Discontinued The Grasshopper

[Baron23]

@Hopper Labs , et al

Just ordered four new batteries. Site still says "Stock will Shipp in Oct"

But I think at one time it said ship in May and then....and then....

So, we will see.

Hopper, only 13 day left to the end of Oct. If shipment slips again, and Hopper doesn't change its estimated ship date until the very end of the month, I think you can expect some grief for once again not providing accurate info. Just saying...I got it....its a new day in Boulder....I applaud that possibility.....but there is a LOT of history here that will weigh on current events and inform people's view of the company's performance. Appropriately so, I believe.

If they are not going to ship before the end of the month, then I suggest that Hopper get in front of that right now and inform your customer base.

Cheers

 

[Hopper Labs]

I distinctly remember an email many months ago (a year perhaps?) stating that ALL RMA'd units would be receiving v5 internals. What you're saying now appears to conflict with that.
Or am I misunderstanding you? (highly possible)

I guess my main question now is: if you are confident in both the fortitude of the newest parts AND your ability to diagnose and fix RMA's, then for the sake of positive user experience, why don't you simply swap units for RMA customers? They would get a working unit back MUCH quicker than waiting for a repair, and you can use the functioning returned internal parts in another unit. It would seem to me that this is a way you could avoid customers feeling like they got a lemon with multiple RMAs on the same exact unit.

edited for spelling

It does not conflict in that V5 specifically refers to the heater version and nothing else. Sorry if this is confusing. As stated in the above comment if there is a problem with it we do of course replace/repair and will do so if the user sees problems down the road.

It is a common misconception that it would be faster to swap units. We hold very little new units or "parts" stock. There is no speed advantage to the swap. It would take longer as we would need to store the warranty parts the customer sent in and deal with them at some other time. Further customers would complain and do complain when there is a swap that what they received was not their exact unit/serial number, etcetera.

 

[Vaporific]

We hold very little new units or "parts" stock. There is no speed advantage to the swap. It would take longer as we would need to store the warranty parts the customer sent in and deal with them at some other time. Further customers would complain and do complain when there is a swap that what they received was not their exact unit/serial number, etcetera.

Your parts inventory and supply chain thereof has had issues. While it’s bad business practice to have significant inventory (that doesn’t move) I would think having some semblance of inventory would bode well for RMAs and new units. Some of us who waited a year (or more) would’ve liked their units back sooner, especially those of us whose backends were returned. I even asked for a new body a couple of times assuming there was nothing wrong with the backend but happy to wait for you to confirm this was the case. I did receive my original backend back and a new body could’ve been offered instead a lot sooner. I think this should be an option for customers but this has been stated herein many times over the years. A customer without his unit isn’t happy; one with a working one, albeit perhaps not ideal (i.e. body or frontend swap), is happy or relatively so. Just my .

On a brighter note, my unit continues to hum along well after RMA. The effect is usually strong and long between 2.6-3.0. Batteries, what few I have and lack of good ones however, is becoming a concern. Which goes to supplier issues noted above. It won’t work without em! Just saying. TGIF to all...

 

[Hopper Labs]

Your parts inventory and supply chain thereof has had issues. While it’s bad business practice to have significant inventory (that doesn’t move) I would think having some semblance of inventory would bode well for RMAs and new units. Some of us who waited a year (or more) would’ve liked their units back sooner, especially those of us whose backends were returned. I even asked for a new body a couple of times assuming there was nothing wrong with the backend but happy to wait for you to confirm this was the case. I did receive my original backend back and a new body could’ve been offered instead a lot sooner. I think this should be an option for customers but this has been stated herein many times over the years. A customer without his unit isn’t happy; one with a working one, albeit perhaps not ideal (i.e. body or frontend swap), is happy or relatively so. Just my .

On a brighter note, my unit continues to hum along well after RMA. The effect is usually strong and long between 2.6-3.0. Batteries, what few I have and lack of good ones however, is becoming a concern. Which goes to supplier issues noted above. It won’t work without em! Just saying. TGIF to all...

Totally agree that more inventory would provide a smoother process but this has not yet been possible due to immediately using any of the parts available to fix units already in the backlog. Of course in the future, we plan fast turn around times and to stock enough parts to ensure this is the case. Before the backlog built up we did have a pretty fast turn around times and are working to get back to that. It honestly should not take too much longer to get there.

 

[Zuhdj]

Totally agree that more inventory would provide a smoother process but this has not yet been possible due to immediately using any of the parts available to fix units already in the backlog. Of course in the future, we plan fast turn around times and to stock enough parts to ensure this is the case. Before the backlog built up we did have a pretty fast turn around times and are working to get back to that. It honestly should not take too much longer to get there.

I hope so. My hopper came in today. It's amazing. It's so good that I still feel like it's too good to be true.

Also it takes a few minutes to start charging after I use it. Is this some sort of safety feature to keep it from overheating?

 

[Hopper Labs]

I hope so. My hopper came in today. It's amazing. It's so good that I still feel like it's too good to be true.

Also it takes a few minutes to start charging after I use it. Is this some sort of safety feature to keep it from overheating?

Yes, it might decide to not start charging immediately for a few reasons. It should always start up after a bit. Cycle the USB side if it seems like itis not going.

 

[Zuhdj]

Yes, it might decide to not start charging immediately for a few reasons. It should always start up after a bit. Cycle the USB side if it seems like itis not going.

Holy shit it worked. Thank you!

 

[pxl_jockey]

I’m certainly liking the new positivity around this joint; it’s interesting how energy can change in an instant. Nice one, FC members and HL staff!

Congratulations @Zuhdj really good to hear it arrived and is doing what it’s meant to do. It seems to be a truly amazing experience when it does! Please let us know what you think after you’ve had some time. Good Gawd, you cannot ask for better cs than that! I’m paying attention @Hopper Labs !

 

[Vapor Mainline]

So it’s been a few days with the hopper and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite vapes. The heat up time is so fast it’s scary, and the battery is working quite well. I find it’s just a tad harsher than my splinter with the original RBT short stem. I’d love to see some handy loading tool made by hopper labs that replaces my ddave funnel though, because this thing looks weird in my pocket As also mentioned above, my Charger is a little finicky at times, but quickly removing the usb end and reinserting it works fine. I personally can’t wait to see if their new batch of batteries makes the performance differ at all, if it gets any better that would be crazy.

 

[Zuhdj]

So it’s been a few days with the hopper and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite vapes. The heat up time is so fast it’s scary, and the battery is working quite well. I find it’s just a tad harsher than my splinter with the original RBT short stem. I’d love to see some handy loading tool made by hopper labs that replaces my ddave funnel though, because this thing looks weird in my pocket As also mentioned above, my Charger is a little finicky at times, but quickly removing the usb end and reinserting it works fine. I personally can’t wait to see if their new batch of batteries makes the performance differ at all, if it gets any better that would be crazy.

Ive been loading it like a dynavap. Then just make sure the outside is clean

 

[Mr. Me2]

So it’s been a few days with the hopper and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite vapes. The heat up time is so fast it’s scary, and the battery is working quite well. I find it’s just a tad harsher than my splinter with the original RBT short stem. I’d love to see some handy loading tool made by hopper labs that replaces my ddave funnel though, because this thing looks weird in my pocket As also mentioned above, my Charger is a little finicky at times, but quickly removing the usb end and reinserting it works fine. I personally can’t wait to see if their new batch of batteries makes the performance differ at all, if it gets any better that would be crazy.

Check out @Ratchett gh accessories. Where to begin.... have fun!

 

[Vaporific]

Ive been loading it like a dynavap. Then just make sure the outside is clean

Very glad some newer folks on the thread are having positive experiences with the Hopper. I’m having a second honeymoon of sorts with my pre-order Ti recently back from RMA. It’s running really well and working wonderfully - and truly a joy to use again. For several years and for several reasons, I’ve been loading ground herb in 1-3 dram vial and pour it straight into the Hopper’s chamber using my thumb and finger to hold the top of the unit and act like funnel shape to catch extra material.

Indeed, my remaining batteries are giving out with the near daily usage since it’s come back from RMA. I hope the new ones perform as well as the last batch, and consistently too - I’ve had a few bad ones out of the gate in the two battery orders I’ve placed. Hoping third time is a charm, er charge

 

[Hopper Labs]

Batteries are with customs now and tentatively expected to clear on Monday. They will then be shipped fedex fright to us. Maybe, just maybe we can start to ship them to you next week. Due to many of the orders being old we are going to be asking for address confirmations. Be ready to check your email after we know for sure they are through customs.

 

[Vapor Mainline]

Batteries are with customs now and tentatively expected to clear on Monday. They will then be shipped fedex fright to us. Maybe, just maybe we can start to ship them to you next week. Due to many of the orders being old we are going to be asking for address confirmations. Be ready to check your email after we know for sure they are through customs.

Does this imply that new orders can go by smoothly as you sort out older ones? Or will they be set aside until old orders are done?

 

[pxl_jockey]

I’ve had a few bad ones out of the gate in the two battery orders I’ve placed. Hoping third time is a charm, er charge

@Hopper Labs ^ this is something I need to know before I spend over fifty dollars on four batteries. If I (or anyone) encounter batteries that are faulty upon receipt, what is HL’s replacement/refund policy/position?

I do not want to spend over $300 on this and find out that HL won’t stand behind your own proprietary batteries. Just saying, that’s bound to make any customer, old or new, feel pretty dang disgruntled with you guys.

 

[Hopper Labs]

Does this imply that new orders can go by smoothly as you sort out older ones? Or will they be set aside until old orders are done?

Orders will be fulfilled in the order they were received but if the address is not confirmed right away on any shipping day then we will move through the line and ship the new orders. There are not that many pre-orders for the battery so it will only take at most 2 days to clear everyone who confirms within a day or two. We will then be up to the new orders and ship the older ones as more confirmations come in.

@Hopper Labs ^ this is something I need to know before I spend over fifty dollars on four batteries. If I (or anyone) encounter batteries that are faulty upon receipt, what is HL’s replacement/refund policy/position?

I do not want to spend over $300 on this and find out that HL won’t stand behind your own proprietary batteries. Just saying, that’s bound to make any customer, old or new, feel pretty dang disgruntled with you guys.

If the battery is faulty within the first 14 days after you receive it we will replace it for free. Beyond that, the battery is not covered.

 

[Baron23]

Batteries are with customs now and tentatively expected to clear on Monday. They will then be shipped fedex fright to us. Maybe, just maybe we can start to ship them to you next week. Due to many of the orders being old we are going to be asking for address confirmations. Be ready to check your email after we know for sure they are through customs.

Great!

 

[david8613]

This is some positive stuff! I dont own a hopper yet! But want one!

 

[Vaporific]

There are not that many pre-orders for the battery

Really? I think many on here have ordered them, myself included back in April (6 months ago...). My buddy placed his order in March (yep)...

 

[slozukimc]

Really? I think many on here have ordered them, myself included back in April (6 months ago...). My buddy placed his order in March (yep)...

Many on here is likely only a few to HL. Look at the grand scheme.

 

[GrandWazoo]

Does anyone else out there have an active RMA that was sent to HL as early as August 2018?

HL received my first and only RMA on Aug 16, 2018 from a pre-order bronze TI I received and used since July 2016. I reached out to @Hopper Labs customer support for the first time on Sep 19, 2019, to politely ask for an update and was told within a day that "it should not be too much longer".

I have avoided nagging HL as I understand they have issues to sort out and I don't want to be shipped a device just to shut me up. But I dearly miss that portable little beast and I wonder if I will ever see it again...

May 2018 !!!

 

[Zuhdj]

Quick question. Does the hopper have an electronic free airpath? I tend to cough and it sort of burns the back of my throat and I want to make sure that's just temp related and not any unwanted chemicals. It's fine through water or glass to cool it

 

[DDave]

I’d love to see some handy loading tool made by hopper labs that replaces my ddave funnel though, because this thing looks weird in my pocket

Do you have any idea how popular that funnel makes me at parties?

 

[slozukimc]

Do you have any idea how popular that funnel makes me at parties?

Probably about as much as my Persei.

 

[MoltenTiger]

Quick question. Does the hopper have an electronic free airpath? I tend to cough and it sort of burns the back of my throat and I want to make sure that's just temp related and not any unwanted chemicals. It's fine through water or glass to cool it

It's not isolated. The air intake holes are situated directly around the PCB, however the device has a safety limit on the internal temp.

I haven't had a device show the overheat lights since many iterations ago in 2016. A bit before that I had a device sensor failure which would lead to combusting the herb in the chamber. That unit is the only GH that I've had smell and taste like hot PCB, which isn't nice at all. I actually just assembled and baked a hot water tank controller prototype PCB, and really don't like inhaling the fumes that fill the room when cooking it, but I don't think it's too bad.
You'll know about it if you encounter it.

The GH is reasonably good health wise, I think, it is certainly a big and noticeable improvement from my years of smoking, in a massive way.
I haven't even noticed much of an off-gas when receiving a new or returned device. I guess the testing process, as well as the controlled and careful first-world assembly, helps to mitigate any of those robot fart concerns many other devices suffer from.

I believe the heater is laser sintered medical grade brass (?), so as long as you keep the air flowing in one direction, you're golden with the hopper. Given that it's a metal vape, it fits the bill, if you really want purity it's got to be all boro.