Some thoughts on the Air II after a day of use (few sessions).
It didn’t charge all the way to 100% at first, wouldn’t go past 93. But After I used it for a session and plugged it back in, it filled right up. No problems or errors after a day of sessions.
I've read a few things about charging 18650 batteries inside the device (regarding e-cigs), and that the display sometimes doesn't accurately show the charge. Probably something to do with the chemicals inside the battery, something about cathodes and ions..I'm no chemist!
I'll need to charge it full and take notes on how many sessions and at what temp, to see how far a charge will go.
I used it through my bubbler at 170°C and moved up to 200 after a few draws, to get a bit denser hits. Very nice, it sits very snug inside of it, the OG Solo (I ugraded from) used to wiggle a little when I moved the contraption. This is great, as it all feels like one piece.
200 was a
bit high, the buds I have are pretty dry (yet very sticky), and I think anywhere between 180 and 190 seems to be a good range, lower if it’s early in the day, higher if I don’t have anything else to do.
Arizer doesn’t seem to be a fan of the steel screens, but I think it’s great they put them it.
Tried one session with the straight stem that came with it, without the screen, and I kept getting material in my mouth, at least the first few minutes/draws. Not a huge issue, but I prefer to use the screens in mine. I don’t feel like they tarnish the flavor,while it may be true that some people can taste that difference, I am not one of them.
Airflow is greatly improved.
Of course, for me, being used to the OG Solo, that isn’t hard to do. But I feel like I didn’t have to modulate my breathing as much - you can inhale fast and somewhat powerful, and will still get vapor.
Compared to the E-Nano, which has practically no draw resistance, I do notice a little restriction with the A2, but nowhere near the Solos milkshake feeling.
That’s fine for me though, if I’m using the solo/air2 I like to sip & take my time, for massive rips/2-hit extraction, I use the nano (of course the nano is a desktop and very different kind of vape, this is just the only other vape I own/use and am able to compare it with!).
I also enjoyed the good ol’ dry stem!
I like the bent one that came with my solo (and has never broken! shit…I probably just jinxed myself), because with it, you can lay the A2 down sideways, and the bent stem prevents it from rolling away.
Not going anywhere
The stems that came with it fit very tight, there’s no wiggling, and you can hold it upside down (and even shake) and nothing will fall out. I think this is good, it just gives everything a more solid feel. The only downside is that the bowl is not as easily accessed for stirring (not needed really, but sometimes I do it, when I’m using the GonG).
If you don’t have that stem, or none, inserted, it can still be stopped from rolling. The back (where the charging port is) is flattened, if you lay it over an edge or some other object, it’ll stabilize it. This is of course in turn risky because you have it on an edge…hm.
Edit: You can also set the rear flat area on a toothpick or anything else that "creates" an edge, that way it's stable.
Cliffhanger
If you leave the rubber cap open (the one covering the heating chamber), that also creates a sort of stopper, but this is also not ideal as the chamber is exposd.
I guess I would’ve liked some way to stop it from rolling, like one flat side or some kind of edge. I can of course stand upright, but seems much more prone to being knocked over than the Solo with its larger base.
Another reason for a silicone/rubber sleeve!
C’mon! That’s what I dislike the most right now. I really want that sleeve *hint hint to any arizer CS reps reading this *
For now, I put it in the carrying pouch it came with when I’m not using it, to protect it. But I keep standing it on my desk because it’s just so nice to look at hahaha.
Another thing I could see myself using would be some kind of base, to stand it in while not in use. Maybe I’ll make a wooden one, shouldn’t be that hard. Or just add a hole into the wooden one I made for my nano.
I set my sessions duration to 10 minutes, and after I use it more and check the AVB, I may adjust it.
It’s so light, and just fits right into your hand so nicely, a joy to use.
Would be nice if it had a rotatable screen, for use in water. Maybe a firmware update can enable this? I guess it would have to be changed/flipped manually, since there’s no acceleromotor or something like that in it, but if you
know you’re only going to be using it through a water piece where it will be upside down…you get the idea.
I’m gonna pick up a sleeve for the OG Air today and cut it to fit the A2, and do some more testing.
Okay, this ended up being a bit longer than I first expected. Hope it helps someone!
Is there anything anyone here wants to know specifically?