Discontinued Hopper io

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

No, HL appears to have fucked my brother, poor bastard.... He paid two months ago and no package, no email, nothing..

I warned him about HL but he wanted one after trying a few hits. Can't imagine why. All I did was zap him with a couple of strong terp hits.

Tell him to get an XMax V3 Pro. Super little vape. I picked up 3 for myself and 2 friends on a Black Friday deal for €67 each. Think they're about $100 in the States. Check out the reviews on Youtube. I highly recommend it.

 

[Vaporific]

No, HL appears to have fucked my brother, poor bastard.... He paid two months ago and no package, no email, nothing..

I warned him about HL but he wanted one after trying a few hits. Can't imagine why. All I did was zap him with a couple of strong terp hits.

Did he order an IO and not receive it? Was it anodized, as I know those have been traditionally harder to get? I bought batteries with the Black Friday promo code and received them.

Anyone else purchase something on BF or more recently and not receive their order? They were very quick to reply to my inquiry a couple of weeks ago about buying a new body which I haven’t done. Hmm, I wonder if the death knell for HL is (finally?) here…

 

[RustyOldNail]

Did he order an IO and not receive it? Was it anodized, as I know those have been traditionally harder to get? I bought batteries with the Black Friday promo code and received them.

Anyone else purchase something on BF or more recently and not receive their order? They were very quick to reply to my inquiry a couple of weeks ago about buying a new body which I haven’t done. Hmm, I wonder if the death knell for HL is (finally?) here…

Received mine in two weeks after order. If after a month on any product, if I had no response, I would cancel the CC payment. I’ve received everything I’ve ordered from HL, though certainly not fast....

 

[JBone65]

Did he order an IO and not receive it? Was it anodized, as I know those have been traditionally harder to get? I bought batteries with the Black Friday promo code and received them.

Anyone else purchase something on BF or more recently and not receive their order? They were very quick to reply to my inquiry a couple of weeks ago about buying a new body which I haven’t done. Hmm, I wonder if the death knell for HL is (finally?) here…

He ordered a SS io. He changed his mind and cancelled the order a week later. It's not surprising HL forgot to refund his money. He will email support and request the status again.

I love my brother but he got too stoned and experienced anxiety with the weak indica I sent him, then he decided that gummies are the way to go. I couldn't get a buzz with that indica but two hits was too much for him. He's happily micro-dosing with gummies. He spent his life addicted to Marlboros, and he's a know-it-all narcissistic lawyer, so it's gonna take awhile to convert him. I'm guessing the radiation therapy starting next month will speed up the process.

I'm trying to get him to give me the io if it arrives......for safe keeping.

 

[Vaporific]

He ordered a SS io. He changed his mind and cancelled the order a week later. It's not surprising HL forgot to refund his money. He will email support and request the status again.

I love my brother but he got too stoned and experienced anxiety with the weak indica I sent him, then he decided that gummies are the way to go. I couldn't get a buzz with that indica but two hits was too much for him. He's happily micro-dosing with gummies. He spent his life addicted to Marlboros, and he's a know-it-all narcissistic lawyer, so it's gonna take awhile to convert him. I'm guessing the radiation therapy starting next month will speed up the process.

I'm trying to get him to give me the io if it arrives......for safe keeping.

Dispute the charge with the financial institution as suggested above. Sorry HL didn’t refund the money and I’m not terribly surprised; they always need to be chased. Hard and unscrupulous times indeed again for HL. We’ll see how long it lasts or if they do…

 

[JBone65]

That's how it starts. Occasional gummies with almost no THC. I'll give him a few more amazing terpenoid hits. Then it won't be long before he's pacing the floor and looking for another flower vaporizer. It's for his own good.

 

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

Just wanted to vent for a second...fuck Hopper labs! I bought a new IO in August 2021 and it stopped heating up within a month. Put in a warranty request and they told me to send in the body only, which they received in September. Well, I'm still waiting for my replacement body. The brand new IO worked for less than a month and now I've been waiting 5 months for a warranty request. I've sent numerous messages, polite and not so polite, but heard no response at all.

When this device works, there is nothing like it for a portable. That said, it is not worth the hassle. If you're thinking about taking a gamble on this company run away fast!

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

Just wanted to vent for a second...fuck Hopper labs! I bought a new IO in August 2021 and it stopped heating up within a month. Put in a warranty request and they told me to send in the body only, which they received in September. Well, I'm still waiting for my replacement body. The brand new IO worked for less than a month and now I've been waiting 5 months for a warranty request. I've sent numerous messages, polite and not so polite, but heard no response at all.

When this device works, there is nothing like it for a portable. That said, it is not worth the hassle. If you're thinking about taking a gamble on this company run away fast!

That's about the size of it. I have one of my IOs with Hopper since October 2021. Absolutely no response or acknowledgement from them. Raised another warranty for my 2nd one a couple of weeks ago. Nothing in response. Forget about the lifetime warranty. There never was one. Amazing that people are still buying IOs. They work for a couple of weeks. Then performance progressively drops until they just stop working.

 

[JBone65]

Anyone else into low temp terp hits?

I started intentionally mixing strains a few months ago when I wasn't happy with some weed I bought. It now includes 4-5 flavors of strong (second-tier, $100/oz) weed, most of it has a high THC content. I usually choose sativa but this includes straight indica and indica dominant strains. Long story short, the level 1 temperature hit has a wide spectrum of terpenes with a creeping body stone like a strong sedative. It's very different from my usual sativa stone. In theory this can be done with any vaporizer with a 230°F setting, but the io is especially good for a low temp terp hit.

You might need to be very relaxed to appreciate the effects. Maybe this isn't ideal for driving. You might have to draw a full 15 seconds but the hit will come. Not as much visible vapor but more flavor than usual.

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

Anyone else into low temp terp hits?

I started intentionally mixing strains a few months ago when I wasn't happy with some weed I bought. It now includes 4-5 flavors of strong (second-tier, $100/oz) weed, most of it has a high THC content. I usually choose sativa but this includes straight indica and indica dominant strains. Long story short, the level 1 temperature hit has a wide spectrum of terpenes with a creeping body stone like a strong sedative. It's very different from my usual sativa stone. In theory this can be done with any vaporizer with a 230°F setting, but the io is especially good for a low temp terp hit.

You might need to be very relaxed to appreciate the effects. Maybe this isn't ideal for driving.

That's all very fine if your IO is working.

 

[JBone65]

Yes, it definitely is. Was wondering if anyone else has experienced it or if I'm imagining it.

Edit: Each strain had a unique flavor but none were especially good. It's interesting to me that the mixture of terps has a stronger effect than the individual components. It's like a scatter gun treatment with hundreds of compounds, but very little THC due to the low temp, presumably.

 

[vapviking]

Each strain had a unique flavor but none were especially good. It's interesting to me that the mixture of terps has a stronger effect than the individual components. It's like a shotgun treatment with 100+ compounds.

Entourage Effect.

 

[nasdri253]

Are these clowns still in business? I still wonder why none has taken them to court, at this point i would do this if i lived in the US.
Clowns at least are funny.

 

[Spleeeno]

probably cause they are too niche or they havent fucked with anyone willing to spend shitloads of money on litigation. or just not enough customers to jump onboard for some juicy class action lawsuit where the real money (for the lawyers) would be?

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

probably cause they are too niche or they havent fucked with anyone willing to spend shitloads of money on litigation. or just not enough customers to jump onboard for some juicy class action lawsuit where the real money (for the lawyers) would be?

What could you hope to get if you won a case against them? A truck load of faulty IOs?

 

[nasdri253]

What could you hope to get if you won a case against them? A truck load of faulty IOs?

Well i would probably not but get my money back or get them to stop kidding with people wallets, the fire thing is a joke they stopped doing here where i live years ago lol A company not shipping stuff you paid for, un existent customer service, infinite repair time but they keep taking orders.
And this is not since yesterday, the OG was my first vape in 2016…said that i am not moaning around because their repair service is slow lol i would be happy with an honest reply, or just a reply. But at this point i had enough so i will s### on them whenever i have the chance to. If this will stop only one single fool from buying their product i am happy.

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

Well i would probably not but get my money back or get them to stop kidding with people wallets, the fire thing is a joke they stopped doing here where i live years ago lol A company not shipping stuff you paid for, un existent customer service, infinite repair time but they keep taking orders.
And this is not since yesterday, the OG was my first vape in 2016…said that i am not moaning around because their repair service is slow lol i would be happy with an honest reply, or just a reply. But at this point i had enough so i will s### on them whenever i have the chance to. If this will stop only one single fool from buying their product i am happy.

"But at this point I had enough so i will s### on them whenever I have the chance to. If this will stop only one single fool from buying their product I am happy."

My sentiments exactly.

 

[JBone65]

Got an ounce of strawberry cough for $90 and added some to my Frankenstein mixture.

Hope this Strawberry cough pic link works: https://ibb.co/BVWy8L3

The fruity flavor is unique. It's supposedly around 80% sativa dominant but it has a very unusual terp profile, which added to the spectrum in my "mixture". I'm going on about this because I ended up liking the mixture more than any of the individual ingredients. I'm starting to think that the breath of the spectrum is more important than the concentration of any one terpenoid.

Anyone else mix strains and start off at 230°f in the io? Maybe it's just this particular mixture, but it puts me to sleep. Have never experience anything like it.

in my 6th year with HL. I'm not typical but my $200 investment in 2016 has really paid off. IMO the grasshopper is an engineering achievement that was marketed poorly. The lifetime warranty was a sales gimmick that back fired. They're all gonna fail sooner or later, and they're difficult to clean properly. Lots of folks have trouble within 1-2 months. Mine is still amazing but buyer beware.

 

[Vaporific]

Got an ounce of strawberry cough for $90 and added some to my Frankenstein mixture.

Hope this Strawberry cough pic link works: https://ibb.co/BVWy8L3

The fruity flavor is unique. It's supposedly around 80% sativa dominant but it has a very unusual terp profile, which added to the spectrum in my "mixture". I'm going on about this because I ended up liking the mixture more than any of the individual ingredients. I'm starting to think that the breath of the spectrum is more important than the concentration of any one terpenoid.

Anyone else mix strains and start off at 230°f in the io? Maybe it's just this particular mixture, but it puts me to sleep. Have never experience anything like it.

in my 6th year with HL. I'm not typical but my $200 investment in 2016 has really paid off. IMO the grasshopper is an engineering achievement that was marketed poorly. The lifetime warranty was a sales gimmick that back fired. They're all gonna fail sooner or later, and they're difficult to clean properly. Lots of folks have trouble within 1-2 months. Mine is still amazing but buyer beware.

It’s not their marketing because they’ve sold tens of thousands of units over the years. Engineering, customer service, supply chain issues, all things battery-related, bad luck (HL fire) - all roll up into poor business operations. And now virtually crickets as they’ve been largely non-responsive to many, except for new sales. They’re engineers trying to run a business and they’ve done a poor job on most fronts. If you have a unit that works, great (and it does work well if in optimal condition as it’s been said many times herein; I could say that too - for a limited time), however now it’s crickets again from HL and I don’t think they’re going to survive much longer. Love my Hoppers, one OG (RMA’d) and one IO, but the batteries are inconsistent and they do tend to gum up behind the heater no matter how much you clean them without removing the heating chamber. I zealously and callously removed it from my IO recently and it was a mistake: the cleaning helped but I bent the circumference of the chamber and the frontend no longer freely screws on and it’s very tight (my bad and I own that). We’ll see how long I can keep mine running but I won’t buy anything else from them - unless they still have batteries in stock, lol.

EDIT: I’ll also add that HL will gladly accept money for new items assuming they’re in stock - or not, lol. That’s been their modus operandi since the beginning. Due to the pandemic and ensuing supply chain issues who knows what they’ve been able to sell recently or not. If we assume it’s not available, i.e. out of stock, no telling if or when that will change. I’ve rooted for them to succeed but the outlook now certainly doesn’t look rosy or bode well. We’ll see.

 

[fogbank]

I recently received 6 new GHB-3 batteries from HL, as a replacement for the custom battery charger that I paid for years ago. It took me a couple of emails, but they finally agreed to send them.

I bought two IOs (one SS and one Ti) in 2020 that I had never used.

The other two IOs that I had in rotation would usually show flashing LEDs after 1-3 draws on a fully charged battery. Occasionally I might get 4 draws before the flashing LEDs, but it was generally after 1-3 draws. I had about a dozen batteries in rotation, both GHB-2 and GHB-3. Some of the same batteries would get me 10 or more draws in an OG Hopper before blinking red.

So I figured I would start the IO experience from scratch, with the brand new GHB-3 batteries and the never used IOs.

I charged all 6 batteries in my Nitecore D4 and started counting draws:

• First battery - flashing LEDs after 2 draws
• Second battery - flashing LEDs after 2 draws
• Third battery - flashing LEDs after 2 draws
• Fourth battery - WOULD NOT FIT IN THE HOPPER BODY
• Fifth battery - flashing LEDs after 4 draws
• Sixth battery - NOT TESTED BECAUSE I GAVE UP IN DISGUST

I don't understand why the IOs keep getting the flashing LEDs. I no longer care

 

[JBone65]

I recently received 6 new GHB-3 batteries from HL, as a replacement for the custom battery charger that I paid for years ago. It took me a couple of emails, but they finally agreed to send them.

I bought two IOs (one SS and one Ti) in 2020 that I had never used.

The other two IOs that I had in rotation would usually show flashing LEDs after 1-3 draws on a fully charged battery. Occasionally I might get 4 draws before the flashing LEDs, but it was generally after 1-3 draws. I had about a dozen batteries in rotation, both GHB-2 and GHB-3. Some of the same batteries would get me 10 or more draws in an OG Hopper before blinking red.

So I figured I would start the IO experience from scratch, with the brand new GHB-3 batteries and the never used IOs.

I charged all 6 batteries in my Nitecore D4 and started counting draws:

• First battery - flashing LEDs after 2 draws
• Second battery - flashing LEDs after 2 draws
• Third battery - flashing LEDs after 2 draws
• Fourth battery - WOULD NOT FIT IN THE HOPPER BODY
• Fifth battery - flashing LEDs after 4 draws
• Sixth battery - NOT TESTED BECAUSE I GAVE UP IN DISGUST

I don't understand why the IOs keep getting the flashing LEDs. I no longer care

Sorry to hear this. You might already be aware, but from my experience it usually comes down to an air path restriction. Can you draw air thru it freely? If not, take the MP off and draw air thru it and the body separately to figure out where the restriction is.

Another question:. How do you charge your batteries? If a brand new io and it's the same result with all the batteries, the charging process becomes suspect. It's doubtful all the batteries have the same odd defect, etc.. Are you using the OEM charging ring?

Edit: I see it now, the Nitecore D4 charger. You might try the charging ring to see if a new battery can be further charged. Multiple batteries and io's but they all share one charger.

 

[mulciber]

I recently received 6 new GHB-3 batteries from HL, as a replacement for the custom battery charger that I paid for years ago. It took me a couple of emails, but they finally agreed to send them.

I'm very impressed. I wrote off the charger I paid for so many years ago, like a few other things I never got, as just another theft by these con artists. I got tired of the game. You have my respect.

 

[Vaporific]

I recently received 6 new GHB-3 batteries from HL, as a replacement for the custom battery charger that I paid for years ago. It took me a couple of emails, but they finally agreed to send them.

I bought two IOs (one SS and one Ti) in 2020 that I had never used.

The other two IOs that I had in rotation would usually show flashing LEDs after 1-3 draws on a fully charged battery. Occasionally I might get 4 draws before the flashing LEDs, but it was generally after 1-3 draws. I had about a dozen batteries in rotation, both GHB-2 and GHB-3. Some of the same batteries would get me 10 or more draws in an OG Hopper before blinking red.

So I figured I would start the IO experience from scratch, with the brand new GHB-3 batteries and the never used IOs.

I charged all 6 batteries in my Nitecore D4 and started counting draws:

• First battery - flashing LEDs after 2 draws
• Second battery - flashing LEDs after 2 draws
• Third battery - flashing LEDs after 2 draws
• Fourth battery - WOULD NOT FIT IN THE HOPPER BODY
• Fifth battery - flashing LEDs after 4 draws
• Sixth battery - NOT TESTED BECAUSE I GAVE UP IN DISGUST

I don't understand why the IOs keep getting the flashing LEDs. I no longer care

Did you try the older batts in the new IOs? Sorry to hear about your experience. No doubt frustrating! I’ll assume everything is room temperature as I know cold can thwart things, maybe the air path too like @JBone65 said above. Sorry I can’t currently quote messages at the moment (more like a couple of months due to some site issue on the mobile web with my phone).

I again emailed HL today seeing if they’d even respond and also because my last inquiry a few weeks ago, which they replied to quickly, left out an important part. I asked if they had any new IO bodies (they said yes) but I didn’t ask if they had Ti bodies - to replace my bent heating chamber which does unscrew occasionally when the unit is cold when unscrewing the frontend. My OCD kills me with this yet I’m prepared to throw in the towel with it. I’ll use my OG until it kicks. TGIF to all.

 

[fogbank]

Sorry to hear this. You might already be aware, but from my experience it usually comes down to an air path restriction. Can you draw air thru it freely? If not, take the MP off and draw air thru it and the body separately to figure out where the restriction is.

Another question:. How do you charge your batteries? If a brand new io and it's the same result with all the batteries, the charging process becomes suspect. It's doubtful all the batteries have the same odd defect, etc.. Are you using the OEM charging ring?

Edit: I see it now, the Nitecore D4 charger. You might try the charging ring to see if a new battery can be further charged. Multiple batteries and io's but they all share one charger.

Just in general...

I've been using Hoppers since 2016. I have gone through some 40 batteries over that period of time. I've had multiple Hoppers, spare bodies, back ends, front ends and of course batteries. I've been tracking the performance of my batteries over the last couple of years. I got a pretty good picture of which ones were working better than others, and in which Hoppers they worked better.

I have probably used the OEM charging ring 99% of the time, however I have occasionally used the Nitecore D4 to eliminate the charging process as a variable. I have found no discernible difference in performance between externally and internally charged batteries.

Air path restriction should not be an issue with a Hopper that has never been used before. I can draw air through them freely. Even with the IOs I have in rotation the air flows much more freely than it does in my OG Hoppers. There is no real issue with vapor production in my IOs when the LEDs don't blink, so I don't think that air flow restriction is an issue. I have hooked an IO up to an AC adapter and the LEDs don't blink. It works great and produces lots of thick vapor.

According to the Hopper manual the LEDs blink when the battery charge is weak or the air temperature is cold (I'm paraphrasing here). I don't see why it's happening to me with brand new fully charged batteries, never before used Hopper IOs, in a temperate climate with average temps in the 70's.

But I don't know why I even think about it anymore. My Hoppers had a good run but they have outlived their usefulness for me. I still have three working OG Hoppers, some decent batteries, and working AC adapters for both IO and OG Hoppers. But I've moved on to the V3Pro, the VapCap, the TinyMight, and even the Fog Pro every now and then.

 

[JBone65]

Just in general...

I've been using Hoppers since 2016. I have gone through some 40 batteries over that period of time. I've had multiple Hoppers, spare bodies, back ends, front ends and of course batteries. I've been tracking the performance of my batteries over the last couple of years. I got a pretty good picture of which ones were working better than others, and in which Hoppers they worked better.

I have probably used the OEM charging ring 99% of the time, however I have occasionally used the Nitecore D4 to eliminate the charging process as a variable. I have found no discernible difference in performance between externally and internally charged batteries.

Air path restriction should not be an issue with a Hopper that has never been used before. I can draw air through them freely. Even with the IOs I have in rotation the air flows much more freely than it does in my OG Hoppers. There is no real issue with vapor production in my IOs when the LEDs don't blink, so I don't think that air flow restriction is an issue. I have hooked an IO up to an AC adapter and the LEDs don't blink. It works great and produces lots of thick vapor.

According to the Hopper manual the LEDs blink when the battery charge is weak or the air temperature is cold (I'm paraphrasing here). I don't see why it's happening to me with brand new fully charged batteries, never before used Hopper IOs, in a temperate climate with average temps in the 70's.

But I don't know why I even think about it anymore. My Hoppers had a good run but they have outlived their usefulness for me. I still have three working OG Hoppers, some decent batteries, and working AC adapters for both IO and OG Hoppers. But I've moved on to the V3Pro, the VapCap, the TinyMight, and even the Fog Pro every now and then.

It's very interesting that a bunch of batteries, including new ones, and a bunch of io's, including new ones, all appear to have the same problem.

Logically, either all the batteries are bad or all the io's are bad, or everything is bad. Otherwise you'd be able to find at least one battery/io combination that works correctly.

It still sounds like there could be some sort of charging problem. You might only be getting a partial charge for some unknown reason.

I can get 4-6 long hits per charge, although I attach the charging ring after 3-4 hits so don't often deplete the battery.

My hits can be 15 seconds or longer, this can be very taxing on a battery at the maximum setting. Might only get 3 long hits (15+ seconds) on the maximum temperature setting. If using a glass bong or carburetor, in pursuit of milky vapor, 4 hits might be expected.

Maybe they're not all bad. You said you got 4 hits from one battery, this could be normal IMO.

Several batteries performed noticably worse according to your test data. Maybe it's time to recycle the old batteries if they are giving less hits, to rule out the obvious problems going forward.

What's up with the battery that wouldn't fit? Never heard of that. Please post pics.

On a side note, still learning how to clean mine, and I'm in my sixth year. Found some 91% ISO. Got more resin out of the threads by pressing a wet q-tip hard against them. The MP goes on/off like new. Slowly cleaning the brown film from the interior chamber walls down toward the screen. Apparently I had allowed a significant build-up of nasty resin over the past year. It was thickest near the mouth but it's concerning that the brown resin coating extends all the way to the intake screen. I can't see any on the topside of the screen where I've always cleaned but I wonder what's hiding on the underside. Tried to upload a pic but no can do.