I went for quality and price. Far as I'm concerned, if I bought a cheaper one that didn't suit my needs, I'd just have to go out and buy a fancier one. The following factors were considered:
- Vapor quality (smooth, cool, not burnt? Had to trust reviews, no "try before you buy" availability I could readily find from glancing at a few "vape cafes" in Toronto.)
- Discreetness / Portability (can it easily be stored / stashed? can I walk around with it in my pocket easily?)
- Serviceability (friend had an old Solo he swore by, but had battery issues. Might've been the 2012 / 2013 model. I wanted to be able to easily replace the batteries and tubing.)
- Price (Dollars saved is dollars still in your wallet! If I have a warranty claim, I can afford to go out and buy another vaporizer after a year and a half or so while the other one is getting serviced and it won't hurt too much, depending on purchase price.)
I had NO idea how tiny the Crafty (or even the Solo) really is! For me at least, it's really hard to make the connection between pictures and reading about the size of something, and seeing / handling it in person. To give you an idea of how big the Arizer Air is with the stem in, if you go to a convenience store and pick up a roll of mints (Mentos) or hold three of the thinner art style tip Sharpie markers together... The Arizer Air is about an inch longer than the roll of mints, and actually a bit thinner than the fistful of three markers. It's super slim and you can literally fit it in a pocket without the stem. It's smaller than the mini MagLite flashlight I have around here somewhere.
The Air takes very little time to heat up at all (about a minute to the lowest temperature if you've stored your Air around 20+ Celsius). The lowest temperature setting is really nice, as the vapor tastes really good and is cool enough that I can inhale slowly through the stem for 15+ seconds without feeling like my throat is getting toasted. The draw resistance on the stems is fantastic. I used the smaller one without a screen at first and got some bits in my mouth.
Got it from Toronto Vaporizer. Free grinder is better than the $15 four piece I already owned of similar design, and the customer service there was very good. (Able to pick up same day, even when running late due to work and traffic.)
Anyway, the Arizer Air is a great unit. It heats up quick, cools off similarly quickly, is easy to clean (I'm doing the hot chocolate straw trick right now, and it's fantastic), works like a charm, and has swappable batteries. It's stupid easy to use (I'm a noob), and even if you don't pack the chamber perfectly, it doesn't matter. Pick a temperature and away you go. Swap the battery if you've drained one entirely (they don't last super long).
I've been enjoying it so much, I hadn't even unpacked the rest of the box til now. There's another stem I haven't even used (a super long one, like the Arizer Air?), a belt carrying case thing for the unit plus portable stems, and the famous "vape condom" sleeve. (It's a silicone? neoprene? rubber? idfk -- sleeve thing that gives it some added protection if you drop it on concrete like a spaz).
Just tried out the long stem and vape condom combo. I remain impressed and super excited to invest in a good bubbler / whip combo at my convenience.