Discontinued Hopper io

[west-elec]

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.

I don't think oxidation is your issue if it has been like that since new. Oxidizing is from current passing across the threads and needs to build up with use.
Have you tried electrical contact cleaner spray? It dries clean so you can use the spray pressure to blast clean the threads.
Maybe won't work if the threads were made badly or are damaged somehow but may clear them if they are clogged up. Do the body as well, held upside down so spray doesn't collect down in the body. A tiny file would be the only fix if the threads mechanically aren't right, or send it back but we know where that will lead...

 

[vapviking]

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.

If it's the theads of the back end that are tight, by all means clean them, both m & f sides.
Yes, it would take time for oxidation to build up, though in your case there may be some residue from manufacture or something.
Blu-tack or iso on a swab may help you.

 

[Vaporific]

Yes, it would take time for oxidation to build up, though in your case there may be some residue from manufacture or something.
Blu-tack or iso on a swab may help you.

...or HL testing the unit before it’s shipped. I wouldn’t put it past them to manually test units before they go out. There have been reports over the years where threads and chamber were dirty from use when a new unit is received. Just saying. I thoroughly clean a new unit from them for that reason alone.

 

[kilo]

Well, this is nice. My two new io's were in the mailbox yesterday — a day early. I've been using my first io for over a year and noticed a few recurring problems which made me think an RMA might be needed at some point. It still delivers but vaping 'on a wing and a prayer' can get sort of wearing. So I bit the bullet and took advantage of the 4/20 sale.

I unboxed them and decided to try one out right away. Recently I've seen people reporting that they will use setting as low as "1" — I usually start at "3.5" — so I thought I'd give it a try. I was amazed at the vapor production at "1". I could tell, as well, that the new battery was adding as lot to the performance. I'm really pleased. Haven't tried the other new one yet, I suppose I should just to make sure it works.

Question — how do you register these units as there's no ID code on the box?

 

[JBone65]

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.

This sounds like the same problem I experienced with my IO last November. When I first reported that it was "increasingly difficult to turn", they told me to "push down on it while turning". I didn't see any change and it broke a day later, they aren't designed for high torque. HL offered to mail a replacement "backend" a few days after I amended the WSR to reflect the failure. Received it three weeks later. Your WSR should be accepted if you say something like "increasingly difficult, tried pushing down, unable able to turn it without high torque, not functioning, etc.". Maybe you can get one coming then decide if you dare to try the 99% alcohol cleansing described 10-15 posts back. Don't know if that could affect your warranty claim, that's a risk.

 

[collegeKid101]

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?!

Are they just now shipping color Ti preorders or am I missing something here?

 

[vapviking]

Question — how do you register these units as there's no ID code on the box?

You have to email support and request that they register the device for you. No hurry, it is only necessary if/when you need repair.
If I may ask, are these ss units? I'm waiting for 2 bodies to ship.

Are they just now shipping color Ti preorders or am I missing something here?

Yes, it is fairly recent that any color io's have been released into the wild.

Uh, Covid?

 

[collegeKid101]

You have to email support and request that they register the device for you. No hurry, it is only necessary if/when you need repair.
If I may ask, are these ss units? I'm waiting for 2 bodies to ship.

Yes, it is fairly recent that any color io's have been released into the wild.

Uh, Covid?

damn so switching my order to regular Ti or SS means ill probably get it much faster I’m guessing? And lol yeah covid, but their website says may for all three options on the site (which means nothing but hey)

 

[vapviking]

damn so switching my order to regular Ti or SS means ill probably get it much faster I’m guessing? And lol yeah covid, but their website says may for all three options on the site (which means nothing but hey)

At this point it might go either way, all io's say "May", and I think someone got a reply to the effect that older color orders are going out now, but new orders would wait til "May" (ha!).

 

[kilo]

If I may ask, are these ss units? I'm waiting for 2 bodies to ship.

Yes, SS units ordered on 4/20.

 

[ChooChooCharlie]

@VegNVape - Nice pics, and board! My plain TI front ends also do not match bodies, so you're not alone there. However, your combusting sounds very off. Sucks for you after waiting so long, sorry

I've been lucky with four I got last Summer

Usually leave mine set a little above 3, but just tested each at 5. No combustion, but two units with newer batteries blackened most of load with char taste, but no nasty yellowish clouds or smoke

In yesterday's livestream, vapefiend George said they had a 100% return rate when they sold Hoppers. He may have exaggerated a bit, because I bought my first from him years ago, and never returned it to him across the pond

@VegNVape - your first post, starting this io thread Dec 2019 -- you ended that post with:

"I know I'm definitely looking forward to this .... so I guess I may as well settle in and enjoy the ride."

You certainly settled in for a while, waiting, but are you enjoying the ride?

 

[JBone65]

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 haven't experienced combustion with the IO in 8 1/2 months (I said 51/2 months in an earlier post). I finish each load with 3-4 hits on full power, 460° seems ideal as far as I can tell. My hits are pretty slow, usually 15 seconds or more, so it gets pretty hot. You mentioned a bubbler, maybe longer hits or hits in rapid succession could explain it. Sounds like you must have turned it up full blast on a fresh load, and got a long hit with a bubbler, all at the same time....

 

[slozukimc]

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.

I bet you do have medical grade dielectric grease. In your medicine cabinet. Vaseline will do it. I haven’t tried it on a Hopper, yet. I saw your post and thought hmmmmmm would Vaseline work and did some reading up and it should. Now for an easy way to take the Hopper back end apart to apply some to the contacts……..

 

[kilo]

Alas, the honeymoon was short-lived. I had been so impressed with the vapor production on my brand new io that I was using it at low settings from 1 to 2½. Cranked it up to 4½ to finish the bowl and...combustion! No wonder it was producing so heavily at "1" — it was probably more like 3½! I've never combusted on a Hopper since I got my first one in 2016. So, it looks like RMA time. I don't mind it malfunctioning so much, as I always suspected my luck would run out eventually. What I'm worried about is whether the warranty work will actually get done in a reasonable amount of time and fix the problem with this unit and my first io. I could see myself turning into one of those bitter types you see on the reddit grasshopper sub-forum. Oh well, I'll let you know how it works out.

 

[SquirrelMaster]

I bet you do have medical grade dielectric grease. In your medicine cabinet. Vaseline will do it. I haven’t tried it on a Hopper, yet. I saw your post and thought hmmmmmm would Vaseline work and did some reading up and it should. Now for an easy way to take the Hopper back end apart to apply some to the contacts……..

Would it be considered medical though? I figured there's be some sort of heat rating but I haven't looked into it so I have no idea to be honest.

 

[slozukimc]

Would it be considered medical though? I figured there's be some sort of heat rating but I haven't looked into it so I have no idea to be honest.

Then again does it even matter? It is not on the end near the weed.

 

[SquirrelMaster]

Then again does it even matter? It is not on the end near the weed.

I'd be worried about the viscosity changing and it getting into the electronics.

 

[kilo]

Okay, this is what I've decided, after a few nice nice cloudy tokes on 1 — it works. If I don't climb higher than 2½ - 3, I should be fine. No RMA until I can't get high off the thing — that's what I'll define as "broken". I was using a technique which worked on my first io which is unnecessary on this one. No need to press the pedal to the metal with this vape. I apologize for the drama and, friends, I am deeply appreciative of your expressions of sympathy!

 

[VegNVape]

@VegNVape - your first post, starting this io thread Dec 2019 -- you ended that post with:

"I know I'm definitely looking forward to this .... so I guess I may as well settle in and enjoy the ride."

You certainly settled in for a while, waiting, but are you enjoying the ride?

Hey @ChooChooCharlie - that pic reminds me of my mark II VW Golf which went up in flames while I was driving it to college many, many, moons ago - and yep, I can't deny I enjoyed that, too It's better to burn out than it is to rust, eh?!

As for Hopper fun, I think I'm with @kilo - my fresh io rips on 1, but beyond that starts to get pretty gnarly. No temp stepping options with this device but I will admit the general ease of use coupled with this sleek af form factor, once again, has me smitten.

In comparison to the Grasshopper, I'm certainly not missing waiting for the blue 'ready' lights. In fact, providing you know your battery is good, it's really nice not needing to look at the device whatsoever to check if it's ready after clicking it on. Imo this was a relatively minor upgrade but in practice it has more impact than I expected. No more 'waiting face' and even less to explain when you pass it to someone.

Sounds like you must have turned it up full blast on a fresh load, and got a long hit with a bubbler, all at the same time....

Hey @JBone65 - while my io was on full power the first time it combusted (it's happened twice) it was not a fresh load (it was the second hit) and I was hitting it native using the standard front end, not through a bubbler. It sounds like a definite difference in device performance compared to your experience.

Oh, just one more thing,

I feel I should recognise the fact I received all of my replacement batteries for those I previously bought but were deemed a fire hazard by Hopper Labs - although I did email them several times to confirm and ensure they would be accompanying my bronze Ti io, once it finally shipped. Thanks, lads.

Well, I guess I'll go play some more with my tiny, overpowered, James Bond style vape and think about sending Hopper Labs another email . . . .

Blesings to all

 

[kilo]

I feel I should recognise the fact I received all of my replacement batteries for those I previously bought but were deemed a fire hazard by Hopper Labs ...

Don't tell anyone, but I've been using the hazardous batteries. I don't leave them in the NiteCore charger overnight but otherwise I treat them as I do the new ones. Shhhh.....

 

[Vaporific]

Don't tell anyone, but I've been using the hazardous batteries. I don't leave them in the NiteCore charger overnight but otherwise I treat them as I do the new ones. Shhhh.....

I did too for months keeping a close eye on and being vigilant with them. I didn’t have any issues using them. I eventually discarded them when I got the actual replacements.

My IO (TI) continues to perform flawlessly since September ‘20. Great vapor every single time natively with the standard mouthpiece. I rarely go above 3.5 otherwise the vapor is too hot (I’m a big native user and seldom use my rig & jay hooks but I have them for occasional use). I also needed to adjust my draw technique with the IO since it is more powerful and runs hotter (the vapor not the vape itself, which remains cool to the touch unlike my OG which gets very warm when a battery is running down - that’s when I’ve historically noticed a Hopper getting very warm, at least with my OG; not so much with the IO which remains relatively cool during usage). Cheers.

 

[vapviking]

As for Hopper fun, I think I'm with @kilo - my fresh io rips on 1, but beyond that starts to get pretty gnarly. No temp stepping options with this device but I will admit the general ease of use coupled with this sleek af form factor, once again, has me smitten.

Oh, that extra 5 watts of raw power that the ti's have over ss must be the answer! (ahem...)
Our ss ios' settings have been just 1 hash mark or two lower than with the og (ss or ti). So, good rips at 2.5 thru 4.5, combustion not an issue with these.
Go figgur.
I think clicking it off extra early may be a way to emulate lower temps and work gradually up to higher?

But MOSTLY @VegNVape I'm glad I have your attention 'cause I want to compliment that embroidered whatever-it-is; it's a really pretty piece of work! Would love to see a photo of more (all!) of it sometime.

 

[collegeKid101]

Anyone have any news on whether the “May Shipping” units are actually shipping this month? Considering changing my color Ti order to a SS if that means it will get here faster

 

[collegeKid101]

Anyone have any news on whether the “May Shipping” units are actually shipping this month? Considering changing my color Ti order to a SS if that means it will get here faster

Received an email saying it would ship this coming week. Hopefully that’s accurate.

 

[vapviking]

Received an email saying it would ship this coming week. Hopefully that’s accurate.

I'm awaiting a ss body from warranty and a spare ss body I ordered to "get by" while the first was down. I thought they were in stock, now I've asked HL if they suggest I cancel since at the moment I'm sol on both scores.
My status has changed from two weeks ago's, 'should ship at least one next week' (didn't happen) to the new, 'they will ship early next week.'
At least I got the new body on the 4/20 sale price...