Complete Guide To Using Your Robo2020: Review & Helpful Tips

Every day, vapers around the world mourn the loss of yet another coil. What was once a fresh and clean coil, able to provide delicious flavor and puffy clouds, is now a dirty, gunked-up coil that is ready for the trash pile. But thanks to an ingenious invention, you may be able to significantly extend the life of your coil by several days, perhaps weeks! What is this delightful invention you ask? It’s called the Robo2020, a small device that effectively cleans your coils and allows you to extend the coil’s useful life.

I’ll admit, I was skeptical when I first heard of this device. There’s nothing like it on the market; up until now, vapers have been forced to use water, vodka, or jewelry cleaners to remove built-up gunk and crud on their coils. But I’ve had the privilege to experiment with the device over an extended period of time, and I can honestly say that this device is a must-have among beginner and advanced vapers alike. I’ll share the results of my testing, as well as answer some questions you may have about the device. Let’s begin!

THE UNBOXING

Upon receiving the Robo2020, I was delighted to discover that it looked very similar to the Star Wars droid R2D2 (huge Star Wars fan here). It’s about half the size of a half-gallon of milk, and about the same width. The device is extremely light, and I was able to easily lift it with one hand. The design is very simple: a power button in the front, with clearly marked “Clean” and “Dry” buttons above and below the power button. There’s a socket in the base of the device where the included power cord plugs in. You’ll need to keep the device plugged into the outlet in order for your device to work. There are three removable parts to the basket assembly: the stainless steel cup, the basket (also called the strainer), and the cap. Each of these three parts are extremely light and have notches where they are designed to rest on each other. Included with the device was a set of directions, plainly outlining the 11 necessary steps to using the device. Each step has clear wording with detailed pictures and arrows outlining what to do. If you’ve ever built with Legos, the outline is very similar to that. All you need now is a coil! Let’s check out the actual process now.

USING THE DEVICE

Before I began the cleaning process, I was a bit curious how the coil would be cleaned once inside the device. Is it something you just lay on the side and hope for the best? Nope.

There’s actually a little base within the coil basket that allows the coil to sit completely upright and secured during the cleaning process. I tested multiple coils from different brands and found that all were able to rest securely, regardless of size or width. Once the coil is secure in the coil basket, the directions say to add water to a little fill line in the gray basket. I loved that the top portion (called the basket assembly) was completely removable. This allowed me to bring just the basket assembly to the sink in order to fill it with water (preferably hot, but can be room temperature or cold). The coil was completely submerged in water, ready for the cleaning to begin. I pressed the power button to turn on the device (there was a little jingle to signal the device was on), then hit the top button marked clean (another jingle sounded). A red light started to flash and the cleaning cycle began!

It took about 15 minutes for the coil to clean. The device started flashing a green light in addition to the red light, which meant that the coil was fully cleaned.

I took off the lid, and noted that it was very warm to the touch. Upon removal, there was steam emanating from the water. I took great care not to burn myself with the hot water and gingerly removed the basket. Then I carefully removed the stainless steel cup by gripping the rubber sides and slowly poured the hot water down the drain. I rinsed the cup with cold water and set it aside. Then I rinsed the coil for about a minute to wash away any residual gunk from the dirty water. I flipped the coil upside down to allow the heat to hit the wet exposed head of the coil. Then I hit the dry button on the device and was greeted with another jingle to let me know the drying portion had started.

My first time trying the device, I left the stainless steel cup attached to the basket, which completely hindered the device’s ability to dry the coil. I was so confused why the coil was still wet! However, I realized my mistake and made sure to leave the basket in the device, and left the stainless steel cup beside the device. After about 25 minutes, I checked the coil and was delighted to find it completely dry and ready to use! I will say that one slightly annoying thing about the device was that if you didn’t turn off the device immediately after the drying cycle was done, it would continue to beep at minute intervals for several minutes until the device automatically shut down.

HOW TO USE YOUR NEWLY CLEANED COIL

This was the part that was a learning curve for me. I didn’t realize that a freshly-cleaned coil needs to be treated as a brand new coil (duh, I know). The coil should be primed using fresh e-juice and started off on a low wattage. I made the mistake of trying to fire my coil at full power right off the bat. I figured since it was already primed when I first used it, it should be good to go as a clean one, right? Wrong. My initial hit at my usual 120W was terrible. No clouds, very watery flavor, and a very strong taste of cotton. I realized that the coil needed to be broken in once again, just as you with a coil right out of the pack. I quickly adjusted my wattage to about half (60W) and slowly increased my wattage after every few pulls until I got to my desired wattage. I did notice air bubbles rising through the e-liquid, but since it’s a freshly cleaned coil, it made sense that the coil would retain air in the freshly cleaned cotton. Once I got to my usual 120W, I was delighted to taste the pure flavor of the e-liquid with no cotton taste or watery flavor. This is a lifesaver if you’re a vaper who goes through multiple tankfuls of different e-liquids, as sometimes the old flavor will remain in the cotton until you can vape it out. Thanks to the Robo2020, I never had to work through the previous flavor in order to get to the new one.

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT OTHER LIQUIDS CAN I ADD TO MY ROBO2020?

You may have read other articles where you can use vodka and jewelry cleaner to clean your coils. You might be tempted to load up these liquids in your device to make your coil even cleaner. I reached out to the manufacturer who strongly advised against this. Vodka is used commonly to clean coils as it’s a strong alcohol that is praised for its cleaning ability. However, the only thing vodka will enhance is the appearance of the cotton. Think of it as bleach. Same thing with the jewelry cleaner. It isn’t recommended to use either of these methods, as they’re known to ruin the cotton and wires within the cotton. Plus, after rinsing the vodka- or jewelry-soaked coil, the drying time is well over 24 hours. Many vapers have reported liquid still remaining in the coil and it ends up being more trouble than it’s worth. Just stick to regular water in this device (you don’t even need to use soap!) and your coil will come out clean and ready to use again.

CAN I CLEAN AND DRY THE COIL MULTIPLE TIMES?

I’ve actually done this! I had a really gunked-up coil from using dessert flavors over several days. When I cleaned the coil the first time, the water in the base of the coil basket was very brown, almost like tea. After rinsing the basket out, I refilled it with clean water and hit the clean button again. Once the second cleaning cycle was finished, I noticed that the water was still slightly brown, but not as bad as before. However, you shouldn’t need to dry the coil more than once. Keep in mind that heavily used coils can’t ever be returned to their initial color right out of the box. The best way to keep your coil operating at peak performance is to clean it regularly. If your coil is very gunked up, rinsing the coil for at least a minute under running water should help to break up the gunk and allow the Robo2020 to clean your coil more effectively.

WHY DOES MY COIL STILL LOOK DIRTY?

Depending on how much gunk has built up on the coil, you may still see stains on your coil. This doesn’t mean that your coil isn’t clean! Think of it as washing a shirt that has a stain, due to blood, dirt, wine, or bleach. The shirt is still clean, but that stain may be too strong to be completely removed due to regular soap and water. The same thing applies to your coil. In the clean cycle, your coil has essentially been boiled. In the drying process, your coil has been dried, much like a blow dryer. The coil is still clean, but those stains are too far set into the cotton to ever be completely removed. This does not mean you should try to add other liquids like vodka, jewelry cleaner, or soap to your device’s water. The hot water is enough to adequately clean your dirty coil. I had one coil that looked pretty rough and ended up cleaning it twice. I realized that while the coil was clean, it was just stained.

CAN I CLEAN A COIL RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX?

Yes! Using the Robo2020 is actually recommended on coils that come right out of the box. Although most coils are made with strict assembly instructions, it’s still a good idea to clean it before you use it for the first time. When you buy silverware and new clothes, those go straight into the dishwasher or washing machine before you use it. Treat your coils the same way! You will find that your coil delivers cleaner flavor and will last much longer. I cleaned three different coils straight out of the box and felt safer using them after they were cleaned. Just knowing that I was the last person to touch my coil before using it gave me immense satisfaction and peace of mind.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CLEAN MY COILS?

Since receiving the device, I’ve cleaned my coils every time I wanted to change the e-liquid flavor. I constantly get bored with the flavor I’m using and look forward to using a different e-juice. Also, I’m a vape juice reviewer for all types of e-liquids (dessert, tobacco, sweets, fruits, and menthols). It’s vital that I taste that flavor alone in order to write an accurate review. Plus, if I’ve ever tried an e-liquid that I REALLY don’t like, I love being able to thoroughly cleanse my coil of the offending flavor.

CONCLUSION

I really enjoyed using the Robo2020 and I think it’s exactly what the vape world needs. There’s nothing else like it on the market and I’m grateful to have found such a device. To have a clean and dry coil after just under an hour is unheard of! The design is adorable, the process is quick, and the results are better than I could have hoped for. If you’re still worried about how to properly use the device, there’s an awesome demo video on the Robo2020 website that shows exactly how to use the Robo2020 to clean your coils. There’s also warranty information on the site and several blog posts that give you wonderful information about your coils as well as how to maintain them. The Robo2020 costs $59.95, which is super reasonable considering that a pack of coils is about $25. Instead of constantly replacing bad coils, you can simply maintain your current coil and extend their useful life! I loved this device and have been using it nearly every day since I got it. It’s got a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it’s well worth its price. I’ve already recommended the Robo2020 device to several of my friends who are heavy vapers and highly encourage you to do the same!