The Hippie W

The Hippie W has no coil and no wick. Concentrate sits directly in a full ceramic chamber that screws onto the 510 thread battery, and a glass cover sits above it acting as the mouthpiece. Oil creeps up the ceramic wall and bakes on there, while vapour condenses on the inside of the glass, so the two parts that need attention are also the two most easily ruined.

1. Clear the chamber while it is warm: Residue sets hard once ceramic cools. Lift the glass clear, use the packing tool that ships with the pen to gather what is left against the chamber wall, then wipe it out with a dry cotton swab.

2. Swab the ceramic with isopropyl: The Hippie's own advice for its concentrate gear is a cotton swab wetted with 99 percent isopropyl, worked over the chamber and the loading tool, then left to air dry for around ten minutes. Where residue has already hardened, run the button briefly to soften it, let it cool, then swab.

3. Never soak or submerge it: The chamber threads straight onto the battery, so solvent poured into it runs down to the 510 contact. Keep the alcohol on the swab. The stainless steel body, the single button and the micro USB port should only ever see a dry or barely damp cloth.

4. Treat the glass as the weak point: It rinses clean in warm water or a short isopropyl soak and must be bone dry before it goes back on, but it is the part owners break most often. The 1500mAh battery makes the pen top heavy with nothing to stand it in, so take the glass off after each session rather than leaving it upright on a table.

5. Swap the rubber rings: Spare rubber rings come in the box because they seat the glass against the chamber and flatten with heat. A cover that rocks, or a draw that feels loose and airy, usually points at the ring rather than the glass.

6. Wipe out the base: The bottom of the pen carries a small silicone storage compartment for wax. Anything stored there collects pocket debris, so clean it whenever you clean the chamber.

The ceramic chamber and the glass are sold together as one replacement part, which is worth knowing before you scrub a chamber that has gone permanently dark. When flavour stays burnt after a proper clean, replace it and hand tighten the new one onto the battery. If you use the glass water bubbler attachment, change the water every few sessions and soak the glass separately.