Arizer Air vs Air 2

The Arizer Air 2 is here!  So what's the difference between the 2017 version and the original besides the CAD$72 price difference? Apart from new digital controls and color options, the Air 2 looks and feels a lot like its predecessor. It still has a swappable battery, separate glass stems, hybrid heating, and most importantly fantastic vapor.

Under the hood, however, are a number of important changes including a fix for the biggest issue we’ve always had with the original Arizer Air, airflow.

Wide open airflow makes a BIG difference

Take a big draw from the Air 2, and you’ll immediately notice the biggest update -- better airflow. The upgraded heating element can maintain temperature with more air moving past it, so a wide open airflow lets you pull to your heart’s content. Restrictive airflow has been one of our biggest complaints about the original Arizer Air, and this update changes it into one of the Air 2’s biggest assets.

In our testing we found the Air 2 to have even better airflow than the generally acknowledged king and prince of portable airflow, Storz & Bickel's Mighty and Crafty Vaporizers.

Identical top-shelf vapor quality

Both vapes boast nearly identical vapor -- cool and tasty. In our opinion, some of the best vapor available from a portable. The airflow improvements of the Air 2 make it easier and more enjoyable to pull those big clouds but the taste and temperature are a tie.

Now isolated air path

The new, nearly resistance-free airflow helps, but Arizer has also taken the opportunity to revisit the structure and design. Some enthusiasts noted that the air path in the original Air wasn’t particularly isolated from the electronics.  We think that the Air has a well thought out design, but for the vaporists that insist on a completely isolated airpath, the Air 2 delivers.

A bit more battery life

An upgraded 18650 battery pushes the original Air’s 60 minute vape time to 75 or 80, enough to add two more ten-minute sessions to each cycle.  That makes seven or eight total sessions on a full charge, which is a solid upgrade. Of course, both have the swappable battery, so you can always take an extra with you.

USB charging added

For the Air 2, Arizer swaps the round DC plug in the rear for a more modern USB Micro-B port. This makes it easier to charge alongside any of your other electronics, even using a laptop or portable battery pack in a pinch. Both support pass-through charging, letting you vape while plugged in. 

Pass-through charging improved

Pass-through charging always requires some time plugged in before you can vape. Most units require the battery to about 25%. The original Air takes around an hour to get to this point. The Air 2, on the other hand, will let you rip after around 15 minutes of charging.

New OLED display

The easiest way to tell the Air and Air 2 apart is by looking at their faces. The original wears a rocker switch and two small color changing lights to control and communicate. This is a simple user interface and gets the job done, but you have to remember how to press the buttons and what the lights mean.

The Air 2 has a nice OLED display which at a glance gives you the exact temperature and remaining battery life. It’s an intuitive upgrade and lets you customize alert tone volume, auto-shutoff, screen brightness, and power-on delay.

Full temperature control

With the new display on the Air 2 comes fully adjustable digital temperature control with a range of 122° F - 428° F adjustable in one-degree increments. While the original Air only has 5 pre-set temperature settings we feel like it covers the vaporization range very well, whether you are a low-temp flavor chaser or like to vape your herbs to a coffee brown. That being said if you want to step below the mid 300s° F or rock out above 410° F you'll need to grab the Air 2.

Improved airflow: A history

Arizer continuously improves their products and one of the areas that they have focused over the years was airflow. The original design of the Air felt like you were sucking on a thick milkshake, and small changes improved this over several versions. Most recently Arizer introduced recessed heat jets in the herb chamber to improve airflow and this updated design is in all of Arizer's portables including the Solo, Solo 2, Air and Air 2. 

Everything looks the same between the two, but in our testing, using the same glass stem, we found the Air 2 to have a noticeably more free airflow than the Air. We know that the Air and Air 2 have very similar herb chambers with recessed heat jets, so there must be something going on under the hood.  Whatever the source, there is a difference and the Air 2 has a less restrictive, more free-flowing and enjoyable airflow than the original. 

Which one is right for you? 

The CAD$72 price difference between the two models is enough that some users will want to save the cash. Both the Air and Air 2 are going to deliver the same great vapor quality, with swappable batteries, so most of the best features are available in both.

The Air 2 delivers some nice new features, like improved session and temperature control, better battery life and USB charging. The Air 2's most notable upgrade, however, is the improved airflow, which addresses the Air's biggest shortcoming.

The Air delivers everything you need with great vapor quality and will save you CAD$72. If you like to tinker with your settings and love wide open airflow, it's worth spending a little more for the Air 2.

Should you upgrade if you own an Air? 

That's less clear-cut. The Air 2 adds convenience features and improves airflow, but both provide similar vape quality. If you find yourself wishing you could take bigger, wide open hits or dial in a more specific temperature, it may be time to gift your Air to a friend and upgrade to the Air 2. But if your Air is getting the job done for you and your happy with it, save your money and spend it on some stuff to vaporize.