H.Tech Falcon Mesh Coils - easy coil recycling

[LilyWai]

I have tried many tanks and many coils & the HorizonTech Falcon is my desert island tank and the M1 mesh coils are the best of the bunch for ultimate flavour. The only issue is that I like dessert vape flavours, I'm a chain vaper and I vape at high wattage so even though these are amazing coils & last for days my coils get clogged and blackened really quickly.
At one point during Covid lockdown due to my country's border closures with all overseas incoming flights being banned all HTech Falcon coils were sold out so I began testing soaking my used coils to see if I could get another cycle with them.
Now these were black coils, totally clogged horrible coils & they still cleaned up perfectly.
Amazingly I not only got one more cycle must I was alike to keep soaking, rinsing and recycling for several vape cycles.

My soaking/cleaning recipe for 5 x M1 Falcon coils (my coil preference) is:
Hot water
A small amount of mild dishwashing liquid
About 1/8th of a top of sodium percarbonate

Soak for 4 days and then rinse in more hot water & soak for another day in just hot water only to get rid of any remaining dish liquid. Then sit on a paper towel in the sun to dry out for a few days & vape away.
Here are some I have just dried out, note the white cotton/wood pulp and the mesh comes back to like new too.

 

[Mordacai]

@LilyWai, I have heard that folks have had some success with vodka or everclear and distilled water.

Never had much luck cleaning my coils though, perhaps it's something to do with the CCell ceramic wicking.

But I may try a variation on a hot Isopropyl Alcohol wash though on one soon, just going to need some Ethanol and distilled water first. This is something that has to be done very carefully though, as it can be dangerous.

I'm just thinking about boiling a pan of water, taking it off the heat completely and then putting an offending coil in a jam jar full of Ethanol into the water. There should be plenty of heat then to warm up the Ethanol nicely, and it'll be safe as well.

 

[sonicbomb]

Disposable coils are designed to be disposable. At best cleaning them gives a partial re-usability, best to go with a rebuildable system.

 

[Katya]

My soaking/cleaning recipe for 5 x M1 Falcon coils (my coil preference) is:
Hot water
A small amount of mild dishwashing liquid
About 1/8th of a top of sodium percarbonate

I wouldn't use soap and soda to clean drop-in coils. I f you must clean them for whatever reason, try just hot water or alcohol (PGA is best) and then rinse.

But like Sonicbomb said, they are disposable. The wire deteriorates, the wicking material deteriorates.

 

[Katya]

But I may try a variation on a hot Isopropyl Alcohol wash though on one soon, just going to need some Ethanol and distilled water first. This is something that has to be done very carefully though, as it can be dangerous.

I'm just thinking about boiling a pan of water, taking it off the heat completely and then putting an offending coil in a jam jar full of Ethanol into the water. There should be plenty of heat then to warm up the Ethanol nicely, and it'll be safe as well.

One has to be very careful while heating alcohol. especially high proof spirits.

 

[Mordacai]

One has to be very careful while heating alcohol. especially high proof spirits.

Very true @Katya, I've heard quite a few hot Isopropyl Alcohol wash horror stories.

The best one was from years ago, when smoking was allowed in labs.

Someone had just finished hot IPA washing some lab glassware and had placed them in a sink, the individual who remembered this said that they turned their back on the still drying labware and then lit up a cigarette.

The resulting flames were quite impressive and the darwin award contender was quite oblivious.

 

[LilyWai]

Disposable coils are designed to be disposable. At best cleaning them gives a partial re-usability, best to go with a rebuildable system.

I've found that with previous tanks and coils to be true but these particular coils are amazing and wick & vape like new after cleaning cycle. It seems to be to do with the mesh rather than wire coil system and the wadding used.

I have used rebuildables before, in fact have tried pretty much everything out there and have a draw full of tanks, coils & supplies all discarded on my search for the ultimate tank for flavour. This tank has been the culmination of years of searching & trials before reaching this perfect one but thanks to it's mega popularity the coils are constantly sold out in my country - New Zealand. Now with COVID border issues it is near impossible to get Falcon Coils at all, particularly the M1 original coils that are often chosen as the best for flavour.

This offers a solution that allows me - & maybe others in similar situation - to continue to enjoy my paradisiac Falcon tank at all is full flavour magnificence.
I disagree that reusing them gives one only at best partial reusability as I am very particular about flavour and can't abide a tainted, bitter or burnt taste in my vaping experience. This gives me an equally good vape every time, hence my decision to post about it.

P.S. I would steer well clear of using any flammable liquids to try and clean coils. The risk of some remaining in the wicking and igniting is too high. If you want to try this stick to only non-flammable substances or risk having no skin left on your face

 

[Mordacai]

@LilyWai, 90% plus Ethanol will evaporate very easily. It's the flamable fumes that you have to be wary of when it's evaporating.

So things need to be left somewhere well ventilated and well away from sources of ignition while the Ethanol evaporates, preferably on a clean ceramic surface such as a plate.

Ethanol when evaporated shouldn't leave any trace, but there's no guarantee that it will effectively clean coils and extend their life significantly though.

But on a side note @LilyWai, what's the availibility of Freemax coils where you are?

 

[Katya]

@LilyWai, 90% plus Ethanol will evaporate very easily. It's the flamable fumes that you have to be wary of when it's evaporating.

So things need to be left somewhere well ventilated and well away from sources of ignition while the Ethanol evaporates, preferably on a clean ceramic surface such as a plate.

Ethanol when evaporated shouldn't leave any trace, but there's no guarantee that it will effectively clean coils and extend their life significantly though.

But on a side note @LilyWai, what's the availibility of Freemax coils where you are?

Better yet, do not heat high-proof spirits at home. They work just fine when cold.

 

[Mordacai]

Or be fully aware of the risks @Katya and account for them.

Adding heat only speeds up cleaning processes somewhat.

 

[Katya]

Adding heat only speeds up cleaning processes somewhat.

But the risk of setting yourself or your kitchen on fire is not worth it, IMHO. I'd rather wait 10 minutes longer for the cold stuff to do its job. Which it won't do perfectly anyway.

I'd rather grab a fresh coil!

But, YMMV, of course, as always.

 

[Mordacai]

@Katya, true. I much prefer using a single coil RDA with a Stainless Steel coil in TC with a Squonk mod, as a majority of time all you need to do is change the wicking a few times before you have to change the coil.

I do like RTA's, but they can be more problematic due to the posibility of airlocking. Which isn't fun, as when it happens wicking of liquid stops.

 

[Katya]

@Katya, true. I much prefer using a single coil RDA with a Stainless Steel coil in TC with a Squonk mod, as a majority of time all you need to do is change the wicking a few times before you have to change the coil.

I do like RTA's, but they can be more problematic due to the posibility of airlocking. Which isn't fun, as when it happens wicking of liquid stops.

Interesting how we all like different things. I like RTAs--never liked dripping or squonking. Go figure.

 

[Mordacai]

I can deffinitley see that most folks woud have some reservations about dripping, as it's time consuming and you encounter so many issues or bug bears.

Squonking though makes things much more acceptable though.

But with squonking, it's trying to select the right mod for the resistance range that you like to use that can cause you some issues. Fortunately now there's a lot of different options on the market now that pretty much cover the vaping spectrum, but not that many single 21700 cell offerings though.

As single 21700 cell Squonk mods when well designed and executed are a decent trade off of power, size and weight. I'd love to see more Evolv DNA75 ones about.

 

[Katya]

I can deffinitley see that most folks woud have some reservations about dripping, as it's time consuming and you encounter so many issues or bug bears.

I started dripping in the dark ages of vaping and it was a nightmare. Those early dripping atomizers were labor intensive and needed to be constantly modified. I had no patience for that. But pipe smokers liked dripping--they liked the fiddly aspect of it.

Squonking though makes things much more acceptable though.

When squonking hit the vaping scene, you had to get a mech mod, like a Reo, iirc. And I didn't want one.

But with squonking, it's trying to select the right mod for the resistance range that you like to use that can cause you some issues. Fortunately now there's a lot of different options on the market now that pretty much cover the vaping spectrum, but not that many single 21700 cell offerings though.

As single 21700 cell Squonk mods when well designed and executed are a decent trade off of power, size and weight. I'd love to see more Evolv DNA75 ones about.

I know that modern squonkers are light years ahead of what was available in the past. But somehow it just never occured to me to get one. Old dog, new tricks.

 

[Mordacai]

One of the big issues with Squonk mods can be the price @Katya, especially if there's a good chipset thrown in them.

Take this one for example, something that would probably be a good fit for your vaping style.

SQEVO

Over $100 for a single 18650 Evolv DNA60 chipset Squonk mod, to me it seems excessive for what it is.

 

[Katya]

Yes, that's pricey.

 

[Mordacai]

Indeed @Katya.