Hey guys, welcome to Pete’s Pick, my new series where I will discuss several different aspects of two devices, make comparisons between them, and choose my favorite of the two - Pete’s Pick. The aim of this series is to help you decide which of the two devices would be the best choice for you. Today I will be comparing the Arizer Solo 2 with the Arizer Air 2, both are great portable vaporizers, but which one is greater?
If you’re looking for more information about either of these devices, we have a full individual review for each of them towards the bottom of their store pages, the Arizer Solo 2 is here, and the Arizer Air 2 is here.
VAPE DESIGN
The Arizer Solo 2 is a good sized handheld device, coming in at 11.4 x 4.3 x 2.5cm, and weighing a hefty 212g. The body has a solid metal build and a nice bright screen to control everything.
The Arizer Air 2 is a much sleeker and lighter device, measuring only slightly taller at 12.4cm with a diameter of 2.9cm. Although it’s a little taller, this one weighs in at a super light 116g, so it’s almost 100g less. It also features a metal build, but there is some plastic at the top. It has the same bright screen as the Solo 2 for your controls too.
Physically the Solo 2 seems huge compared to the Air 2, and is almost twice as heavy. You should keep in mind that with both of these vaporizers you need to use an external glass stem, which will add considerably to its real world travel size.

BATTERY LIFE AND CHARGING

The Solo 2 features a huge built-in battery that charges via a proprietary charger rather than USB, which isn’t ideal. This means the battery isn’t user replaceable, although the battery is a massive 3400mAh which will get you through many sessions.
The Air 2 is powered by a single removable 18650 battery, and it charges via micro USB. Having a removable battery is nice as it means you can just swap in a new battery to give you brand new device performance at any time or when your device is dead.
Overall the battery situation is better with the Air 2 because it’s removable and charges via micro USB. The Solo 2 is no slouch with the extra long life of its huge battery though.
HEAT-UP TIME

The Solo 2 heats up reasonably fast, reaching 380°F in about 21 seconds. But you should keep in mind that it’s not going to be producing vapour right away, you need to take a few short puffs or wait another 20 seconds after the beep before you start your session.
The Air 2 is slow to heat up, taking about 1 minute and 5 seconds to get to that same 380°F. Because it takes much longer to heat up the vapour is ready to go as soon as it’s reached temperature.
Neither of these are an on demand device, so compared to most session vaporizers, the Solo 2 is pretty darn quick to get to temperature, while the Air 2 is going to take a good while until it’s ready to go.
HEATING METHOD
Both of these devices use a similar if not identical heater, and they use the same glass stems which suspend the flower above the heating element, giving you convection heating. However, as your glass stem is also sitting in that hot oven, there will be some conduction heating taking place as well, so you get a super effective hybrid heating method with both devices.

EASE-OF-USE
The ease-of-use is very similar for both of them, they are extremely easy to use and great choices for beginners. Both the Air 2 and Solo 2 use the same glass stem system which is easy to load and clean, and they produce an ample amount of vapour, just inhale long and slow for best results. The controls are simple and logically thought out, but in general you won’t need to use them much other than to adjust the temperature.

In this category I would say the edge goes to the Solo 2 because it’s a larger device, which means it has a larger screen and buttons which are easier to press with your thumb.
VAPOUR QUALITY
The vapour quality is excellent from both of these devices, you get a super pure and terpy flavor, which is really smooth when the temperature is set to around 370°F. Thanks to the convection heating you get a nice strong extraction, and when you inhale properly with high-quality flower you can get some huge cloud production.

Although the Solo 2 is bigger and beefier, you get virtually identical results with both devices.
EFFICIENCY

The dual heating methods and the well-designed heater mean you’ll get great efficiency with either device. The stem will hold a good amount of flower, at least .1 g, but you can do multiple sessions per load, and I recommend increasing the temperature by about 15° as you go into your second session to really squeeze every last drop out of your herb.
It’s another tie in this category.
CONVENIENCE
The Air 2 and Solo 2 are both super convenient devices as they are very easy to maintain, load/unload, and have a very gentle learning curve (which isn’t always the case).
For convenience I give the edge to the Air 2, because you can avoid ever being caught with an empty battery since you can just replace it with a fresh one, and you can also charge it on-the-go thanks to the standard micro USB charging port.

FAVORITE ASPECTS
My favorite thing about the Arizer Solo 2 is the reliability. This is a tried and tested device, it’s built like a tank, and it has a massive battery. If you’re looking for an electronic portable vaporizer that you can safely place your confidence in, this is definitely a great option.
What I like most about the Arizer Air 2 is the portability. It’s a significantly smaller and lighter device, but it gives a virtually identical experience extraction wise. It’s also much easier to use on the go because of the removable battery and micro USB charging.
PETE’S PICK
So what is Pete’s Pick? Which would I decide on between these two devices? My personal choice is the Arizer Solo 2. I prefer the all-metal build over the plastic top of the Air 2, and I don’t value portability so much because I do the majority of my vaping at home or in places that have a power outlet within reach. Regardless, the Solo 2 has such a huge battery for a portable that you’re going to get a ton of sessions before you need to recharge anyway.
I think whichever vaporizer you select out of the two you’re going to be pretty happy. I would recommend the Air 2 for anyone more concerned about a high quality extraction in a light portable device with more battery charging options. I recommend the Solo 2 for anyone who wants a super reliable, easy-to-use device, with a massive battery that will last for a lot of sessions before you need to think about charging.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of Pete’s Pick and that it helped make your choice easier. Head over to the YouTube page to let me know which of the two devices is your pick, and check out VapeNorth.ca and SneakyPeteStore.com, where you can find the Arizer Solo 2, the Arizer Air 2, and all of the other products and accessories you see me using in my videos.
Thanks so much for reading and watching guys, I really appreciate it.
Keep it green, keep it sneaky!