Arizer Air 2

The Air II holds your herb inside the Glass Aroma Tube rather than in a fixed bowl, so nearly all the residue collects in one predictable spot: the lower third of the stem and the ring of small holes that forms its built in glass screen. The ceramic heater bore stays comparatively clean, which is why Arizer calls the micro-heater itself maintenance free.

1. Clear the stem first: Use the stainless steel stirring tool supplied with the Air II to lift spent material out of the Glass Aroma Tube and the Glass Aroma Dish. Since you load by pushing and twisting the stem into loose, coarsely ground herb instead of tamping it, the plug normally lifts out whole.

2. Pull the mouthpiece tip: The 70mm tipped tube in the box carries a separate food grade plastic mouthpiece tip that Arizer sells as a replacement part. Take it off and wipe it rather than leaving it in solvent for hours.

3. Soak the glass: Arizer's instruction for the Air II is a couple of hours in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. The 70mm tubes supplied and the longer 90mm and 110mm options all take the same treatment. Let the glass reach room temperature first, because the manual warns that a sudden temperature swing can crack borosilicate.

4. Rinse hot and dry completely: Finish with a hot water rinse, repeating the soak if staining remains. Dry the tube thoroughly before refitting it, since it seats directly above the ceramic element.

5. Judge the metal screens: Four stainless steel filter screens ship with the Air II, with 6 and 50 piece packs sold after that. Arizer calls them optional because each tube already has a glass screen, and notes they make vapor harsher. They also clog sooner, so swap a slow one out instead of scrubbing it.

6. Wipe the heater, never flush it: The Air II runs an isolated airpath and the manual is firm about not pouring anything into the unit. Clean around the stem opening with a dry swab, and keep alcohol away from the ceramic heater.

7. Burn off afterwards: Arizer's own advice is five to ten minutes at 220 C to drive off residues. The auto shut off timer defaults to ten minutes and maxes at fifteen, so raise it on the OLED before starting.

8. Ease a tight tube with heat: If a cleaned stem will not seat, set 200 C, wait a minute or two, then try again rather than forcing it.

9. Battery care: Keep the removable 18650, its cap and the micro USB port dry and solvent free, match positive and negative when refitting a cell, and store spares part charged.