Arizer Air Review

Being the successor of one of the most successful, most reliable and insane value-for-money portable vaporizers of all time: the Arizer Solo…

The Arizer Air really has some reputation to live up to.

Because of the Arizer Solo’s success, the Canadian company Arizer basically designed a more portable version of their Solo.

Here are the key features of the Arizer Solo:

• You get a mostly-conduction session-vaporizer;
• You get a ceramic heating element with a glass stem (partial glass vapor path);
• You get an interval-based temperature control system.

And all this for a modest price, meaning the Arizer Air is a great value-for-money vaporizer, just like the Solo.

But aside from it being a great value-for-money vaporizer, what else has it going for it?

Continue to find out.

Or go straight to the pros and cons and conclusion:

• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Where to buy the Arizer Air:

• US – (PlanetOfTheVapes / PuffItUp)
• Europe – (VapoShop)
• UK – (Amazon – UK)

Quick summary:

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Design (8)

Holding the Arizer Air in your hand feels great. It glides softly through your hands while feeling weighty enough that it truly feels like you’re holding something with a presence in your hand.

The smooth and elegant aluminum outer body looks and feels great. Except for the glass stem, The Arizer Air feels very sturdy. This is the combination we like to see with any vaporizer: elegance with sturdiness.

Now:

The Arizer Air has a pen-style shape and therefore looks more like a regular e-cigarette. I personally think the e-cig type of shape is great for discreetness, but others might not.

Portability (8)

Size & weight

This is where the Air and the Solo differ.

The Arizer Solo, although portable, was never a pocket-vape with its big size. Fitting the Arizer Solo in your pocket was ‘burdensome’ to say the least.

With Arizer Air things have changed up for the better!

Even though the Arizer Air is still large compared to a PAX 2 or a CRAFTY, I can actually fit the Air in my pocket without it feeling like a stone brick.

Its dimensions are as follows: 4.8 inches (12.2 cm) in height x 1.14 (2.9 cm) inches in diameter. But the weight is where Air really made huge improvements over the Solo: it only weighs 100 grams compared to the 230 grams of the Solo…this is something you will really feel while out and about.

Now:

Unfortunately, there’s still the issue of the glass stem which prevents the Arizer Air from being a true pocket vape. Especially for ‘active’ activities like hiking, biking, etc, I would still recommend taking a more sturdy pocket-vape with you like the PAX 3.

The body of the Air is quite durable but as we all know glass can’t take much of a beating, so be careful with the glass stem (don’t drop it).

Also, the heat-up time of 1-2 minutes, although perfectly normal for a session-vape could be an obstacle to quickly getting in and out like with an on-demand-vape such as the Firefly 2.

Discreetness of Design

The design of the Arizer Air is pen-style. It really looks like an e-cigarette. An e-cigarette is not really suspicious in most parts of the world, so people won’t immediately associate this vaporizer with marijuana.

I’ve personally used the Air on busy outside terraces with no issues or strange looks whatsoever (keep in mind I do live in Amsterdam, but trust me you can’t just blaze up a joint on a busy terrace, even in Amsterdam).

Smelliness

Being a conduction vaporizer, the Arizer Air does smell a little, especially in closed spaces. Outdoors it’s not that bad but people close to you (in a 1-meter radius) will probably smell your herb when you exhale vapor or while your herb is being cooked inside the bowl.

Battery life

Nothing special in this department, I get 5-6 10 minute sessions, which is around 60ish minutes of continues use. 60 minutes of continuous use is the average battery-life of portable vaporizers, so nothing crazy in this regard. The batteries are swappable, which makes the Air a good option for those longer outdoors activities like festivals, or multi-day hiking trips.

Keep in mind you do need to separately purchase extra batteries if you want them, Arizer doesn’t provide you with them with your Arizer Air purchase.

Also, if you decide to get extra batteries,  I would advise getting an external charger, otherwise you will have to use your Air as the charger. You can use the Arizer Air while it’s charging, but being stuck to an electrical outlet, it will obviously lose its portability.

Safety (8)

The only parts that really matter for your safety in a vaporizer are:

• The heating element;
• The air-path;
• The vapor-path.

They should be of the right materials and of a high enough quality so they don’t leak any toxic chemicals when heated or exposed to other elements (like your herb).

Then there is the general design of a vaporizer which should make sure that:

• No air, but especially no heated air passes over the electronics of your vaporizer, and;
• Combustion risks are minimized.

So how does the Arizer Air measure up to these demands?

Heating element and air path

The heating element is ceramic which when of the right quality and right design, is safe.

The heating chamber is made of stainless steel which when of the right type, is safe. And the stem is made from glass (glass is king from a safety standpoint).

Now:

Are the materials used in the Air of the right quality, design, and type?

Unfortunately, Arizer doesn’t disclose the specifics regarding their materials used (e.g. what type of ceramic and stainless steel exactly are used). But currently, there are no reasons to believe anything else than that they’re high quality. Arizer has been bringing out portable vaporizers since 2012, and right now (in 2019), there are still no reports of Arizer portables exposing users to toxic chemicals.

From a safety standpoint, glass absolutely is the preferred material that can be used in the air-path of a vaporizer. But a portable vaporizer having a full glass airpath is relatively rare. With the Arizer Air, only a part of the air path is made from glass: the stem. But the stem makes up about 80% of the air path.

The bottom line is:

The Arizer Air scores pretty high for safety (8/10), but IF safety is your the most important thing for you, know that that there are portable vaporizers around which score higher on the safety scale than the Arizer Air.

Combusting with the Air is impossible, so you don’t ever have to worry about that.

Separation air path and electronics

Although I couldn’t find proof with the Air, with the Arizer Solo it was already proved no air passes through the electronics. So I wouldn’t worry too much about the Arizer Air either.

Vapor Potency (8.5)

Vapor potency is one of those subjective metrics because unfortunately, I cannot scientifically measure the cannabinoid-to-air ratio of vapor.

But I can do it unscientifically, so take this with a grain of salt.

How do I do it unscientifically?

I look at:

• How hard a vaporizer hits (basically the brutality of a hit);
• How big the clouds are;
• How dense the clouds are.

Note: Keep in mind big and dense clouds don’t necessarily have a higher cannabinoid-to-air ratio, but they will hit you harder.

So how hard does the Air hit?

It hits pretty hard for a portable vaporizer. Personally, I get medicated from 3 good hits (keep in mind I don’t have a high tolerance). But ‘good’ hits is all you’ll get with the Air. If you’re a cloud chaser and looking for those insane face-slammer type of rips, the Arizer Air won’t satisfy your needs, and you would be better off with a CRAFTY for example.

But here’s the deal:

I haven’t met anyone yet, who can’t get medicated with the Air. Even my hardcore combusting friends get medicated with the Arizer Air (and they are pretty hardcore so that says a lot).

Vapor Flavor (8.5)

If you know the Arizer Solo, you know the Arizer Air has a big reputation to live up to in terms of flavor. And although right now (in 2019), there are many portable vaporizers that produce well-tasting vapor, when it came out in 2012, the Arizer Solo was one of the best tasting portable vaporizers out there.

But what about the Arizer Air?

The flavor coming out if this vape is very, very good, especially in the first few draws of your session.

In the first few draws of your session, the flavor is up there with the best like the Firefly 2, CRAFTY and MIGHTY.

Unfortunately, after 4-5 draws, the flavor starts to deteriorate (just like with the Arizer Solo). It’s not that bad, but enough that you will notice.

Also on the highest temperature setting, the vapor tends to be a little harsh. If you consistently vape in the higher temperature ranges (392°F/200°C and up), I would advise a GonG water adapter and add some water filtration to your vapor.

What are some of the factors making the Air produce really great flavor, but also making it lack the consistency of flavor a Firefly 2 produces for example?

For starters, it’s mostly a conduction vaporizer. Meaning that the flavor will always be worse than a full convection vape. Convection heating is crucial for pure unadulterated flavor (convection style heating makes sure the flavonoids, terpenes, and cannabinoids in your marijuana get extracted more evenly than with conduction). So the more convection heating a vaporizer has, the better it will be for the taste.

One thing that helps the Arizer Air produce great flavor though, is the ‘largely’ glass vapor path. If you didn’t know already, glass is the best material for flavor preservation.

What’s the bottom line?

The Arizer Air produces great flavor. Your first few draws will be of the highest quality. However, later it will deteriorate a little bit. So on average, it will produce flavor of a quality similar to the MIGHTY or CRAFTY.

Efficiency (8.5)

I rate efficiency in two (2) different ways:

1. What’s the minimum amount of herb needed to produce satisfying hits? This is the threshold-efficiency.
2. Does the vaporizer heat and thus waste any herb while you’re NOT drawing during your session? This is the session-efficiency.

The Arizer Air rated the same for efficiency-ratings as the Arizer Solo. Meaning I can get one (1) satisfying hit with 0.05-0.1 grams. This is enough for me to feel something, but for you high-tolerance soldiers it won’t be enough (for my hardcore combusting friends it definitely isn’t enough). The threshold-efficiency of the Air is very good and comes close to the most threshold-efficient vaporizers like the Firefly 2.

The bowl has a capacity of around 0.2 grams with a fairly fine grind. This means it’s a small bowl compared to most portable vaporizers. A small bowl is usually great for threshold-efficiency, but not so good for sharing or long, drawn-out sessions.

It does, however, waste some herb when you’re not drawing (just keep your herb in the bowl and check it after 10 mins, you’ll see your herb will be slightly baked). So its session-efficiency is not the best

This can be mostly attributed to the ‘mostly’ conduction heating system that the Arizer Air operates on. Conduction unfortunately is bad news for session-efficiency.

But don’t let this scare you:

Its session-efficiency is really not that bad, and in long sessions, it won’t be devouring your herb like a PAX 2 for example.

Ease of Use (8.5)

Learning curve

This vaporizer is so easy to use, that even your clumsy friend will be able to use it, without messing its performance up.

Of course like with every vaporizer there are the regular variables you need to take care of for getting proper performance:

• Fill your bowl up with at least the minimum amount of herb to get a proper hit;
• Use a grind that’s conducive to your specific heating mechanism and air path;
• Use the right draw technique to get the best vapor production;
• Use the right temperature and give your vaporizer enough time to heat up.

Aside from these variables there really is nothing to take care of. There isn’t a lot you can mess up with the Arizer Air.

The Arizer Air is a very forgiving vape, in the sense that you will be hard-pressed to get it to perform abysmally even if you don’t adhere to the tips at the and of the review.

Draw resistance

There is some draw resistance but it’s not as much as with the Firefly 2 for example. You won’t have to suck hard to get decent clouds.

Maintenance/cleaning downtime

Cleaning the Arizer Air, is just as easy as using it.

You’ll only need to clean the stem regularly with some ISO alcohol and the bowl every 15 sessions with an ISO-dipped Q-Tip, and THAT’S IT! No deep-cleaning of any sort required with this vape.

Temperature Control (7.5)

With an interval-based temperature control system, the Air’s temperature control system is basically just average. It will be good enough for 90% of people.

It has 5 settings, but unfortunately, the range of the settings is not that wide:

Arizer Air Temperature Setting	Temperature in Fahrenheit & Celsius
Level 1 (Blue)	356°F / 180°C
Level 2 (White)	374°F / 190°C
Level 3 (Green)	392°F / 200°C
Level 4 (Orange)	401°F / 205°C
Level 5 (Red)	410°F / 210°C

What I don’t like about this temperature range is that sometimes I just like to vape at 338°F / 170°C when it’s early on in the day, so I don’t feel the effects of my herb super-hard. Also, I like to go really high sometimes, because the higher you go with the temperature, the harder the bodily effects of your herb you will feel. This is really nice, sometimes (when you’re at home and don’t have anything active planned for the rest of the day).

Read the advanced cannabis vaping temperatures guide, to really dive deep into this topic.

Now:

As explained in the flavor paragraph, to keep your flavor smooth I advice to not go above level 3 (green). If you consistently go higher get a GonG water adapter to cool your vapor.

You select the temperature setting with the arrows on your unit and it will take 1-2 mins to heat up, which is quite long (in 2019).

Reputation and Reliability (9)

Arizer has been around for almost a decade now. Their first vaporizer was the desktop vaporizer the Arizer Extreme Q. And they actually build up a stellar reputation with it.

It was a great quality desktop vaporizer for a modest price and they kept improving the Arizer Extreme Q by every few years bringing out an updated model. Currently (in 2019), the Arizer Extreme Q is still one of the top desktop vaporizers in the mid-range price category.

Then in 2012, their first portable vaporizer came out: the Arizer Solo. And during the years after (until 2015), the Arizer Solo was without a doubt one the best portable vaporizers you could get.

Even to this day, the Arizer Solo is one of the most (in my opinion the most) reliable portable vaporizers you can get.

Arizer has a stellar reputation, and about their customer service nothing can be spoken badly as far as I have researched (I never had to contact them, fortunately, which says more good things about the reliability of their products).

What about the reliability?

I have had the Arizer Air for 4 years now and it’s working the same as when I got it. The Arizer portable vaporizers seem to be one of the most reliable portable vaporizers you can get.

Pros & Cons

• Very high value-for-money, you get a very high quality portable vaporizer for under $200.
• Extremely easy to use and clean, no learning curve or downtime.
• Produces INSANE flavor in the beginning stages of your session.
• Produces powerful clouds that will get you medicated properly.
• Very efficient (0.05-0.1 grams will get you medicated if you're not a high-tolerance soldier).
• Although not fully yet, getting closer to being a real pocket-vape (compared to its predecessor the Solo).
• The glass stem although great for flavor, takes away from its portability (sticks out, you have to store it separately).
• The flavor is amazing in the beginning of the sessions, but gets worse towards the end.
• There's definitely some draw-resistance (medium).
• Doesn't produce MASSIVE clouds.

Conclusion

The Arizer Air is a great value for money for vaporizer overall  It’s not the absolute best in any category, however, it’s a very balanced vaporizer it doesn’t score badly on any category.

Add to that, the Arizer Air’s modest price, and you can see why the Arizer Air is one of the best value-for-money portable vaporizers around (just like every other Arizer portable).

Essentially I would advise the Arizer Air to anyone who’s looking for a cheap portable vaporizer that’s:

• Extremely easy to use;
• Produces vapor of good quality, and;
• Wants swappable batteries.

There are only two (2) types of users which I would really advise to get something different:

1. High-tolerance soldiers looking for a real potent face-slammer, cloud machine-type of vaporizer; the MIGHTY or CRAFTY will better suit your needs, and;
2. Vaping ninjas who need to practice their vaping maneuvers quick and dirty from the shadows, or often go on outdoor activities with their vaporizer which tend to be on the rough side (although you could get a wooden stem for your Arizer Air, instead of the glass one).

Anyone else can’t really go wrong with the Air!

Where to buy the Arizer Air:

• US – (PlanetOfTheVapes / PuffItUp)
• Europe – (VapoShop)
• UK – (Amazon – UK)

Arizer Air Tips and Tricks

How to grind your herb:

• Use a medium grind. Use a coarse grinder or your fingers. You really don’t need a fine grind for the Air. And if you use a fine grind, use a screen, or you will be eating your herb.

How to pack your bowl:

• Keep it loosely packed, don’t compress it.

How to draw:

• Draw slowly and controlled;
• Take 10 seconds draws for best results.

Stir your bowl:

• Stir up your bowl every 2-3 draws.

Get a wooden stem for outdoor activities:

• Wood is obviously less fragile than glass, so if you go a lot on outdoor activities get one of these.