XMAX Riggo

The Riggo holds concentrate in a quartz cup on a screw-in heating atomizer with a glass cap over the top, so residue builds up in three predictable places: the cup itself, the threads where the atomizer meets its base, and the short vapor path underneath. Overfilling is the usual cause, and XMAX warns in the manual that too much material can damage the device.

1. Let it cool and detach the atomizer: XMAX is explicit that you should not touch the heating element straight after a session, and that the heating atomizer must always be removed from the battery before any cleaning. Lift off the glass cap, then unscrew the atomizer from its base.

2. Swab the cup after every use: The manual's cleaning method is a cotton swab on the heating atomizer after each use, followed by air drying or a wipe with a soft cloth. Three swabs come in the box. Sellers of the official replacement atomizer describe the same routine with a little isopropyl alcohol on the swab, which shifts hardened oil a dry swab leaves behind.

3. Use the pipe cleaners below the coil: In our review the vapor path beneath the screw-in coil was the one awkward spot, and the three included pipe cleaners were the only tool that reached it comfortably. Order a fresh pack if you use it often.

4. Soak glass, rinse silicone: The glass cap, glass mouthpiece and 14mm adapter are the parts that can sit in isopropyl. Pull the silicone pipe sleeve off and rinse it separately in warm water. Dry everything fully before reassembly.

5. Keep liquid away from the battery: The manual prohibits submerging or cleaning the battery section with water or isopropyl. Wipe the aluminium body dry instead. If the light flashes when you try to heat, the fix is usually a swab of alcohol on the atomizer threads and contact, left to dry before you screw the atomizer back down.

6. Treat the atomizer as a consumable: Replacements sell singly and in five packs, in a quartz version with the absorbent centre stone and an older ceramic disc. Remove the glass cap, unscrew the spent atomizer, screw the new one in, then refit the cap. The six month warranty covers only the electronic base, not the heating element or the glass mouthpiece.

Two spare O-rings ship with the Riggo for the joints between the atomizer, the silicone sleeve and the 14mm adapter, so swap one in when a connection starts to feel loose. Let the device cool before storage, and store it charged: XMAX warns that a battery left below 2 percent will stop accepting a charge.