Arizer Air II

[UnevenPizza]

Just got 6 full 12 minute sessions on 1 charge.

I guess that's what is expected? Average temp was 365°F, sometimes a little higher. I guess that's almost the 75 minutes they say it will last in the manual (and I did try to have a seventh session, but it said "low batt" and shut off after a little more than a minute. So Maybe the 75 is pretty accurate haha)

The battery Icon always seemed to be a pretty good estimate off how much was left. Plugging the charger in though gets me pretty strange percentages as a readout on the screen..

I also noticed that when charging it seems to get stuck at 48% or 98% sometimes. The battery icon is full though, and I think that's a better indicator.

Also I noticed, when it's charging (plugged in), you only need to touch the +/- button and it'll start heating to the set temp, so be carefull (there's no 2 second delay, and it only requires one button to be pushed!)

I pretty much only charge mine at home, but just a heads up in case anyone is charging it on the go, via powerbank or something like that, and carrying it in a bag/pocket where a button may may get pressed!
I guess it wouldn't start a fire in your pants but probably wouldn't be too comfortable haha!

I actually had my last sesh with it at 350f, and got really nice vapour throughout. Tasty! It's exactly what I was looking for.

Going to get myself some lemongrass, mint, and maybe a few other herb blends to vape on tomorrow.

 

[BigJr48]

Just got 6 full 12 minute sessions on 1 charge.

I guess that's what is expected? Average temp was 365°F, sometimes a little higher. I guess that's almost the 75 minutes they say it will last in the manual (and I did try to have a seventh session, but it said "low batt" and shut off after a little more than a minute. So Maybe the 75 is pretty accurate haha)

The battery Icon always seemed to be a pretty good estimate off how much was left. Plugging the charger in though gets me pretty strange percentages as a readout on the screen..

I also noticed that when charging it seems to get stuck at 48% or 98% sometimes. The battery icon is full though, and I think that's a better indicator.

Also I noticed, when it's charging (plugged in), you only need to touch the +/- button and it'll start heating to the set temp, so be carefull (there's no 2 second delay, and it only requires one button to be pushed!)

I pretty much only charge mine at home, but just a heads up in case anyone is charging it on the go, via powerbank or something like that, and carrying it in a bag/pocket where a button may may get pressed!
I guess it wouldn't start a fire in your pants but probably wouldn't be too comfortable haha!

I actually had my last sesh with it at 350f, and got really nice vapour throughout. Tasty! It's exactly what I was looking for.

Going to get myself some lemongrass, mint, and maybe a few other herb blends to vape on tomorrow.

Nice!!! What battery you're using???

 

[UnevenPizza]

Nice!!! What battery you're using???

I'm using the green one that came with it, it just says NCR18650B , and A2M on the side.

I have 2 more from my ecig, the smok al85. They're brown and only have 3000mAh at 3.7V, so I don't think I could use those from what I understand?

 

[metaknight]

I'm using the green one that came with it, it just says NCR18650, and A2M on the side.

I have 2 more from my ecig, the smok al85. They're brown and only have 3000mAh at 3.7V, so I don't think I could use those from what I understand?

Wait did you get a different battery? Mine says NCR18650B

 

[UnevenPizza]

Wait did you get a different battery? Mine says NCR18650B

Woah sorry, no I didn't! I just forgot to type the B

 

[metaknight]

So after however long it's been since I've received it, I love it! It's been really nice to have control over the temperature and a bigger battery. It's definitely an improvement over the OG Air.

My lowest temperature readout has been 54F. It was left in my room overnight with the windows open.

 

[InhaleExhale]

@UnevenPizza IMO it's not a great idea to use a built-in Li-Ion charger in any vape. The reason you might not be seeing the battery as full is the unknown quality of the recharge circuit they put in the vape. Worse case would be that the battery is full but the Li-Ion charger doesn't detect it and continues to pump voltage into the battery in an effort to top it off, and the battery explodes! There is a lot of energy in a Li-Ion battery, all the stories you hear about cell phones bursting into flame are using the exact same battery technology as those 18650s you have. Read this thread.

Buy a $30 reputable 18650 charger like a Xtar VP2 or a Nitecore Intellicharger. Most 2 cell Li-Ion chargers are more efficient then the 4 cell versions. These are high quality Li-Ion rechargers that are designed to stop applying voltage once charged, and are designed to better handle heat. Overheated battery = boom.

The USB charger is a great solution for "in a pinch" but you should get a couple of 18650 batteries and rotate them and primarily use a dedicated 18650 charger for safety. This is the factor I dislike the most about the Solo II, it'd have been nice to just have 2x 18650 slots that you could load yourself from the bottom and could safely recharge them on a known-quality Li-Ion recharger. Apparently vape manufacturers don't trust multi-cell 18650 setups for cannabis users but flashlight enthusiasts can get lights that support 1-8 or more 18650s. You do have to take care that the batteries have similar capacities with Li-Ion multi-battery setups, but I digress.

Either the Air 2's charger isn't detecting the battery as being full, or there is a problem with the battery. Don't blow yourself up.

 

[OF]

My lowest temperature readout has been 54F. It was left in my room overnight with the windows open.

Try the refrigerator, or better still the freezer, I bet you can break that record........

Has anyone else noticed that theirs seems to read 10 or more degrees cooler than the room? No way was it 54F this morning.....I'd know that by other indications...... You gotta wonder if it misses by 10 or more degrees on the cold end, how accurate is the indicated temperature?

OF

 

[bluenavey00]

I think once you find a temp you like you just have it set there, or can set it fairly quick.
If you hold the + or - button, it skips in 10° increments.

I don't really know how exact the measuring is inside the device, but I got the Air 2 to be able to vape all kinds of different herbs so setting a certain degree is great.
With my solo you would just have to adjust your draw speed if a the closest temp was too hot/cool, no problem really.

It remembers your last set temp, so if you always vape at 392F (green on OG Air) you can just press the plus or minus to set it back. And like UnevenPizza said you can hold the buttons to change in 10 degree increments. I haven't had a problem changing my temperature since I stay within 380-420F, I don't like changing it much.

Thanks for the reply guys.

The AA2 just hit Vapefiend and just ordered it in black.

After nearly 3 years of trusty service from my AA1 I am rather excited!!

 

[metaknight]

Try the refrigerator, or better still the freezer, I bet you can break that record........

Has anyone else noticed that theirs seems to read 10 or more degrees cooler than the room? No way was it 54F this morning.....I'd know that by other indications...... You gotta wonder if it misses by 10 or more degrees on the cold end, how accurate is the indicated temperature?

OF

Well, it's 54F right now so I'd say it's plausible.

 

[OF]

Well, it's 54F right now so I'd say it's plausible.

I don't know about there, but this morning when I read '54F' on the Solo II a thermometer I trust in the same room said '67'. I just checked again. It's 81F at the desk (warm afternoon), Solo says "69F". I bet if I put it in the refrigerator for a couple hours it won't match the thermometer there either?

OF

 

[UnevenPizza]

@UnevenPizza IMO it's not a great idea to use a built-in Li-Ion charger in any vape. The reason you might not be seeing the battery as full is the unknown quality of the recharge circuit they put in the vape. Worse case would be that the battery is full but the Li-Ion charger doesn't detect it and continues to pump voltage into the battery in an effort to top it off, and the battery explodes! There is a lot of energy in a Li-Ion battery, all the stories you hear about cell phones bursting into flame are using the exact same battery technology as those 18650s you have. Read this thread.

Buy a $30 reputable 18650 charger like a Xtar VP2 or a Nitecore Intellicharger. Most 2 cell Li-Ion chargers are more efficient then the 4 cell versions. These are high quality Li-Ion rechargers that are designed to stop applying voltage once charged, and are designed to better handle heat. Overheated battery = boom.

The USB charger is a great solution for "in a pinch" but you should get a couple of 18650 batteries and rotate them and primarily use a dedicated 18650 charger for safety. This is the factor I dislike the most about the Solo II, it'd have been nice to just have 2x 18650 slots that you could load yourself from the bottom and could safely recharge them on a known-quality Li-Ion recharger. Apparently vape manufacturers don't trust multi-cell 18650 setups for cannabis users but flashlight enthusiasts can get lights that support 1-8 or more 18650s. You do have to take care that the batteries have similar capacities with Li-Ion multi-battery setups, but I digress.

Either the Air 2's charger isn't detecting the battery as being full, or there is a problem with the battery. Don't blow yourself up.

Thanks for the info! I already have the charger, next step is gettting another (correct) battery.

I'm already somewhat versed in battery safety (regarding handling and storage etc) because I was pretty worried about the one in my e-cig at first. Thanks for that link!

I guess some part of it does detect it correctly, because the icon during use is usually correct.
I'll have to get use to the levels of it though...with my og solo it usually could do 7 sessions per charge, and if it showed the battery status at for example level 4, I knew I could still get 4 sessions out of it.

I think it's great to be able charge via usb in an "emergency"
But yeah external is what I will be using preferably!

 

[metaknight]

@UnevenPizza I've noticed that there is very weird battery readings if you try and charge it after you use it. My experience with any batteries is the hotter they are the less capacity they have, but the faster that the energy can move through the battery. So if you wait half an hour to an hour maybe you'd get different battery readings than trying to charge it riiiiiiight after a session. Although I don't know what you've already tried.

 

[UnevenPizza]

@UnevenPizza I've noticed that there is very weird battery readings if you try and charge it after you use it. My experience with any batteries is the hotter they are the less capacity they have, but the faster that the energy can move through the battery. So if you wait half an hour to an hour maybe you'd get different battery readings than trying to charge it riiiiiiight after a session. Although I don't know what you've already tried.

that's something I've considered, not necessarily because of the heat, but I was thinking maybe it needs some time to calibrate correctly, so if I left it in for a longer duration it may bounce back to the correct %.

It's not really an issue that's going to stop you from enjoying to use it however! Loving mine with the dry stems, very nice vapor

 

[metaknight]

that's something I've considered, not necessarily because of the heat, but I was thinking maybe it needs some time to calibrate correctly, so if I left it in for a longer duration it may bounce back to the correct %.

It's not really an issue that's going to stop you from enjoying to use it however! Loving mine with the dry stems, very nice vapor

I like mine at home with my fritted disk bong, the Air II fits in it almost like it's made for it.

On the go I'll use the black tipped stem.

 

[OF]

@UnevenPizza IMO it's not a great idea to use a built-in Li-Ion charger in any vape. The reason you might not be seeing the battery as full is the unknown quality of the recharge circuit they put in the vape. Worse case would be that the battery is full but the Li-Ion charger doesn't detect it and continues to pump voltage into the battery in an effort to top it off, and the battery explodes!

Interesting opinion. Just how is an external charger better (more reliable) than the one built into Air? They use the same algorithm, in fact the exact same circuits (ICs) in some cases......and you don't know which?

Any charge controller can fail of course, but the ones commonly use are extremely reliable. And that part would be no more reliable in an external charger than built into Air (that I can see anyway). They 'have to be very reliable' of the chip maker's competitors would document the differences and put them out of business. Makers hate returns, a single one wipes out the profit from lots of other units. If your salesman could prove your controller was even slightly more reliable (and not too much more expensive) makers would blacklist the competitors and give you 100% of their business. Think about it from Arizer's POV?

Such controllers work with a 'CC/CV' technique. Constant Current (.6 Amps for Air I, I don't have a II, .8 for Solo I, 1.4 for Solo II) is applied to the cell under charge and the voltage monitored. As it approaches the preset voltage (typically 4.20 plus or minus .050 so 4.15 to 4.25) where it shifts to Constant Voltage mode and reduces current to stay under the limit. That current goes down as we approach 100% (basically starting to drop at about the 90% charge point). When that current drops to 10% of it's initial (preset) value (say .06 Amps for Air I) charge is terminated.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries

BTW, the charger does not "pump voltage into the battery" at any time. Voltage is a pressure, Current (flow of electrons) is what is controlled. And any 'pumping' to be done is done by the wall mounted charger using mains power (from the power company), the controller simply controls the rate like a faucet controls water flow to a sprinkler. The water company does the pumping, the faucet controls the rate it's used at. A small detail, of course, but important if you want to understand what's happening.

So, my opinion (FWIW) is just the opposite of yours. I recommend not absent mindedly changing 18650s but rather routinely treat them as internal cells and 'charge in place'. If for no other reason to avoid 'wear and tear' on the threads and dicey 'pogo stick' connection to the end cap. Air has to run a lot of current through that connection to get the extra power for that rapid heat up we crave.

Owners should make their own calls, of course. But IMO it should be as an informed decision as possible. In that vein I see no reason to consider an external charger superior to the same thing built into Solo/Air for the reasons stated.

Regards to all.

OF

 

[InhaleExhale]

@OF, take a look at all the different Li-Ion battery chargers reviewed at this guy's site. He has plenty of examples of Li-Ion battery chargers that do not properly terminate voltage and the end of the charge cycle. No all Li-Ion chargers are created equal. And yes, I misidentified current as it's the voltage of the battery that is measured as it receives current.

However @UnevenPizza is reporting that his batteries are not correctly terminating so it's either the battery or the charger. At least with an external charger he should know for certain. There is no mention if those 18650s have a protection circuit. If he can top off the batteries in a charger and not the Arizer, he has a warranty issue.

I've been a flashlight enthusiast for a few years now and there is a massive thread at Candlepowerforums.com about battery failure. A lot if it is from people buying poor quality cells, but there are exceptions. A lot of guys there go the extra mile and test internal battery chargers on lights to make sure they provide CC/CV. The advice to use a non-internal charger is my own preference - the batteries are exposed to air for heat dissipation which you don't get when enclosed in a flashlight/vape body.

As to wear and tear when swapping out, to each their own. Peace!

 

[OF]

@OF, take a look at all the different Li-Ion battery chargers reviewed at this guy's site. He has plenty of examples of Li-Ion battery chargers that do not properly terminate voltage and the end of the charge cycle. No all Li-Ion chargers are created equal. And yes, I misidentified current as it's the voltage of the battery that is measured as it receives current.

I'm not expressing myself well it seems. I never intended to say there were no bad chargers out there, I meant to ask what you based your advice that the charge circuit in the Air was sub standard and owners should instead buy an external charger. That's what I intended to convey anyway. IMO it's OK to trust the factory recharge facility built into Air (Arizer is a solid outfit with strong history) but not random selections of aftermarket chargers.....even from the web.

In a fun way, your post above backs up my point?

The point on Voltage vs Current was that nothing "pumps voltage in". An important point when giving 'expert' advice to those who think in terms of 'juice' I think. Details count often, but it's important to keep the record straight if we hope to educate each other. Basic misunderstanding of such stuff leads for instance to the (all too common around here IMO) advice that you can't use say a 1.5 Amp 12 Volt wall wort from Solo II to replace the 12 Volt 1 Amp charger that comes with Solo I (same connector and polarity).......that is you shouldn't ever try to charge your Solo I with it because 'the Amps are too big'.

Yeah, I now CPF. I posted pretty regular there for a few years a while back and still lurk there sometimes. Nothing like my volume here (I had a day job then.....), but I got a few thousand posts in in a number of threads (including charging ones). Good guys for the most part, but some lame 'expert advice' there too, as it seems there always is. Even here sometimes...... In the end a guy has to be responsible for who's advice he follows I think? I also think that there is a bit of a moral obligation to not pass stuff on as fact unless it is so in your honest view. And you should stand ready to defend your 'facts', and even opinions for that matter. A bit like 'peer review'?

So I'll stick with my original advice. Use stock 'batteries' (really cells.....), charge in the Air and if you want to buy and use an external charger get the factory one if you want to preserve your warranty. To which I'd add 'be very very careful buying aftermarket chargers' based on your cite?

In a larger view, avoid full charge as much as possible as well as deep discharge. Stopping charging 10% sooner (less than half a session) will DOUBLE your 18650 lifespan. For this reason, I built a series of 'Gadgets' to stop charging automatically early. A later version looks like this:

12VDC plugs in upper left. Pushing the button (lower right) turns on the transistor above it putting power out of the blue terminals at the top. Current is monitored by the shunt resistors at the top edge, the peak value stored and compared to the current one. When it drops a percentage set by the blue adjustment above the switch the processor drops charging and beeps the beeper. It automatically adjusts for different current levels, and 'watches' for a drop of say 15% of that. Mine is adjusted to terminate between 4.0 and 4.05 Volts a cell right now. Much better than the first versions that cut out at a preset value (say 650mA).

As a fun side benefit, not only does it double or more your battery lifespan but it cuts a bit over 20 minutes from every recharge (remember the last part of the charge is at a constantly reducing rate that averages half the normal level, it takes twice as long to put the last 10% in....we cut the slow part out). Let me repeat that. What was say an hour and a half to fully recharge is now just over an hour to 90% which you'll never 'know' since you never discharge the last 10%? A partial recharge, that used to take an hour is now done in 40 minutes and it beeps to wake you up so you don't miss it.

This works for most 12 Volt systems. An external regulator can be used to reduce the voltage for other vapes (like say USB charging ones). This is the prototype of a nine volt version for Ascent, Flower Mates and such:

That's a commercial (switching) 'buck' converter below a prototype Gadget made 'the old fashioned way (perf board). A similar external buck converter is used to 'make' five Volts for those vapes that are looking for USB charging.

Thanks for your attention. Regards to all.

OF

 

[macbill]

It's magic, I tell ya. It's straight out of Hogwarts.

 

[metaknight]

@OF

My windows are always open.

 

[OF]

@OF

My windows are always open.

I'm happy for you. I have a friend who lives 'on the big Island' in Hawaii, not only are the houses where he lives 'single wall' (no wall board or insulation) but his main window doesn't even have glass (just screen). Great weather, but wet (every day in the afternoon) and windy (wind blows over open ocean for a few thousand miles, over the mountain they live on (the whole island is a mountain, the locals navigate with 'up hill, down hill, towards Maui, away from Maui' as the four points of the local compass) and back out to sea. All day long.

Many years ago, my sister's boyfriend bought a (used) Dodge van like mine. Came from Hawaii. Without a heater or defroster....... We got him a heater core and blower from the salvage yard and installed it but there were no slots for the defroster.........Dodge made a special dashboard without them???? For that small market?

Anyway, how does the open window impact your Air's accuracy at 'room temperature'? Whatever that is. Like I said, mine is about 10 degrees low. I left it last night on the window sill with the window open. The thermometer said 55F, Solo said 45. No big deal but you have to wonder is 390F really 390 or is it 380 or 400 instead?

OF

 

[bluenavey00]

Finally got one, and really like it. The improved airflow is night and day.

I gave the included battery for a 7 hour “over charge” before turning it on. Must have done 8 sessions by the time I did 2 burn offs, a few stems, and tried the included lavender.

Haven’t plugged it in yet and still showing as 50% battery on the screen.

 

[metaknight]

how does the open window impact your Air's accuracy at 'room temperature'?

I was thinking since my windows were open and my vents are closed, my room would be the closest to the outside temperature and possibly my Air II can give an accurate temperature reading for the outside temperature. My room always feels very cold compared to the rest of the house.

I'm also just testing it for my entertainment if you will, an experiment.

 

[OF]

........ my room would be the closest to the outside temperature and possibly my Air II can give an accurate temperature reading for the outside temperature.

I'm also just testing it for my entertainment if you will, an experiment.

If that's the goal (measuring the outside temperature) I suggest lowering the Air on a string a foot or two below the sill on the outside? Away from all significant influence with inside temperatures. Just don't drop the end of the string......

This after you confirm the accuracy? Do you have access to a trusted thermometer? If you used my Solo II you'd be 'reading' ten degrees cooler than reality. Whatever that is.

Experiment or not, one should definitely stay amused. Right?

OF

 

[metaknight]

Do you have access to a trusted thermometer?

I'm going to buy an IR thermometer eventually so that I can measure the temps of my dabs, it would be interesting to test it out on the Air II as well.