Arizer's new portable vapourizer works well and makes for a great conversation piece

I liked that earlier model, though it's by no means my favourite. I like this new one even better, though, because it's more substantial and offers exquisite vape quality and quantity. Alas, it's also a tad fiddly in preparation and use, though I don't think that would be a deal breaker.

That fiddlyness means you have to prepare to use it before you go, but that can pretty well be said for Arizer's other vapes such as the Solo series and the like.

SRT is Arizer's new operating system and the company says it delivers "blazing-fast heat-up, on-demand precision, and the freedom to enjoy quick rips, rapid sessions, or heavy hits—anytime, anywhere.

Designed for highly efficient volatilization, herbal vaporization, botanical extraction, aroma diffusion, and even warming your hands, it's the ultimate all-in-one portable heater—crafted for speed, power, and total control."

Sounds like a real panacea for puffers, and I have to admit it works as advertised. I think it's overpriced, especially if you partake of some optional extras offered by the company on their website. These include a nifty "Go Shell Case" ($99.99 CAD) and the $64.99 grinder that interacts with the Shell Case to let you grind your dried flower directly into six of the little glass Go Shells that come with it.

It looks like a quick and elegant solution, though in my own use it didn't drop the ground flower into the shells, but everywhere else but. That clearly could be operator error, since coordination has never been one of my strong suits, but so far it shows me that you can save those extra loonies and just use the basic unit to get the same results more cheaply, but with a little more effort on your part.

To prepare, you pre-fill the little Go Shells, then stick little plastic caps on each end. That way, when the first Shell's contents are used up (I'd get about two sessions per cap, all things being equal), you just swap it out for a new one. Again, it's a bit of a fiddly process because you have to use the little plastic caps to ensure you don't drop new or used ground flower all over the place, but in reality, it isn't a big deal.

It's also part of that conversation-starter aspect to which I alluded earlier, because it's a very cool procedure. A downside is that you have to keep track of where you put the caps…

There are some distinct advantages to the Go SRT. For one thing, it offers "near-instant activation, intuitive controls, and the advanced SRT operating system", which the manufacturer says "empowers you to personalize every session with precision and ease."

That may be a bit of an overstatement because I find the OS a tad confusing, but I'm an old fart and that is probably a contributing factor. Besides, there's an owner's manual online and that can walk you through the various parameters the Go SRT offers.

It all works very well and the vapour you get is first rate (this, of course, also depends on the source material, as in "garbage in, garbage out"). And the little Go Shells fit easily into a pocket (or whatever), for easy swapping.

The unit heats up very quickly, and sometimes I found it a tad warm in my hand, but as noted above Arizer markets that as a feature, not a bug because they say you can use the Go SRT as a hand warmer as well. So, there's that.

There's also a neat rubber (or something like rubber) cap for the unit that sticks to it magnetically. When the GO isn't in use, it keeps the little glass mouthpiece from which you vape safe and out of the way – and when you are using the unit, it sticks magnetically to the bottom of the unit, so you don't have to worry about losing it.

Overall, the new Go SRT is an excellent portable unit. I still think the Solo series (especially the Solo II) are Arizer's best handheld vapes, but the Go is easier to take with you and it protects the glass tubes better.

As mentioned earlier, vapes such as Arizer's that use dried, ground flower, is actually one of the best and safest ways to get your medical (or whatever) cannabis dose. And that's because, at least in part, of that Popcorn Lung syndrome I mentioned up top.

What's Popcorn Lung? 

What's Popcorn Lung? Well, according to Johns Hopkins' Dr. Stephen R. Broderick, "Popcorn lung" is another name for bronchiolitis obliterans (BO), a rare condition that results from damage of the lungs' small airways. The name stems from when factory workers cranking out microwave popcorn started getting sick, thanks to the food additive diacetyl, which is used to simulate the butter flavor in microwave popcorn.

The stuff is apparently added to those flavored e-liquid cartridges and inhaling it could cause inflammation that could lead to permanent scarring in the smallest branches of the airways. The doctor notes that popcorn lung has no lasting treatment, though some of the symptoms can be managed.

And that's just one of the reasons I prefer dried flowers to those more convenient cartridges.

Depending upon who you read, popcorn lung is either a real thing or not. I've seen both sides of the issue online and, since I trust no "experts", I made up my own mind. And that means I'll stick with the dried flowers. Yeah, this bud's for me!

Anyway, when I began researching the topic about a year ago, I discovered a "cannabis doctor" in Boston who opined that if you want to avoid popcorn lung when consuming cannabis there are only two good ways to do it: either vape ground flower like you do with these Arizers (which means you don't get all the crap added to the vape cartridges) or imbibe via cannabis suppository. Alas, I couldn't find the link again when I was researching this piece or I'd include it.

The suppository strategy made me laugh out loud at the thought of cannabis users gathering outside the pub for a pot break, dropping their pants in the public square to insert their cannabis of choice…

Obviously, for social use you're a lot better off using a ground weed vapourizer – other than for comedy relief.

The Go SRT fits into this scenario beautifully. Though it's a tad dear, it's an excellent vapourizer and it's designed for easy portability and use. And as such, it achieves its goal very well.