Arizer Air Max Review

Background

Canada-based brand Arizer has built a pretty solid reputation for making well-performing, high-quality desktop and portable vaporizers. Notable devices include the Solo 2 (review) and their most recent release – the XQ2 desktop vaporizer (review). The Arizer Air line started 10 years ago, with the release of the first Air, and then followed by the Arizer Air 2 (review) some time ago. Now, in early 2022 Arizer Air MAX (buy, use TVG20 for 20% off the price) is the latest in the brand’s line-up.

Arizer has made a signature out of being the brand best known for harnessing the effects of glass on vapor quality. Regardless of whether desktop or portable, their devices have a similar set of cornerstone features: precise temperature control, clear OLED screens, and several borosilicate glass pieces that keep the vapor cool and pure. The Air Max has all these signatures – made even better.

Related: Arizer Air MAX vs Solo 2 MAX

Features Snapshot

• Kit with a full suite of glass accessories
• Aluminum Body and Cylindrical Design
• LED screen and Ergonomic Button Placement
• The Power of Glass
• High-Capacity Removable Battery
• Smooth Herb Loading Process
• Advanced Ceramic Hybrid Heater
• Consistent Vapor Quality

Kit & Accessories

The Air Max’s kit comes with a full suite of accessories – everything you need to enjoy the Max to the…max.

The Arizer Air Max kit includes:

• Arizer Air Max Device
• 2600mAh Battery & USB-C Cable
• Glass Aroma Tube (70mm)
• Frosted Glass Aroma Tube (14mm)
• Glass Aroma Dish.
• 2 Silicone Stem Caps.
• 2 PVC Travel Tube w/ Cap (70mm Size)

Silicone Stem Caps and Water-Pipe Adapter

A former downside I always noted with Arizer portables is that while they really are devices that fit in a pocket or a small bag, the fragility of the mouthpieces was somewhat limiting. Thankfully, that’s been improved and even taken further on the Max. The kit now comes with 2 PVC travel tubes and even silicone stem caps. The stem cap and PVC tube combination essentially turn the easy-to-load glass stems into glass pods that you can fill up, pack, and just pop into the oven when you need it.

Taking it even further, the kit comes with an included water pipe adapter that fits into any rig with a 14mm joint. Arizer vapor quality is already great, but being able to filter that through water – makes it even cooler and impurity-free.

Aluminum Body and Cylindrical Design

The Arizer Air Max (much like all of Arizer’s devices) has a tall, cylindrical body. It’s got a great dense hand feel, and there’s definitely some heft to it. The Air Max looks somewhat like a cross between the Air and the Solo 2- with its general shape resembling the air, but the flat sides are very much like the Solo’s.

Device Body: At first glance, the Air Max is quite a lot to take in – it’s topped by a tall glass mouthpiece, and has vents that outline the heating element. Then there are the four recessed sides for the discreet OLED display, firing button, temperature control, and charging. It’s not exactly the most minimal device, but it’s not meant to be loud either.

The Air Max measures 6 inches tall – making it only slightly taller than the Air 2. But is a bit heavier due to the upgraded ceramic heater, and the much larger battery.

LED screen and Ergonomic Button Placement

The LED Screen is located right on the front, and once you turn the Air Max on, you’re greeted by the signature Arizer “Hi :)”. The LED screen isn’t too bright and won’t catch too much attention. For even further discretion, it can be switched to dark mode and display custom settings/ icons for specific functions.

Having the buttons on the sides makes the device more ergonomic and eliminates having to fumble around for controls. It’s a big jump especially when you consider that both the Solo 2 and the Air 2 had their LED screens and all buttons on the same front side.

Automatic Screen Inversion

The fact that the screen automatically inverts when the Air Max is flipped – is a small detail with a big impact. It means that you can comfortably use it alongside the adapter and your chosen water pipe. 

High-Capacity Removable Battery

Arizer devices have always had high-capacity batteries – but the Air Max takes it even further with a removable 26650 battery. The battery alone measures about 4 inches and takes up nearly the entire bottom half of the Air Max. It’s an interchangeable 5750mAh battery, providing up to 2 ¼ hours of use on a single charge. It charges quickly via USB-C and also features pass-through charging.

Aromatherapy Bowl

Similar to other Arizer devices, the Air Max comes with a pack of dried herbs that work with an included aromatherapy bowl. I’ve actually found myself using this feature pretty often at home, or when vaping with friends. Instead of using an essential oil diffuser, I take raw dried sage, chamomile, or even citrus peels, place them into the bowl, turn the temperature and set the fan on low and let the scent spread throughout the space.

Smooth Herb Loading Process

The Arizer signature glass stems are great for keeping vapor pure and flavorful – but one of its best qualities is that it makes loading the oven so uncomplicated. Instead of trying to scoop the herb into the oven, just twist the mouthpiece into your herb and placing it in the chamber. This also makes it pretty easy to clean when necessary.  

Advanced Ceramic Hybrid Heater

The Ceramic Heating Element has been upgraded to boost the heating power of the vaporizer. This is also where that large battery comes into play, it’s able to supply power to the large 0.25g oven and get it to heat to temp in less than 60 seconds. For better control of the upgraded heater, you can opt to control the temp in 1-degree increments within a pretty wide 122° – 428° F range.

The Air Max features hybrid heating, which is the simultaneous use of conduction and convection heating. Conduction heats the herb via direct contact, while convection heats it by circulating the air in and around the material – both allowing for the most even vaporization of dry herb. Hybrid heating + the long glass mouthpieces are a signature Arizer combination that delivers cooled, impurity-free, terpene-heavy vapor. 

Heat Dissipation

Surprisingly, even when using the Air Max at the high end of its temperature range – it remained cool to the touch. It’s largely due to the vent design that wraps around the entire heating element – and the fact that your grip is mainly on the battery, which takes up the whole bottom half of the device.

The Power of Glass

It’s hard to talk about any Arizer Device without talking about its signature heat-resistant borosilicate glass mouthpieces. It’s one of the Air Max’s most notable features, cooling down the vapor before it reaches the user’s mouth and the neutral material of the glass also helps to keep the vapor’s flavor pure and untainted by any foreign materials. In fact, glass mouthpieces are probably one of the best features you’ll find on any vaporizer

Consistent Vapor Quality

One of the best perks of the Air Max’s power is its ability to hold and maintain the same temperature throughout the entire session. This means the vapor quality you experience at the start of your session will be the same till the end. Unlike other devices with less power available to them, and vapor that starts out thick and ends thin. The Arizer Air Max vapor was consistently dense and flavorful. 

Bottom Line

Overall, I can’t recommend this vaporizer enough. It’s a solid device that delivers excellent quality vapor- consistently. Arizer has always delivered well-performing devices, suited for anyone, regardless of your vaping experience level. It’s also pretty cool to see Arizer refreshing their product lines, especially since they don’t do this very often – they had just refreshed the XQ2 desktop vaporizer recently, and I’m pretty sure the Solo line is up next. (It’s an exciting time for Arizer!)

To read more about the best devices available and all our in-depth reviews on each one, check out our list of the best dry herb vaporizers of 2024.