The Mighty+ wins this one, 8.7 to 8.4. It's the easier vape to live with, the better-built one, and it edged the vapor score too. The Arizer Solo 3 costs $100 less and suits flavor chasers who don't mind slow draws and loose glass stems.
Key differences
- Price: $299 US list price for the Solo 3, $399 for the Mighty+.
- Heat-up: the Solo 3 is ready in about 15 seconds, the Mighty+ in about 60.
- Heating: the Solo 3 runs a convection-dominant hybrid heater through an all-glass path. The Mighty+ pairs conduction and convection behind a PEEK cooling unit.
- Modes: the Solo 3 offers session and on-demand modes. The Mighty+ is session only.
- Loading: the Mighty+ takes official dosing capsules. The Solo 3 uses glass stems, including a 0.5 g XL stem.
- Warranty: 2 years on the Solo 3, plus lifetime cover on the heater. Up to 3 years on the Mighty+ when you register it.
Flavor vs clouds: how the vapor differs
The Mighty+ scored 9.2 for vapor quality and the Solo 3 scored 9.0, but they get there in very different ways.
The Solo 3's hybrid heater works mostly with hot air, roughly 80% convection. Your cannabis sits in a glass tube that also carries the vapor to your lips. That gave us the cleaner terpene separation of the two, and we start most sessions around 190°C.
The Mighty+ gave us denser, thicker clouds from the first draw after its ready buzz. Its cooling unit kept even hot sessions near 210°C smoother than most portables. Big, easy hits need no technique at all.
Ease of use and session style
This is where the Mighty+ pulls ahead, 9.0 to 8.0. Twist open the cooling unit, drop in your cannabis, hold one button and wait for the vibration. It's the easiest portable we've handed to first-time vapers. Load a dosing capsule at home and you can swap bowls on the go without touching your cannabis. On the Solo 3 you fill a glass stem instead, and a spare filled stem does the same job.
The Solo 3 asks more of you, since its restricted draw rewards slow sips. Its left, up, right unlock sequence also takes about a week to feel natural. In return you get on-demand mode, where a press of Up fires a short heat cycle and the heater rests between hits. Neither vape has an app, so everything runs from the buttons.
Build, size and daily handling
The Mighty+ scored 9.5 for build, a full point ahead. It carries UL 8139 and IEC 60335-1 safety certification, and every cooling unit part is replaceable. At 242 g and 80 mm wide, though, it's a bag vape rather than a pocket one.
The Solo 3 weighs 280 g before you add a stem, but at 49 mm wide it's far slimmer than the 80 mm Mighty+, and its 15-second heat-up makes it the better grab-and-go vape. That's why it edges portability, 7.8 to 7.5, even though a fitted stem makes it too tall for a pocket. Glass is its weak point, since one drop on a hard floor can end a stem. The upside is easy cleaning: soak the cooled tubes in isopropyl alcohol for a couple of hours, then rinse. The Mighty+ cooling unit comes apart for cleaning, and Storz & Bickel says to check it before use and clean it when deposits appear, no later than 7 days after its last session.
Battery, charging and value
On paper the Solo 3 goes further, rated at 13 sessions per charge against 11 for the Mighty+. Both batteries are sealed, and both can run while plugged in. A full Solo 3 charge takes about 3 hours. The Mighty+ reaches 80% in about 40 minutes with Storz & Bickel's optional Supercharger.
Value leans to the Solo 3, 8.5 to 8.0. For $100 less you still get four glass tubes, including two water pipe stems. The Mighty+ ships with one dosing capsule, and its water pipe adapter is a third-party extra.
Which should you buy?
- First-time vapers: the Mighty+, for its one-button start and zero learning curve.
- Flavor chasers: the Solo 3, for glass-path terpene clarity.
- Quick single hits: the Solo 3, since on-demand mode heats only when you ask.
- Sharing a bowl: the Mighty+, with its low draw resistance and cool-touch shell.
- Water pipe users: the Solo 3, with two water pipe stems in the box.
Both made our best portable vaporizers ranking, the Mighty+ as our daily driver and the Solo 3 as our endurance pick.
