Last night I had the opportunity to take the Solo 2 Max for a number of runs with the straw and the WPA on my bong. I'm going to describe my experience/opinions on it. It is going to be long winded since I'm going to address a lot of the opinions others have made on reddit etc. Most of it will be in comparison to my Mighty+ since that is the only point of reference I have with electronic vapes.
Frequency/Tolerance: Typically once a day session in the evening. I may skip 1 or 2 nights a week to keep tolerance lower. Only one bowl during weeknights. On weekends I'll do 2-3 bowls a night usually (with Mighty+). This is always done through a whip/bong (dry).
Why Solo 2 Max? : I was set on a Venty for 420; however, in light of the recall, numerous returns by many, numerous complaints of Storz/Bickel not wanting to pay for the RMA delivery etc, I've lost any interest in it. So, I decided to try a couple different manufacturers. This Arizer and the Dynavap 2 for 1 deal, bought an Ispire heater also. I wanted a sipper first and foremost. No interest in any type of ball vape. I have pets and kids and low-mid tolerance. I don't want to up my tolerance and I prefer a session device. The solo 2 has great reviews and is considered by many as one of their favorites. I've seen a number of complaints that the Solo vape is weak or has weak hits? I had to find out for myself if this newer generation of the vape is as great as they say or as weak as the haters complain.
Usage/Performance: I had no problem pulling a good amount of vapor. No issue with loading the stem either. No need to use screen/backspacer etc. With as much complaining I've seen about getting product in your mouth through the stem holes, I expected problems. I had none. I lightly tamped as recommended and left the last 1 mm of the stem empty so as not to burn any product in the heater. I ran 3 bowls from the straw and 1 through the WPA. I was pretty medicated last night lol, and even then, I did not once get anything in my mouth. Nor was it too difficult to pull/draw vapor. Very similar airflow to Mighty+. When my mighty is cleaned and with a new screen, it probably has more airflow, but it isn't anything detracting from my experience with the Solo. I'm only mentioning it because it is a measuring factor I see in other reviews, not because this really stood out to me. Honestly, if I hadn't read about this before, I wouldn't have thought to mention it. It was really that minor to me. This is a large complaint by many people who do not like the Solo 2 vape and I don't understand it. The difference is pretty minor to me. To me, it sounds more like reaching for straws to find something to complain about, but I guess YMMV.
Extraction: I filled the stem, then emptied it and put it into my mighty capsule to see which device is using more product. It wouldn't be fair to say the mighty provides a better "high" if I'm consuming more weed because of a larger bowl, right? Obviously more THC of the same strain should provide a more intense experience. So the Solo 2 holds a little less material than the mighty capsule. The capsule was filled up to about 1 mm below the lip of the capsule. Not a hell of a lot less, but definitely less and possibly enough to provide a lesser high, depending on the product. But I used the same strain on the Solo that I used the previous night with my mighty. The Solo 2 got me just as polluted as the mighty. It was great. And I feel like I didn't need the same amount of product. Did the difference in bowl capacity provide a significant difference in high? not really, no. It provided the same high. In both nights it took about the same amount of time, etc. My perception was I did not need the same amount of material to get to the same place as the mighty took me. I think, in my opinion, based on one night, the Arizer actually extracts a little better. It could just be placebo/honeymoon phase or wishful thinking. It's close, but my observation is that the Arizer was able to do a little more with a little less material. I'll update again after a few weeks if my opinion/perception changes. Also, after my first bowl on the Arizer, I did not want to reach for the mighty. I was enjoying the flavor and the quality of vapor with the Solo more than my mighty. I was kinda surprised.
Flavor/Quality of Vapor: The Arizer is really transparent in the flavor. In the lower temps it is amazing how much of the plant you can taste. Hell, almost in all temps you can taste so much of the herb. It blew my mind. I really really REALLY enjoyed it. I get a good flavorful hit at first with the mighty too, however, the Arizer provided more, and it continued as I stepped up the temp. It didn't stop delivering really distinct terp flavors until I nuked it at higher temps closer to max (428F). With the mighty, the first couple hits are good and then the flavor goes away quick. It's not bad, it's just not flavorful. I also noticed no burning in the back of my throat with the Solo. I've read about the bickel tickle, but until now I just thought it was some minor complaint....it is very noticeably not there with the Arizer. That really surprised me.
So in summary, the Solo 2 Max is a lot better than I expected. Actually, if I had to pick between the two, I wouldn't even think twice. I'd pick the Solo. I like the Mighty, don't get me wrong, not hating on it, I just prefer the solo. Just like the mighty+, if you want to get through a bowl really quick, just use a bong. Cools the vapor enough to create big clouds and burn through the product fast.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. Hopefully this helps someone make a decision later on.
Cheers!
(I took a pic of my rig along with the mighty+ as proof that I have these items, but not sure how to post it yet)
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