Arizer Solo

[vape4life]

Apparently for some, but I sent mine in. I don't see that practice lasting too long though, especially with free inserts around the corner.

For those that have received a replacement: do you stems fit tighter at all? Stems that were loose in my defective Solo are now tight in the replacement. I think the top ring type thing might be a bit thicker, maybe in order to minimize contact with the sides of the bowl? Pretty much every single one of my 6 stems fits tight now...the old one they were loose.

The replacement unit odour was strong for several cycles, almost like a hot alcohol type smell, but now is basically gone. Very slight, could be heater as mentioned.

So wait, Arizer sends you a 2nd unit for free when you claim warranty and you don't have to send the defective one back?

 

[Willeh]

I guess a few of us might of just lucked right out on getting a second replacement, but if your unit has serious chipping I'd bet he'll continue to swap them.

I think that there are units which do not scratch or chip out there for sure. My new one I've only been using with the stems that came with it, and both are very snug. I figured I wanted to stress-test it anyway. Been going for 3 days of lots of use and absolutely no signs of scratching.

I just repeatedly did the power level seven empty bowl test and was unable to taste anything. My new solo has an even lighter taste and smell than my old solo had. These things have a definite break in period where some kind of smell/taste is a lot stronger. I have a crock pot theory about moisture in their fabric insulation or dust stuck in the enclosures or something. Maybe if you ran the battery down on seven a few times you could just burn it off to this point before ever tasting anything. I just hit an empty bowl on 7 on my warrantied solo and the taste was super, duper faint, not even there. However two days ago the first few cycles on power level seven tasted horrible, and the herbs were the same as I've been vaping recently.

 

[psyshaman]

I have been loving my Solo for the past few weeks.
But like the people before me have started to experience the flaking issue.
Have emailed Arizer through the form on their site to start a warranty claim. Hoping for and confident of a timely resolution...

Real shame about all the warranty and flaking bowl issues as this really is a great product. With some little improvements this would be an amazing product!

 

[smokecity]

I love my solo and my views on Arizer have not changed even with the flaking issue. All you can ask from a company is quality products and customer service and I got a quick response from Arizer willing to fix my problem which is all i could ask for and that is what I received. Here's part of the email...

"I'm assured it won't happen again. Regardless we're going to stick with a stainless steel bowl. The ceramic coating was purely for cosmetic purposes, because stainless steel 'blues' over time when repetitively heated at high temperatures. We expect this to be done within two weeks.

In the short term we're having a stainless steel floor (insert) made to fit in the dishes for those who'd like one. It's not necessary but an option. Also, we'd be happy to replace your unit for a Solo with a stainless steel bowl when they're ready. In the meantime, feel free to use your Solo with no problems."


I'll wait for the new stainless steel solo to come out and hopefully that's the last issue I have with this unit.

 

[Stu]

I don't understand how flaking in the walls of the bowl can be alieviated by a "floor insert" (SS disk?).

What am I not understanding about this "fix"?

 

[VaphingApe415]

I was losing faith but am now confident in Arizer! Steve is the truth! Arizer is the BOMB.COM...Word of advice stay persistent! Couldn't of getter done without advice from CDS and my other fellow VapeApe!
Now the two week waiting game!?Stock piled on some edibles to hold me down till then!
?and?
Ape Shall Never Kill APE!

 

[charliedontsurf]

I don't understand how flaking in the walls of the bowl can be alieviated by a "floor insert" (SS disk?).

What am I not understanding about this "fix"?

The part where they tell people to gently sand down the walls of their unit until it's bare steel, I'm guessing. And maybe their insert is like cup-shaped, so it'll cover the bottom and walls.

 

[Stu]

My initial thoughts were some kind of cup-shaped insert, too. But A) I'm pretty sure this would render my tight-fitting stems useless and B) they way he calls it a "floor insert" instead of "bowl insert" makes me think of some disc that just covers the bottom.

Has anyone seen any of these "floor inserts" yet?

 

[Vaped Ape]

My version of Solo v2.0 I would like to see a full stainless chamber with a slight overbore. Then another stainless cup inserted but designed to receive the stem better. Think of a cigarette light plug in-the female end. They could design a means to grab or size all stems both small and large. Clips similar to the clips on the sides of the male end of a cigarette lighter plug would be incorporqted into the female stainless cup. This insert could also center the stem so the vapor could be drawn all around the stem. In other words the stem would not be allowed to rest on the sides of the chamber. If this stainless insert gripped like planned the Solo could be turned over without the stem falling out.

The chamber would be more like a plug in receptacle.

OR..stainless collar fixed around the end of the glass stem that would screw into the full stainless chamber-very course threaded. The glass stem would be epoxied into a stainless collar with male thread on the exterior of the collar. A stem that would screw into the chamber with 1-2 turns. Think of how a common light bulb is made. Threads on the end of glass but only 2 threads. Of course then it would need air flow passages cut too.

Also a side port for charging and/or a docking charger. Also a optional nice soft sheep's foreskin leather sheath or glove.

Edit: over ride prompt for the 12 min shut off and a longer life battery

Da Ape

 

[Kaptan]

Add me to the list of affected SOLO's.

 

[OhTheAgony]

Do all the flaking Solo's have a black ring with the two upward hooks, or are there also ones with the with ring that have this problem?

I'm not to fond of the insert idea as well tbh. If mine ever starts chipping I hope they'll still want to replace it.

a optional nice soft sheep's foreskin leather sheath or glove
Da Ape

I'm glad you said optional

 

[smokecity]

Just got a response from Debbie of Arizer and they will ship my new stainless steel bowl replacement solo in 2 weeks when they are ready.

All I wanted was a resolution to this problem and their customer service was quick to respond and give me exactly what I wanted.

 

[Kaptan]

Do all the flaking Solo's have a black ring with the two upward hooks, or are there also ones with the with ring that have this problem?

I'm not to fond of the insert idea as well tbh. If mine ever starts chipping I hope they'll still want to replace it.

a optional nice soft sheep's foreskin leather sheath or glove
Da Ape

I'm glad you said optional

I was told by Arizer via email that the insert is an option until the new steel bowl SOLOs are finished. They also stated that the peeling ceramic is ONLY a cosmetic problem and to continue to use my current SOLO.

 

[Vaped Ape]

a optional nice soft sheep's foreskin leather sheath or glove
Da Ape

In college I used to sell shoes in an all women's shoe store. When the old bitties with crooked feet would want a soft shoe I would show them a particular model and then go into my schtick about sheep's foreskin leather, clowning for the other salesman I worked with. None of the old ladies ever caught it even though I could get virtually all of them to hold the shoe and rub it. I was just a young stupid kid trying to entertain.

Also it shows who's paying attention and following along.

Da Ape

 

[charliedontsurf]

Just got a response from Debbie of Arizer and they will ship my new stainless steel bowl replacement solo in 2 weeks when they are ready.

All I wanted was a resolution to this problem and their customer service was quick to respond and give me exactly what I wanted.

Steve told me the same thing, new steel bowl Solo when it's ready. They've had great customer service so far, I just wish this whole peeling business had never happened.

 

[smokum]

No probs with mine a month in of daily use, but I'm keeping an eye on it.

I'm confident that Arizer will honor my warranty since I bought from an authorized dealer, so other than an inconvenience should the prob arise.... I'm still happy with my purchase and enjoy it immensely.

 

[Flatland]

The glass stem use to be a tight fit on my unit. Now it's completely loose and it spins around freely. Does anyone know why this would happen?

 

[al bundy]

do you have any flake off from the bowl?

 

[Flatland]

No I don't have any flaking in the bowl but I don't see why that should matter. The bowl is not what keeps the stem in.

 

[zombonaut]

Now that I have spent a few more days with this thing I must say I'm very pleased. I have gotten used to the stiff draw. I mostly use it with my glass bong and that helps make it more effortless. Also the smell has dissipated to the point where I no longer notice it!

I do have chipping already after about a week and Steve at Arizer agreed to replace my unit when the stainless bowl Solo's are ready to roll. That is kick ass customer service!

One thing I tried late last night with EPIC results was to load it up and set the temp to 7. Then as it heated up I took a hit as each light would come on. So I took a bong hit at the 2,3,4,5,6, & 7 temps! Dayum!

 

[BossBrew]

Received the replacement unit today from Arizer and this unit has a strong odor in the bowl. Its that electrical smell I've been hearing about. The smell was completely unnoticeable in my last unit but this one reeks to high heaven. I have been running it for a few hours trying to burn that smell off. The good news is that it seems to be disappearing.

Thanks Arizer for the quick response and for getting the unit out to me quickly. The extra stems will come in handy!

 

[Kaptan]

Received the replacement unit today from Arizer and this unit has a strong odor in the bowl. Its that electrical smell I've been hearing about. The smell was completely unnoticeable in my last unit but this one reeks to high heaven. I have been running it for a few hours trying to burn that smell off. The good news is that it seems to be disappearing.

Thanks Arizer for the quick response and for getting the unit out to me quickly. The extra stems will come in handy!

Is your replacement a stainless steel bowl unit? If so, can you take a pic?

 

[BossBrew]

Is your replacement a stainless steel bowl unit? If so, can you take a pic?

Nope, still the ceramic bowl. It's strange that the first two units I purchased had no smell whatsoever. I can definitely taste it as well.

 

[charliedontsurf]

So, we can now relatively safely assume that the smell issue is a unit-to-unit thing, NOT a "oh, people with discerning taste notice it, lucky you" type situation.

 

[Frederick McGuire]

Hi everyone, I purchased my solo from Vaporizer For Weed just over a month ago. I've had it for about 2.5 weeks after the international shipping.

I love this thing...
No chipping, odors or bad tastes in mine, just nice, thick vapor. (and a slight weedy smell when it first heats up - from what few particles stay in the unit when i remove the stem... One short, sharp blow into the bowl and it's good to go.)
Having said that, I've only used it enough to go through 3 - 4 battery cycles, so only time will tell.

I'm sure I've already read this somewhere in this thread, but I cannot find it now.
Is it better for the longevity of the battery to let it fully discharge through use before charging?
Or is it better to charge the battery once it is partially depleted (like down to 2 or 3 on the indicator LEDs)?
Or does it not really matter?

I'm also curious as to everyone's pulling technique(s)?
I've found the most pleasurable way for myself to hit it is more like how I used to hit a pipe:
Draw vapor into my mouth, inhale a bit of fresh air through my mouth along with the vapor, repeat until my lungs are full. (1 - 5 times depending on the day and how my asthma want to be...)
I find this makes the drag far less noticeable than trying to draw with pure lung power, at the cost of a lower vapor-to-air ratio (which I don't necessarily mind)

I've also noticed that this vape tends to make me cough more than others I've tried - close to a way-too-big bong rip with my SSV.
I'm not sure if its because of the heat of the vapor (though the vapor doesn't feel hot in my mouth/throat), or small particles getting through the air holes and irritating my lungs (Ive noticed a fair amount of particle (not resin) buildup inside my stem (I have yet to fashion a screen for it)), but I've never noticed anything hitting my mouth/tongue/throat.
My next step is to see if water filtration will help.
Then I was going to try walking the stem up from 2, then 3, then 4, instead of just staying at 4 the whole time.

Another thing, I guess this has a lot to do with he herb being used, but I have no idea how people can be going above 4 on this thing...


I'm quite happy with the 2 stems I got, both fit snugly in the bowl. they will freely rotate, but won't fall out if the unit is upside-down (they will slide down a few mm, but definitely won't fall out).

Unfortunately, my power adapter came with a US plug (which I've got an adapter for - no major problem there) and I have been looking on eBay for a replacement adapter that will work with an australian outlet.

Ive found the following 3 chargers, and I was wondering if anyone could give me some input as to whether they are suitable.
I like to think I know a little bit about electronics, so I think they should be ok, but it wouldn't surprise me if I'm missing something major. (just in case I've got this backwards, I'm assuming that 9V is for charging, and 12V is for powered operation. I can't remember off the top of my head...)

12 Volt Power Adapter - I thought this would work so I can vaporize while plugged in (drawing power directly from the outlet)
9 Volt Power Adapter - I thought this would essentially be a replacement for the stock one
Variable Voltage Power Supply - This one doesn't come with an australian plug, but it looks like it could do both charging & direct powering as it has a 9V mode and a 12V mode, Which is nice. And I figure with all of the interchangeable plugs, one of them would have to fit the solo.

I am fairly confident that the voltages on these are suitable, as I got them from the base of my unit, and I am fairly confident that I have the correct amperage as my stock charger says 1000 mAh (I guess the 12V adapter may be different though).

The main thing I'm not sure about is the plug.
I assume that it is a relatively standard plug, but I noticed that my stock adapter has a yellow plug, while the first 2 above have a black one.

Also, I noticed similar chargers with higher amperages than 1000 mAh - Would going higher than this fry my solo or just make it charge quicker?

Ok, while I was writing this, I found This Power Adapter from vapornation.com.
if I'm reading the description right, a 12V charger will charge AND allow direct power usage. I had assumed that I would need something with variable voltage to do that...

Wow, this post is longer than I thought it was going to be when I started

TL/DR: I love the solo, can anyone help me with finding a replacement charger?