Which portable vaporizer should you buy?

As two of the most popular portable dry herb vaporizers on the market, we often get a lot of people asking whether they should choose between the Zeus Arc GTS Hub and the Arizer Solo 2.

With either device, you’re going to have easy breezy clouds thanks to their straightforward designs. Arizer vaporizers have become well known for their glass stem mouthpiece designs, while the GTS has become popular from its 15 included dosing capsules and integrated grinder system.

In this comparison review, we’ll be giving you a detailed rundown of these key features and more to help you make the right decision when it comes to buying your next vaporizer! Let’s get into it.

GTS vs Solo 2 Specs + Ratings

GTS Hub Specs

Solo 2 Specs

Material Compatibility Dry Herb Dry Herb
Pass through charging No Yes
Swappable Battery No No
Charge Time 90 Minutes 3 Hours
Charging Port Micro-USB DC Port
Battery life 90 Minutes 3 Hours
Heating system Conduction Hybrid
Heat up time 80 Seconds ~30 Seconds
Temperature control 3 Pre-Sets Precision
Temperature Range 185C-225C 50 – 220°C / 122 – 428°F
Oven Size 0.3g 0.2g
Vapor path way Metal Steel + Ceramic + Glass
Accessories Bong Adapter + Dosing Capsules Mouthpieces
Vibration Alert Yes No (sound)
Motion sensor Yes No
Warranty period 3 Years 2 Years
Price 300$ CAD 160$ CAD
Coupon Code
Ease of Use 7/10 8/10
Vapor Quality 8/10 8/10
Manufacturing Quality 10/10 8/10
Ease of Cleaning 8/10 8/10
Portability 9/10 7/10
Durability 10/10 7/10

Key Features Comparison

  • The main key feature of the Solo 2 is the stainless steel hybrid oven that will heat up for some conduction, and then the hot air from the ceramic heating element which will pass through the chamber for added convection THC extraction
  • The Zeus ARC GTS uses 15 aluminum dosing capsules that you can easily fill with the Zeus Xtruder Grinder and then cap off with a paper lid when they eject from the bottom of the grinder when they fill with 0.3g of cannabis. They’ll then be placed into the gold-lined oven which will provide you with awesome conduction-based heating!

Kit Comparisons

1x Zeus Hub 1 x Arizer Solo 2 Unit
1x Zeus XTRUDER 2 x Stem Rubber Caps
15x Dosing Capsules / 45 Paper Lids 4 x Screens
1x ZEUS HUB MANUAL 2 x Glass Aroma Tubes & Travel Tubes
1x ZEUS XTRUDER Manual 1 x Glass Aroma Dish & Travel Tubes
1x ZEUS ARC GTS 1 x Stir Tool
5x ZEUS PURIFY GRIME WIPES 1 x Solo 2 Charger
5x ZEUS PURIFY Bristle Cleaners 1 x Belt Carrying Case
1x USB Charging Cable 1 x Sample Aromatic Lavender
1x Flow Sink Tool
1x Instruction Manual
1x Premium Aromatherapy Accessory

Zeus Arc Gts and hub review banner

Heating Systems Review

I would say that the vapor quality is very similar, as they both need a bit of buffer time to pre-heat your cannabis, as well as in-between hits while the oven’s catch back up with your last hit. The Arizer Solo 2 is a bit weaker though, as it’s become known as a ‘sipper’ type of vaporizer, meaning full bowl clears will take upwards of ten minutes. At the end of your session, your ABV will light be light brown, meaning that there’s a lot of room for more extraction.

On the GTS, the conduction oven is very powerful and your ABV will be dark after just a few minutes. The oven and vapor airpath heat sink are gold-lined meaning that you’ll get very good and even extraction, while the airpath will cool the air before you inhale.

Solo 2 Loading the Chamber

GTS vs Solo 2 Vapor Quality

Although the vapor quality is very similar, the Solo 2 will have a bit less draw restriction because the glass chamber just has some air holes that will act as a filter for your cannabis, and then a straight shoot up the mouthpiece before you inhale. On the GTS, it uses a heat sink mouthpiece insert that helps to cool the vapor down before you inhale as well as preserve flavor. The only downside is that it adds some draw restriction. Overall, I would say that the GTS has the better taste and more cloud production, while the Solo 2 has the better airflow. Make sure to also pick up a Zeus Waterpipe Adapter for pairing with a vape bubbler for even more cooling and fun!

ABV / THC Extraction Review

As you can see, the GTS does a better job at extracting your herb than the popular Crafty+.

Crafty+ VS GTS Already Vaped Bud

The Solo 2 ABV will always tend to be light, even after a long session. If you enjoy laid-back sessions sharing with friends, then it’s no problem. Heavy users will tend to be disappointed, though.

abv solo 2

Which is more portable?

In terms of portability, the GTS blows the Solo 2 out of the water. This is because the Solo 2 is bulky, heavy, and uses a 110mm glass mouthpiece. Trying to fit it into most pockets is a nightmare, and you might be getting funny looks if you have a session in public because of how little discreetness it has. The GTS has everything integrated and its form factor is on point. Thanks to its portable matted black aluminum body, it can fit into any pocket, and during sessions, you’ll be able to hide it completely in the palm of your hand. With the Zeus ArcPod Dosing Capsules, you’ll be able to easily swap your chamber out which is the opposite of the glass stem which can be annoying to knock your used bud out before reloading.

Solo 2 in Pocket

Battery Life

For battery life, the Solo 2 is still one of the best portable dry herb vaporizers.

Although it uses an outdated DC charging port, the three hours of battery life is hard to beat! As a downside, charging will take even longer, but at least you’ll have plenty of time to know if the battery is running low. For the GTS, it comes equipped with a solid 3500mAh battery that will last you around an hour and a half of use. It has the more modern Micro-USB port, which isn’t the best compared to USB-C or Qi wireless charging, but still a lot better than the Solo 2 for this comparison.

Solo 2 Settings Operation

Build Quality

In terms of overall build quality, we’ll give the edge to the GTS thanks to the all-inclusive kit including 15 dosing capsules, as well as a gold-lined conduction oven and air path. Everything about it was made with quality in mind, and we think this is partially because of Zeus’ team of engineers out of Germany really taking their time with this one. The Solo 2 was amazing when it came out in 2017, but the tech in the industry has come a long way since then. Overall, Solo 2 sessions will take upwards of ten minutes for a full bowl clear.

  • As people’s tolerance has grown, most people expect faster bowl clearing like on the GTS, or on-demand heating from something like the XMAX V3 Pro nowadays.

Which is easier to use?

The Solo 2 will have a bit more customization room because of its menu settings where you’ll be able to toggle between things like Fahrenheit and Celsius, screen brightness, and sound volume. The GTS takes a simpler approach with just three pre-set temperatures to cycle between and an on and off button to use.

  • For the Solo 2 stem, you just have to smoosh some ground cannabis into the bottom, and then place it back into the stainless steel oven
  • For the GTS, you’ll use the pick tool to open the mouthpiece and pop a dosing capsule into the gold chamber with

Where the GTS really shines though is the integrated dosing capsule system with the Zeus Xtruder grinder. All you’ll have to do is load a dosing capsule into the bottom of the grinder, and after twisting for a bit, it will automatically eject once it reaches 0.3g! After that, store up to fifteen pre-loaded capsules in the Hub case for total portability.

zeus arc s disassembled mouthpiece

Cleaning Comparison

Each vaporizer is going to be super easy to maintain. With the Solo 2, the only part you have to worry about is the glass stem mouthpiece, which you can just soak in some Orange Chronic Cleaner every now and then to fully refresh it. For the GTS, if you’re using the dosing capsules, there will rarely ever be a mess to clean up.

  • Now and then, you can give the mouthpiece insert called the Zeus Arc GTS Heat Sink a wipe down with some vape cleaning wipes which will get rid of any resin buildups and keep your airflow working its best.

Solo 2 Fragile Mouthpiece

Who’s the GTS for?

The GTS is for anyone looking for an all-inclusive portable vaporizer kit with awesome build quality. Although it’s not the best in any one category, it has a lot of versatility and value, mainly from the dosing capsules, that will help first time users begin vaping weed, as well as enough power to satisfy the heaviest of users.

Who’s the Solo 2 for?

The Solo 2 at this point is best for older medicinal users that prefer a slower vaping style. A lot of its features have aged it, but the easy airflow and slow extraction style are perfect for people who can’t handle harsh vapor. Overall, its power is not enough to satisfy heavy users at all.

Final Thoughts

To wrap this comparison up, the Zeus Arc GTS just has the much more modern and inclusive kit. You’ll be able to reload your chamber much easier, and the gold-lined conduction oven and aluminum dosing capsules will have a much better overall THC extraction than the weaker heating element on the Solo 2.

While older medicinal users might be better suited for the Solo 2, most users will prefer the sleeker and more portable GTS as their portable vaporizer.

Also be sure to check out out individual reviews:

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