Arizer Solo II

[whateverman]

What Robert says applies to all convection vapes. You also can't pack them like you would a conduction vape. Pack your stems lightly, consider the first draw's purpose to be to heat the material in the stem. Second draw will be decent, third draw will be thick vapor. It's the nature of the beast. When you pack the stems tightly, air cannot move easily through the material, producing less vapor and increasing draw resistance.

I use mine every night at bed time, and have for over a year now. We use it through a bong and I can get hits that make me cough!

Sorry to say but this is bad advice. I am using a solo and other arizer devices for about 10 years.

The way to pack a coarse grind tight, then let it soak up heat for 2 minutes. The airflow is restricted but the extraction efficiency is high.

That's how you get big rips with medicinal effects.
Packing it loose will reduce the efficiency of the heater, will not cook the material well and will send flying pieces into the stem.

 

[pop22]

Sorry to say but this is bad advice. I am using a solo and other arizer devices for about 10 years.

The way to pack a coarse grind tight, then let it soak up heat for 2 minutes. The airflow is restricted but the extraction efficiency is high.

That's how you get big rips with medicinal effects.
Packing it loose will reduce the efficiency of the heater, will not cook the material well and will send flying pieces into the stem.

No that is contrary to the principles of convection. Convection vapes are designed to work with looser material so that the hot air can flow through the material. Your basically forcing your vape to work as a conduction vape when your really just overheating your vaporizer!

 

[Petetbay]

No that is contrary to the principles of convection. Convection vapes are designed to work with looser material so that the hot air can flow through the material. Your basically forcing your vape to work as a conduction vape when your really just overheating your vaporizer!

That would make sense if it was a convection vape, it’s not. It primarily a conduction device, it has a heated metal bowl which is conduction, but has been considered a hybrid due the air entering is heated by the hot bowl, a slight convection effect. Convection is heating the air before it enters the bowl. You don’t want pack a stem too tight as it makes it harder to draw, but I consider it a tight pack to keep the herb in the stem. The main thing is long slow draws with pauses as the air drawn thru actualily cools the bowl and stem and needs time to reheat. If it was convection the bowl/stem temp rises as you pull more hot air thru.

 

[Robert-in-YEG]

The Solo II was one of my first vapes, and in the process of getting to know it, I went through a period where I didn't the unit. I found hard to drink, like thick milkshake through thin straw, it didn't produce good vapour, and it is such a small oven. A few years later, I am on my second Solo II, the first died a premature death from getting water splashed in the oven; shit happens when you're stoned.

This a conduction vape, so understanding conduction helped me figure out what works for me.

1. Packing is everything. Pack carefully, not too tightly, not too loose, with coarse ground flower. In the Solo I prepare the flower in a food processor. Ground flower tends to clog.

2. Take test draws while packing, and before heating the oven. Make sure that air is flowing. if there is no air-flow, it will be a frustrating experience.

3. Slow down and wait for the flower to cook, before taking the first draw. At 417F, I normally wait 3-5 minutes before the first draw. The first 3-5 seconds of the draw have some funky gasses that make me cough, so I don't inhale on the first puff; getting rid of those first harsh fumes gives me a better experience.

4. A session for me lasts 8, 10, or even up to 15 minutes. The best hits start about around 3 minutes and there is good flavour up until about 6-7 minutes. The last 10 -15 minutes are generally harsh, getting harsher as time passes. Those last hits, those harshest hits, seem to produce couch-lock if that is the desired goal. These same, extract the last bit, bitter tasting hits sometimes make me nauseated. My guess at a good middle ground for session length would be 6-8 minutes.

5. For me, the Solo II is used primarily with a bong. However, I will use the Solo at low temps with just the glass tube.

6. I use a stopwatch with this vape to track the time. Conduction vapes work better with a bit of patience.

Robert-in-YEG

 

[pop22]

The Solo II was one of my first vapes, and in the process of getting to know it, I went through a period where I didn't the unit. I found hard to drink, like thick milkshake through thin straw, it didn't produce good vapour, and it is such a small oven. A few years later, I am on my second Solo II, the first died a premature death from getting water splashed in the oven; shit happens when you're stoned.

This a conduction vape, so understanding conduction helped me figure out what works for me.

1. Packing is everything. Pack carefully, not too tightly, not too loose, with coarse ground flower. In the Solo I prepare the flower in a food processor. Ground flower tends to clog.

2. Take test draws while packing, and before heating the oven. Make sure that air is flowing. if there is no air-flow, it will be a frustrating experience.

3. Slow down and wait for the flower to cook, before taking the first draw. At 417F, I normally wait 3-5 minutes before the first draw. The first 3-5 seconds of the draw have some funky gasses that make me cough, so I don't inhale on the first puff; getting rid of those first harsh fumes gives me a better experience.

4. A session for me lasts 8, 10, or even up to 15 minutes. The best hits start about around 3 minutes and there is good flavour up until about 6-7 minutes. The last 10 -15 minutes are generally harsh, getting harsher as time passes. Those last hits, those harshest hits, seem to produce couch-lock if that is the desired goal. These same, extract the last bit, bitter tasting hits sometimes make me nauseated. My guess at a good middle ground for session length would be 6-8 minutes.

5. For me, the Solo II is used primarily with a bong. However, I will use the Solo at low temps with just the glass tube.

6. I use a stopwatch with this vape to track the time. Conduction vapes work better with a bit of patience.

Robert-in-YEG

Actually, I just discovered, it's considered a hybrid, using both conduction and convection, according to Arizer. I've been treating as a convection vape. I pack but lightly and get good results with the temp set to 390F. We use it exculsively with a bong. We get 8 hits, 4 each, from one crucible. I suspect we could get a couple more but, as I have a plentiful supply of herb, we just switch it out for another.
Those funky gases are the terpenes and flavinoids cooking off.

 

[Dutch-Mic]

I bought a Solo 2 a few weeks ago. It took about seven or eight heating cycles to lessen the factory smell. After that it was testing time. I went for a medium/course grind, put the temp on 180 degrees Celsius and ten seconds after it reached the desired temperature I went for a slow hit.

The taste was terpy, the vapor quite cool. After four cloudy hits I bumped up the temperature and got more clouds while the taste stayed quite pleasant. After two sessions the avb looked even, no need for a stir at all. The effects were great for a lightweight like me: no overwhelming side effects, just a pleasant high with medicinal benefits.

I wouldn’t recommend the Solo 2 to the on-demand big cloud chasers that only want to extract a bowl in a hit or two. The Solo 2 is perfect for those who have a lower tolerance, want to extract a bowl more slowly to avoid unwanted side effects and/or hate deep cleanings.

For me it has definitely found its place jij my collection. I love my on-demand (artisan) vaporizers, but with my now legendary low tolerance it is great to have a reliable, temperature controlled device. I’m very glad with the Solo 2!

 

[Vapenvy]

@Dutch-Mic I agree.

It's far from a heavy hitter or regular in my rotation, however it gets a Guernsey whenever I go anywhere that it may be confiscated (wouldn't want to lose any of those irreplaceable artisan vapes) or I am sharing with people. Hardly any instructions required, you just switch it on and hand it to people and it gets the job done. And it's easily replaceable.

It also still appeals to many. I take my air to cricket games. It used to be all joints but now the team ask if I have my vape. One of the team ended up buying a solo ll last year even though I had gifted him a dynavap and he had tried a number of my other vapes, and he and his partner rave about the Solo.

 

[gangababa]

I just finished a convection session stem in my old Solo set at seven with the stem pulled out such that the glass is barely into the oven.
Only when the vapor fades do I push the stem fully down into the oven to finish it off.

Conduction-convection, potato-potatoe, the Solo simply satisfies; it can do both.

 

[Petetbay]

I just finished a convection session stem in my old Solo set at seven with the stem pulled out such that the glass is barely into the oven.
Only when the vapor fades do I push the stem fully down into the oven to finish it off.

Conduction-convection, potato-potatoe, the Solo simply satisfies; it can do both.

Nice tip, tried on my Air Max about half way up, nice and terpy, I’ve tried raising off the bottom before, but this is way better. The arrow is in the quill.

 

[vonfatman]

I pack pretty tight & prefer pretty well ground herb in our Solo2s.
My wife was the one (here at our house) that figured how to make long slow draws work best.
It does work best for us.
We do not look for two or three monster rips per "bowl" Rather, we wait a min. or two between long slow draws. Works for us.
I am going to try the "stem pulled out such that the glass is barely into the oven"...seems like a brilliant plan.

vfm

 

[Bologna]

$126 delivered w/code "SOLO" for a few more days for those interested (not me):

Arizer Solo II Dry Herb Vaporizer

Arizer Solo ii vaporizer is one of the Best best dry herb vaporizer in the market today. This is the second iteration of the Arizer Solo solo ii by arizer, featuring a more powerful battery, improved airflow, a vibrant LED display, customization settings for building the best vaporization...

www.421store.com

All 40% off coupons:

Coupons

Discover amazing discounts at our smoke shop! Don't limit yourself to seasonal sales. We regularly update our discount codes, so you can save big on your favorite products. Make sure to check out our social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Twitter for the...

www.421store.com

I've purchased from this vendor without issue. They even thru in a bunch of free useful stuff 2 years ago...

 

[Pantherburn]

Hello,

I just ordered a Solo 2. I have read several pages of this forum going back to around circa 2020 posts. Thanks for all that have contributed! Very good intel to help me get off to a good start. I have cut and pasted many of the posts!

I have never hit any type of vaporizer. The primary reason for ordering a Solo 2 is that my wife recently qualified as a medical marijuana patient here in Mississippi. She suffers from chronic pain stemming from arthritis and bursitis. She has never smoked anything - not even a cigarette! She is currently only using edibles and topicals, which are thankfully giving her some relief. We initially purchased a cart, but it was too harsh for her lungs and it’s a thumbs down. As we are a relatively new player in medical marijuana, the dispensaries are few, and the selection is not great yet, but there is more variety of flower available than edibles, tincture, and topicals. Not to mention that products are expensive here!

Anyway, sorry for the long, hopefully not tmi intro, but I was hoping you could suggest some of your favorite accessories for the Solo 2 that we should consider.

Regards,

 

[Octavia]

I highly recommend:
- a WPA, ideally a glass one like Arizer sells or a silicone universal one (not sure the brand) to use your device with a water pipe.

- a cooling stem or 2 like a 3d flow stem or one with beads. I don’t use my solo much anymore but whenever I do I reach for my bent 3d spiked stem since the stock stems are too hot for my tastes. I got mine at 420edc but they’re sold in a few places.

- spare screens. I load my stems by sucking up the herb, then cap it off with a screen to reduce crumbs in the oven.

- a good grinder and scoop if you grind more than just what you need for the day. There’s a thread about high quality grinders that’s been active lately with a bunch of good suggestions. I love my brilliant cut grinder, but there are plenty of good cheaper options out there.

 

[Pantherburn]

I highly recommend:
- a WPA, ideally a glass one like Arizer sells or a silicone universal one (not sure the brand) to use your device with a water pipe.

- a cooling stem or 2 like a 3d flow stem or one with beads. I don’t use my solo much anymore but whenever I do I reach for my bent 3d spiked stem since the stock stems are too hot for my tastes. I got mine at 420edc but they’re sold in a few places.

- spare screens. I load my stems by sucking up the herb, then cap it off with a screen to reduce crumbs in the oven.

- a good grinder and scoop if you grind more than just what you need for the day. There’s a thread about high quality grinders that’s been active lately with a bunch of good suggestions. I love my brilliant cut grinder, but there are plenty of good cheaper options out there.

Thank you Octavia! It sounds like she should not try it without at least a cooling stem. More $ , but it’ll be worth it if she gets some relief. I don’t want the first experience to be bad!

Would someone be able to recommend a budget water pipe setup for us to try? I didn’t realize that glassware was so expensive these days.

 

[Bologna]

Thank you Octavia! It sounds like she should not try it without at least a cooling stem. More $ , but it’ll be worth it if she gets some relief. I don’t want the first experience to be bad!

Would someone be able to recommend a budget water pipe setup for us to try? I didn’t realize that glassware was so expensive these days.

I don't have a Solo II but I highly suggest taking this query here, as well:

Cheap High Quality Bubbler

Do they even make this??? I'm trying to find the cheapest bubbler possible, without sacrificing quality. I would also like to avoid anything made in China. :ko: I'm new to glass and am not sure what characteristics make for a better glass piece; I assume that there is an optimal thickness...

fuckcombustion.com

Plenty of folks with great info there... good luck!

 

[Durbandream]

Hello,

I just ordered a Solo 2. I have read several pages of this forum going back to around circa 2020 posts. Thanks for all that have contributed! Very good intel to help me get off to a good start. I have cut and pasted many of the posts!

I have never hit any type of vaporizer. The primary reason for ordering a Solo 2 is that my wife recently qualified as a medical marijuana patient here in Mississippi. She suffers from chronic pain stemming from arthritis and bursitis. She has never smoked anything - not even a cigarette! She is currently only using edibles and topicals, which are thankfully giving her some relief. We initially purchased a cart, but it was too harsh for her lungs and it’s a thumbs down. As we are a relatively new player in medical marijuana, the dispensaries are few, and the selection is not great yet, but there is more variety of flower available than edibles, tincture, and topicals. Not to mention that products are expensive here!

Anyway, sorry for the long, hopefully not tmi intro, but I was hoping you could suggest some of your favorite accessories for the Solo 2 that we should consider.

Regards,

I have an Air Max that uses the same stems and functions almost identically. The WPA advice is good and here's the recycler I use with it: 4.5" Mini Fixed Showerhead Bellow Base Recycler. It's small and light so she can handle it easily and even throw it in her purse, but it's also extremely durable and it hits hard.

But much more important than that are these: Domed Screen Filters. They'll improve convection and conduction which leads to more efficient extraction, stronger hits and better effects.They'll also keep your stems really clean so you don't have to worry about weed clogging up the air holes. Also, you can use your device more easily at lower temps to put out cooler, smoother vapor that shouldn't irritate your wife's throat. I'd try starting at around 355 and increasing the temp slowly by 1 or 2 degrees at a time until she finds the best fit.

I'd also follow the advice of heat soaking the stem after it reaches your target temp for about 30sec. You can look at the bottom of the stem and it'll start to fog up, I've found the best time to hit it is when that condensation gets so thick it looks milky. The stems that work best for me are the 60mm straight stem and the curved glass mouthpiece.

 

[Pantherburn]

I have an Air Max which uses the same stems and functions almost identically. The WPA advice is good and here's the recycler I use with it: 4.5" Mini Fixed Showerhead Bellow Base Recycler. It's small and light so she can handle it easily and even throw it in her purse, but it's also extremely durable and it hits hard.

But more importantly than that are these: Domed Screen Filters. They'll improve convection, conduction which leads to more efficient extraction, stronger hits and better effects. Also, you can use your device more easily at lower temps to put out cooler, smoother vapor that shouldn't irritate your wife's throat. I'd try starting at around 355 and increasing the temp slowly by 1 or 2 degrees at a time until she finds the best fit.

I'd also follow the advice of heat soaking the stem after it reaches your target temp for about 30sec. You can look at the bottom of the stem and it'll start to fog up, I've found the best time to hit it is when that condensation gets so thick it looks milky.

Thank you Durbanddream! That recycler looks amazing, but a little out of my price range initially…

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is the correct orientation for the domed screen?

 

[Durbandream]

Thank you Durbanddream! That recycler looks amazing, but a little out of my price range initially…

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is the correct orientation for the domed screen?

The normal price is pretty high but they have second quality options for much cheaper, I think there's one now for around $59. That's what most people do and their second quality stuff works great.

But the filters are way more important since with them installed you can get better extraction using less weed at lower temps. To install first burn it with a lighter to remove any residue it might have picked up, then just press it into the stem so it sits flush with the bottom and leaves a gap between it and the air holes. You want the pocket of the dome facing out. You can push it all the way in but I found this blocked the airflow too much and even though you can pack in more weed that way the extraction is less efficient so you don't get as high.

 

[Pantherburn]

The normal price is pretty high but they have second quality options for much cheaper, I think there's one now for around $59. That's what most people do and their second quality stuff works great.

But the filters are way more important since with them installed you can get better extraction using less weed at lower temps. To install first burn it with a lighter to remove any residue it might have picked up, then just press it into the stem so it sits flush with the bottom and leaves a gap between it and the air holes. You want the pocket of the dome facing out. You can push it all the way in but I found this blocked the airflow too much and even though you can pack in more weed that way the extraction is less efficient so you don't get as high.

I’ve ordered the filters/ screens ! So concave towards the exhaust side and convex towards the oven?

 

[Durbandream]

I’ve ordered the filters/ screens ! So concave towards the exhaust side and convex towards the oven?

Other way around, concave toward the oven. I found the best way to load it is to just make a pile of herb in your grinder and press the stem into it. The filter will pick up a perfect dose almost every time. Just be careful not to pile it too high, the pile should be about the height of the bottom chamber of the stem. And try not to leave any herb sticking out or tamp it down too tight, I just press it down on the table and give it a twist to make sure the bottom is completely flat.

 

[Bad Mattitude]

Good choice for a first-time vape. Good advise above! Common beginner recommendation is starting in low temps (there is a chart on here about effects etc at various temps), 320-340 +/-, should get through a short 6 minute session. Start low temp, sipping versus "ripping." You're probably not looking for 'clouds:' go real light hits as the stem heats and the goodies get released. Experiment with temps- different strains can 'act' differently at different temps. Water filter/bong- you can go nuts here - if glass, go for one with a removable 14mm bowl- the Arizer stems fit a 14mm female joint if a WPA is not an option. SOLO II is built like a tank. Charge it, do the burn-offs, get the job done. Good luck, hope y'all find some relief/comfort!

 

[Astedra]

I never understood the cult fan base of solo until I got one. After 2 solo 2's I can't wait for Solo 3, any word when it's coming out? I have the Arizer Air SE now, but I want the new Solo.

 

[Pantherburn]

Other way around, concave toward the oven. I found the best way to load it is to just make a pile of herb in your grinder and press the stem into it. The filter will pick up a perfect dose almost every time. Just be careful not to pile it too high, the pile should be about the height of the bottom chamber of the stem. And try not to leave any herb sticking out or tamp it down too tight, I just press it down on the table and give it a twist to make sure the bottom is completely flat.

Durbandream, thanks so much for recommending the screens! They work perfectly for my needs.

 

[Durbandream]

I never understood the cult fan base of solo until I got one. After 2 solo 2's I can't wait for Solo 3, any word when it's coming out? I have the Arizer Air SE now, but I want the new Solo.

I think it's something in the delivery, maybe the temp control. I have other vapes that produce far more vapor, have more even and thorough extraction, bigger and bolder flavors, but the Air Max with its modest vapor production and efficiency hits me like a jolt every time. Arizers are just deceptively strong.

 

[StringTheorista]

Just today did I learn that I don't have to press the temp control button once for each degree, that instead holding it down causes a 10 degree jump on the display. Sharing in case I'm not absolutely the last person to know this