Discontinued The Grasshopper

[Vaporific]

TGIF again & a PSA: a local buddy sent in his pre-order Ti in early September for its first RMA and he was notified today that it’s in final testing stage. Wow! That’s quick! Albeit I don’t know yet what the issue was or what was fixed but that’s a lot faster than my year-long wait (new heating assembly). RMA turnaround times are indeed looking up. Cheers everyone & @Hopper Labs !

 

[JCat]

Ok ... might as well continue flooding this thread w/ updates ...

So ... 3 bowls in on my SS, and zero flickering lights and nothing but excellent performance. ... so ... this leads me to the question:

"How many times did I send my Hoppers in for servicing, WITH BATTERY AS SPECIFIED, and it was sent back to me either the same or with parts fixed/changed, when all that was wrong was the batteries?"

This really is a valid question ... as I spent >$200 on warranty repair shipping ... and got extremely frustrated as it seemed nothing was being done as they kept getting returned to me with the same performance issues (making them essentially not usable as I want them to be heavy hitters). During this time, I purchased and tried new batteries as well. So they sat in a drawer for > a year until these new batch of batteries were released and all of a sudden @Hopper Labs , you started participating here, so thought I'd try batteries again and then send in if required. I'm surprised (although its early), that they are working 100% fine w/ the new batteries.

It would have been really nice if I had just been told that the problem w/ the Hopper was that the battery I sent with it was no good. If this had been the case, and I had discovered that none of my batteries were any good, and none were available for purchase, I could have lived with that and just waited (for a year I guess anyways); I would have been ok, although not happy, with the wait, but would have really just appreciated knowing what was going on. This is of course all speculation as its still early in my testing w/ new batteries, but it seems to make sense. I wonder how many other customers just have bad batteries (which they thought they ruled out by purchasing new ones either from Hopper Labs or from a retailer)?

 

[slozukimc]

Ok ... might as well continue flooding this thread w/ updates ...

So ... 3 bowls in on my SS, and zero flickering lights and nothing but excellent performance. ... so ... this leads me to the question:

"How many times did I send my Hoppers in for servicing, WITH BATTERY AS SPECIFIED, and it was sent back to me either the same or with parts fixed/changed, when all that was wrong was the batteries?"

This really is a valid question ... as I spent >$200 on warranty repair shipping ... and got extremely frustrated as it seemed nothing was being done as they kept getting returned to me with the same performance issues (making them essentially not usable as I want them to be heavy hitters). During this time, I purchased and tried new batteries as well. So they sat in a drawer for > a year until these new batch of batteries were released and all of a sudden @Hopper Labs , you started participating here, so thought I'd try batteries again and then send in if required. I'm surprised (although its early), that they are working 100% fine w/ the new batteries.

It would have been really nice if I had just been told that the problem w/ the Hopper was that the battery I sent with it was no good. If this had been the case, and I had discovered that none of my batteries were any good, and none were available for purchase, I could have lived with that and just waited (for a year I guess anyways); I would have been ok, although not happy, with the wait, but would have really just appreciated knowing what was going on. This is of course all speculation as its still early in my testing w/ new batteries, but it seems to make sense. I wonder how many other customers just have bad batteries (which they thought they ruled out by purchasing new ones either from Hopper Labs or from a retailer)?

This makes me curious. I am going to mark all of my batteries and make a chart of how each one performs. I have some that are relatively new but thinking about it they are still “old” as they are from whenever the last batch came out.

 

[JCat]

This makes me curious. I am going to mark all of my batteries and make a chart of how each one performs. I have some that are relatively new but thinking about it they are still “old” as they are from whenever the last batch came out.

I have 13 batteries (not including these 2 new ones), and none of them work properly (except the 2 new ones of course). Some were bought new simply for the purpose of testing if the batteries were the issue (I actually did this twice, once direct from Hopper Labs and once from a retailer). This is why I spent >$200 on shipping the hoppers back, and thought they were the issue (as I bought 2 new batteries, 2 times, to eliminate that as the issue) ... and seems all along the batteries were indeed the issue ... (all just speculation right now of course)

 

[biohacker]

Are these new batteries labelled GHB3 or? @JCat that does sound pretty fishy!

 

[Mr Mellish]

Are these new batteries labelled GHB3 or? @JCat that does sound pretty fishy!

The new ones are still GHB2. That's interesting...my 2-3 year old batteries seem to be working so far (except one that has clearly gone to shit).

 

[biohacker]

The new ones are still GHB2. That's interesting...my 2-3 year old batteries seem to be working so far (except one that has clearly gone to shit).

Okay, now this is really weird then! Looking forward to what happens after a few charges @JCat! Just odd that none of your others are working, like they "shorted out" or something?

 

[Kalessin]

Do anyone else's new batteries from this latest batch fit into the battery compartment really tightly? I have to apply pressure to get my new ones in, my old ones always just slid into place.

 

[Vaporific]

I am going to mark all of my batteries and make a chart of how each one performs.

I’ve always marked my batts and rotate using them. I’ve never formally charted their performance but marking them tells me which one may be working worse than the others - which has happened to me with my first two batches. So far my 5 new ones (received a couple weeks ago) are performing fairly consistently though I’ve been using my Nitecore D4 more than the I2 with the digital info (time & voltage). I think one (or two) may be a bit off but not significant. But yes, early on anyway, batteries were not equal.

I have two older cells but they’re on their way out, maybe good for a couple of draws or a bowl but that’s it...

 

[Mr Mellish]

I’ve always marked my batts and rotate using them. I’ve never formally charted their performance but marking them tells me which one may be working worse than the others - which has happened to me with my first two batches. So far my 5 new ones (received a couple weeks ago) are performing fairly consistently though I’ve been using my Nitecore D4 more than the I2 with the digital info (time & voltage). I think one (or two) may be a bit off but not significant. But yes, early on anyway, batteries were not equal.

I have two older cells but they’re on their way out, maybe good for a couple of draws or a bowl but that’s it...

How are people marking the batteries? Something like nail polish?

 

[Vaporific]

How are people marking the batteries? Something like nail polish?

Indelible marker. Pick your color

 

[JCat]

Okay, now this is really weird then! Looking forward to what happens after a few charges @JCat! Just odd that none of your others are working, like they "shorted out" or something?

It’s not that they don’t work at all ... it’s just like they can’t put out the amperage required. They all charge to 4.2V like they should, but they all result in flickering blue lights and underwhelming performance.

 

[biohacker]

It’s not that they don’t work at all ... it’s just like they can’t put out the amperage required. They all charge to 4.2V like they should, but they all result in flickering blue lights and underwhelming performance.

And the "fitment" of the new batteries is identical? I'm referring to the post above... do they new batteries fit tighter or same?

 

[Vaporific]

And the "fitment" of the new batteries is identical? I'm referring to the post above... do they new batteries fit tighter or same?

My new batts fit the same - and fine - as the old ones.

I have noticed with some of the new batts the unit goes straight to blinking blue lights yet I’m still getting power from them and at least 3 loads worth. Some start with steady blue on the first draw or two though. Again, I’m not carefully tracking battery operation but perhaps I’ll start soon. I may be past the 14 day return policy and will live with my 5 new batts for now.

EDIT: I haven’t seen anything other than 4.2V in the Nitecore I2 but then again I haven’t been closely tracking this either. Maybe time to start this as well...

 

[biohacker]

This certainly does seem like a mystery with the batteries! Hopefully @Hopper Labs addresses these inconsistencies.

Does anyone use their GH here for micro dosing? Just curious what micro loads it's capable of delivering while still being satisfying. <0.05g?

 

[JCat]

And the "fitment" of the new batteries is identical? I'm referring to the post above... do they new batteries fit tighter or same?

Everything seems to fit the same ... I'm at 6 bowls out of my SS Hopper though ... still crushing it in one massive cloudy hit (I can't outpace the heater no matter how hard I try), and I've been running it at 3 and it's nice and pretty dark brown ABV (as dark as I want it ... I'm actually going to try 2.5 next). Still no flickering blue lights whatsoever; and the SS one never didn't flicker with any of my other batteries ... ever ... and it couldn't even fill a large bong before the heater started giving up and the vapour became wispy ... I figure it would get best case a few seconds, then would start to choke ... right now I can rip on it for 15 seconds straight as hard as I want and it just keeps going and going.

Edit: What voltage your batteries show when not under load is sorta' irrelevant ... just because they can be charged to 4.2V, doesn't indicate what they can put out when they are under a 10-12.5A load ... (it's a 45W heater correct?)

 

[mephisto]

I have a newer Ti hopper that is less than a year old. The battery it came with (new) will not last for 1
use at 5. It charges fully to 4.2 quickly, but it will not finish a chamber, nor will it roast the contents to anything near brown......

 

[JCat]

I have a newer Ti hopper that is less than a year old. The battery it came with (new) will not last for 1
use at 5. It charges fully to 4.2 quickly, but it will not finish a chamber, nor will it roast the contents to anything near brown......

Might be worth trying to get a new one and see if it makes a difference ...

 

[Vaporific]

I have a newer Ti hopper that is less than a year old. The battery it came with (new) will not last for 1
use at 5. It charges fully to 4.2 quickly, but it will not finish a chamber, nor will it roast the contents to anything near brown......

How were you charging it and was it unused for a long period in between uses?

I’m no battery expert or electrical engineer but my first two batches, 7 in total, didn’t last very long in the two years my Ti worked though the last year was crappy before RMA. I use Nitecore chargers most of the time - and I always rotate them. And I use the Hopper daily too, sometimes several chambers at night and regularly on weekends, so fairly heavy usage.

I wish a standard sized cell was used in all honesty to take a lot of battery variability - longevity and consistency - out of the equation. Just my .

 

[biohacker]

I wish a standard sized cell was used in all honesty to take a lot of battery variability - longevity and consistency - out of the equation. Just my .

Could not agree more, however this wouldn't be profitable in the land of proprietary.

I do sometimes wonder if using a Nitecore, or anything other than the Hopper or their charger to charge is causing battery issues?

 

[vapviking]

Could not agree more, however this wouldn't be profitable in the land of proprietary.

I do sometimes wonder if using a Nitecore, or anything other than the Hopper or their charger to charge is causing battery issues?

@MoltenTiger had some very interesting things to say a month or two ago, in the wake of my Hopper battery venting/explosion incident. He saw some differences in how the mag. charge delivers current (in strong pulses) vs. a Nitecore. And he found that a battery left in a Nitecore will be given a small (maintenance) current periodically.
Finding his post would be far more informative than my summary...and I could be confusing some of his well made points.
I still use a Nitecore, btw, but I do tend to remove batts when they are done, as is probably good practice in all outboard chargers.
None of this should be construed to mean that there's an issue with Nitecore (or other) chargers.
But when it's handy I use the mag charger for the sheer convenience.

 

[biohacker]

my Hopper battery venting/explosion incident

Ummm, WHAT!?!?

@MoltenTiger knows this device more than anyone else I can think of, so if I ever do "hop" on board again, i'm fairly confident that i'll only charge via official Hopper Labs maglock or charger unit, but would like to know @Hopper Labs official stance on it. They have probably already mentioned to only use their accessories, but i've been out of the loop for a while.

I'm still excited in the future for possibility of using this as a micro dosing device.

 

[slozukimc]

Ummm, WHAT!?!?

@MoltenTiger knows this device more than anyone else I can think of, so if I ever do "hop" on board again, i'm fairly confident that i'll only charge via official Hopper Labs maglock or charger unit, but would like to know @Hopper Labs official stance on it. They have probably already mentioned to only use their accessories, but i've been out of the loop for a while.

I'm still excited in the future for possibility of using this as a micro dosing device.

It was an incident that could have easily happened with any li ion cell that got tossed in a drawer.

 

[biohacker]

It was an incident that could have easily happened with any li ion cell that got tossed in a drawer.

I've heard that this might be a reason why some companies use non-swappable batteries in vapes like S&B, so that consumers don't toss in "non approved" batteries and cause issues with the vape and blame the manufacturer. I guess this wouldn't apply to the Hopper though due to its proprietary style (unless it can be found elsewhere?)

I'll have to search for that post... just curious about the incident... I haven't been following this thread since my boycott eons ago

 

[slozukimc]

Ummm, WHAT!?!?

@MoltenTiger knows this device more than anyone else I can think of, so if I ever do "hop" on board again, i'm fairly confident that i'll only charge via official Hopper Labs maglock or charger unit, but would like to know @Hopper Labs official stance on it. They have probably already mentioned to only use their accessories, but i've been out of the loop for a while.

I'm still excited in the future for possibility of using this as a micro dosing device.

I question just how much better a stock Hopper charger can be. There are a shit ton of different power supply cubes that can provide anywhere from .5a on up to 2.1a. So how can they be sure a cord plugged into a random block is any better than a designated for li ion charger?