Arizer Solo

Gray Area

Gray Area

Well-Known Member
ConfusedVapeGuy said:
Has anyone upgraded to the Solo from a different portable?

I'm upgrading to the Solo from the Pinnacle Pro.

I'm sure it's somewhat about preference. But. Overall isn't the Solo better than the PNP, in terms of durability and parts not melting?

I understand no portable on the market is without it's quirks. But. Parts melting and the risk of inhaling chemicals from plastics is a ridiculous issue to be having with a final product.
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Good move :tup: I have both and the Solo is way better than the PnP. I barely use my PnP these days... only if there is a real need for stealth. Having said that, I've ordered a 3" blackwood stem from Ed, so I may not even use it for stealth situations anymore after that arrives.
I've had my solo for over a year and no issues, my PnP was exchanged within 2 months of getting it. Vapor from the Solo is far tastier than with the PnP, Gpong or not...

You will be pleased, I'm sure.
 
Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl

DEADY GUERRERO/DIRT COBAIN/GEORGE KUSH
curveball said:
Where does the fascination with clouds come from? It sure seems to me that anything exhaled is wasted.
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We are creatures of senses, one of which is sight. With smoking more clouds tends to get you higher, not quite the same deal with vapor. Yes anything exhaled is a waste but you don't really want to be holding your smoke hits in until nothing comes out :puke: I like seeing clouds, fun to play with, but I also love those whispy light transparent blue vapors from low temps and when the situation calls for it, no visible vapor.
 
CarolKing

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
I don't vaporize until my ABV is black. The darker it goes the less taste you will experience. I can go 2 sessions for a total of 20 min. with the same herb and still there is some left for edibles afterward. That would be on heat level 4 and 5 mainly. Lately I have only been running my herb through one 10 min session. I am saving up ABV for the Magical Butter Maker.

Speaking of clouds - with the Solo you can even achieve wispy clouds on heat level 2. The higher you go the denser the clouds. I can't handle heat level 6 and 7 for the most part unless I use a WT.

For the price and the quality let alone the ease of use, you really can't go wrong with the Solo.
 
RUDE BOY

RUDE BOY

Space is the Place
I do a nice morning session on 2 and always get a little vapor throughout until it times out. It give me that level of meds i need to function at that time, then later i add a little fresh and bump up to higher temps in-order to get the pain relief I need.

The solo serves many needs.
 
T

Tanz

Well-Known Member
It looks like we have a winner :)

My dad picked up a Solo, and a Steamroller (just in case) for me on the way home from work, lol...and finally a portable vape that is not smoking or fuming and DOES NOT smell like plastic burning. There is a smell of a hot iron but it seems normal and not toxic or anything like that (I'm hoping it's normal...gotten skeptical after my latest experiences).

Now I'm ready to use this thing but I have a couple of questions. I did read somewhere that the herb should not touch the bottom or the metal of the heater. Why, and what are a couple of ways of achieving this without using too much material? I don't really use enough to pack it in tight. If I did pack enough in there tight, what's the best way to not waste any...should I pull the stem out after a few hits or can I leave it in and power it down without wasting too much or any?

And for the first charge, how can I tell when to charge it? I don't want to kill the battery too much or not enough the first time, I'm guessing?
 
CarolKing

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
You could use a dome screen, cuts down on herb. You can achieve a dome screen by molding your screen around the end of a pencil by the eraser end.

Don't pack your stem tight but kinda loose. The herb clings together after you grind it. I use a medium to fine grind almost a cornmeal consistency. I pack the herb almost to the top, leaving a little space so the herb doesn't touch the floor of the oven. You will notice the ABV gets a little darker closer to the oven. That's only natural.

I start my Solo on low and work my way up. I like temps 4 and 5. Play around and see what works best for you. There is no right or wrong. You may notice a slight different bottom on mine. I had some chipping and bought a base with a side plugin from FCer Pipes. It comes with a repair kit for the chipping base and some glass tool stands. I haven't used the repair kit for the base. Check it out.

Here's a pic of the D020 bubbler very cheap and good quality from Dhgate. a very nice addition.
Enjoying some Chocolate Chunk on this beautiful summer late afternoon. What to fix for dinner?
 
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Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl

DEADY GUERRERO/DIRT COBAIN/GEORGE KUSH
Tanz said:
It looks like we have a winner :)

My dad picked up a Solo, and a Steamroller (just in case) for me on the way home from work, lol...and finally a portable vape that is not smoking or fuming and DOES NOT smell like plastic burning. There is a smell of a hot iron but it seems normal and not toxic or anything like that (I'm hoping it's normal...gotten skeptical after my latest experiences).

Now I'm ready to use this thing but I have a couple of questions. I did read somewhere that the herb should not touch the bottom or the metal of the heater. Why, and what are a couple of ways of achieving this without using too much material? I don't really use enough to pack it in tight. If I did pack enough in there tight, what's the best way to not waste any...should I pull the stem out after a few hits or can I leave it in and power it down without wasting too much or any?

And for the first charge, how can I tell when to charge it? I don't want to kill the battery too much or not enough the first time, I'm guessing?
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Eh, the herb touching the metal isn't a huge deal, it just blackens the material disproportionately more compared to the rest of the stem and it tastes really bad to me so I avoid it as much as I can. If you load up a stem and push the material below the rim and take the first few hits upside down (hamster style) the trichomes glue everything in place. If you're after minimizing the losses of everything yeah pull the stem out (it'll be pretty hot at the end). Don't pack tight, maybe a tiny bit firm but make sure it doesn't restrict the airflow. You also get a few hits after the power goes off from the heat retained in the oven so take that into account if you want to leave the stem in when you turn it off. It's fully charged when all 7 LED's are on and the green charge LED is solid. And maybe do a dryburn or two with nothing loaded at level 7 and see if that metallic smell goes away. I didn't detect any smell when I got mine other than the regular "electronic sitting in packaging in a box" smell.
 
T

Tanz

Well-Known Member
CarolKing said:
You could use a dome screen, cuts down on herb. You can achieve a dome screen by molding your screen around the end of a pencil by the eraser end.

Don't pack your stem tight but kinda loose. The herb clings together after you grind it. I use a medium to fine grind almost a cornmeal consistency. I pack the herb almost to the top, leaving a little space so the herb doesn't touch the floor of the oven. You will notice the ABV gets a little darker closer to the oven. That's only natural.

I start my Solo on low and work my way up. I like temps 4 and 5. Play around and see what works best for you. There is no right or wrong. You may notice a slight different bottom on mine. I had some chipping and bought a base with a side plugin from FCer Pipes. It comes with a repair kit for the chipping base and some glass tool stands. I haven't used the repair kit for the base. Check it out.

Here's a pic of the D020 bubbler very cheap and good quality from Dhgate. a very nice addition.
Enjoying some Chocolate Chunk on this beautiful summer late afternoon. What to fix for dinner?
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Thanks :) The bubbler is definitely a nice idea. Beer battered fish and chips, three cheese dressing (love that stuff on the fish), gravy and a vinaigrette salad. Cannatonic (2:1) gives me the need to eat that exact thing all the time otherwise I'm not really into it, lol.

Quetzalcoatl said:
Eh, the herb touching the metal isn't a huge deal, it just blackens the material disproportionately more compared to the rest of the stem and it tastes really bad to me so I avoid it as much as I can. If you load up a stem and push the material below the rim and take the first few hits upside down (hamster style) the trichomes glue everything in place. If you're after minimizing the losses of everything yeah pull the stem out (it'll be pretty hot at the end). Don't pack tight, maybe a tiny bit firm but make sure it doesn't restrict the airflow. You also get a few hits after the power goes off from the heat retained in the oven so take that into account if you want to leave the stem in when you turn it off. It's fully charged when all 7 LED's are on and the green charge LED is solid. And maybe do a dryburn or two with nothing loaded at level 7 and see if that metallic smell goes away. I didn't detect any smell when I got mine other than the regular "electronic sitting in packaging in a box" smell.
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Thanks too :) Now the smell thing...mine did not even have a new smell to it. It is literally without a scent. I did heat it a couple times now and that's when I smell the hot iron (or furnace starting up the first time of the season almost) kinda smell, but I did put my nose right in there just about. I guess it would be too late for you to check but...

Is there anyone out there that can confirm whether or not a new Solo has a smell of of hot iron to it, right in the chamber while heated up to temp. If anyone has access to a new one, or anyone who gets a new one and reads this, please check it out, without burning your nose :)
 
CarolKing

CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
With your sensitivity to smells Tanz, I'm glad you found a vaporizer that works for you. I was thinking the Solo would be a good choice. There are plenty of Solo fans around here.

I love Fish n Chips.
Good luck and happy vaping.:leaf::peace:
 
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T

Tanz

Well-Known Member
CarolKing said:
With your sensitivity to smells Tanz, I'm glad you found a vaporizer that works for you. I was thinking the Solo would be a good choice. There are plenty of Solo fans around here.
Good luck and happy vaping.:leaf::peace:
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Yes, I am finally comfortable with this one. The iron smell isn't putting me off. And I do really have an extra sensitive sense of smell it seems. I have some pretty tripped out stories about it actually.
 
Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl

DEADY GUERRERO/DIRT COBAIN/GEORGE KUSH
Tanz said:
Yes, I am finally comfortable with this one. The iron smell isn't putting me off. And I do really have an extra sensitive sense of smell it seems. I have some pretty tripped out stories about it actually.
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Mine's not new by any means but I cranked it to 7 with nothing inside and let it heat for a bit and I can smell a metal/iron kind of smell. I can't taste it though, inhaling through a clean stem with nothing inside. Similar to when I heat up a skillet but even that doesn't make the food I cook on it taste any different... All good with me, it's stainless steel in any case so it's safe enough for me.
 
T

Tanz

Well-Known Member
Quetzalcoatl said:
Mine's not new by any means but I cranked it to 7 with nothing inside and let it heat for a bit and I can smell a metal/iron kind of smell. I can't taste it though, inhaling through a clean stem with nothing inside. Similar to when I heat up a skillet but even that doesn't make the food I cook on it taste any different... All good with me, it's stainless steel in any case so it's safe enough for me.
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Ya, the smell is there but more importantly there is no taste to it...so seems clean :) Reading somewhere back in this thread, way way back, there was some talk about baking the chamber in the oven, like an actual home oven...what's that about, something to do with the smell, just curious if anyone knows?
 
Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl

DEADY GUERRERO/DIRT COBAIN/GEORGE KUSH
Tanz said:
Ya, the smell is there but more importantly there is no taste to it...so seems clean :) Reading somewhere back in this thread, way way back, there was some talk about baking the chamber in the oven, like an actual home oven...what's that about, something to do with the smell, just curious if anyone knows?
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I'm not sure, maybe to remove some water? I don't recommend doing that at all, though. Best advice I can give you is to enjoy it. Low temps with a medium grind give you heavenly flavor.
 
T

Tanz

Well-Known Member
Quetzalcoatl said:
I'm not sure, maybe to remove some water? I don't recommend doing that at all, though. Best advice I can give you is to enjoy it. Low temps with a medium grind give you heavenly flavor.
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I am definitely not going to play around with it. Took me too many tries to get a vape that I can finally use, so that's what I'm planning on doing,...just enjoying it :)
 
ConfusedVapeGuy

ConfusedVapeGuy

I hate Texas
A reviewer on youtube said you don't have to grind up your herb before sticking it into the stem... Has anyone tried this method? Wouldn't a small piece stay in the stem better than it would if it were ground, especially the herb was very dry?
 
pakalolo

pakalolo

Toolbag v1.1 (candidate)
Staff member
Tanz said:
Ya, the smell is there but more importantly there is no taste to it...so seems clean :) Reading somewhere back in this thread, way way back, there was some talk about baking the chamber in the oven, like an actual home oven...what's that about, something to do with the smell, just curious if anyone knows?
Click to expand...

Early Solos had a problem that came to be called the "robot fart" smell. It was a much stronger and more offensive smell than you are experiencing, which sounds to me like a perfectly normal heated SS smell. Baking the top was an attempt to get rid of that problem. It got mixed reviews and is definitely no longer a good idea.
 
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Amazingkaddycap

Well-Known Member
I just want to give some love to the solo. After picking up other portables and reading the threads, it's hard not to notice how awesome the solo truly is. I own two solos, one thing I've noticed is it works, out of the box, no special technics, no cotton, no glass flowers, no need for detailed cleaning for functionality. I feel sorry for people who spend money on these vapes and don't utilize these forums. The solo will work without needing to read page after page on how to use it, it just works. Some complain about draw resistance, I prefer it. That's all, I love the solo
 
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Amazingkaddycap

Well-Known Member
I had the pvhs, but ultimately always went back to the oem stems. Need to pick up a new solo also, what is the recent model number to look for/avoid? I think my current solos have suffered to many drops, they still work, but at times I question if they still preform optimally , so I went with some new portables since I already own two.
 
K

krusht

Well-Known Member
Amazingkaddycap said:
I just want to give some love to the solo. After picking up other portables and reading the threads, it's hard not to notice how awesome the solo truly is. I own two solos, one thing I've noticed is it works, out of the box, no special technics, no cotton, no glass flowers, no need for detailed cleaning for functionality. I feel sorry for people who spend money on these vapes and don't utilize these forums. The solo will work without needing to read page after page on how to use it, it just works. Some complain about draw resistance, I prefer it. That's all, I love the solo
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I MUST agree - I just bought my 2nd. SOLO - have owned MFLB (b+), g-pen (fail) but no need to look further - this is a perfect unit for 1 or 2 tokers and THE BEST for taste enjoyment - heat level 3/4 is soo sweet and finish w/ clouds @ 6/7! -especially for my aromatic Blueberry, my JackHerer, my ... healing of advanced COPD! I enjoy the Volcano but won't purchase one, I may soon buy a bong w/nail for dabaroos but my SOLO is my go-to unit; also great for hash in the load!
 
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