The Arizer Air

[HomeFree]

OF, something tells me you worked at the lab in the city I grew up in.

Aimless Ryan, looks like you like a fine grind like I sometimes like. I use the plastic tipped one the least so it doesn't look like that when I have the balls to vape in public, just looks like a big ecig. I found that fine grinds are okay, they just have to be vaped pretty soon, eg not grind fine and leave like that for days before vaping.

 

[olivianewtonjohn]

@Aimless Ryan are you using a screen? I find a screen kind of mandatory, smooths out the vapor alot and keeps things cleaner. I think it should have came with it from the factory

 

[Aimless Ryan]

^^^I have a screen in the loaded stem right now, but I don't think I've used a screen before now. I have actually been striving for more coarsely ground herbs since I started using the AA.

@HomeFree, those tiny bits in my picture may be from herb I had already ground before I realized I want more of a coarse grind. The last couple days I've been grinding in either a 4-piece SCS or a 5-piece Diamond Grind, right-side-up. Then, regardless of which grinder I used to grind the herbs, I use the 5-piece as a sifter. Leaves me with what seems to be very blonde kief in the kief collector, a coarser "kief" atop the bottom screen, and coarsely-ground herbs on the screen above that. I've been trying to dispatch all the really fine stuff to the Aromed, since it has a screen and a water filter.

 

[CarolKing]

With my air I like a coarse grind and I don't use a screen. I want to have an easy draw. The PVHE bent shorty is what I've been using lately. Sometimes a bit of herb gets in the stem but not much. No worries.

EDIT
While cleaning your stem below a q-tip to dry the inside. Also a shake of the mouthpiece helps remove extra water. Set it side ways and it would be dry by morning too.

 

[Aimless Ryan]

Cleaned my stem tonight. See the drops of water? I guess they are bigger than I indicated earlier ("microscopic" or "vapor").

To try to get the water out, first I shook it. Then I blew through it. Sucked through it. No change. (Yes, I realize I could stick a cotton swab in it and get it dry or mostly dry, but my objective is not to make it dry ASAP. Rather, my objective is to demonstrate that water does not evaporate from this stem how one might expect it to.)

I'm going to let the stem sit there overnight, then maybe use it early tomorrow, regardless of whether it appears dry. My crystal ball says the water will still be there tomorrow morning, and will still be there even after a session, although it may take the form of a foggy appearance.

 

[Aimless Ryan]

Apparently the rules of reality have changed over the last few days. This stem is dry inside. Or at least it appears dry inside. (In fact, I noticed last night before I went to bed that it already appeared dry.)

I have no idea why it dried this time but didn't dry last time. As far as I know, I did everything the same. Halfway through a session with it, it still appears dry. No foggy appearance. Hmmm.

If what happened last time ever happens again, I'll try to document it.

EDIT: After further use, it does appear mildly foggy inside the stem once again, but only throughout the top cm or so; with an appearance much like the results of a hot breath on eyeglass lenses. (Apparently it's not foggy enough to get a decent picture with my phone, though.) I'm pretty sure I have a good idea what's going on now. Basically, I suspect the inside of this stem does not fully dry unless I either force it to fully dry (with canned air) or give it at least 24 hours to fully dry on its own.

 

[Bravesst]

My best results with the air for me are really on the stock stems (even though I love the PV stuff), using a small nugget, allows for plenty of airflow and requires zero work. This method works best with my best strains that are boveda stored and get down to 62RH or a bit lower (seems to vape great at that RH). I don't need a screen, cleaning is a breeze. I wind up using one of my airs 90% of the time. Sometimes I'll dump solid nuggets and save a bunch for evening. Sometimes I pop out, crumble up, and reload and go right to orange (usually vaping on green). The experience is reliable, simple, pleasurable, pretty stealth, effective, tasty, and easy as hell...
Love my Airs!

[EDIT] Actually, super stealth with short stems, about as stealth as it gets.

 

[Bravesst]

Okay, can't edit above, so I guess it's safe to post (I hope).

But good news, another baby AA is on it's way to my doorstep via Randy and Puffitup of course, along with an extra battery ($187 with shipping).
I'll be the proud daddy of triplets, getting the titanium this time out.

It is becoming very clear to me that I prefer the AA over any other vaping experience by far. My two current AA's are workhorses and always on. This will help spread the work around even more, and make Otis (my OCD alter ego) very, very, happy. THANKS ARIZER!!!

I didn't even select priority shipping, now that's progress.

 

[Superhans]

Best of luck with your purchase, @Bravesst

I thought it was a little excessive that you had two, but I'm coming round to your way of thinking. I'm very happy using this device as a daily driver, and now that I have a range of stems it can deliver the whole range of experiences that smoking did.

 

[olivianewtonjohn]

Found out on reddit that fake arizer airs might soon be circling around. People gettings emails from this company for way less $ than other stores:

http://www.ikangtech.com/?product=2...orizer-vape-portable-arizer-air-vaporizer-pen

Source:
https://www.reddit.com/r/vaporents/comments/3hcjpv/psa_fake_arizer_airs_soon/

 

[snamuh]

Just like dhgate.. "2015 newest".....

 

[CarolKing]

Not excessive having 2 of the same vaporizer, if it happens to be your fav. Not so much wear and tear on the one unit. That's just my humble opinion.

To add a bit of moisture an FC member had suggested a bit of damp cotton in the longer stock stem on one end. It may have been @OF? It wasn't my idea even though I would like to take credit for it.

 

[Bravesst]

Okay, same principle applies to owning three vapes (@CarolKing)., as I'm a real heavy user who is home most of the time and vaping. I found myself liking (actually loving) everything about the AA more and more - from stem fit, to narrow diameter, to interchangeable endless battery life, to so many options, to easy cleaning, super efficiency (I actually get better results than my nano) and on and on and on. And at $169 and I need no spare anything (got it all), I'm getting "such a deal". I can get three AA's for the price of a top of the line portable or desktop with accessories (and I have a Mighty and Nano which rarely, if ever, get used). It truly is the closest thing to joints for me (40 year joint smoker), and I was a true joint guy, super roller, meticulous about grind, each doob just like a cigarette, only one layer of paper, just making the glue meet. Now joints just take like dirt.

It's personal preference, and I could have 3 AA's and nothing else and vape like the energizer bunny!

 

[Aimless Ryan]

Could anyone share some details about the largest load they've utilized in the AA?

First of all, in your experience, how much even fits in the "bowl" part of the stem? The very first time I used my AA, my scale indicated that the load weighed 0.2 g (which I still believe was probably an inaccurate measurement, or user error).

Since I used very small loads yesterday, today I wanted to try 0.2 g again. However, when I thought I had loaded nearly 0.2 g into my stem, the scale indicated it was more like 0.1 g. (My scale seems pretty reliable even down to hundredths of a gram, but it does seem kinda flaky every once in a while. However, after dumping these loaded herbs, the stem once again weighed 0 g, which means the scale was probably accurate when it displayed 0.1.)

So I guess the following is what I'm asking here:

1. What is the largest load you've used in the AA? (Or what's the maximum load you've been able to fit in one of these stems?)
2. Did you stick with this load size? Why or why not?
   
3. What's your current average load?
4. As I get the impression most people like to use smaller loads with the AA, why do you prefer smaller loads instead of bigger loads? (I think I already know some very good answers to this question, but I would still love to know what you have to say.)
5. Anything else to add?

Thanks.

Note: I don't ever weigh herbs directly on the scale. Instead, I usually place a stem on the scale, along with a black rubber stem cap, then turn on the scale; same thing as taring the scale with an empty stem on it. This way I can load the stem, cap it, then put the loaded stem back on the scale to find out my load's weight.

 

[Superhans]

0.2g sounds very high to me, was your scale accurate to the 0.01g?

In answer to your questions:

1) 0.15 is probably the most I've ever used in one of the stock stems. This is without a screen.
2) I reduced this load size because it seemed to reduce airflow and the part in contact with the heating element seemed very charred.
3) I now use a screen all the time and my average load is in the 0.06-0.08 range. I generally weigh every time to keep a handle on my consumption so this isn't an assumption. Unintentional rapping there but I can't think of more appropriate words
4) I've found that over time I am happier consuming this amount. I have got a similar impression about AA users consuming less and my thoughts are that it is down to a pretty even balance of the efficiency of the device and the maturity of users in terms of managing their consumption.
5) My vaping experience is somewhat limited/recent, but I'd add that the AA has made me much happier with the 'habit' in general, in terms of state of mind and the money I spend on it. It seems like you are having some initial frustrations with the device but I would definitely recommend sticking with it. It's positive to see you are still using it and please do continue to ask questions!

 

[Aimless Ryan]

No, I don't think I'm frustrated at all with the AA. It may seem that way because I am so new to vaping and because the only interaction I have with other people who vape is via these boards.

Also, I don't always trust what I think my senses tell me. So it's good for me to know how other people's senses behave. Or something like that.

Thanks for responding.

 

[CarolKing]

I never weigh my cannabis. I use a coarse grind and no screen. With a thicker grind you really don't need a screen. Lately I've been using a shorty stem from Planetvape the PVHE bent stem with the channeled air slits along the side. I have no trouble with difficulty with drawing and it is the perfect amount of cannabis. The shorty is a smaller bowl size.

Most of the time after using a vaporizer for a while I get a feel as to what's the right amount of product. Sometimes it just takes practice. With the Solo and the Air you can use as much cannabis that comfortably fits in the stem, whether it's a small amount or a larger load.

If you want to limit your cannabis use, measure out how much you want to use in a day and stay within that amount. Like if you want to use a 1/2 a gram, weight that out and grind it up. That would be your days worth of cannabis. That would only be about 1/2 ounce a month. That's more than @lwien uses. Sometimes those tiny weight measurements on the scale isn't always accurate. I have a $20 scale, so that might be just my scales.

 

[Bravesst]

My AA experience A - Z

If I remember correctly, there was a bit of a learning curve, especially coming off a Mighty, which is a little more auto-pilot (not better). My first one was from a LHS, and I got the kid down to $220 cash, it was missing one stem, so I only had the plastic tip (probably the most idiot proof).

I tried all sorts of combos, grinding fine, coarse - packing lose, tight, and what made the biggest different to what seemed like potent vapor and efficiency, turned out to be the RH (I discovered boveda62, mason jars, hygrometers, and Cvaults, but that's another lesson). If I could get the herb down to 62-ish, I could even use the nugget technique (just break off a small nugget and shove it in there - be careful, not too tight). I wound up getting the most satisfying sessions this way, mostly starting at green, maybe bumping to orange.

In all honesty, I think I like the stock stuff the best, the the PV shorty's, turbos, vectors, are all cool. I can pass on wood and fancy ass glass, as I don't mind keeping things simple. Stock stuff requires no screen, very cool feature.

At this point, as long as my herb is around 62RH (and of good quality), I can't have a BAD session. Some better than others, but usually on only green as the highest temp, I get lots of vape, clouds, taste, and effect. I'm sure I left a shitload out, but feel free to pick my brain. I got a pretty good handle on this AA, and love the shit out of it!!!

Right now sipping on a shorty vortex PV bowl. I'll stir maybe once, and bump to orange, after 10 hits on green. Compared to the old combustion days, I'm using almost no material (maybe .05 - a small roach - remember that scene in "Up In Smoke") in the shorty. Lots of fun.

NOTE ON SHORTY STEM: If you wanna load less often, the shorty is not the right choice, but if you like conserving, being reminded to slow down a bit (30%), and or just vape less, the shorty's are cool

 

[OF]

In all honesty, I think I like the stock stuff the best, the the PV shorty's, turbos, vectors, are all cool. I can pass on wood and fancy ass glass, as I don't mind keeping things simple. Stock stuff requires no screen, very cool feature.

At this point, as long as my herb is around 62RH (and of good quality), I can't have a BAD session.

Great post! I agree 'the stock stems work best' generally. But I think folks should try just to be sure it's not better for them.

Likewise, I'm a 62% RH fan as a hold over from pipe smoking, but am not sure it's the best call for vaping herb. Unlike tobacco where we're trying to control combustion, water does us no good really. It simply 'robs heat' to evaporate off before terpenes, let alone THC, can evaporate and start it's blessed journey to use.

I store it 'fresh', but grind it and dry it more before using. A few days to a week at a time. Dry too much and taste can suffer, but drying it some makes it vape faster/easier and more uniformly IMO. I suggest trying it?

OF

 

[CarolKing]

Grind and pack seems to be the key with using the Air without draw resistance. If using a screen make sure you keep it free of debris. Also keeping your stems clean will help with less of a smell when out and about. It sure has come down in price from what it was going for originally.

A nice vaporizer to have out on a summers evening.

EDIT
I do use those screens on occasion that are shaped like a bowl that an FCer turned us on to. It has the thicker wired screens. Was that @Sinclue that had that great idea? Most of the time I use a longer stem than the short stock stems with the Air. That cuts down on any harshness. If I need real stealth I just turn the heat down to low and use the small stock stem. The Sinclue screen doesn't fit the Vortex PVHE stem.

It's such a versatile vaporizer. I love Arizer products.

 

[olivianewtonjohn]

Without a screen it felt really harsh for me, after the eBay screen I noticed a pretty big improvement. Maybe I'm sensitive? Idk. The screen must be cutting down on particles. I use a 4 SCS so grind consistency is fluffy medium.

 

[narrowsparrow]

Someone please help me fall in love with this unit. I got it when my Alfa went away for repairs. I find that using batteries really annoys me because it seems that there isn't much time available to actually use the vape. It's always having to be charged. I feel like I am just sitting around staring at those blinking lights, waiting and waiting and waiting for the blue light to move to green so I can enjoy a hit.

Obviously, I am not battery-savvy. I don't like using them with the MFLB, either. They do not stay charged very long at all, and so they end up not really being "portable," as you can't hang out at a concert or something expecting to find an electrical plug somewhere. Even if you have a spare battery, it doesn't hold a charge very long.

I really, really want to like this vape. It cost me a lot of money! But more than that, I like that it is a convection design, and there aren't a lot of those. Yet!

 

[Bravesst]

Great post! I agree 'the stock stems work best' generally. But I think folks should try just to be sure it's not better for them.

Likewise, I'm a 62% RH fan as a hold over from pipe smoking, but am not sure it's the best call for vaping herb. Unlike tobacco where we're trying to control combustion, water does us no good really. It simply 'robs heat' to evaporate off before terpenes, let alone THC, can evaporate and start it's blessed journey to use.

I store it 'fresh', but grind it and dry it more before using. A few days to a week at a time. Dry too much and taste can suffer, but drying it some makes it vape faster/easier and more uniformly IMO. I suggest trying it?

OF

My issue is this, it was 90% humidity on Long Island yesterday.

Even with central air on in the house, the RH is not dropping below 65% inside. I'd need boveda 50-somethings to get any dryer. I was leaving my stuff ground and out for days, I swear it started getting wetter! Put it back in the jar with a hygrometer and the RH went up.

I guess heat could dry it as well, or if I left it out for days, but I don't think that's gonna work in the Summer on LI. Any suggestions for overcoming the local humidity? It's a job to get it to 62.

I do pull out the weeks estimated vaping materials, and put in small labeled SS containers. I ground some of it, but even if I leave open it won't dry. Now that dog days of August are here, I gotta keep ground stuff in a small Cvault with a boveda or it gets wetter.

I tried a coffee filter, leaving it spread out on the super dry paper that sits inside a strainer (increase air flow from all around), as that might that suck some water out? It was working in June, but now boveda and air tight (I'm also vacuum packing in mason jars) is the only thing that can break 66RH.

I damn well know you're right about getting it dryer before vaping it, and made an observation yesterday that maybe is correct, maybe not. I took a preloaded AA for a ride yesterday. On the way to my destination I used the opened stem and had one of the worst sessions I've ever with an AA (albeit in the car). On the way home I used a preloaded tipped stem. It vaped much closer to a session on my couch. Could it be the tip keeps out the humidity (and temp up), or does it just help me draw harder (greater PSI)?

When it got really hot and humid out (mid July), the nugget technique seems to help stop the weed from getting more moist (opposite).

Even though I love to just break off a nugget, Otis has like 10 grinders, so I'm ready to go!

The view from my kitchen window on this crazy humid morning, and it's not raining, just central air on in house

 

[tree master]

My issue is this, it was 90% humidity on Long Island yesterday.

Even with central air on in the house, the RH is not dropping below 65% inside. I'd need boveda 50-somethings to get any dryer. I was leaving my stuff ground and out for days, I swear it started getting wetter! Put it back in the jar with a hygrometer and the RH went up.

I guess heat could dry it as well, or if I left it out for days, but I don't think that's gonna work in the Summer on LI. Any suggestions for overcoming the local humidity? It's a job to get it to 62.

I do pull out the weeks estimated vaping materials, and put in small labeled SS containers. I ground some of it, but even if I leave open it won't dry. Now that dog days of August are here, I gotta keep ground stuff in a small Cvault with a boveda or it gets wetter.

I tried a coffee filter, leaving it spread out on the super dry paper that sits inside a strainer (increase air flow from all around), as that might that suck some water out? It was working in June, but now boveda and air tight (I'm also vacuum packing in mason jars) is the only thing that can break 66RH.

I damn well know you're right about getting it dryer before vaping it, and made an observation yesterday that maybe is correct, maybe not. I took a preloaded AA for a ride yesterday. On the way to my destination I used the opened stem and had one of the worst sessions I've ever with an AA (albeit in the car). On the way home I used a preloaded tipped stem. It vaped much closer to a session on my couch. Could it be the tip keeps out the humidity (and temp up), or does it just help me draw harder (greater PSI)?

When it got really hot and humid out (mid July), the nugget technique seems to help stop the weed from getting more moist (opposite).

Even though I love to just break off a nugget, Otis has like 10 grinders, so I'm ready to go!

The view from my kitchen window on this crazy humid morning, and it's not raining, just central air on in house

I would try and get a dehumidifier running that will help take out the moister in the air so you can dry your buds out. I hope this helps you out.

 

[OF]

My issue is this, it was 90% humidity on Long Island yesterday.

Even with central air on in the house, the RH is not dropping below 65% inside. I'd need boveda 50-somethings to get any dryer. I was leaving my stuff ground and out for days, I swear it started getting wetter! Put it back in the jar with a hygrometer and the RH went up.

I get it, I worked on the Gulf Coast for a while where the average RH is about 118%...... That's an exaggeration, of course, but not by much.

The key is it's "Relative Humidity" (not Absolute). The quantity of water in the air is rated against the maximum possible at that temperature. If you cool the air/water mix that absolute number comes down (and RH up) until you hit 'the dew point' and water condenses out as liquid (which is why your A/C in the car 'drips water'. Dehumidifiers work this way, usually. The refrigerate the air, let the water drip out and run off, then reheat it.

You basically have 3 routes to exploit this and force drying. Since vacuum (what's used in "Freeze Drying" to dry even frozen stuff) is a hassle, we'll eliminate that one?

You can start with you 65% RH and put it someplace even warmer inside. Like I said, I put it on top of my router where it's maybe 20F hotter. It will still be 65% inside of course, but at a higher temperature than normal meaning water has evaporated out of the herb in absolute terms (there's less weight of water in there). Now cap it up and let it cool. The RH will be lower, and can be calculated easily before hand.

Your other option is a desiccant. Like the silica gel packs you find in food and electronic devices. These are chemicals that absorb water out of the air. Silica gel is 'one shot', but other systems are easy to 'recharge' by baking them in the oven (same RH shift with temp in play). A common mineral (Calcium Carbonate?) is widely used and considered 'food safe'. It's often packaged with an indicator that changes color (to pink typically) as it absorbs moisture so you have a clue when to recharge. A common lab grade is 'Drierite':
http://saleclick.net/Drierite?p=scb&gclid=CJLkh5-ntccCFQktaQodAH0PgA

You can also consider the 'organic, free range desiccant', clays. You can get bags of the right types (porous bags....) at sporting goods places. Bake 'em to dry them out (activate them) and then put them and the bud into a jar for a bit.

Good luck with experimenting. IMO it's worth the effort. Not so much with Air (where you have enough battery so it just slows stuff down) as in vapes like MFLB where you're extremely 'power limited' at the load.

OF