Which portable vape is for me?

Hey FC!
Long time reader, first time poster
I'm really torn between a few different portable vaporizers, and don't know which one would be right for me. This will be me only unit for quite some time, and price is not too much of a concern for me.

What I'm looking for in a portable vaporizer:
-no smell of toxins, plastic, butane etc. I'm vaporizing for health reasons, so this is a deal-breaker for me.
-Long lasting / durable / good build quality. I will probably be using this as my only unit for as long as a year before I make another purchase and start building a collection, so I don't want to be troubled by something like dealing with an Iolite ignition system failure or anything.
-Variable temperature. This last weekend I borrowed by friends Iolite to give it a try, and while it was a great unit, and in my opinion the best in terms of stealth due to it's innocent looks, I really don't think that something that gives off such weak hits with no variable temperature could be enough to be the only vape that I own.

Here are the few that I'm considering with some pro's and con's. Maybe I'll even figure out which is best for my just by typing this list out
The Iolite :
It seems like a great unit and I like the idea of fueling off of butane so you never have to worry about dead batteries, but it has a lot of concerns. For one, the unit gets very hot, and that means the plastic gets very hot, some users on here have complained about a plastic taste. I have read a lot of reviews saying that after decent use people generally have trouble with the ignition system, and that these are not the most lasting portable vapes. A lot of people complain about breathing in butane, but from what I read if your unit is functioning correctly it should only be expelling co2 and h20, neither of which should be in the same place that the air you would be breathing in is coming from.
Here is the big drawback for me though: No temperature control. I don't know if it could replace combustion entirely with the weak hits that the Iolite gives, especially if it lacks the ability to turn up the temperature to get those bigger vape clouds or get the last few draws out of your herbs.

The MFLB:
Everyone seems to really like this portable vape. I don't know what it is about it but it just doesn't seem very appealing to me. I do not think that this would work as my sole vaporizing device, though it would be an interesting one to have in a collection.
Downsides to me are :
-battery charges don't last very long
-you have to use intuition to achieve the best vapor with how long you leave the battery in, with potential to get close to combustion if you leave it in too long, where as most vaporizers are set to a temperature.
-It comes with a plastic (I believe acrylic) mouth piece. This could seem hazardous? as your drawing hot air over it? I realize that there is a glass mouth piece available separately, or you could simply make your own tubing.

The Arizer Solo:
Most people seem to like this unit on here, and the glass stem + ceramic bowl heating element are a huge plus. This thing seems like it could potentially be my one and only vape for all uses, the only small grievances I have with it are that you can't pack a bowl and then put it away for later use like you can with the iolite, and that you cannot use the device while it is charging.

The vapir No2:
People seem to dislike this vape on here, and I can tell from a bit of reading around here that vapir has not had a good impression on people in the past. This thing seems to do everything the arizer solo does for less, and with cheaper parts. One thing I have read a lot of users complain about is a plastic taste, and that is a complete deal breaker for me. After all, I'm vaping for health reasons, so I definitely do not want to be inhaling any sort of heated plastic toxins.

What are your thoughts on my post?

It looks like you are at the beginning of your journey into vapor -- welcome to the light side!

I would encourage you, as a recent convent from smoking, to look to the Supreme Vaporizer. Though it is not a mass produced vape like the Vapir No2, it packs lung busting hits of vapor. It is portable, but by no means is it discreet: it requires a 2min heatup time with a butane torch. do some research, and good luck

Have you considered the Launch Box with their Power Adapter. It would put to rest all of your concerns regarding the use of batteries.

Thanks for the welcome Cleanfiend

I just did some research on the Supreme Vaporizer, and I'm definitely looking for something that has its own heating element, I don't want to have to trouble with lighters.

lwien, I have seen all their accessories, but once you start adding 120$ for the box, 60$ for the power adapter, and whatever else I might want to add to it, I feel like you might as well throw in another 100$ and upgrade to the arizer solo. I know everyone seems to be a fan of the MFLB on this sight, and I'd love to have one in a collection, but I don't see it being versatile enough to be my only vaporizer for the next year or so.

solo SS then; I own a solo and I would not buy it again. I would also back the supreme. lighters are easy to use and a can of vector last forever. Plus combusters love seeing the block getting warmed up.

biojuggernaut said:

solo SS then; I own a solo and I would not buy it again. I would also back the supreme. lighters are easy to use and a can of vector last forever. Plus combusters love seeing the block getting warmed up.

Click to expand...

what does solo "SS" mean?
Why would you not buy a solo again? What were your complaints with it?
and I thought the supreme used a torch lighter only, not vector butane?

SS in this case means stainless steel. The first Solos had a steel bowl covered in a "organic ceramic" which flaked on a good number of people, requiring warranty replacements. They now have bare stainless bowls. I too own a Solo, but I would buy it again happily, especially with how the price keeps plummeting. It's a good vaporizer with some caveats, and the company stands behind their product. The only downside for you would be that you'd have to buy the AC adapter, as the battery life is somewhat lackluster IMO and Arizer was silly enough not to make the batts modular. With some improvement, it could be a really superb vaporizer. As it stands, it's a damn good vape and a serious contender. It has virtually NO learning curve, which is rare for vapes, let alone portables. You can share it with strangers at a concert, for instance, without just confusing the hell out of them. You actually can pack bowls in the solo and carry the stem seperate: the MFLB battery caps fit perfectly over the bowl-end of the Solo stem.

The Supreme is an excellent vaporizer, but using it as a real walkaround, pocketable vape is a hell of a proposition. You'll probably burn yourself, you'll burn your upholstery, you may start a forest fire, and if you don't have the silicone sleeve then you have to wait 5-10 minutes for it to cool down before you can safely stash it.

The Iolite is okay. It doesn't get hot at all IMO, just pleasantly warm in your hand. The set temp and always-on conduction nature have bad implications for efficiency and flexibility. Small loads are very lackluster in the Iolite. The iolite does not feel solidly constructed to me - one member said it had the build quality of a clock radio, and that statement stuck with me, because it's very useful in conveying what the Iolite feels like. Given the lowest price of about 130 for the Iolite and under 200 for the Solo, I would go Solo absolutely, or get a MFLB over it. It does not taste like plastic at all, there's little-to-no off flavor IMO with a good Iolite. I've used two units, one which was trashed and gave off the scent of butane, and one which was babied and never smelled. I think the heating element and how it works in the Iolite/Wispr is old news and inherently inefficient and inflexible, so it's like... Why bother?

I'd say forget the Io/Wispr, and also consider strong, inexpensive, lighter powered offerings such as the Vaporgenie line, the glass vapobowl, and the vapocane. The VG coil is 34 bucks with discount, for chrissakes, and works very effectively.

Sorry for the long read.

charliedontsurf said:

Given the lowest price of about 130 for the Iolite and under 200 for the Solo,

Click to expand...

Where do you see the solo for 200$? Everywhere I look it is ~280?
After looking around I see it online on a few sites for 199.99, and even on amazon for ~150$. Are these ones covered by warranty? With the Arizer Solo's price now being comparable to other vapes that I feel it is superior too, it makes for a very good purchase!
edit: THANKS A BUNCH for the response

^ I believe they are still covered by the manufacturers warranty, but with no support from the retailer. I think the deal with the authorized sellers is that they will issue the replacement and send the faulty unit back to Arizer (which is how Arizer would rather it all worked, I expect). but in this case of the organic ceramics where new units have needed to be manufactured customers have had to seal with direct Arizer anyway. I'd get a cheap one for sure.

I think many people underestimate the launch box before using it sevaral times. It comes with a glass stem, acrylic is also ok. I really don't think magic flight sells a mouthpiece that is a health hazard. And as I compare it with the Iolite, its taste is much better (even if the iolite is clean) and can kick much harder. But requires most breath control to work correctly - easy to maintain when you know how to. Batteries doesn't last long? Well, it's about 4-6 minutes of heating, that sounds short, but it vapes really fast. 1-2 full trenches can be vaped in that 4-6 minutes. As the batteries can be charged fast it doesn't look like a problem. PA is also very good for ever more unlimited power at home use, no worries about dischardeg batteries. I don't have PA and I am using the box as my main vape. I can charge my 5 batteries in 5 hours and they last for at least 2 days of use. If you don't want something really small and fast and have some more bucks to spend, Solo should be a good choice. Has more precise temp controll, it's not that instant.

I too thought the batteries would be a problem with the MFLB!

But honestly they aren't. I bought a decent charger for 20 and it can get me vaping in 2 or 3 hours. To be honest I barely ever fully charge the batteries. Sure, it doesn't perform at it's best but it still tastes great and gets me high!

For personal use, with a fairly light tolerance (once or twice daily user) I can easily get high 3 or 4 times off one charge. That is about 2 trenches for me.

Don't be skeptical! Admittedly it is a stone age piece of kit and relatively expensive but it works perfectly, is super discreet and portable and has a lifetime warranty.

Buy one and relish in the fact you can get high while your lady partner looks at clothes and shoes (yes you can get high walking around a store)..... You won't be able to imagine how you did without it

I'm a big fan of the Arizer Solo... no plastic taste, high quality construction, no butane, and it creates clouds of vapor. Though the portability of the MFLB makes it a strong contender too and with a lot of retailers including two more batteries it can get more use before worrying about charging.

For me a big necessity on vaporizers is a temperature control. Every herb has a different moisture level and specific temperature is key to achieving proper vaporization.

VaporNation said:

I'm a big fan of the Arizer Solo... no plastic taste, high quality construction, no butane, and it creates clouds of vapor. Though the portability of the MFLB makes it a strong contender too and with a lot of retailers including two more batteries it can get more use before worrying about charging.

For me a big necessity on vaporizers is a temperature control. Every herb has a different moisture level and specific temperature is key to achieving proper vaporization.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback, I was thinking the same thing about the Arizer, a good temperature control is definitely something it has over the iolite / MFLB

lwien said:

Have you considered the Launch Box with their Power Adapter. It would put to rest all of your concerns regarding the use of batteries.

Click to expand...

this advice + extra batteries for when you cannot get to a power outlet

there is also a water pipe adapter so you can get bong action going too if you like!

that's what i would recommend to you my friend! when im using my mflb by myself i don't use a stem at all, but when i have company over it's the shorty acrylic or glass that i turn to.

welcome to FC and i hope you have fun figuring out what you want!