So I have owned The GH for a little over a month now and I thought it was time I gave my thoughts on this amazing little piece of vape tech. Now before I pulled the trigger on this I did a ton of research first which I always recommend before making a purchase like this. You want your expectations to be in line with what you get. I'll start first with what I feel are the only major downsides of this device but really imho are to be expected.
First off battery life is somewhat short. Depending on my temp setting I get on average between 12-15 draws per battery. Which usual equates to 3 sessions worth of power. Some view this negatively but I feel if you think about it realistically it's waaay better than you could expect given the size of the battery and the 45 watt heater that the GH possesses. Luckily batteries are cheap at $7 apiece. I have 5 and never run out. They charge very fast as well. I should also note I have never charged them in the GH itself preferring my Tenergy external charger.
The second thing is the temperature of the mouthpiece and the vapor exiting it. It is very hot. Sure you can handle a quick draw on 3 no probs but it quickly becomes uncomfortable. It is definitely doable just not optimal. In fact the big deal for me is I just have to keep my lips totally out of the way of the exiting vapor even with the silicone. Way to hot for me. Realistically speaking this heater is pushing out temps over 400 degrees Fahrenheit less than 2 inches away from your mouth. Once again this should be expected given the design. For a quick draw here and there while on the go for stealth its perfect just really not awesome for sessions unless using with glass.
The third issue I will mention is reliability. While mine has worked flawlessly others have not. Mine does however do one weird thing. If I lay my finger between the temp selector and the lower body especially the clip it feels like it gets very hot but seems to quickly be gone when I move my finger. I read that it may be an actual fault and a warranty issue. But regardless it works. So until it stops vaporizing properly I will live with the weirdness. It probably has something to do with the fact there are no wires in its design and I'm creating a connection when I place my fingers there. I just try to keep all my fingers on the main body. But regardless of issues there is luckily the lifetime warranty. Which from what I have read they have been really good about standing behind if there are any problems with it. Which these problems are somewhat understandable if you consider how advanced this thing really is and how tiny that little heater is. It does suck to have to deal with sending stuff back and forth with the manufacturer for sure so probably the biggest thing to consider when buying this.
The GH reminds me of a functionally working car with no body. It does have everything you need to drive just not super comfortably. So for me it's basically a vaporizing drive train that needs a body. So I just use it with my MFLB orbiter, J-hooks and I even have an aluminum stem I use thats made from the stem out of a broken water piece from my combustion days which cools the vapor amazingly well . The stem is what I use when I'm just being quick and not fancy. Plus the stem is easy to pocket for portability. I actually think Hopper labs is missing the boat on these potential mouthpieces you could sell for this unit. I'm even thinking they could build a mouthpiece like they already have just with a metal tube extending off the end. All one piece. It would cool the vapor and screw on and off easy peezy. Just an idea if course.
I have heard others complain that there is not a meaningful click at each of the temp lines I think the reason is so people feel more comfortable adjusting it in-between the lines. Which they might not be as comfortable with if it actually did click at the line. I know I wouldn't and it's nice to be able to dial it in to that perfect temp. But that being said the selector does move firmly and will not move when in my pocket. It also feels very responsive. When you turn it up you can definitely tell.
The GH also has what I feel is a nice chamber size that's good for about 5 solid draws worth of material. I do not have a scale or I would give you the exact weight of the material it held. If I had to guess I'd say like .2 maybe. A medium grind seems to work perfect. I tried a fine grind with my MFLB finishing grinder and it was way too constricted to get a comfortable draw from.
GH is very efficient at extraction. Turning my herb a dark brown in about 5-6 draws. This thing gets up to temp in like 6 seconds and you will be milking it at temp set 3 in like 2-3 seconds. You can draw as fast as you want and the GH will pretty much keep up. But regardless if you draw at a slow to medium pace you'll get noticeably more vapor. The amount of vapor is awesome to watch in clean glass. The GH can also very effectively vape even the smallest of amounts but I do think it works better full. Also cleaning is super easy. I brush out the chamber with my MFLB brush after each use and have only soaked the MP once in ISO and it looks barely used. Chamber retains no residue from what I can tell.
My method of use is this. Medium grind onto an envelope size piece of paper. Wrap the paper around The GH chamber and tip it up funneling the herb in until it's full to the top (do not tamp down at all) and close. I then start at temp set 3 and then slowly move up .5 every consecutive draw after. 3-3.5-4-4.5-5. Sometimes I do a second draw on 5 if I get a significant amount of vapor on the 1st 5 draw. My avb comes out totally extracted. No point in even saving it for edibles.
Just so everyone knows I'm new to vaping. I Haven't combusted in close to 4 months. I love it. If only I had known how great it was I would have given it a shot years ago. When I first heard about vaporizing I didn't give it much consideration I was always thinking it would be a major compromise in someway. But age
, worry and shortness of breath finally caught up with me and I finally reevaluated it and WOW if only had I known how great vaping is. How I wasn't making any compromises. How it was better in almost all conceivable ways. 1st it's way healthier. It doesn't take long after the switch for that to quickly become apparent. I can feel it in every satisfying breath I take. 2nd the effects are way better IMHO. I feel more medicated and it feels like a cleaner feeling in a way I can't quite articulate. 3rd its more efficient. I use much less to go a lot further. 4th the taste is spectacular compared to combustion. It really feels like you become more of a connoisseur than you were before. There is only 1 downside I see currently. Because of it I have contracted a severe illness
. I believe you all call it the dreaded VAS and it is deadly to the wallet
. I have bought 6 vapes in the last 3 months
. An FF2, MFLB, GH, Lotus, Ti Woody and Ti Vong in that order. In my defense I sold the FF2 but still if it continues counselling may be in my future
.
So, I see the Hopper as a track-ready Ducati 1299 Panigale of sorts, or like a KTM SXC enduro bike! You can ride on the road with them but you need to be careful, meaning, you can go dry hitting the Hopper but it's true power comes out only through a glass piece!
. First u appear with those weekly IQ photos when I was rocking a broken unit for a month and now you're being all bling in the grasshopper thread while I'm hopperless
. Must be karma for some past crime of mine
