The GTSonic GT-F3 was sent to me for review from GT Sonic. I’ve been using an ultrasonic cleaner to clean my vape gear for years and it’s easily one of the most useful products I’ve ever owned. If mine broke, I’d immediately go out and buy another one. So this one from GT Sonic is very similar in size to the most common type of ultrasonic cleaner you might find at a department store, but this has some nice features that make it unique.
Specs:
- 26oz (750ml) capacity
- 40kHz frequency
- Degas function for better cleaning
- Detachable from base
- $59.99 (use this $10 off coupon code: O55OELDC)
How Ultrasonic Cleaning Works
I’ve covered ultrasonic cleaning in-depth before, so I’ll include a link in the description if you want to learn more, but basically, ultrasonic cleaners produce sound waves that create tiny bubbles that implode and break apart the dirt on whatever you put in the machine. When you add soap to this process, it also cleans the parts you’ve put in the basket.
You can get ultrasonic cleaners that run at different frequencies, but the most common for consumer use are models that run in the mid-range of frequencies, most typically 40khz. Lower range frequencies are best for heavy dirt and large parts, while high-range frequencies are best for tiny or extremely delicate parts. The high-range frequency cleaners are what you’ll find in medical facilities. So mid-range is perfect for us.
What Can Ultrasonic Cleaners Clean?
I bought a cheap ultrasonic cleaner from Harbor Freight a few years ago. I use it probably 2-3 times per week and it still works great.
You can’t clean electronics in here since this uses water, but you can throw pretty much any of your atomizers and all parts in the basket. I use my cleaner to clean glass tanks, drip tips, o-rings, build decks, 510 pins, and all. You can clean pre-built coil heads in here too. A coil head isn’t going to work like new because they get so gunked up on the inside, but it will definitely work better after a cleaning.
One thing I’ve learned though is that if you have anything that’s coated in some type of delicate film, that cleaner might strip it. My cleaner removed a tinted film from tank glass once, so be careful about things like that. If you have an atomizer with cheap paint on it, like what you find on clones, it’ll slowly take that off too.
You can also clean things like baby pacifiers, jewelry, watch bands, makeup brushes, shaver blades, eyeglasses, and lots of other little things that are hard to clean. But there are things you shouldn’t clean too, like diamonds, gemstones, pearls, tungsten metal, or anything with flaws or chips. But for the most part, you clean just about anything.
How to Use the GT-F3 Ultrasonic Cleaner
Using an ultrasonic cleaner is super easy. All you do is put the parts in the cleaner basket, fill it up with water, add two to three drops of gentle soap, put the lid on, and then turn it on.
Some of the higher-end models are able to heat the water while it’s cleaning, which definitely helps to clean better and faster, but this doesn’t have a heater. So what I do is just add warm or hot water. But if you don’t want to wait, cold water works too, just not as well.
You can buy special ultrasonic cleaner soap, but I use basic dish soap. It works perfectly fine. I like it because it’s strong enough to clean well but gentle enough that it won’t damage your vape gear. I usually keep a bottle of dawn dish soap in the bathroom where my cleaner is. Dawn seems to be the most highly recommended.
Oh, and never use bleach or a flammable liquid in your ultrasonic cleaner. That’s extremely dangerous and can produce toxic fumes or explode.
Removable Basket
This is one of the features I find extremely handy. So you’ll see that the GT-F3 has a base and basket section. That basket lifts off entirely from the base, which is awesome because it lets you fill it up or empty it out without bringing the entire device with you.
That’s actually one of the things I hate most about my current ultrasonic cleaner. I always have to unplug it and then hold the cable out of the way and try to keep water away from where the wire comes out of the device. It’s not a big deal, but it’s annoying. So I really love this feature.
Timer
The GT-F3 has four different timer settings; 2, 4, 6, and 8 minutes. This is awesome because if you want to run a long cycle, you can just hit 8 minutes and then come back a little while later to empty it out.
A lot of low-end cleaners have timers that only go to one set time. My Harbor Freight model for example only runs at three minutes. I don’t think one cycle at three minutes is enough, so I usually run it three or four times. That’s annoying because I have to run it, listen for it to stop, and then run it again. I usually go off and do something else, but then forget about it and then the water is cold. Or I wait so long between cycles that what should be a 9-minute cleaning process ends up taking me a half hour.
So the timer on the GT-F3 is a really nice feature to have.
Degas Mode
The Degas function removes the gases from your cleaning solution for a better cleaning effect. So what happens is that there are gases in the cleaning solution that absorb some of the energy the comes out of the little bubbles when they implode. That little bit of energy would be of better use to clean your vape gear. So to prevent that loss of energy, you run a degas cycle first to remove those gases from the cleaning solution. This mode cycles the ultrasonic cleaner on for 800ms, off for 200ms, then repeats, allowing the gases to rise to the top of the water and escape.
You run this with the items already placed in the tank. GTSonic says you only need to run one cycle of degas, and then change to normal mode for the second cycle.
You’ll know that the degas mode is done when you run a cycle and no bubbles rise to the surface. You don’t have to use this feature, but you can if you want a better cleaning.
Final Thoughts
One of the things I hate most about caring for vape gear is cleaning it. I hated it so much that I would hardly ever clean any of my gear and when I would, I would just give it a quick rinse under the sink. It still smelled like e-liquid, but I didn’t care.
Then I got an ultrasonic cleaner and that made life so much easier. Now I can just take apart my tanks and drippers, throw them in the cleaner with soap and warm water, and then let it run. It comes out super-clean and it takes almost no energy on my part.
The GT-F3 works just as well as the low-end Harbor Freight model I bought years ago and has some really cool features. It has a longer timer, the basket detaches from the base, and it has a degas function. This makes this cleaner more efficient and way easier to use than your typical consumer model. I love it.
If you’re interested, GT Sonic sells the GT-F3 on Amazon You can also check out their Instagram page.
GT Sonic sells the GT-F3 for $59.99 but they gave me a $10 off coupon code – O55OELDC – so definitely use it if you’re buying one.