Discontinued Hopper io

[MoltenTiger]

I happen to agree with you, and like the analogy.
Nonetheless, it's a wild ride on this coaster and you never know when it's going to break down right in the middle of the ride...
Man, I hate it when that happens.

Spoiler: A Local Coaster

This is the Dragon Coaster at Playland in Rye, NY. It is a 1929 wooden structure, now on the National Register of Historic Places. The dragon is a tunnel mid-way thru the ride, you go in the mouth and out the tail.
I won't go on any coaster or other ride that turns you upside down.
Sounds dated, but this coaster is a helluva thrill!
...and we know when to go so the cue is almost non-existent.
(This one has the extra creds of someone having died on it!)
View attachment 7575

It can be wild. There's always tamer options in the park. I won't pretend that there's anything as exciting or worth the endurance for however.

I would prefer the hopper to breakdown than an actual ride or most anything else I own. A downed hopper is actually not enough to prevent anything. It's merely frustrating and can take a long time to be brought back from out of order.

I haven't even had the io for 12 months but it feels like way more. With two of them and two remaining legacies one of which is flawless for more than 3 years, the tickets to ride aren't going to run out anytime soon and I'm never getting trapped upside down.
Sticking to the tame options isn't viable for my fuckcombustioning.

 

[SquirrelMaster]

The fact that HL has survived very serious growing pains and greatly improved the product should be a good sign.

I've always figured they must be doing something right, and the uniqueness of the Hopper is a testament to that but there have been other companies that appear to be doing much better on the surface and then close up shop unexpectedly. They have, hands down, the worst reputation of any dry herb vaporizer on the market so that can't be helping things.

Sounds like they assemble and ship already queued orders, I guess maintaining an inventory would be costly, so it doesn't bother me that they take their time shipping. Waiting an extra few weeks for something that can last years, save me money and make me happy is no big deal. I suspect the biggest technical problems are behind them. I would buy a few share if it were available. Let's see if it still works.......

If I buy a custom vape I expect a delay but HopperLabs lists some of their products as in stock so they should ship within days of an order being placed or they should have a big disclaimer that says orders ship weekly (like RBT did for a while) or that there will be a delay because of a sale (Cannabis Hardware currently because of the 420 sale), missing parts, parts in the shop, etc. The lack of communication is extremely frustrating and their reputation constantly suffers because of it. I can't think of another company that has spurred angry posts on IG like Hopper has. They are currently listing the stainless steel, plain titanium and colored titanium units as "Ships in May" on their website currently but taking weeks to assemble (which I didn't believe they did for each order) is news to me or other potential customers as nothing is mentioned on the website. If they assemble each order before they go out that makes the situation even worse imo going off the amount of posts this year alone of units that were shipped unusable and still took months to sort out as it takes them weeks to ship out the parts they didn't include in the first place.

One postive thing I'll say that really surprised me about the IO is how little it smells when it a simple pen case. I loaded up some flower last weekend and didn't fully finish the load then put the IO in a simple felt pen case and then my jacket pocket. I forgot I put it there and my jacket was hanging at the back door but I didn't pick up on the scent which really surprised me. For owners with the leather case I think you'd be in even better shape for keeping smells at bay. I do clean mine often so that probably helps but still, I was surprised.

 

[slozukimc]

Are you implying publicly traded stock? No way for me. Not this poorly run company. I’m already invested in cannabis ETFs too and I doubt HL would be invited to the party I’m in. Most don’t know their financial status and it’s all speculative. Then again so is the stock market but at least there are figures and facts required to be in the market. HL continues to operate as a black box. Many companies strive for a < 1% defect rate but I doubt HL can claim this. I’ll leave it at that.

As for my IO it will be my weekend companion and riding shotgun on a trip to NY. I keep a mag charger (first gen too!) in my car. Nothing quite like a Hopper that works well. Cheers.

Trip to NY eh? NYC or elesewhere? I am at zip 14865. If you’re nearby hit me up for a dab!

 

[JBone65]

One postive thing I'll say that really surprised me about the IO is how little it smells when it a simple pen case.

I agree. I have a Davinci IQ and it smells up the entire room. It's in a box in the top of the closet,

 

[SquirrelMaster]

I agree. I have a Davinci IQ and it smells up the entire room. It's in a box in the top of the closet,

I found the Solo 2 doesn't stink (top of the closet though, too weak), the Tinymight doesn't either if the stem isn't around iirc. I keep everything away from my wife to be safe, she always lets me know if I'm stinking up the place lol.

 

[Vaporific]

Trip to NY eh? NYC or elesewhere? I am at zip 14865. If you’re nearby hit me up for a dab!

Up-stateish. And then providing a guided tour of my alma mater (also in upstate NY) to my nephew. I’ll be back again this way, don’t worry (I’ll lookup the zip ). I only took a couple of hits with my IO on the way as I was driving into the setting son, dealing with friggin morons on the road, construction and an accident. I got really dry-eyed too as it was getting dark but all was good. Hope everyone is having a Hopperific weekend. It’s May so let’s see when HL ships items deemed as May.

 

[kilo]

I'm psyched — should receive two new SS io's on Wednesday. A backup and a backup for the backup. And plenty of batteries. I'll be interested to see what the final cost is. I traded in one old hopper but it wouldn't surprise me if the credit didn't get applied. And the price of batteries was lowered after I put my order in so whether I'll get anything more than the 4/20 discount is still unknown. Once I get these backups I'll think about returning my currently working io. It's developed a problem with the push button switch where I have to click it three, four, or five times before it stays on. This is still my best vape. But I admit — I'm getting sort of curious about the TinyMight.

 

[vapviking]

It's developed a problem with the push button switch where I have to click it three, four, or five times before it stays on.

You might try dipping the back end (back end only, not the body!) in isopropyl alcohol. Dip it briefly a couple of times, clicking clicker and and turning the dial. After this process it has to dry for at least a few hours before it will work at all (maybe wait til after Wednesday for this!)
EDIT; iso should be 99%, thanks to @slozukimc for pointing this out!
Mine has the issue you describe, plus it gets to a point it won't turn off when clicked. Doing the dip gets it back to normal for at least a few weeks.
Another way is using electrical contact cleaner. Use a type that says 'leaves no residue' or such phrase. Spray or douse the back end with that instead of the alcohol.

 

[slozukimc]

You might try dipping the back end (back end only, not the body!) in isopropyl alcohol. Dip it briefly a couple of times, clicking clicker and and turning the dial. After this process it has to dry for at least a few hours before it will work at all (maybe wait til after Wednesday for this!)
Mine has the issue you describe, plus it gets to a point it won't turn off when clicked. Doing the dip gets it back to normal for at least a few weeks.
Another way is using electrical contact cleaner. Use a type that says 'leaves no residue' or such phrase. Spray or douse the back end with that instead of the alcohol.

Do not use ISO unless it is 99%. It has water in it that gets left behind when the alcohol dries.

WD40 Specialist brand electrical contact cleaner does a good job. Spray the hell out of it, turn the dial a bunch, spray it more and let it air dry.

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

Any other company you might say, 'May, that's Tuesday best case- 4 weeks worst case', but from HL that just sounds like just another pushed back date they will push back again after the fact. If you don't ask they just take your money and then not deliver, for as long as it takes- no reliable updates likely.

They could always release the 'new' Hopper io 2, or plus or nqio (not quite instant on). Then they will say they are unable to take any io for repair due to covid, or current suitable excuse. But they will kindly offer an upgrade at slightly reduced price. But by then all our goodwill is long gone so how many new suckers can they find to prop up the next stage of the Ponzi scheme?

Have 2 IOs in for repair more than a month now. Promises, promises, promises from Hopper Labs. They did that for over 2 years with 2 faulty GHs. And even if I do get them back, they'll be faulty again within a couple of weeks. And we'll go through the whole charade over and over.

 

[vapviking]

This may be my week. It hasn't been too, too, long - so far, just under a month since initiating warranty service request. Hoping to speed things up, I ordered a spare body on the sale. Now it seems it's a horse race!

Hi,
Thanks for contacting us. We should have at least 1 shipped by next week.
Thanks,
Hopper Labs Support

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

This may be my week. It hasn't been too, too, long - so far, just under a month since initiating warranty service request. Hoping to speed things up, I ordered a spare body on the sale. Now it seems it's a horse race!

Hi,
Thanks for contacting us. We should have at least 1 shipped by next week.
Thanks,
Hopper Labs Support

I've had a similar response on my RMAs for the last 5 weeks. Note that they say "should".

 

[vapviking]

I've had a similar response on my RMAs for the last 5 weeks. Note that they say "should".

...and I said, "may"
I got no expectations, but hope springs eternal.

 

[JBone65]

Do not use ISO unless it is 99%. It has water in it that gets left behind when the alcohol dries.

WD40 Specialist brand electrical contact cleaner does a good job. Spray the hell out of it, turn the dial a bunch, spray it more and let it air dry.

Very interesting. My cleaning strategy since 2016 has been to avoid getting anything above the chamber wet or moist. I use ISOs that are diluted with water to various degrees, haven't seen 99% on a store shelf. I just assumed I would ruin it and HL would be able to tell and void the warranty.

Once I experienced a failure where the dial got sticky, presumably from resin. The end came off within a week. Have wondered about safe ways to maintain the top end. I asked HL Support, no advice. 99% ISO should dissolve traces of resin, not sure about contact cleaner. Also, wondering if a non conductive lube would minimize friction after cleaning.

 

[slozukimc]

Very interesting. My cleaning strategy since 2016 has been to avoid getting anything above the chamber wet or moist. I use ISOs that are diluted with water to various degrees, haven't seen 99% on a store shelf. I just assumed I would ruin it and HL would be able to tell and void the warranty.

Once I experienced a failure where the dial got sticky, presumably from resin. The end came off within a week. Have wondered about safe ways to maintain the top end. I asked HL Support, no advice. 99% ISO should dissolve traces of resin, not sure about contact cleaner. Also, wondering if a non conductive lube would minimize friction after cleaning.

The dials do get sticky from time to time and then sometimes pop apart. My current IO did that. I pushed it back together and it has been fine since. I will RMA it when my purple one shows up.
I don’t think it is a resin issue as there really is no reason for any resin to be building up on that end of the device, let alone inside the back end itself.

 

[cliffhanger1]

I've had a similar response on my RMAs for the last 5 weeks. Note that they say "should".

oh they said the same too me when i asked some times when something will be shipped.

i hate the word "should"

I said to them that "should" dont helps me

 

[JBone65]

Everyone has probably experienced stickiness in the threads. I learned to avoid screwing on the tip to the point where is gets sticky (almost always an issue between cleanings). If you get it tight when hot it can be very tight after cooling down. I accidentally unscrewed the internal service connection a few mm below the intake ports. Fortunately, re-torqued it back together and have screwed the top on very gently since then.

 

[vapviking]

Very interesting. My cleaning strategy since 2016 has been to avoid getting anything above the chamber wet or moist. I use ISOs that are diluted with water to various degrees, haven't seen 99% on a store shelf. I just assumed I would ruin it and HL would be able to tell and void the warranty.

Last year when iso alcohol was in very high demand/short supply, I got excited when I saw some 99% on Amazon and bought a gallon for $32.

This cleaning of back end with contact cleaner or alcohol is not widely discussed here, certainly not scientifically verified nor endorsed by HL. I picked up on it from @slozukimc and I've done it with both of the 'cleaners' with very good success. I would otherwise have had to (and before trying this I have in fact gone to) get warranty service.

I also don't think it is a resin build-up issue. An analogy would be the gray stuff that develops and cleans off of hopper threads; it's a 'metals' thing, not a 'resin' thing. Something inside the backend (the points of contact?) is getting cleaned of some buildup, this is my speculation.

 

[JBone65]

With respect to the threads, I know that small amounts of fresh bud tend to get ground into the threads after putting in a full load. Fresh bud resin isn't as sticky as the brown resin that collects in the tip but it is sticky and it doesn't take much to interfere with interference-style threads. We all know to clean the threads pretty often, my suggestion is to avoid over-tightening the tip, it serves no purpose and it can cause a failure. I usually screw it on until I feel resistance, back it off a tad and give it a pull test to make sure it won't come off in my pocket. I know it's time to clean it when I don't have much thread left. My fingertips can also be sticky after loading, especially if the load is fresh, then I immediately twist the dial. Maybe something as simple as washing my grubby hands can help avoid problems with the dial. It would be interesting to know all the different failure mechanisms HL sees, and what percentage of them are potentially avoidable. They could do a lot more to educate users. Sorry for the long post, the subject of IO optimization interests me.

 

[Vaporific]

I also don't think it is a resin build-up issue. An analogy would be the gray stuff that develops and cleans off of hopper threads; it's a 'metals' thing, not a 'resin' thing. Something inside the backend (the points of contact?) is getting cleaned of some buildup, this is my speculation.

I think you’re spot on. It’s not resin but the black stuff (oxidation?) that also builds up on the backend threads too. I’ve never had significant backend issues with my IO and OG but I do clean them with swabs of ISO, De-oxit and Blu-Tac. My OG gums up more than the IO, the latter has improved threading fore and aft. HL claimed that and it’s evident to me; the IO threads are much smoother.

Honestly I don’t recall hearing about the 99% ISO soak of the backend but I don’t think it would hurt anything. I don’t need to do it but will keep that advice handy if ever needed. Just don’t add water as stated above.

 

[vapviking]

With respect to the threads, I know that small amounts of fresh bud tend to get ground into the threads after putting in a full load. Fresh bud resin isn't as sticky as the brown resin that collects in the tip but it is sticky and it doesn't take much to interfere with interference-style threads. We all know to clean the threads pretty often, my suggestion is to avoid over-tightening the tip, it serves no purpose and it can cause a failure. I usually screw it on until I feel resistance, back it off a tad and give it a pull test to make sure it won't come off in my pocket. I know it's time to clean it when I don't have much thread left. My fingertips can also be sticky after loading, especially if the load is fresh, then I immediately twist the dial. Maybe something as simple as washing my grubby hands can help avoid problems with the dial. It would be interesting to know all the different failure mechanisms HL sees, and what percentage of them are potentially avoidable. They could do a lot more to educate users. Sorry for the long post, the subject of IO optimization interests me.

The threads to which my analogy referred were the back end threads. Again, nothing to do with resin, it's likely oxidation, as @Vaporific points out. The context was the larger discussion of failing back ends I was addressing. I do understand the threads and stickiness you are talking about to be front end issues.

 

[jabba]

Still waiting for a response from Hopper Labs....still no part received. Brand new io ti low heat from day 1....sent it to them...didn't fix it. I'm really close to just forgetting that my hopper exists and bad-mouthing HL at every opportunity. All those customers that had complaints over the years....now I am among them. My sympathies for HL were widespread in previous times....not anymore. This has been going on now since January.
We are all fooling ourselves....there is not only NOT a warranty on these devices....there is NO SERVICE WHATSOEVER. Hey John at HL...FUCK YOU!

 

[Vaporific]

bad-mouthing HL at every opportunity. All those customers that had complaints over the years....now I am among them.

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Been there done that bad-mouthing HL and I was once flogged by a mod for doing so. I’ll be polite now. HL hasn’t learned much since day one except for producing the IO. The steel case or battery charger are albatrosses and their lack of quality control hasn’t improved that much. Customer service is poor at best. I empathize with many because I went through a year-long RMA and berated them herein and privately too. Though I rolled the dice last September and got a new IO (TI) which has worked flawlessly since day one, I won’t buy another vape from them. Not with another wave of BS they’re giving everyone again. It’s literally SSDD - same shit different day. Sorry for all your and everyone’s troubles with HL. It totally sucks. I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum. Hopefully your situation will be rectified soon.

 

[VegNVape]

Wow, I've finally received my pre-order bronze io!

I have been waiting a decent amount of time for it, too - since reserving my slot back at the end of November '19, through to selecting Ti bronze and paying the remainder of the sum in March '20, until receiving my Hopper last week, at the very tail-end of April.

Surprisingly, I managed to resist the urge to swap for stainless or plain Ti, which was fun.

I've been on the ride before so I knew there would be delays and I was not disappointed.

But now I have the unit in my hand and I am pleased to say I am happy with my colour choice - I have an original blue Ti Grasshopper which looks great but after hearing talk of disappointment with the tone & vibrancy of the io's colouring I started to wonder if the bronze was going to look washed out or not very noticeable. However, my bronze io is looking classy af in my humble opinion, and that's all the validation I need.

And yes, I realise the front-end is a different tone, but I am going to let that one go. It still looks sick.

Loving the bronze!

Apologies for the not up to par pics, btw - I cracked the lense on my phone & focusing is a struggle!

I have more testing to conduct, but so far, in use I would say this thing runs very hot. In fact it combusted on the second hit on full power. I have also combusted one other time on 3.5/4.

My original Grasshopper would absolutely milk my bubblers on 5 & there would be no risk of combustion & it never, ever occured. I knew this is a more powerful heater but it still caught me out.

I have had some very good rips too, of course, but I certainly need to play much more to get some solid results. So far it seems my original Grasshopper required nothing more than loading full & ripping hard - whereas it appears I am going to need to pay more attention to the io to get it locked in, unless there is something wrong, which at the moment I wouldn't completely rule out as on power 3 I am getting uneven results and some very dark outcomes (in places), even for me - and I am someone who enjoys full extraction & high temps.

However, it is still very early days and new vapes can take a little getting used to . . . .

And so it goes on.

All good fun eh?!

 

[SquirrelMaster]

The threads to which my analogy referred were the back end threads. Again, nothing to do with resin, it's likely oxidation, as @Vaporific points out. The context was the larger discussion of failing back ends I was addressing. I do understand the threads and stickiness you are talking about to be front end issues.

My IO back end has been VERY tight from the day it arrived. I've always made sure to grip just above and below the threads as I'm afraid the back end is going to pop off if I grab it higher up. I think I cleaned it at one point which made it a little better. It's another time I wish I had some medical grade dielectric grease if oxidization is the culprit.