Discontinued The Grasshopper

[Radiocitysuicide]

I don't know if I'm a fanboy, but I have a considerable investment in the hoppers. I own 2 of them and a large amount of accessories and infrastructure specifically for them. I'm not blind to their shortcomings. One of them is on its way back from a non-productive warranty claim check-up at Hopper Labs as we speak. (Intermittent failures they could not replicate.)

I look at it this way [WARNING!! DANGER!!! Automotive analogy imminent!!!! Don protective gear and prepare to engage emergency protocols!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't say you weren't warned]:

There are cars designed to reliably get you where you want to go with a minimum of fuss. Like a Toyota, say. Then there are vehicles designed and built for those who love high performance driving and tinkering with their vehicles to maximize that performance. As I understand it, there is a certain pleasure in the routines of maintenance and tinkering to get those high performance vehicles running at their peak. That's a different relationship than Toyota drivers have with their cars and that's how I am with my hoppers.

My Vapor Brothers desktop is my Toyota pickup. My Focus Pro is my Camry. No muss, no fuss. They get me where I want to go - birdland - without having to pay any particular attention to them.

My hoppers are my McLaren F1 supercars. When they are working at peak performance there is nothing like them on the road. But they require "a lot " of attention (relative to my other vapes) in terms of care. And they spend more time in the shop. Just like a British sports car. (Having said that, I had to get through two defective Focus vapes before I got my reliable one.)

At this point in my life I am fortunate enough to be able to spend time and money on these vaping supercars. And because my physical condition leaves me unable to do much else, I have some fun maintaining and babying my supercars, which I enjoy doing. I've got 2 (like I said, I'm very lucky), so if one is in the shop (like now), I carry on with the other. If both end up in the shop, I'll be fine tooling around in my Toyotas.

Rich guys with supercars can also afford the on-call engineers to keep them running. I've got you "guys" (not assuming genders) and the Hopper labs' lifetime warranty.

As for the "hoppers should be as reliable as other appliances" notion: We're now at the point where appliance salespeople push their warranty plans because the appliances are now so complicated and made with so much focus on the bottom line that they are almost guaranteed to break. Yes, I want the hoppers to be more reliable and I want HL to live long and prosper. I hope they do so by eventually being more reliable than other appliances; not aiming for the same low bar.

Well, that was exhausting. I gotta go rest.

My understanding is that sales people push warranties because they receive a commission when they sell them that appliance companies offer warranties because more often than not they are not needed and therefore generate money. I could be wrong though.

Anyway I also hope the hopper is much more reliable one day but I sometimes worry they bit off more than they could chew. In any case I won't be using my hopper much and therefore don't need to talk about it anymore so I'll be leaving this thread alone. Good riddance you all say, I know I know.

 

[ChooChooCharlie]

try to unplug charger then first connect charger with your grasshopper and then plug it in the wall socket..
please tell me if it helped...

Charge plugging order... Does it matter? Seems to according to some posts here.

Here are some expert answers:
Summary if you don't care to read -- They don't think order makes much difference.

http://electronics.stackexchange.co...ng-wall-outlet-or-cell-phone-an/101686#101686

But the GH magnetic connector is not like a standard usb connection. My lights flash sometimes just by touching side of GH body. I know the experts say order should not make a difference, but I use "count-down timers." Leave them physically plugged into power strip, so you avoid the plugging effort.

Attach magnetic charger to GH after use, then press "start" button on timer. (I use usb charging port always plugged into countdown timer) Easy, and follows recommended plug order of charging given by S&B at least -- to attach usb charger cable to vape first, and then connect to mains.

This one is good for half hour Hopper charging after each home session.
http://a.co/jdSe2k3

I use this one for one hour charging of Mighty:
http://a.co/4Vlp8hs

I have no idea if order matters, but these timers are cheap and easy to use. Since they countdown and turn off, there's little overcharging, which may lead to early battery life degradation. Another possible bonus to using stock mag charger after every use: no opening and battery swapping stress, exposing threads. Yet another reason to own two Hoppers. One in use, other charging.

 

[moondog]

My understanding is that sales people push warranties because they receive a commission when they sell them that appliance companies offer warranties because more often than not they are not needed and therefore generate money. I could be wrong though.

I think you're right, but my experience is that more and more appliances end up needing the warranty. Not like the old days when they made 'em like they used ta'.

Back then I laughed at extended warranties. Never needed them. Now, after being burned multiple times by failing appliances, I seriously consider and even purchase them for some things.

 

[Radiocitysuicide]

I think you're right, but my experience is that more and more appliances end up needing the warranty. Not like the old days when they made 'em like they used ta'.

Back then I laughed at extended warranties. Never needed them. Now, after being burned multiple times by failing appliances, I seriously consider and even purchase them for some things.

Yea I do the same even if it's just for the peace of mind sometimes, but part of me still feels like a sucker cause I know it's what they are banking on lol. To keep it on topic I know it's not optional but at least you get your moneys worth with the hopper warranty!

 

[btka]

Charge plugging order... Does it matter? Seems to according to some posts here.


Attach magnetic charger to GH after use, then press "start" button on timer. (I use usb charging port always plugged into countdown timer) Easy, and follows recommended plug order of charging given by S&B at least -- to attach usb charger cable to vape first, and then connect to mains.

yes also S&B and a lot of other manufacturer are recommending this order... do not know exactly why... sorry did not have the time now to read your links (but thank you for sharing)
In my opinion it have to do with Voltage spikes but that is only speculation... think that is why charging with gh does not work if you first connect to wall socket...

 

[ooo]

I haven't been bashing hopper labs as a company and I don't have any personal vendetta against them. I've been talking about issues with their product.

Something I do find sketchy however is how they continue to straight up lie about shipping times

hmm... you just said you have issues with the product and not Hopper Labs and then you basically called the company liars within the same paragraph.

 

[biohacker]

@chris 71 How is your new hopper hopping? I explained the blue led flickering problem to THC and they are actually going to contact HL about it! I should hear back by the end of today. I just have a feeling it will be "send it in for RMA" and then HL will send it back saying it works "to spec", even though performance is intermittent and flickering.

 

[chris 71]

@chris 71 How is your new hopper hopping? I explained the blue led flickering problem to THC and they are actually going to contact HL about it! I should hear back by the end of today. I just have a feeling it will be "send it in for RMA" and then HL will send it back saying it works "to spec", even though performance is intermittent and flickering.

ive only got to try it a little so far . once through a small inline bubble , and i tried a couple pulls just through the pen . i think i can see how this thing , if it keeps working is gonna live up to my hopes of using it in a way that gets the job done , without as much huffing and puffing as im used to with my solo . this will be great but i can also feel the heat i have read about when using it without a water tool ... i have much experimenting to do grasshopper lol will report more as i progress

 

[JoeMama]

I should be getting my Grey Ti today back from Warranty.

As I've said that my raw Ti backend is really feeling gritty and shitty, with play in the motion as well; I have also been disappointed in the performance (ie, therefore I've associated the poor performance with those mechanical symptoms).

Well, I think I was wrong - not about the fact that if feels like shit to use, but rather because I did this thing after getting the sense that the backend CONTACT just didn't "look" as clean as can be - in spite of an ISO rub. I used DeToxit Gold. Just here, nowhere else. You do not wipe this off, by the way (unless you're totally overdoing it).

And Holy COW what a difference it made. The backend still mechanically acts poorly, but I immediately heard the Hopper clicking more loudly (first time in a week in spite of cleanings with ISO and Blu Tack.

My conclusion about cleaning is that without a dedicated de-oxidizing procedure on certain parts at some point, the unit will flake out and you will annoy everyone in your life being grumpy because Mr. Hopper isn't feeling well. So, my raw Ti will still go back to GHL because I'm specifically asking them to make that dial not feel like such crap, and I hope they don't give me the "It's performing to spec" line. Especially now that I have the new dark grey backend that feels like a fine piece of engineering jewelry!

 

[slcbdco]

I look at it this way [WARNING!! DANGER!!! Automotive analogy imminent!!!! Don protective gear and prepare to engage emergency protocols!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't say you weren't warned]:

I totally use the car analogy and describe them thusly, (note: bias point is I am a BMW 3 series driver.

Grasshopper: BMW 3 Series, the ultimate vaping machine
Firefly: Worth the effort and great when it's not broken, fortunately I also don't drive it often
Pax2: Toyota Camry, yeah it'll get you zzzzz what sorry, I fell asleep there
Davinci IQ: Audi A4, not quite the speed of a Saab but nice interior, if lower quality than a BMW (seems it's debatable whether the "crack" is a "seam" but it's looking more like a crack, and fwiw day 2 of no response at all from Davinci CS so far, Firefly, Pax and Grasshopper when out in that department)

 

[Radiocitysuicide]

hmm... you just said you have issues with the product and not Hopper Labs and then you basically called the company liars within the same paragraph.

I'm leaving this thread but people keep dragging me back in!

I didn't say I didn't have any issues at all with hopper labs I said I wasn't bashing them and didn't have a personal vendetta against them. That doesn't mean if they are doing something sketchy I wont notice it or call them out on it. You can disagree with certain practices of a company and not be out to get them like the other guy was implying I was. I gave them props for allowing the transfer of warranty because that was cool and I thought they should get credit for that. I called them out on their BS shipping estimates because that's what they are. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. I don't see what else you could call their ridiculous shipping estimates and I'm not even interested to see the mental gymnastics you people will do to try and justify them.

 

[beiberhole69]

I'm saying that a product that is almost guaranteed to fail and continue to do so should not be considered acceptable.

almost guarantee to fail.... lol

you really have zero idea of the failure rate or how many are in the field unless you are ghl.... it's silly and naive to think you have any insight into the matter by being an owner of the product or reading forums. extrapolate whatever tidbits you want, but it's not accurate and there's no way to verify. so that's why people might think you have it out for this company.... your libelous hyperbole.


on another note.... hopper in hand... just need to charge batts and it's on11111

 

[Radiocitysuicide]

almost guarantee to fail.... lol

you really have zero idea of the failure rate or how many are in the field unless you are ghl.... it's silly and naive to think you have any insight into the matter by being an owner of the product or reading forums. extrapolate whatever tidbits you want, but it's not accurate and there's no way to verify. so that's why people might think you have it out for this company.... your libelous hyperbole.


on another note.... hopper in hand... just need to charge batts and it's on11111

Yea you really can't learn anything from reading a ton about a product or owning it.

I bring up these issues in part because I find it fascinating how some people are so gleefully willing to put up with such a high failure rate. It's interesting but in a way frustrating to see people refuse to acknowledge what is right in front of their face. I mean just a few posts above you have someone saying they feel they are gonna send their device in and be told it's working fine even though they know the performance is not consistently good. It wouldn't be the first time it happens either and that type of doubt and frustration is exactly the problem I'm talking about.

I also think others should know what they are getting into. I know I'd be pissed if people told me go ahead and order a Hopper it works amazing best vape ever no out of the ordinary issues here!...When there obviously are.

Anyway I don't dislike hopper labs and the product has a lot of potential but it's frustrating to see it come close but at the moment in my eyes at least fall short. I genuinely hope they get it together but seemingly ignoring the problems and trying to act like they don't exist doesn't help. Maybe some people are afraid the company will fail and not have time to improve if they don't support them no matter what now? Just look at all the pushback I've gotten in this thread for expressing my opinion on the state of the hopper. I think that part of the reason is that on this site each vape has it's own thread and eventually the most die hard fans are the ones that stick around the threads of their favorite vapes, so you don't really get a balanced opinion. Now that's getting off topic so I'll just stop there lol.

My opinion on the issue is obviously in the minority here but it's my opinion and I've expressed it so you can go back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

[duff]

you really have zero idea of the failure rate

None of us do and perhaps neither do HL.

He makes some good points and is certainly not lambasting HL.

They do need to pick up their game in many areas.

I hope they do.

I also hope they move forward with design changes and the Hopper evolves.

 

[hillbill]

This forum really is unique in the amount of defective products that were sold and continue to be sold. I have retailed many products from Sunday papers to medium duty trucks to every kind of sports equipment. Soon, someone will market a vape that performs the same as a hopper and be reliable. There is a demand for on demand convection. There is a demand for stealth I remember when carbon fiber poles for vaulting were "cutting edge" but failure was unacceptable. Really GH rushed a poorly designed product to market without knowing they could ever be reliable. Apparently they can't be.

This has been going on so long that someone will beat them at their own game.

 

[beiberhole69]

for anyone with the um20 nitecore, what percentage does it usually say when you throw your discharged batteries on it?

 

[biohacker]

Grasshopper poo! Let's not forget about the EXTRACTION!

 

[beiberhole69]

I don't think any vaporizer has laid me out like this. AA-Nano-Mi-Vapcap all in the last 13 months [i hit the globes with a tubes and some other b-s along the way, but those modern vapes] all came with a bit of buyers remorse and some posting here saying, "hey guys, what am i doing wrong???". not here man... and yes, it's honeymoon time... and the cons are there [heat, battery time] ... but there is one huge benefit i'm seeing right now, at least for me, at that because it's so easy and intuitive and the form is so familiar, and it gets you so fucking blasted so fast... I'm not going to go through tons of extra material like I normally do "learning" this thing!! That's a first... and it could just be experience and the novelty of vaping in general wearing off.... or maybe, subconsciously, I know it's going to fail eventually so I'm actually afraid to even use it as each puff brings it closer to being further ;p i keed, but maybe. I'm pretty content with my other vapes and the warranty on this thing though so i'm pretty set.

 

[Hjalmark]

@JoeMama
Is it a hopper battery contact picture time?

This is after less then a month of daily use

I don't feel like the performance has started to worsen, only with dirty threads and weak batteries I get weak hits, but let's see after 5 more months and I try to save these photos for comparison

Otherwise I had to mention I was at a friend the other day with the hopper and we carved out an "apple pipe" and used it to get huge smooth hits from hopper

 

[slcbdco]

https://www.reddit.com/r/GrassHopperVape/comments/5ntwqa/first_impressions/

Love it when someone joins the club!

Grasshopper: BMW 3 Series, the ultimate vaping machine
Firefly: Worth the effort and great when it's not broken, fortunately I also don't drive it often
Pax2: Toyota Camry, yeah it'll get you zzzzz what sorry, I fell asleep there
Davinci IQ: Audi A4, not quite the speed of a Saab but nice interior, if lower quality than a BMW (seems it's debatable whether the "crack" is a "seam" but it's looking more like a crack, and fwiw day 2 of no response at all from Davinci CS so far, Firefly, Pax and Grasshopper when out in that department)

I realize I described the car for the Firefly without saying it although it's obviously a Saab 900

 

[JoeMama]

@JoeMama
Is it a hopper battery contact picture time?

This is after less then a month of daily use

I don't feel like the performance has started to worsen, only with dirty threads and weak batteries I get weak hits, but let's see after 5 more months and I try to save these photos for comparison

Otherwise I had to mention I was at a friend the other day with the hopper and we carved out an "apple pipe" and used it to get huge smooth hits from hopper

I'm not certain of this, but I don't believe that the wear that is evident has anything to do with performance. Sure, it might have been gold plate (measured thickness in micrometers), but it might've been put there for corrosion resistance. It's a way some manufacturers preserve unused contacts (product sitting on the shelf before being sold).

So while I'm not concerned about the look of the inside contact, I definitely would agree with the advice to avoid twisting the temp dial with abandon whilst a battery is inside.

NOTE: That little bit of up/down "give" that the temp dial has (which for some will exhibit a smoother feel when pushing and turning as opposed to normal turning), does not appear to "push" the contact any closer to the battery. I always thought that f turning the temp dial with the battery inside was bad, then pushing and turning would be worse. Doesn't seem to be so. Just an observation

I don't know what the backend contact is made of; it sure isn't gold plating, maybe a brass alloy; but oxidation seems to occur on it, and you can't see it.

 

[ZC]

With very light use over the last 6 months, all 3 of my GH batteries are useless. Can't get through a single bowl, even with 2 batteries!

Not sure if I want to even bother buying new ones if they're going to degrade so much with so little use.

I'm frustrated with this thing. I like it enough to not want to get rid of it but the battery problems make it hard to enjoy.

 

[Mr Mellish]

I got an SS and a Ti in June. I use each most days. The SS can get hot as fuck but it's still working. The Ti runs nicely. I should probably return the SS for warranty but I haven't felt like it. I occasionally do blue tac on the threads and an ISO soak of the mp. That's the only thing I've done. I see this as a low maintenance device. The GH1 batteries do seem to be shit but I haven't bothered to order the 2 yet.

 

[vapviking]

With very light use over the last 6 months, all 3 of my GH batteries are useless. Can't get through a single bowl, even with 2 batteries!

Not sure if I want to even bother buying new ones if they're going to degrade so much with so little use.

I'm frustrated with this thing. I like it enough to not want to get rid of it but the battery problems make it hard to enjoy.

They have a newer battery now, GHB2, that we have some hope for. Not enough track record on longevity yet. When new, they pack a nice punch! so they might be worth try.

These batteries, in this device, are basically subjected to battery hell every time the thing is turned on; the demand for fast/high temp is not easy to supply.

Domestic ship is very reasonable even while we've all been trained to want 'free shipping!' on everything. I had an order in place that the USPS charge was $3.50, but then they grouped it with a warranty part, so I didn't have to pay freight that time. The batts are only $7.00/ea.

As some perspective, I know I get frustrated when I have to change batteries in 3 different tv remotes once or twice a year! That adds up!

 

[biohacker]

So it looks like i'm a Quad Hopperhead again! THC offered me a 50% restock fee, so I just asked them to ship both back to me. They apparently work properly, and the flickering blue led's are normal apparently on all new hoppers! They contacted Hopper Labs and were told that the new hoppers do flicker blue intermittently and the old hoppers do not. I didn't use the new hoppers much, but am looking forward to testing them properly in comparison to my older ones.... going to use the exact same strains, grind consistency, technique, etc. and see how they stack up!