Arizer Air Max vs Arizer Solo 2

Should you buy the Arizer Solo 2 or Arizer Air Max?

If you’ve been thinking about, or have owned an Arizer Solo 2, you may be wondering about how it compares to the newly released Arizer Air MAX.

With tons of new features including an upgraded user interface, invertible screen, and improved ceramic donut heating coil – Is the Air Max better than the Solo 2, or are they very similar despite the price increase?

In this review, we’ll be giving an in-depth comparison of the two vaporizers’ key features to help you decide which you should buy, and help you choose if the Air Max is worth the upgrade over your old Arizer in general.

Key Features Comparison

The main upgrade on the Air Max over its older model, the Arizer Air 2, is the upgrade to a 26650 battery from the original 18650 that the Solo 2 also uses. In terms of specs, the new battery is 5000mAh and is now recharged via USB-C. On the 2nd gen Arizer Solo 2, it carries only a 3400mAh. However, it does have less power output for heating, so it does have a battery life of three hours.

The Air Max kit has also done away with the capped shorter mouthpiece for a normal 70mm mouthpiece, and also a 14mm water pipe adapter stem in the kit, which we’ll get into later on in the review.

Kit Comparison Review

Arizer Air Max improved ceramic heating element

• Both Potable Weed Vaporizer‘s feature a ceramic heating element under the stainless steel ovens that works to conduct heat to the steel, as well as heat up air that is brought into the vape with inhales.

The air ports take in air that will run just above the heater and then go through your dry herb with four hot air jets.

In this sense, both vaporizers rely on a hybrid heating system that uses a mix of convection and conduction heating.

The Air Max does have improved air intake ports though, which means that it will have more convection heating going on up through your dry herb. As the air jets are more angled, the hot air is much more easily brought into the glass stem.

As well as this, the Air Max also features a larger ceramic heating element that does have a slower heat-up time of sixty seconds compared to thirty on the Solo 2. However, most people will end up waiting an additional thirty seconds to get good vapor quality anyways.

• With the more powerful heating, the Air Max is also better suited for back-to-back hits as we’ll get to later in the review!

Is the Air Max or Solo 2 more portable?

Since the battery of Air vaporizers is housed inside the body of the vape, the Air Max had a size increase compared to older models like the Air 2 to accommodate the 26650 battery that is significantly larger than the 18650s.

• For specifications, the Air Max comes in at 4.88 x 1.13 inches (HxD) and 200g, compared to the 4.5 x 1.38 x 1.75 in and 210g on the Solo 2.

Both vapes aren’t exactly the most portable due to their bulkiness and weight.

For the most part, they’ll only fit into larger jeans or khaki pockets, especially if you’re going to be walking around with a loaded glass stem chamber.

For this reason, we’d suggest picking up a tools420 vape case, or a Stashlogix Silverton which will provide even more compartments and a lock for added security.

Can you use dabs in Arizer vaporizers?

Both vapes are made to work with only a medium grind of dry herb.

Since they use the same glass stem design, the four small air holes are prone to becoming clogged with a fine grind, as well as having your dry herb go up into the mouthpiece and your mouth.

For this reason, either use a medium grind or an Arizer metal screen or an Extreme Q Dome Screen in the chamber if you prefer a finer grind.

• If you do want a premium dry herb vape that can also do dabs, check out our Pax Plus Review.

Vapor Quality Review

In terms of vapor quality, the Air Max does take a small win over the Solo 2 due to the larger air intake ports and convection jets.

With the larger ceramic heater, the convection hot air will be hotter and provide a better stream of hot air moving through the stainless steel chamber.

As well, we’ve found that the stainless steel oven will now stay warmer in between hits due to the conduction heating being better transferred with the larger element. During usage, this means you won’t have to take a five-second break in between hits as you may have gotten used to on the Solo 2.

Some people have already coined the Air Max as a ‘ripper, not a sipper‘, and we are inclined to agree, which makes this a great vaporizer to use with vape bubblers and bongs.

The Air Max will do a better job at clearing bowls, and with the new and improved battery that’s also swappable, it makes for an excellent medicinal device.

Air Max swappable 5000mAh vs. Solo 2 3400mAh

With the new Arizer Air Max swappable 5000mAh 26650 battery, you can expect about 2 hours and 15 minutes of battery life and a 2.5 hour charge time with the included USB-C charging cable and port. With pass-through charging after about thirty minutes of use, the versatility shines above the Solo 2 since you’ll be able to either swap the battery or use a battery bank to charge or keep sessions going while you’re on the run.

For the Solo 2, one of its main selling features since its release in 2018 was the well-optimized 3400mAh battery that users could get up to three hours of life before needing a recharge, which will take the same amount of time. The main drawback though is that this capacity will slowly begin to fade with years of use, as well as it not being swappable. While you’ll still have pass-through charging, the DC-style charging port is a bit dated when compared to modern dry herb vaporizers.

The Air Max 26650 battery beside a 18650 battery

How to use the Solo 2 vs Air Max?

Both vaporizers work very similarly with the classic Arizer glass stem chamber mouthpiece design that will work with 0.2g in the bottom part of the mouthpiece.

To operate each vaporizer, they can both be turned on by pressing the M and + arrows until the countdown timer has finished.

Once you set the temperature, they will automatically begin heating.

Although we have said how the Solo 2’s heat-up time was faster, it will take a bit of time for your dry herb to catch up to the temperature of the stainless steel oven.

This is what’s known as the heat soak as your dry herb will lag behind the temperature display in terms of temperature. So, while the oven may be slower to heat up to its max temperature, there is almost no difference in vapor production for the first minute of use.

As we’ve said the Air Max is a ripper, not a sipper. It has a much more powerful oven that you’ll be able to clear bowls with faster in comparison to the Solo 2. With automatic screen inversion during upside-down bong use with the included 14mm water pipe adapter, this is a vaporizer that is slightly aimed at dry herb vape connoisseurs that are looking to get the most out of their sessions.

Our personal favorite combo is with the 14mm globe whip bubbler for added vapor quality and fun.

On the Solo 2, despite the fast heat-up time, you won’t really start to see quality vapor productions for about a minute and a half and won’t be as suited for faster sessions, as it will need a bit of time for the oven to heat back up after big hits.

For this reason, we normally recommend the Solo 2 to people looking for laid-back sessions while they relax at home. The vapor quality is very relaxed and the airflow through the 110mm glass stem will be very cool.

With its large battery life and laid-back session, this is a great entry-level vaporizer, as well as for medicinal users who want more relaxed sessions.

How to clean Arizer vaporizers?

Where Arizer vapes truly shine is in the maintenance category. Since almost all of the process is external, the only parts you’ll have to worry about resin buildups are in the bottom of the oven, and then in the glass stem mouthpiece. For easy cleaning after a session, you can use vape cleaning sticks to wipe up any small resin buildups.

For heavy users, once a month you’ll want to give your glass mouthpieces a deep clean in isopropyl alcohol as they begin to yellow. After a thirty-minute Orange Chronic, you can rinse them off with hot water, and then continue using them as usual.

Arizer Vaporizer Warranty

Each vape comes with a 2-year warranty that will cover against any manufacturer’s defects. The Solo 2 is slightly different because there is only a one-year coverage on the proprietary battery.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, we’d overall recommend the upgrade to the Arizer Air Max thanks to its more modern kit and large swappable battery.

While each vape produces very similar vapor quality, the slight convection boost makes the Max slightly better for overall THC extraction. The change to USB-C charging and included 14mm WPA are just the cherry on top for us. While it may be slightly more expensive at the moment, the versatility it offers over the Solo 2 makes it worth upgrading to.

That’s not to say that the Arizer Solo 2 is bad by any stretch, it’s had a spot on our list of the best portable dry herb vaporizers for several years in a row! It has a massive 3 hours of battery life out of the box and is very popular for its relaxed session style and ease of use.

• In modern times though, the DC charging port and proprietary battery simply can’t compete with the upgrades on the Air Max.

Also, be sure to check out these other Arizer reviews:

Solo 2 vs Mighty+ Review 
Air Max vs Air 2 Review 
Air Max vs G Pen Elite 2 Review
Air MAX vs AirVape Legacy Pro