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Discontinued The Grasshopper

kushkush

happy camper....
oeOH1qO.jpg
I posted this on Reddit but wanted to ask here too since I think maybe one or two others here has electric blue units that shipped. Did anyone who got theirs notice a coloration issue on the clicker? The hoppers body is gorgeous but the clicker is half unncolored like it didn't get exposed in the anodization process, and like 4-5mm past the point of not having color, it's got some scratches fresh out of the box which bothers me. Can anyone else chime in, is this normal, is it worth a warranty replacement? I'm considering emailing them with pics today but asking if I can hold off on RMAing until they catch up on the backlog in a couple months.

oeOH1qO

Hopper Labs will not “catch up on the backlog in a couple months“...if you’ve been reading this thread at all. There is no excuse for this latest travesty. I’d complain now, nice and loud, and also take it up with Paypal if you dare.


:2c:
 

ben7337

Active Member
Hopper Labs will not “catch up on the backlog in a couple months“...if you’ve been reading this thread at all. There is no excuse for this latest travesty. I’d complain now, nice and loud, and also take it up with Paypal if you dare.


:2c:

I've been following the thread, but which travesty? The Q&A on their latest post said within about 2 months they expect to be caught up, idk how much I buy it, but if the device is only cosmetically messed up I'd hate to have to send it back and either A) Never get it back or B) wait another 2 months or very possibly longer for them to fix it assuming they even can.
 
ben7337,
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Reactions: Rel2018

vapviking

Old & In the Way
I've been following the thread, but which travesty? The Q&A on their latest post said within about 2 months they expect to be caught up, idk how much I buy it, but if the device is only cosmetically messed up I'd hate to have to send it back and either A) Never get it back or B) wait another 2 months or very possibly longer for them to fix it assuming they even can.
I think @kushkush is exaggerating and calling your poorly colored clicker a travesty, suggesting you complain really loudly about it.
I suggest that you calmly send HL the pictures and a note right away and make your issue known at the earliest that you can. This way they at least can't later say that you wore the color off with use! See what they say. Maybe they'd be just as relieved to replace it at a later date, after they've caught up. Or maybe you will have to send it in and wait, which would be a real drag. Or, you could ask that they send you a proper replacement back-end and then you'll return this one; they've been known to do that occasionally.
Best of luck!
 

ben7337

Active Member
I think @kushkush is exaggerating and calling your poorly colored clicker a travesty, suggesting you complain really loudly about it.
I suggest that you calmly send HL the pictures and a note right away and make your issue known at the earliest that you can. This way they at least can't later say that you wore the color off with use! See what they say. Maybe they'd be just as relieved to replace it at a later date, after they've caught up. Or maybe you will have to send it in and wait, which would be a real drag. Or, you could ask that they send you a proper replacement back-end and then you'll return this one; they've been known to do that occasionally.
Best of luck!
Thanks I appreciate the advice, and forgot that sometimes they do just swap backends like that for customers.
 

Cheesequake

Free Men Don't Ask
oeOH1qO.jpg
I posted this on Reddit but wanted to ask here too since I think maybe one or two others here has electric blue units that shipped. Did anyone who got theirs notice a coloration issue on the clicker? The hoppers body is gorgeous but the clicker is half unncolored like it didn't get exposed in the anodization process, and like 4-5mm past the point of not having color, it's got some scratches fresh out of the box which bothers me. Can anyone else chime in, is this normal, is it worth a warranty replacement? I'm considering emailing them with pics today but asking if I can hold off on RMAing until they catch up on the backlog in a couple months.

oeOH1qO

For me personally that would be completely unacceptable and I would be asking for a replacement back end. No excuse for that.

Edit: Customer service at its finest:
TzIyXKP.jpg
 
Last edited:

kushkush

happy camper....
Sounds about right. They've had my Hopper for repair since 12/4/17 and haven't replied to any of my requests for an update since 4/2/18.

Wow...could Hopper Labs be going belly-up? Yikes for all who own a Grasshopper and need repairs (that’d be ‘bout everybody). :bang:



:2c:
 
kushkush,

TheWhisper

Well-Known Member
Wow...could Hopper Labs be going belly-up? Yikes for all who own a Grasshopper and need repairs (that’d be ‘bout everybody). :bang:



:2c:

If anything, this is a sign that it's business as usual over there!

EDIT: My two-day-old Hopper is a powerhouse. No issues so far, and it's performing extremely well. Great battery life, even with my older batteries.
 

MoltenTiger

Well-Known Member
My new unit finally shipped, got held up a bit because of my elaborate engraving and because the customer service team is clearly stretched beyond its limits.

My housemate bought one just after me, and apparently it's already here!

Couple of hours from now is going to be a great time. It's going to be sweet having hoppers through winter too. It's getting cold down here.

As annoying as all the waiting has been, it's panning out like always.
 

JoeMama

Well-Known Member
Thanks, Vapviking!

Last week I'd gotten an email from "Drew" (don't know what happened to Olivia) saying he expected to get to my December RMA within "5 to 15 days". The very next day I got the ship notice. Expecting it today.

Squeaky wheels.


So per my post above, I got my repaired Hopper, and it works very nicely. Aside from expected performance, it seems like they made yet another change (I also have a "new" one received March) to the backend. It's WAY smoother and turns like glass, even with the battery in it.
 

MoltenTiger

Well-Known Member
the backend. It's WAY smoother and turns like glass, even with the battery in it
Glad to read you're back in business joemama :)

I've found the same thing with the new unit that arrived today - the back end turns like glass.
I noticed less battery rattle (could just be those particular batteries) but the PCB is updated and possibly thinner, and the whole experience is pretty close to 100% convection. Which is throwing me off as I've become accustomed to heavy hybrid devices whilst waiting for warranty.
I just scooped a Tubo X to put aside any further vaping limitations or frustrations (and it looks like a radical fun toy).
There's nothing else close to a hopper, but larger and/or clunky alternatives aren't a bad thing to have by any means! Variety is the spice of life.
Holding the new hopper, it must be said that the HT finish is really impressive, but just the actual size of the device is really damn neat. It was a great surprise today to be having a hopper sesh. I really enjoy the signature it offers, it's flavour and efficiency. The chamber is smaller than I recall. The device itself is a marvel. The effect is now lighter than I'm used to. Initially, coming from the EQ desktop days of yesteryear, it was the flavour, immediacy and ultra portability that in contrast made me become fanatic over the hopper. Nowadays, after I lucked upon the Sublimator and have become tolerant of its sheer intensity, it's a different angle to approach this device. Before the EQ I was a daily smoker, I am all about those fat clouds. But still I remain fanatical about the Grasshopper. Because I've witnessed and experienced the potential of its heater and system. It can "sublimate". But it also has fantastic terpene and phytochemical profile extraction. And it's simply an amazing device, in aesthetic and tactile quality, in size and raw power, in production utilisation, and in power efficiency.
It's a damn pen and it's pretty amazing to behold, all things considered especially.

I'm looking forward to them getting all our RMAs back to us. Unfortunately the best treatment for hopperlessitus is a couple of chambers through the PFE...
 

Copacetic

Somewhere North of The Wall
I am pleased to report that the batt's/PFE and 14/18 adapter I ordered on 1St May have now finally arrived!

Thanks for the offer of a battery to tide me over @ktmstick :cheers:(gotta love the folk here on FC), but I now have 3 nice new GHB2s, and am Hopping again (stealthiest vape I own), so I'm good (sincere thanks for the offer though).

It took several emails, a PayPal dispute threat (2actually) and a demand for a refund, but I have eventually received the items I paid for.

I'm glad that early reports of the 'new' GH are positive (mine has been great since purchase - not bragging).
The GH is a stellar performer, even though I usually reserve it for situations which call for extreme stealth, and it would be a great shame if GHL sunk (not that I'm saying that there was a risk of that, Whadda I know :shrug:
)
Testing of the new parts will now commence :science:

Good luck to all those still waiting in GHL limbo!
 

JoeMama

Well-Known Member
Glad to read you're back in business joemama :)

I've found the same thing with the new unit that arrived today - the back end turns like glass.
I noticed less battery rattle (could just be those particular batteries) but the PCB is updated and possibly thinner, and the whole experience is pretty close to 100% convection. Which is throwing me off as I've become accustomed to heavy hybrid devices whilst waiting for warranty.
I just scooped a Tubo X to put aside any further vaping limitations or frustrations (and it looks like a radical fun toy).
There's nothing else close to a hopper, but larger and/or clunky alternatives aren't a bad thing to have by any means! Variety is the spice of life.
Holding the new hopper, it must be said that the HT finish is really impressive, but just the actual size of the device is really damn neat. It was a great surprise today to be having a hopper sesh. I really enjoy the signature it offers, it's flavour and efficiency. The chamber is smaller than I recall. The device itself is a marvel. The effect is now lighter than I'm used to. Initially, coming from the EQ desktop days of yesteryear, it was the flavour, immediacy and ultra portability that in contrast made me become fanatic over the hopper. Nowadays, after I lucked upon the Sublimator and have become tolerant of its sheer intensity, it's a different angle to approach this device. Before the EQ I was a daily smoker, I am all about those fat clouds. But still I remain fanatical about the Grasshopper. Because I've witnessed and experienced the potential of its heater and system. It can "sublimate". But it also has fantastic terpene and phytochemical profile extraction. And it's simply an amazing device, in aesthetic and tactile quality, in size and raw power, in production utilisation, and in power efficiency.
It's a damn pen and it's pretty amazing to behold, all things considered especially.

I'm looking forward to them getting all our RMAs back to us. Unfortunately the best treatment for hopperlessitus is a couple of chambers through the PFE...
Right on, Molten! Well said, indeed!

I have finally been able to recommend a Hopper to friends, and recently one has received his and he's in love.

I have yet to figure the Temp that is best for dry use (non-water), because, well, I'm a cloud freak. Perhaps I should go for the terps and phytos and see how that shapes my experience at first.

Yep, it's a beautifully designed machine, feels good to hold, and finally methinks it feels good to recommend.

:tup:
 

MoltenTiger

Well-Known Member
Around the web there seems to be lots of confusion about whats happening at HL and with the hopper, but really it's pretty clear and they've been quite transparent about it.
They have, and I'd guess will always have, terrible time estimations. But, besides and including that, they're not lying or scamming or whatever conclusion is jumped upon.
Their device is pretty snazzy for a start up. It's been 5 years, but they will always be a start up. That's their origin and it's a conversation point for a lot of seemingly obvious reasons.

A start up is going to perform on its own volition, and there's many tasks with the hopper project.

Systematic failures that are as widespread as we've seen - dodgy components.

Heating coils are vulnerable typically. HL seem confident in their heater, and theoretically that's founded. But in practice, it's a leading issue they've had that has been disclosed subtly from the beginning.

Reading this Indiegogo update from over 2 years ago reveals interesting info about the nature of the heater. Complex in design and nature.

During our last few days in China, we received a call from our heater manufacturer in the US. We’d ramped our order size a few weeks prior, and they were having problems getting a reasonable yield rate in mass-production. They proceeded to tell us that they would only be able to deliver 30 parts per week at a revised cost of $40ea in the near-term. This was some bad news, and we knew that we needed to get to their facility as fast as possible to work out a solution. Redirecting our flights out of China, we headed directly to the northeast United States.

We arrived at their facility after 27 hours of travel, and immediately got to work on a solution. After a few days of intensive problem-solving, we were back down close to our original numbers. While we were supposed to have thousands of heaters in-stock by now, it was still a victory to not be permanently crippled by the issue. By our departure on Friday afternoon, the manufacturer was assuring us that heaters would begin shipping in within the month.

This is the manufacturer that has either wound up opting out of production, was always a considered stepping stone or has hopefully become one.
The heater is a 3D printed "shell" heat exchanger, using state of the art laser sintering manufacturing methods. Now that this production is owned and operated by HL it means a few things, they can more rapidly prototype and improve revisions of the heater, and start producing them around the clock, eventually generating surplus inventory. It also means cheaper heaters, and complete IP control.

Something to consider though, as a reality check for the waiting times many are enduring, is that if a dedicated manufacturer is limited to 30 parts per week with initial, perhaps theoretically ideal, design parameters - what do you honestly expect a makeshift business to deliver?

A while back there were claims that ~250 units had shipped within barely a few months.
That doesn't seem unlikely, but who really knows. Things are seemingly ramping up, so perhaps production is actually running at fairly impressive rates despite the potentially seemless and consistent sensation of bereftness.
I have finally been able to recommend a Hopper to friends, and recently one has received his and he's in love.

I have yet to figure the Temp that is best for dry use (non-water), because, well, I'm a cloud freak. Perhaps I should go for the terps and phytos and see how that shapes my experience at first.

Yep, it's a beautifully designed machine, feels good to hold, and finally methinks it feels good to recommend.

:tup:
I've got three friends on board so far, lots of interest but it's a hard sale to push over here. Too much stigma around a plant. Barely any awareness.

The three that purchased, one who just received the new one I've been using as a second unit, are very happy and have had much better reliability than me, although their devices have seen much less intense use than the abuse I have killed units with before :ko:

I think you'll get a swifter and more normal transaction/customer experience in the future, but with the lifetime warranty it is a fairly moot point to wait to buy or RMA.

It's a niche item and if there's criteria matching, I think this device is very recommendable. But it shouldn't be a big surprise if it fizzles out or needs a service. Even from here on out, it has vulnerabilities. Much less than in 2015, but it's worse if something goes wrong currently.
It'll be interesting to see what happens, but I'm quite happy experiencing it first hand. The waiting sucks but everything else is sweet.
 

JoeMama

Well-Known Member
The three that purchased, one who just received the new one I've been using as a second unit, are very happy and have had much better reliability than me, although their devices have seen much less intense use than the abuse I have killed units with before :ko:

I think we who abuse and kill these units represent the Real World Proving Grounds for HL.

... and if there was never a Lifetime Warranty, HL would've gone out of business; literally more than half the reason I even recommend or buy these units is because HL has stood behind them... As you said, I kind of expect failure for all the abuse I give them!
 

MoltenTiger

Well-Known Member
I think we who abuse and kill these units represent the Real World Proving Grounds for HL.

... and if there was never a Lifetime Warranty, HL would've gone out of business; literally more than half the reason I even recommend or buy these units is because HL has stood behind them... As you said, I kind of expect failure for all the abuse I give them!
Absolutely. Once I was preheating my hopper for MINUTES as the auto shut-off failed and it was too good not to. Sorry HL.

One of the key reasons I went all in on hopper in 2015 for my portable though, which I didn't get until 2016 no biggie, was because at this current point in time, the Mighty that was floating into and out of my online shopping cart would be EOL and I'd be out more money than the initial Vapefiend Hopper cost me, that's sitting in a cold corner in Boulder, CO about to receive it's 3rd '$40’ heater for FREE.
I'll probably sell it, with the end result being that the total cost was less than one of those crappy Flowermates or grenco pieces of shit.

That's what I call worked out heavily in my favour, in the grand scheme of things. In the short term I could just lose my temper, but I like to acknowledge what's real.

It's kind of funny, this 'ZenPen' as it was intended. Those whose Zen orients the hopper are destined for epic disgruntledness. Otherwise it's just wildly entertaining.
 

MikeG7265

Well-Known Member
Really bad Hopper day today. :ugh: First, my HT Hopper started doing the straight to blue light issue. I removed the screen (first time doing this) and couldn’t believe the amount of debris under it. Got it nice and clean and it’s working again, but it seems as though it isn’t getting as hot as before and hardly any vapor.

So I decide to use my new Dark Grey TI, that I got in April, and now it doesn’t seem to be heating up like it was when I first got it. I could get nice clouds on the lower temps when I first got it. Now on 4.5-5 I get just enough vapor to fill my glass piece then it seems to quit heating. So I took the screen out of it and there were two rather large pieces of debris so I turned it and tapped it and they came out. Didn’t even use a qtip. Nice and clean. But still not heating.

I have 4 new batteries and 4 older ones. I’ve made sure they’re all charged. And I’ve tried them all and both Hoppers seem to be doing the same thing. Very odd. :cry:
 

Rel2018

Well-Known Member
They have not responded to any of my requests about changing my address LOL

Really bad Hopper day today. :ugh: First, my HT Hopper started doing the straight to blue light issue. I removed the screen (first time doing this) and couldn’t believe the amount of debris under it. Got it nice and clean and it’s working again, but it seems as though it isn’t getting as hot as before and hardly any vapor.

So I decide to use my new Dark Grey TI, that I got in April, and now it doesn’t seem to be heating up like it was when I first got it. I could get nice clouds on the lower temps when I first got it. Now on 4.5-5 I get just enough vapor to fill my glass piece then it seems to quit heating. So I took the screen out of it and there were two rather large pieces of debris so I turned it and tapped it and they came out. Didn’t even use a qtip. Nice and clean. But still not heating.

I have 4 new batteries and 4 older ones. I’ve made sure they’re all charged. And I’ve tried them all and both Hoppers seem to be doing the same thing. Very odd. :cry:

Sorry to hear dude, I was starting to get optimistic..
 

Vapor_Eyes

taste buds
I received a new backend today. My clicker had begun to malfunction last month, it would often get stuck in one position and refuse to turn off or on. Everything else worked well on my stainless steel unit and I didn’t want to get stuck in the backlog, so I sent an email asking if the delay on repairs was related to the backend at all, and if not, could they possibly send me a new backend.

I received a response from Trevor in three or four days. This was back in mid April. He said the service delays were related to the body, I could send my backend in and they would ship me a new one in return. :tup:

I didn’t send the broken one in right away. I wasn’t in a big hurry because I have my backup titanium hopper. I sent the malfunctioning backend in about a week and a half ago which is the turnaround time I have experienced in the past with repairs.

I appreciate the May update and increased transparency. If they had been this open all along it may have been easier on all of us. I wasn’t even going to mention my repair because I didn’t want people to think that it would be common practice. I saw this mentioned in the FAQ so I figured it would be ok to give an example:
  • Q: Can Hopper Labs send me the new components so I can fix it at home by myself without sending it in?
  • Aside from some special cases where we can be 100% sure of the user’s issues this is not a good idea. It is often important to check all the Hopper's systems to ensure they are working together properly. This is the same reason why we ask you to return all your parts when you send your unit in for service.
 
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