​​Background

Canada-based brand Arizer has made built a pretty good reputation for themselves first as creators of affordable desktop vaporizers, and later on – reliable portable dry herb vaporizers such as the Solo 2 and the Arizer Go.

Regardless of whether desktop or portable – Arizer devices have a similar set of cornerstone features: precise temperature control, clear OLED screens, and long, borosilicate mouthpieces that keep the vapor cool, which is an Arizer signature.

Now, Arizer has gone back to its roots and released a new desktop device – the Arizer XQ2.  The remote-controlled XQ2 is the culmination of Arizer’s 15 years of product design and development experience and is also built on customer feedback.

Kit and Accessories

The Arizer XQ2’s kit comes with a full suite of accessories. Several of them are made of Arizier’s signature high-temperature, borosilicate glass. The most notable one being a new Glass Connoisseur that brings your herb a lot closer to the heater.

Here’s what comes in the XQ2’s fully equipped kit:

  • 3-foot silicone whip with glass mouthpiece
  • Glass mini whip, balloon mouthpiece, connoisseur bowl, and aromatherapy dish
  • Balloon connector, caps, and balloon bags
  • Domed and flat screens
  • Air intake filter
  • Stainless steel tool
  • Power adapter
  • Remote Control

Design & Features

Design-wise, the Arizer XQ2, much like other Arizer desktop vaporizers, is cone-shaped and relatively tall. The main body has a shiny finish, and the top is where you attach either the whip attachment or the collection bag. The 3-inch whip attachment has glass ends for easy cleaning and maintenance and silicone tubing, and it also swivels 360° for easy sharing. The Balloon attachment is made for high volume use and is detachable for better portability – it also comes with a borosilicate glass attachment for pure and clean vapor.

XQ2 Base: The base of the XQ2 houses the digital display, and 5 buttons for power, settings, temperature controls, and a dedicated button for the 3-speed fan.

Remote Control: Control the XQ2 from anywhere in the room with the use of the programmable remote control. The remote itself has an easy to use and understand layout and allows you to turn the XQ2 on/off, set your desired temperature, choose a color for the LED strip, and turn on the fan. There are also dedicated buttons for 3 pre-set, yet customizable temperatures.

When using the onboard controls, you’ll have to cycle through the settings by repeatedly pressing the buttons – the remote on the other hand allows you to simply press the buttons once to select your desired fan speed and temperature.

LED Strip: There’s also an LED strip that covers the entire lower portion of the base. The LED lights when set to dynamic mode indicates the device status and the current mode you’re in – which is either of the following:

  • Heating – Pulses from Yellow to Orange
  • Reach Set Temperature – Blinks Green twice
  • Stable Temperature – Pulses orange continuously
  • Fan Operation – Pulses purple
  • Cooling – Pulses cyan
  • Cooling with Fan – Pulses blue

Spectrum Mode, on the other hand, is a bit more fun and changes colors every 2 seconds in a loop. The lights may also be switched off if you’d like.

How To Use

There are multiple ways to use the XQ2- either with the whip, balloon or exclusively for aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy

When using the XQ2 for aromatherapy, simply load the bowl with botanicals such as lavender, chamomile, or dried citrus peels. The possibilities are endless. Once loaded, choose a low temperature, and turn the fan on low to spread the scent throughout any space

With the Whip

Using both the whip and balloon requires the use of the connoisseur bowl and we highly recommend a slightly coarse grind for best results.

  1. Fill the bowl with dry herb
  2. Let the connoisseur bowl heat up to your desired temperature – this takes roughly 1-2 minutes.
  3. Once primed and heated, place the top of the whip connection onto the bowl.
  4. For best results, do a long and consistent draw.
  5. For an assisted draw, turn on the fan and select your desired fan speed.

Pro-tip: Turning on the fan towards the end of a session helps fully extract the flavors and ensures you get the most out of your dry herb.

Use with the Balloon

  1. Fill the bowl with material and select your desired temperature.
  2. Let the bowl heat for roughly same amount of time
  3. As it’s heating, attach the balloon connector to the bowl.
  4. When heated, attach the balloon to its connector and turn on the fan.
  5. Wait for the balloon to fill and once full, detach the balloon and seal it while you remove the glass pieces from the main unit.
  6. Draw and enjoy!

Pro Tip: Before attaching the balloon to the connector, inhale or rid the balloon of all the extra air inside it. Also, one of the perks of using the balloon is that the vapor can sit inside it for long periods of time, so while you’re taking it around – ensure that you seal it tightly after each draw.

Performance & Vapor Quality

Within the XQ2, you’ll find a convection ceramic heater which alongside the borosilicate glass pieces – results in particularly well-flavored vapor.

The connoisseur bowl is an upgrade from the bowl on the Extreme-Q, and instead of having a glass screen directly at the center of the bowl, it sits closer on one end. Creating a larger bowl or as Arizer calls it: a “cloud chamber”. This chamber sits much closer to the ceramic heater and when inverted, can be used as a microdosing bowl for shorter sessions.

The resulting vapor on the XQ2 is definitely flavor forward. In fact, when using the whip attachment at a low temperature- you’ll find that your draws will be quite light, but heavy on the terpenes. You’ll be able to taste every nuance in your material and fully savor it. The XQ2, of course, is also capable of creating big dense results, which are still just as pure – yet trade off a bit of that flavor for more vapor.

Between the two extraction methods, the balloon is by far the smoothest and of course the coolest – since allowing the vapor to sit in the balloon lowers its temperature. Drawing from the balloon is as easy as breathing and causes no irritation whatsoever.

Bottom Line

The Arizer XQ2 is definitely a device made for those looking to chase flavor. There is an abundance of accessories that come with the device- which might seem overwhelming to new users, but these accessories are for the many possible functions of the XQ2 and also means that you won’t exactly have to purchase more pieces to get the most out of it.

Priced at $319, it’s definitely a cheaper alternative to the Storz & Bickel Volcano Hybrid, which features Hybrid Heating and is certified for medical use. But it does share several of the same features such as use with a balloon or whip and assisted draws with a fan.

If your needs fall more on the recreational side of things and also want the power and functionality of a desktop device, the XQ2 is definitely worth checking out.