temperatures than the final product can reach. This ensures all materials are of the highest standard of durability and safety. The Solo 2 is also constructed in such a way that most of the debris ends up in the removable glass vapor path rather than the vaporizer itself, which makes it easier to clean and maintain.
Arizer Extreme Q
The Arizer Extreme Q is the first desktop vaporizer released by Arizer, and still arguably the best. One of the most affordable desktop vaporizers on the market, the Extreme Q is a strong challenger for the Volcano and at only a fraction of the price.
Arizer's other desktop vaporizer – the Tower – is also a great desktop device, don't get me wrong. There's just a few extra functions on the Extreme Q that tip it over the fence for the top spot. One of the best features of the Extreme Q is that it's remote control operated – you can turn it on and leave it to heat up at the other side of the room.
The Extreme Q also has the added punch of a built-in fan, which boosts functionality and helps produce large, thick clouds of vapor through the forced air function with a balloon attachment. This built in fan coupled with a temperature range of 122°F-500°F make the Extreme Q highly versatile for all heat and vapor preferences. Like all Arizer products, the Extreme Q has a user-friendly interface and easy to read digital temperature display. It also comes with a wide variety of accessories to suit every vaping preference, such as an additional bowl, two interchangeable glass whip mouthpieces, a 3 ft silicone whip, and two food-grade, high temperature collection bags for balloon vaping. You can even purchase a battery pack for your Extreme Q and turn it into a portable device, should you want to take it out and about with you.
One of the clearest indicators of the Extreme Q's quality is that it's barely been changed since it's release, other than a few improvements made to the mouthpieces and a slight color change. Arizer have cleverly followed the rule that 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' - and it's a testament to this device that Arizer have just made slight improvements on it over the years, rather than coming out with a radically new upgrade.
Arizer ArGo
The Arizer Go (or Argo) dry herb vaporizer is a really nifty little guy. It is the most compact of all Arizer's portable vapes, and it's built with discretion and durability in mind. It's got the same great technology as the Solo 2 and Air 2 models, condensed into a pocket-sized session style vaporizer. Weighing just over 90 grams and measuring in at 1 x 2 x 3.5 inches, the Argo is easily transportable and highly durable. Made out of sturdy stainless steel with a protective rubber coating, the Argo is perfect for taking outdoors without worrying about damage.
The Argo is powered by the same user-replaceable battery as the Air 2, so you can enjoy the same great battery capacity as larger models. At full charge the Argo lasts for about 90 minutes and takes around 3 hours to fully charge. The Argo also offers pass through charging after a minimal initial charge of approx. 20 minutes, so you can still use your vape while it's charging.
The Argo is very user friendly, and with it's incredibly accessible LED interface you can customize your device to your own tastes – you can adjust the power on delay, beep volume, display brightness, and your auto shut off timer. One of the best features is the push-button lid, that pops up to protect your borosilicate glass mouthpiece when activated. Since one of the more fiddly aspects of Arizer's products is that they require two-part assembly with larger glass stems, this feature is a really great addition to minimize breakage and to make your device a little more stealthy. Installing this mouthpiece can be a little tricky as first (as with all Arizer products), so upon your first time inserting the glass stem be sure to let your device heat up for around 10 minutes. After a few goes, this process will become much smoother.
As with all Arizer models, the Argo is powered by convection heat and produces the same high-quality, pure vapor that Arizer devices are famous for. To load the bowl, simple scoop up your dry herb with the glass stem and lightly pack your material in – convection ovens work best with a looser pack.
Final Thoughts
There you have it – our top 3 choices from the Arizer range, from desktop to portable to pocket-sized. Now you can ignore all of this advice entirely and go for another model – the Air, the Tower, etc etc. Regardless of whatever make you choose, the quality of Arizer vapes is a pretty consistently high standard across the board. We're very interested in seeing what developments Arizer makes in the future that could change this list, so watch this space.
