Arizer Solo

[Egzoset]

I liked the video, yet there's one detail missing.

If the vaporizer kit happens to be sitting on a table all day long then i wonder why one should need it to be portable, actually... Really, being about a portable that video should start when the user empties a nice leather carrying pouch where everything is packed securely, especially the glass straw!

But that's only me.

 

[vapeinacape]

You know, thats acutally a very good point and was the first thing I said to the guy in the store. He threw in a small padded bag for no charge and thats what I put the vape in when its in my backpack.... but the glass tube was tricky. You really need a hard case for it if you are going to throw it into a bag, so I've wrapped mine in a napkin and then placed it in an old glasses case I have. Now I dont need to worry about trauma to my bag breaking anything.

Its very surprising that Arizer didnt design some sort of case for it though, considering its so portable. The unit itself is durable enough you wouldnt need aything, but a case for the tube is a must!

Last night I went to a house party and the solo performed admirably, as well as drawing some attention from the ladies. Lets just say its durable.

 

[finchrock24]

Until you can show me a smaller, better vape for under 300

how about THREE launch boxes? lol. Kidding aside, I haven't used or seen the "Solo", but IMO it has a lot of ground to make up on the LB. The LB has variable temp, cheap and reliable batteries and DEFINITELY medicates. Although, a rechargeable that could put out big hits would be nice, but not at $300.

Do they offer a lifetime warrently, a la Magic Flight?

 

[Willeh]

2 year manufacturer warranty, which I assume does not cover accidental breakage. The LB warranty is amazing, but that's because the box literally is only a couple dollars in materials, the batteries are external, and the box is pretty hard to break. This has glass parts, and probably costs quite a bit more to manufacture so a warranty like the box would be a little unrealistic I think. I think Rockwise mentioned the first battery replacement being free if it goes out before the warranty is up, which I assume it might in a heavy user, but no one really knows yet. I think that means as long as the internals don't break in a drop or something, it thing should be operational without me paying anything but shipping to replace the battery for a long time.

What happens if battery's are done after a year, are they replaceable?
We can replace the batteries no problem. The cost of parts/labor to do it is $95.00 (+ tax & shipping), but if the battery fails soon after the warranty due to no fault of the owner then for sure we'll do it for less-- To Be Determined

EDIT: According to UPS, my solo is in the neighbouring town and could possibly arrive tomorrow or the day after I'll be posting a video of how well this thing works in a bong in vapor-productive lighting very soon.

 

[smokum]

Can hardly wait to see some concentrate reviews/vids with this Solo !

My Iolite is on its way out & I'm coming into the market of purchasing another device, and since the claim of being able to use the Solo with concentrates/oil it has peaked my interest.

Interesting unit....... my eyes (and pocket book) are waiting.....

 

[stickstones]

Vapeinacape...I want to see you hit that thing!

 

[Lo]

Vapeinacape...I want to see you hit that thing!

Me too and I hope you're wearing your cape too

 

[pakalolo]

I've created a Vaporpedia entry for the Solo:

http://www.vaporpedia.com/wiki/Solo

It needs a picture or two, so if any of you early adopters could provide any, I'd appreciate it. Closeups of the front and top would be nice, and also something that shows details of the diffusing tube. I will be grateful for any other tips or suggestions or corrections, and as always, I encourage people to register and help maintain the entry.

 

[vapeinacape]

Until you can show me a smaller, better vape for under 300

how about THREE launch boxes? lol. Kidding aside, I haven't used or seen the "Solo", but IMO it has a lot of ground to make up on the LB. The LB has variable temp, cheap and reliable batteries and DEFINITELY medicates. Although, a rechargeable that could put out big hits would be nice, but not at $300.

Do they offer a lifetime warrently, a la Magic Flight?

I've used both and cant put them in the same category. Yes they are both portable vapes, but the LB is so much different than the Solo in both functionality and construction. It would be like comparing a networking Switch vs. a Router. Sure if you dont know what you're talking about they may seem to serve the same end goal, but under the hood they operate much differently, and it shows in the price.

That being said, I see the target market being totally different as well. I dont expect highschool students to be able to afford a $300 vape, or even risk keeping it in your backpack to get stolen/confiscated etc... but the flight box is totally suited for just that, being cheap and very small. So they are both great for what they are, but its unfair to say Solo vs. LB I think.

First time I used a LB I held it down for a second too long and before I knew it I was smoking a $130 electric pipe... not exactly pleasant.

Being able to select exactly which temp you want it to sit at is very key I think, and the LB couldnt do that for me. I'm not sure what you mean by "variable" temp above, because when I used it it didnt have that. No there is no lifetime warranty... but I doubt MFLBs will still be getting made in 10 years (or even 5 years?) so I'm not sure how much you'll get out of that lifetime warranty. I'll admit a lifetime warranty may sound appealing to consumers though.

I am worried about the battery life, though. Rechargable batteries have become so much a part of life in the tech world I find myself with Recharageble Battery Conditioning OCD, so only time will tell if my efforts have paid off running full cycles etc...

Rockwise, any tips on how to keep the battery top notch?

 

[eddyfrancis]

I own a Launch Box and I have glaucoma so sometimes it takes me 30 minutes of puffing away to get where I need to be. Personally I would love to have a portable that could deliver thick clouds because sometimes I don't have enough time to get properly medicated with the Launch Box.

 

[Willeh]

Alright guys, I just had my first fat sesh with this thing. And I must say, It is the best vaporizer I've ever owned or used. It combines everything I liked from every one of my vaporizers, into one. Big hits, portable, long battery life, quick heat up, great vaporbonging, no tubing. There is nothing I can bash about it.

Milks as hard as my extreme elbow pack did (Or Buddha on a reasonable temp). Airflow is a little restricted (less than a purple days), but there is no screen to gradually clog more and more, and requires little cleaning. This two hole convection along with full conduction all the way around does a great job and pooching the bowl evenly and no stirring is required to get every last bit out. Dabuddha tubing fits perfect. I slid an inch of it just over my mouth piece to seal my bong, works perfect and is my preffered way to use it.

One of my bats is wider than the other, and actually does 'snap' in, in the sense that it only goes in if its lined up pointing away-from or towards the temperature, otherwise it's locked in. My other one is smaller. I use the stickier one for vapor-bonging, and I only do it over a carpet so if it does one day slip out when I pluck it off to carb the bowl it shouldn't matter. Hash is heavenly in this thing, and makes thick vapor milk. With the crumbly stuff I tested with a couple calyxes of bud were needed to block the holes up to not suck the hash through, but that worked excellently. I don`t know if a concentrate would work without a bed of weed, I assume it might if you just stuck the glob all around or between the two holes.

It is the size of a small redbull can! Easily pocketable, and has a little cap on the top so nothing in your pocket could get heated. It does not feel light, like the extreme did. It feels solid and heavy, like a mini flashlight or something. Arizer did not make any of the mistakes they made on the extreme (Clogging screens, weird airflow bowls that would drop your herbs out of the elbow you were trying to keep it in, long heat up times, very light clock-radio like construction compared to the heavy sturdy buddha).

It is everything you'd want- Portable, thick hits, doesn't get hot in your hand, the charge lasts a long time. The only downside I could see is that the airflow is a little restrictive (solely compared to say a supreme or buddha, and likely a vapexhale), but less so than the purple-days. You can suck it 100x (hyperbole) faster than the magicflight. I can not imagine it being uncomfortable. I won't be trading this thing for anything anytime soon, though I still see a vapexhale for home in my future for when I want to haul the bong like a vacuum cleaner

Also I have to give a tip of the hat to Rockwise. Because the payment got put on hold by paypal and the whole thing took so long to ship he gave me free UPS shipping (Went out on a friday, so it travelled ground over the weekend), and threw in a small spacecase carrying case, which nicely matches my 2-piece small spacecase grinder The thing probably got here quicker than if the whole ordeal never happened too.

edit: I'll post up a nice little video demonstration of my vaporbong set up later tonight [edit2]or tomorrow. My camera is giving my troubles so I'm borrowing my girlfriends

Edit2: This thing can be super efficient too, if you press a screen down into the bowl. Doing so allows bowls to be packed around 0.06g, and be finished in one big hit!

 

[Stu]

Looking forward to the video, Willeh!!

 

[charliedontsurf]

Great review Willeh, makes me want a Solo even more. Are you using it on temp setting two like someone mentioned earlier, or are you ramping up higher? And it really vapebongs that well? That's a great surprise.

I still have no chance of affording it at 300 bucks with no promise about long term battery life, though.

 

[buddhaholic420]

We can replace the batteries no problem. The cost of parts/labor to do it is $95.00 (+ tax & shipping), but if the battery fails soon after the warranty due to no fault of the owner then for sure we'll do it for less-- To Be Determined

This is a complete deal breaker for me. The price is a little high and from what I read the battery may or may not last a year. What kind of use warrants this? I would not mind paying a small fee to replace the battery or even do it myself if it were easy. Are there plans to provide battery replacements kits or something to that nature for people not willing to pay $95 + shipping and taxes?

 

[pakalolo]

We can replace the batteries no problem. The cost of parts/labor to do it is $95.00 (+ tax & shipping), but if the battery fails soon after the warranty due to no fault of the owner then for sure we'll do it for less-- To Be Determined

This is a complete deal breaker for me. The price is a little high and from what I read the battery may or may not last a year. What kind of use warrants this? I would not mind paying a small fee to replace the battery or even do it myself if it were easy. Are there plans to provide battery replacements kits or something to that nature for people not willing to pay $95 + shipping and taxes?

It's too early to say what the battery life will be, but Li-Ion batteries should last longer than a year. The nature of Li-Ion is that battery capacity diminishes as time passes regardless of use, so they won't last much beyond three years if they get that far. This is a higher demand use that will shorten the lifetime somewhat. How much is yet to be determined and of course, will be heavily influenced by how much the Solo is used and the recharging regime. I'd expect at least two years for most users, but I am not a battery expert.

I agree that it would have been nicer if the battery pack was user-replaceable. Since I'm pretty sure Ariser thought long and hard about this, I'm assuming there is a good reason why that option isn't available, since this will generate a lot of shipping of used vaporizers back and forth, many if not most across an international border.

 

[smokum]

Thanks for the review Willeh !! Look forward to the vid.

Please show use with hash, as is ability to use with concentrates is high on my priority list. I really wish Arizer didn't make this unit non customer serviceable with the battery change as it makes no sense concidering electronic cigarette mods all (well, most), have it, and I just don't understand the need to inconvenience users with shipping/wait times like that when its really not needed (unless they soldered the battery onto the circuit board, which would be dumb).

I'm still in the "gander" mode on this...... but I'd just like to see more usuage reviews out there first.

 

[Willeh]

So the battery finally finished on me this morning. I got 7 full cycles (with no charges between). I was using it mostly on power 7, occasionally 6. I was ramping the power up, but you certainly don't need to. I just tend to prefer a high temp vapor. On 7, the stuff comes out on the brink of charred near the front, and well toasted at the back. It's like a purple days stem on a larger scale. The vaporbong feels very ergonomic, and the vaporstream starts right away. The only downside is it's not completely unrestricted so you do need to take a slightly slower toke than other vapor bongs, but I still insist its slightly less restrictive than the purple-days which a lot of people vaporbong with.

some comparisons
It does not quite have as much horse power as a buddha with a .3 gram bowl on max which would make tons of vapor but come closer to combustion too. The tokes feel very very similar to an extreme's elbow, even a little thicker as the bowl has more capacity and better airflow and conduction heating. In order to get the thickest toke, warm the packed bowl up on the vape, and run it for 5 minutes with the bowl in on temp 7. Then it is very close to the Buddha in thickness. However, you can start getting vapor in less than a couple minutes. This thing tastes waaay better than the buddha. No tubing with month old vapor goo mixing in flavors. If you suck really hard on it you will cool the heater down, so it's best to just go with the airflow they give you. It is much better for groups than a buddha because there is no tubing to yank out, and it is impossible to combust the bowl as far as I am concerned. It is better than a purple days or a magic flight in draw speed. Magicflight only wins in stealthyness, instant warm up, and micro-loads, but overall I think the battery life on this is much better than the magic flights. I'd much rather it charge like a cell phone and have a longer life.

Another thing I noticed, it seems that as it charges, each light that goes up represents one cycle on maximum temperature, at least when you first get it. I just accidentally figured out the top part of the unit is threaded, and you can actually unscrew it to reveal the heater, and it very obviously is a very pure airpath, unlike the extremes which went over the circuitry.

 

[lwien]

Great reviews, Willeh. Thanks for putting in the time on this. This one looks to be a winner, eh? Sure do like the looks of it. Does the feel of this vape exude the same kind of quality as the looks of it?

 

[ACE OF VAPE]

The fit finish and quality of the unit is amazing. It looks like a major electronics company designed and built it. There is serious engineering in this thing, inside and out. From a design/build standpoint, there is no product that I'm aware of that's even on the same playing field.

 

[charliedontsurf]

The fit finish and quality of the unit is amazing. It looks like a major electronics company designed and built it. There is serious engineering in this thing, inside and out. From a design/build standpoint, there is no product that I'm aware of that's even on the same playing field.

Hot damn.

 

[VappyWorld]

I'm not quite sure I understand what is going on here.

Arizer made it quite clear in the Extreme thread in an email that Extreme's sold below the 299 dollar price point were done so by unauthorized dealers and as such, their warranties would be null and void. How can VapeWorld bypass this restriction by just using another name on Ebay?

Arizer has made the mistake to sell to anyone who requested to be a wholesaler. This has caused a flood in the market and many people to undercut the price. It is true that authorized dealers were meant to stick to the price of $299. However, recently Arizer has given the go ahead to start beating out the competition to their authorized dealers, this is because it was not fair for the undercutters to take all the business when authorized dealers were sticking to the set price. Arizer is aware of Warehouse Goods and the ebay market. The warranty is still in full effect. If you ever have any question, call in and ask the rep yourself to be sure.

 

[Willeh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7ZMvifwLXU
Short and sweet video of how I use my solo with some fine oregano and a water filter.

As I try the usual vaporizer recommendations (Finer grind, looser pack, drier herbs, slower pull, longer heater time) with more prudence, I'm finding this thing to be quite the beast... I am truly wondering if I need any other vaporizers at all.

 

[lwien]

^^

 

[charliedontsurf]

Jesus Christ she hit like a supreme. It's also a little larger physically than I had pictured it.

 

[Willeh]

I was pleasantly surprised with the power of this thing
It is similar to the supreme in the way it heats up with the bowl. It does have slightly tighter airflow, and you still can cool it by sucking too hard. But you can use technique to get a similar toke no problem.

I'm feeling pretty confident on the seven cycles on maximum temperature, or about an 'hour and a half'. Each cycle seems to bump the battery down one light. One cycle is enough time for two bats usually. I figure I can usually go all day without charging so long as I use an efficient bowl packing routine when I do use it (Pack stem, then turn on and insert so it warms up with it, and toke immediately when the numbers climb to seven).