Discontinued The Grasshopper

[btka]

Mind blown!

Can anyone else confirm if the battery contact on their backend turns along with the temperature dial?

Mine does. I've never noticed it before.

I'm just sitting here hoping Caroline replies to me tomorrow, and figured I'd give the above method of rotating the dial back and forth a try...and noticed the contact rotating with it.

yes I can confirm: "backend turns along with the temperature dial"...
that should be normal...

 

[tubasco]

yes I can confirm: "backend turns along with the temperature dial"...
that should be normal...

Cool, thanks!
So mine is still acting up. Temps 1-3.5 go from red to blue almost immediately. It's not hot when it goes blue.....and then on 4-5 it seems to never go blue (at least I'm not waiting long enough for it) yet the unit gets SUPER hot to the touch. (While staying red)
No flashing lights for diagnosis.
This sucks.

 

[Vapor_Eyes]

Well it's official, I just submitted my first warranty request.

My Ti has been slowly dying on me. At first I thought I was imagining it, then I was in denial, but I've finally come to accept it.

It's performance has been steadily declining to the point where it barely produces vapor at temp 5. The blue lights are also flickering like crazy on a brand new battery. They've always flashed some, but not like this. This is like how it flashes on the last hit or two before the battery dies.

I guess it's a good thing I bought the backup SS in June. I've found that I prefer the SS overall but I do appreciate the lighter weight of the Ti.

Edit: Now it seems to be working normally again. This is starting to drive me crazy.

 

[mulciber]

mulciber said: ↑
Curious: Is there a thread where people post who have had NO problems with their GH? Those cases must exist, right? I ask because I just rec'd my GH and it works flawlessly. Of course it stands to reason that most people don't post unless they have a problem, but knowing there are Grasshoppers out there that just keep working as they should would be heartening.

JoeMama wrote:

That may be a good idea, but practically speaking, as soon as someone whose hopper has been working "great" suddenly crapped out, they'd have to leave the dialog and never return.

True. I suppose I'm just looking for a ray of hope. My brand new Ti works flawlessly, and I suppose I'm trying to maintain confidence that it will simply keep doing so in perpetuity - that failure is not inevitable.

 

[Vapor_Eyes]

Grasshopper Pre-order
September Update


Hey Everyone,

Thanks for checking in on our September update. Our primary goal this month was to complete the rollout of Grasshopper Charger 2.0. We succeeded delivering over 1500 of these new chargers to customers. Additionally, we completed our first month with our smoother supply chain, and the results are promising. We are now catching up to the pre-order backlog and are clearing those orders faster than before.

The Grasshopper Charger 2.0 is the result of much user feedback, expanded manufacturing experience, and the continual goal to increase the robustness of the device. We took ideas from each of these areas and created a whole new design for the magnetic charging ring. A single cable now extends from your USB port to the Grasshopper and passive pivoting allows for easy removal and minimal cable strain. Utilizing what we have learned over the last three years, we implemented a variety of manufacturing innovations to make this changing ring 4 times faster to build and an order of magnitude more durable. These chargers are currently shipping with every new unit.

With production moving smoother and faster than ever we are making quick progress fulfilling pre-orders. There are still many of you have been waiting much longer than anticipated but delivery is closer than it might seem. With production gains in almost every area and a smoother more efficient supply chain the delivery schedule is looking great. Any customers who did not have their shipping estimates met will have those updated and will receive a free extra battery.

We are proud to report that our warranty department is experiencing fewer and fewer issues per device shipped and we have a perfect record of fixing every vape that has had issues. A lifetime warranty is not something offered on many products, but we feel that when the job is done right, there is no reason not to.

Thanks for reading our September update! Look for more news on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages throughout October.

The Grasshopper Team

 

[AJS]

It's odd.. I agree I am emotionally attached to this little jewel of engineering smarts; yet I don't feel they make these with any attachment to making anyone happy. That's just how I feel about the company for how they run their CS. They do, however, do what is necessary.

I agree, but I like to look at it like, when mama is tired or stressed, she won't always show you her love, but you know it's there because of what she's built for you. If that analogy makes sense ...

Awesome replies btw man. I'm still taking time to make correlations between batteries, backends, and whatever arises when those variables change. Haven't had my hopper long yet, but it helps me track where I'm at and what correlations I've noticed, and hopefully gives others some perspective to work with as well.

 

[JoeMama]

Well it's official, I just submitted my first warranty request.

My Ti has been slowly dying on me. At first I thought I was imagining it, then I was in denial, but I've finally come to accept it.

It's performance has been steadily declining to the point where it barely produces vapor at temp 5. The blue lights are also flickering like crazy on a brand new battery. They've always flashed some, but not like this. This is like how it flashes on the last hit or two before the battery dies.

I guess it's a good thing I bought the backup SS in June. I've found that I prefer the SS overall but I do appreciate the lighter weight of the Ti.

Edit: Now it seems to be working normally again. This is starting to drive me crazy.

<Argh!> Vapor that'd make me nuts; cuz you know if you send it back it MIGHT work while they have it. Much as you have the SS and prefer it (maybe using it more than the Ti), perhaps use it 24/7 to hurry the gremlin up to shit or get off the pot.

True. I suppose I'm just looking for a ray of hope. My brand new Ti works flawlessly, and I suppose I'm trying to maintain confidence that it will simply keep doing so in perpetuity - that failure is not inevitable.

Well, failure isn't necessarily inevitable, but it's unfortunately "less than unlikely". But the good news is the lifetime warranty. I was worried that they would go out of business with all the warranties, but with their production growing, I'm thinking these guys are smiling in spite of the issues that seem to be getting whittled down. So cheer up!

Or do what I did and buy 2. In my case, though, BOTH of them failed.

Haven't had my hopper long yet, but it helps me track where I'm at and what correlations I've noticed, and hopefully gives others some perspective to work with as well.

One of the main reasons we're all here is to lend our perspectives based on our experiences here. I look forward to yours!

 

[vapviking]

Two quotes from the Sept update, courtesy of @Vapor_Eyes ;

We succeeded delivering over 1500 of these new chargers to customers.

Delivering 1500 pcs. 2.0 chargers is impressive, while raising still a few questions. How is it determined who, out of all hopper users, got a new charger almost automatically? (We doubt that 1500 went out this month as warranty replacements, likewise that these all went out with new hoppers). Faster assembly, better reliability sound great, but is there some reason I need one to replace the v1.0 charger I already have? Maybe they're just gonna send me a new one sometime...
and

We are proud to report that our warranty department is experiencing fewer and fewer issues per device shipped and we have a perfect record of fixing every vape that has had issues.

Big High Five to HL team for maintaining this stance! I can attest to having received excellent warranty service.

I am still wondering about shipping numbers for September since it's been very quiet on the forums in this regard!
I do like that they've begun to talk about ALL remaining preorders as a group, as if they are getting a handle on the scale and numbers finally.

On the topic of charger:
Has anyone even tried the "use hopper while charging" option? The only time I tried this the results were dead hopper (solid red lights) on next startup. This issue 'fixed itself overnight' a couple of times but always came back and I had to get a new body. I really don't know if it was caused by the charger or if this was coincidence. In superstitious reaction, I have not used factory chargers since; I go external and simply wonder about my 2 chargers. Maybe Charger 2.0 will restore my confidence?

Is anyone having great success, as in no problem, with charging on V1.0 all the time? What kind of issues have been seen with 1.0?

And lastly, out of 1500 V2.0 chargers sent out this past month, we've heard almost nothing of folks here actually receiving one. Seems odd and makes me think the pool is much bigger than we see here.

 

[newVaper420]

I'm hoping I get my replacement part by Thursday as I go on a trip early Friday morning. They don't work on weekends on I guess, so I have not had them see my ticket # yet (put in Oct. 1st at 8:00am).

 

[moondog]

I'm hoping I get my replacement part by Thursday as I go on a trip early Friday morning. They don't work on weekends on I guess, so I have not had them see my ticket # yet (put in Oct. 1st at 8:00am).

I believe we've seen a few instances in the past where it was evident that GHL was working over the weekend.

 

[MoltenTiger]

It took them 5 days to send me a replacement plain Ti body, which is currently in New York? I hope USPS is delivering to the right Australia

 

[Hoey420]

Hi all, big lurker here

I got my hoppers on 22/august one ti and one ss after over a year of wating

Ealier I register my ti hopper and was about to claim warranty because of red/blue lights symptom but i went to shower instead, got my ss hopper with me to the bathroom clicked it on.....aaarrrrrrrgh fu*ken red/blue lights, turned off then on again red then blue took a toke ...nice.

While in shower I was thinking ...... before the blu tac cleaning I got none of that red/blue lights on any of the hoppers and after the blu tac i did not wipe the thread with iso!

I think that was the problem so after shower I rubbed the thread of both hoppers with iso and boom red/blue lights gone! The ti went thru two batteries with no red blue lights yet so is the ss.

I've noticed the red/blue lights happens to some members laterly.

I keep my fingers cross that i don't have to send any of my hoppers in for warranty

 

[slcbdco]

Has anyone even tried the "use hopper while charging" option?

I use it on the charger in the car all the time, it works, kinda tricky with then old style charger to click the button, should be easier with the new style.

 

[Hjalmark]

I believe we've seen a few instances in the past where it was evident that GHL was working over the weekend.

they better be

 

[Vapor_Eyes]

My Grasshopper is definitely dying. It will occasionally give a good hit but average performance is anemic.

Last night I did a side by side comparison with fresh batteries and the same exact amount at temp 4 in both my Ti and my SS last night and it was like night and day. The second hit on the Ti chamber was the only good one and it wasn't even that big. All the other hits were wispy and weak, barely any vapor. I took 6 hits total and I think there's still some left, I'll probably vape the rest with my log.

The first three hits on my SS were massive, with a final clean up hit that was wispy. It was very satisfying and extracted thoroughly. That's the performance I've been used to for the last three months.

My SS almost seems to be running just a tiny bit cooler than when I got it, but that could be all in my head. it just seems that the mouthpiece isn't getting as hot as when I first got it, maybe I've just developed a tolerance for the heat. It was never too bad, even when new, but it was much more noticeable when new if I'm not mistaken.

Subtle changes in performance can make you think you're going crazy. Or at least that's what happens to me. I must have went back and forth 100 times about whether I should file a warranty claim. And then immediately afterwards I thought I made a mistake. If I didn't have the second hopper to compare to I probably wouldn't even realize there was a problem, as the Ti is actually producing some vapor.

The fact that the hopper performs so well makes testing more difficult as it's easy to get too medicated. Several of my early tests I forgot exactly where I was in each chamber as far as number of hits taken. That's because I was spacing the hits out so I didn't get too spaced out, which turned out to be counter productive. I found I just had to go for it and finish the chambers as fast as possible, it was much easier to keep track this way.

It makes me wonder if there are people receiving units like mine who are underwhelmed with performance and think it doesn't live up to the hype. Because my broken Ti actually hits okay, and has similar performance to some lower tier vaporizers. My SS is on a whole other level and lived up to the hype in my opinion.

It's funny, this issue is almost making me like my Grasshopper more, because my broken Ti is showing me how well the SS really works if that makes sense. Perhaps I was taking it for granted a little bit. When I was doing the side by side testing the SS hits were so huge and satisfying. The Ti hits reminded me how weak other vaporizers can be.

 

[newVaper420]

I believe we've seen a few instances in the past where it was evident that GHL was working over the weekend.

That might be the case for the shipping team, but not for the warranty team.

Date Created Last Updated
Oct. 1, 2016, 8:26 a.m. Oct. 1, 2016, 8:26 a.m.

 

[jay87]

Can anyone briefly explain some of these grasshopper issues?

Blinking lights and it stops working but if you clean it with blu tac it might fix it?
Back end gets hot but it's supposed to stay cool?
Battery almost exploded?
Some units just die over time...?

What the heck is going on with all these different issues?

Especially the threading issue, I don't get how dirty threads should cause huge problems like the vaporizer just stops working.

 

[Vapor_Eyes]

Can anyone briefly explain some of these grasshopper issues?

Blinking lights and it stops working but if you clean it with blu tac it might fix it?
Back end gets hot but it's supposed to stay cool?
Battery almost exploded?
Some units just die over time...?

What the heck is going on with all these different issues?

Especially the threading issue, I don't get how dirty threads should cause huge problems like the vaporizer just stops working.

As far as the threading issue the Grasshopper has no wires and uses the body as a conductor. If the threads are dirty it could increase resistance causing electrical issues. Some flashlights and e-cigs work the same way.

I'm not sure why my Ti is dying, it could be the heater failing or it could be the temp sensor, I think those are the most likely causes. I'm thinking it's the temp sensor because temp 4 performs like temp 2 on my SS, but I will occasionally get a massive rip like I'm supposed to.

 

[tubasco]

Can anyone briefly explain some of these grasshopper issues?

Blinking lights and it stops working but if you clean it with blu tac it might fix it?
Back end gets hot but it's supposed to stay cool?
Battery almost exploded?
Some units just die over time...?

What the heck is going on with all these different issues?

Especially the threading issue, I don't get how dirty threads should cause huge problems like the vaporizer just stops working.

I can't answer all of your questions...but I do know a little about the dirty threads affecting performance.
One of the main features of the hopper is that it contains no wires. That way there is no wire insulation to melt from the intense heat it produces. In order to not have any wires Hopper Labs made the body of the hopper the electrical conduction path. Therefore it can be assumed that dirty threads would inhibit the device's ability to transmit the low voltage electrical current efficiently. There is a microprocessor board in the front of the unit (just above the air intake holes) and a board in the backend. Basically there is a small circuit board at both ends of the battery.

When the backend gets hot it's my theory that the battery power is not efficiently making its way to the front end, and instead arcing at the back end. I've seen a bit of what looked like a spark, or arcing in the small gap at the back end. The hotter the backend (clip ring) the less hot the heater gets. In my experience. The cooler the backend the longer the battery lasts, and the better the heater seems to work.

All that being said, I'm not sure what's up with mine. I've never had the blinking cop lights, and last night I checked it again. When I set it at 4 or 5 it stays red for a LONG time, getting hotter and hotter the whole time...so instead of waiting for it to turn blue I shut it off. I know for a fact that the hopper has never gotten that hot before. It's what others described as scalding hot. (And according to the led light it wasn't even heated up fully yet.)

I've had mine since mid January, used daily, and never warranties before. I wouldn't be surprised if I have version 1.0 and there have been revisions since.

Hoping to hear back from Caroline today.

(EDIT: hoping to hear back ANY day, some day...please! I'll even trade this green Ti for a SS if my request is ignored due to a green parts shortage.
warranty request submitted 10:00AM central on Friday 9/30)

 

[Mr. Me2]

I can't answer all of your questions...but I do know a little about the dirty threads affecting performance.
One of the main features of the hopper is that it contains no wires. That way there is no wire insulation to melt from the intense heat it produces. In order to not have any wires Hopper Labs made the body of the hopper the electrical conduction path. Therefore it can be assumed that dirty threads would inhibit the device's ability to transmit the low voltage electrical current efficiently. There is a microprocessor board in the front of the unit (just above the air intake holes) and a board in the backend. Basically there is a small circuit board at both ends of the battery.

When the backend gets hot it's my theory that the battery power is not efficiently making its way to the front end, and instead arcing at the back end. I've seen a bit of what looked like a spark, or arcing in the small gap at the back end. The hotter the backend (clip ring) the less hot the heater gets. In my experience. The cooler the backend the longer the battery lasts, and the better the heater seems to work.

All that being said, I'm not sure what's up with mine. I've never had the blinking cop lights, and last night I checked it again. When I set it at 4 or 5 it stays red for a LONG time, getting hotter and hotter the whole time...so instead of waiting for it to turn blue I shut it off. I know for a fact that the hopper has never gotten that hot before. It's what others described as scalding hot. (And according to the led light it wasn't even heated up fully yet.)

I've had mine since mid January, used daily, and never warranties before. I wouldn't be surprised if I have version 1.0 and there have been revisions since.

Hoping to hear back from Caroline today.

Mine did the red light, never turn blue too. The heater went WAY up and combusted my load. Shortly after that I got the flashing red/blue, but the 1st experience was enough to file a warranty claim. I got a new gh body and all is well.

I think you may want to start your warranty claim too...

 

[Vapor_Eyes]

I meant to mention my Ti still hasn't had a hot backend, despite the issues it's having. The blue lights flicker like crazy though, even on a fresh battery. The battery seems to be draining faster as well but it's hard to be sure about that.

 

[Mr. Me2]

I meant to mention my Ti still hasn't had a hot backend, despite the issues it's having. The blue lights flicker like crazy though, even on a fresh battery. The battery seems to be draining faster as well but it's hard to be sure about that.

The temp dial back and forth twist helped with my flickering blue lights. No help with yours, I guess?

 

[Vapor_Eyes]

The temp dial back and forth twist helped with my flickering blue lights. No help with yours, I guess?

No, blu-tac didn't help either. I was really hoping that would fix it.

 

[tubasco]

Mine did the red light, never turn blue too. The heater went WAY up and combusted my load. Shortly after that I got the flashing red/blue, but the 1st experience was enough to file a warranty claim. I got a new gh body and all is well.

I think you may want to start your warranty claim too...

I did, thanks. Just waiting for the email to be looked at on their end.

I now regret getting a color Ti. Unfortunately I think I'll be waiting until they get a green body in stock to hear back about replacing mine...

 

[Vapor_Eyes]

It's been four weeks since I got my Ti, here's a comparison of the inside battery contact:

Brand New:

After Four Weeks:

Sorry for the differences in lighting. I couldn't get them to match no matter how hard I tried.

Notice how the grid pattern is pretty much unchanged, despite the gold-colored finish wearing off in the center.

Also, I didn't notice when I first got it but there is a big silver gouge at the edge of the gold ring in the 8 o'clock position.