Discontinued Hopper io

[JBone65]

I've been frustrated a few times, had 4-5 warranty repairs in 5 years, but HL has come thru every time for me.

I'm guessing I've had over 30,000 excellent hits during this time. Spent $200 originally, then another $85 to upgrade to the io in 2020.

It's pretty easy to figure out what device is most satisfying. My other vaporizers waste weed, stink like hell, and don't provide as good a hit.

Based on my experience, it's extremely functional and an incredible bargain that pays for itself again and again.

There are several issues to consider before buying one. An extra effort is required initially, there is a learning curve to overcome.

This thing enables me to go 100% undetected while enjoying pure vapor, everywhere. Gotta love it.

I am happy to give a positive review when it's deserved.

 

[Greenleaf88]

Here is a contrarian perspective: Save yourself a lot of trouble and don't buy one. The devices are (still) innovative, offer a very tempting form factor, and yes they truly are capable of the results that you envision.....so a dream come true right? The problem is that HL offers indisputably horrible customer service and that some substantive percentage of their devices are prone to failure(s). This is a really bad combination. I don't mean just horrible service...I mean customers who sent their units in for repairs and never got them back! Or customers that ordered products that not only never shipped to them...but products that HL likely never even manufactured at all! Proprietary batteries that are intermittently available? Questionable if not wholly inconsistent quality controls? Their old website...no don't go there....we now have a new website for you? At best you can expect short illogical responses within 48 hours of your direct and succinct inquiries thus requiring multiple back/forth to even BEGIN a customer service discussion with HL. Don't you wonder why this thread is minimally active?....or why every other post is a Hopper basher? I used to overlook this ....but If it walks like a duck......well....it is probably a duck. This isn't a pandemic logistics problem...this has ALWAYS been the case with HL.
I have been a champion for Hopper Labs for a long while and have owned 4 units since 2016. I count myself among the very lucky Hopper users in that my total need for customer service and/or repairs has been quite minimal over the years. I love the form factor and the io's are more refined than their predecessor. They do still get hot. The vapor is still harsh if using a Hopper natively. This is inherent in the VERY short vapor path...making these devices better suited to whips or use through water pieces than via native use. Native use is possible...but is not ideal...and my ideal use is natively.
I just sold my entire Hopper lot and bits for a CHEAP price simply to rid myself of any association with HL. Life is short...and I don't wish to be beholden to HL in any way. The very minimal interactions that I've had with HL from recent times are not good...and I expect that should I require repair or service it would likely result in me becoming intensely frustrated. I don't like to be intensely frustrated.
So I sold it all off to a seemingly nice guy at a ridiculously low price and honestly I feel just GREAT about it. You remember what they say about boats and motorcyles?....you know.... the "the two best days with your boat/motorcyle are the day that you buy it and the day that you sell it".
Well I shipped it all out of here today and I'm here to tell you that today is a great day! Buh Bye HL. If only some credible company could produce a similar form factor vape of similar build quality that was reliable and backed by quality customer service.....THAT would be ideal. As it has stood for 5 YEARS I have been unable to even recommend a Hopper to a friend. The Hopper mystique is strong my friend...I completely understand. But listen very closely....from me as a former champion of HL.....I WAS NEVER ABLE TO RECOMMEND TO A FRIEND THAT THEY SHOULD PURCHASE A HOPPER. Save yourself the frustrations. Sooner or later this company has got to fold....I'm only surprised that it hasn't happened already....and with them goes your ability to obtain a battery to even operate the device!

I mean wow thank you for that thorough explanation 4 years ago thats y I backed off was hoping they had got there blank together, I think I can make better use of my money.

I was panning on using it in glass form factor and production always intrigued me but I will find something thay I will actually get.

@tryingtowin I'm from montreal lol your reply gave me a good chuckle

 

[tryingtowin]

I mean wow thank you for that thorough explanation 4 years ago thats y I backed off was hoping they had got there blank together, I think I can make better use of my money.

I was panning on using it in glass form factor and production always intrigued me but I will find something thay I will actually get.

@tryingtowin I'm from montreal lol your reply gave me a good chuckle

haha anytime..and that sucks..I was gonna offer to meet up so you could try the IO. I'm with the few others here who have said the same. I'm an OG backer and have been on the hopper train since their crowd funding. If I had to do it all over again I would..Spent $99 and a bit on batteries and spent $80 on a new front end and paid for the IO upgrade with a discount on my broken hopper they had. But all in all they've always honored their warranty and always had me up and running quickly..I'm in Toronto btw!

 

[RustyOldNail]

For those who enjoy accessories:

Shout out to @Delta3DStudios
As most of you already know, he makes a lot of cool and useful accessories for many vapes. All very inexpensive, but work great, like the USB charger holder. Below is my IO STATION. Holds all my most used items, except his “toothpick debowler”, which is also great.

 

[JBone65]

Below is my IO STATION. Holds all my most used items, except his “toothpick debowler”, which is also great.

Very organized and functional!

Not everyone in my home would understand my obsession with weed, so I keep my tools (toothpicks, q-tips, iso, small plastic cups, plastic grinder, and fingernail scissors) just outta sight.

On a different subject, I have been grinding loads finer and getting much richer hits. Noticed too many small blackened ABV balls that were bright green inside when broken open. The io hits great, the weed is pretty good, a consistent fine grind makes a difference IMO. I should add that I'm not talking about grinding it super fine. Mainly just grinding an extra 30-45 seconds with fingers to make it all about the same consistency.

 

[JBone65]

Not necessarily a bad deal.

The batteries look a little different.

 

[RustyOldNail]

Not necessarily a bad deal.

The batteries look a little different.

Hmm... look just like the last 10 I bought. They were not very consistent in my initial tests.

 

[LooseCucumber]

Good deal through Hopper


wanna hopper on the bandwagon but I'm apprehensive.


Edit- Hopper has two websites from what I gather.

 

[Vitolo]

Hmm... look just like the last 10 I bought. They were not very consistent in my initial tests.

I know it's not common... and I feel lucky.
I have 6 batteries... but since May of 2020, I am still using my original Battery and OG unit.
That original battery still gets me through 4 full sessions before I charge.
I have regularly checked my spare batteries to be sure they hold a charge, but why move on if #1 is still putting out the power!

 

[RustyOldNail]

I know it's not common... and I feel lucky.
I have 6 batteries... but since May of 2020, I am still using my original Battery and OG unit.
That original battery still gets me through 4 full sessions before I charge.
I have regularly checked my spare batteries to be sure they hold a charge, but why move on if #1 is still putting out the power!

I agree! With all my other devices that use replaceable, rechargeable batteries, I rotate them. BUT, with delicate GH IO, I don’t want to keep removing the backend to swap. So I keep the same battery in the unit, and just keep it topped off in the charger stand. The batteries may not last quite as long this way, but I’m more concerned about the health of the IO. Batteries are a consumable in my opinion and I’m too old to chase “fairy dust”. Enjoy Vitolo!

 

[vapviking]

Edit- Hopper has two websites from what I gather.

If you count the original crowd-source site (geez, was it indie go-go?) and the current two, there have been four websites, so three doing retail sales. Makes me wonder...
Unusual. Yes.

As a long-time customer I am somewhat offended by this. The records of my purchases and rma's (there have been a lot of both) have become corrupted, about half of them seem lost to me at this point. And, to purchase on site #4, I have to register anew. They want to gas-light the past and try to move on, I really feel that at this point.

This Black Friday I am only reminded of last Black Friday. Had to send a unit in about mid November, tried to order batteries on sale, to ship back with the device - but communications were so poor none of that happened and I waited months for my rma, having submitted my claim going onto their "busy time", apparently. I had to request rma on TWO bodies last week and have not heard back on those yet, so, limbo again. This will be the first BF sale in years that I don't buy any Hopper products -- I'm into several other vapes now that satisfy without nearly the frustration factor.

 

[jabba]

I recently sold any and all of my hopper gear. It feels so good to be away from the hopper ecosystem. They are just such a clumsy and untrustworthy company. Very unfortunate.

 

[JBone65]

I will reach the 5 year mark in a few weeks, maybe 20-30,000 quality hits for $285 (not counting a few consumable items). Is there another good portable vaporizer that hits as reliably, with a similar warranty?

 

[Tweakz]

I will reach the 5 year mark in a few weeks, maybe 20-30,000 quality hits for $285 (not counting a few consumable items). Is there another good portable vaporizer that hits as reliably, with a similar warranty?

My hopper ss broke down in just the 2nd month of use, and it is still waiting to be sent for repair...
While my Tinymight has been living for 20 months of daily work without any failures. The taste, hits and quality of vapor production on Tinymight are even a little better, but definitely not worse. In general, tm is more reliable and easier to painlessly completely disassemble and assemble back without warranty repair ...

 

[JBone65]

From everything I've heard the Tinymight might be the only portable that hits similar to an io (very good). I would invest in a Tinymight if the io wasn't working perfectly, and still under factory warranty (who knows how much longer?).

 

[Momor]

My first io was defective out of the box and I had to pay to send it in. Never had to pay to send any other vape I have/had for a warranty claim. Then it takes forever to see your unit back.
The io they sent me back was also defective...
Reading this thread, no io seems to really perform the same and a lot break after not long.
I wouldn't call it reliable.
I have a TM, Firewood 7 and 2021 omnivap at the moment and even if my Io is working good (I think anyway) it's my least favorite. I'm pretty confident the others will last forever and I'm almost certain that the ones I sold (splinter v2, impcognito, firefly 2... to name only a few) are still working perfectly.

 

[JBone65]

I hadn't heard of most of these but they look good. Thanks.

 

[vapviking]

I think you've asked this before. Product threads are not for comparison to other vapes, so I'm not surprised that you don't get a lot of answers. I've offered a couple of suggestions, but no more, I'm not gonna hawk other vapes anymore in the hopper thread. And I see some great comps are being mentioned, especially if the marks you set are "good" and "reliable"!
I am happy that you are having such a great time being a hopper owner (you, too, @Vitolo!) If you are looking for some validation of your experience, you will get widely mixed results here, and that speaks more to what the hopper experience is for a larger sample of users.
There are other places in FC to ask these comparison questions.

 

[slozukimc]

After finally agreeing to settle for a plain Ti IO instead of the purple one I ordered long ago with the stipulation that they send a cooling unit mouthpiece setup to make up for it I rcvd a plain Ti IO and nothing else. Not even a mention of what is up with my RMA unit.

Why can’t they get such simple shit right?

 

[mulciber]

Every now and then I jump in to audit this group to see if anything's changed with this company. I won't recount my "war stories", but I promise they're as good as anyone's.

The Hopper has been riding on its concept alone for many years (I was a pre-release adopter, big time, way back when). In concept, the GH could be about the best thermal extraction device ever made. Unfortunately, it was designed with tolerances that were nearly impossible to maintain in real-life use. More unfortunately, the people pushing it are thieves. I'm sorry to be harsh, but there's no other way to put it. They have taken my money, twice, and given me nothing in return. That's thievery. Again, sorry to be so black and white about it.

What's more, they're either not very good with the English language, or so contemptuous of their customers that they will just obstinately refuse to do what they promise, and in the same letter in which they'll tell you that bluntly, they'll hit you up for what amounts to charity (!!) I'm not kidding. I've received mail in which I was told that they'll return my RMA "sometime" (which they never did), followed by a request that I send in some money to cover their expenses out of the goodness of my heart. I could NOT believe it.

When it works, the GH can be terrific. But I feel compelled to warn people considering buying it that the only thing the company appears to be good at is stringing people along endlessly and collecting their cash.

I apologize for the vitriol. It's solely in the interest of helping people by pushing them to look at other, more worthwhile options.

 

[fogbank]

In the past few weeks/months I have tossed no fewer than 8 Hopper batteries. They became useless. They will not power the IO for more than one draw, and exhibit similar (poor) performance issues in my OG Hoppers.

I think that anyone considering a Hopper purchase should be aware of the potential issues with degrading batteries. I have heard users like @Vitolo state that they get multiple bowls from their battery in the IO. I have never experienced that level of performance with my IO Hoppers. I did experience that level of performance with my OG Hoppers when the batteries were new, but not anymore.

My Ti iO often starts to blink after only one or two draws on a newly charged battery. My SS iO performs only slightly better. I've used BlueTac and ISO on the back end threads and the back end threads in the body, but that didn't improve the performance.

All but 2 of my batteries are GH2 versions. The 2 GH3 batteries I have are not significantly better than my GH2s.

I often wonder if some people who sent their Hoppers in for poor performance were actually experiencing battery issues. They send the unit to HL, who attempt to diagnose the problem with new batteries, or maybe even a power adapter. It seems to work OK, so they send it back, and the user still experiences the poor performance.

 

[JBone65]

Grasshopper Labs LLC | Better Business Bureau® Profile

This organization is not BBB accredited. Online Retailer in Boulder, CO. See BBB rating, reviews, complaints, & more.

www.bbb.org

Here are 45 complaints registered with the BBB over the past few years.

When I read these I wonder how I've managed with HL and enjoyed several grasshoppers over these past 5 years (almost). I experienced the same major delays most people did when the OG and the battery had to be redesigned in 2018 & 2020, but my other warranty requests were handled within 2-3 weeks.

It all hinges on HLs being able to make a profit and somehow keep users like me business. I don't see how they have managed thus far. Maybe they won't come thru next time it fails. We'll see.

 

[Vaporific]

HL batts don’t have a great shelf life. My oldest ones, perhaps 2.5 years old, just don’t cut the mustard and maybe I get a load out of them. I label and rotate mine and the even the newest batch from last year, post-fire replacements for the ones they told us (at least me via email - I’m sure others got the notification too) and the new ones are starting to really degrade and I get flashing lights on my Ti IO after a couple of draws on a fully charged batt. We need to keep in mind the IO has a more powerful heater which is tempered by a purportedly more efficient battery management system. The batteries however have been inconsistent, as I can attest 5 or 6 years ago with my OG Hopper, and even the newer ones are starting to underperform. It’s really hard to describe as I’m not an electrical engineer. I could do like @Vitolo and others and just keep one batt inside and not use others but I’ve never had issues swapping them or keeping the threads (and the vape itself) clean. While ‘proprietary’ I think HL battery performance has always been an Achilles heel even with proper duly functioning units, like my IO which is 16+ months old and still works flawlessly. Except with cruddy and low charged batts. I can understand a low capacity battery needing to be charged but my newest ones don’t seem to keep up like they used to. And since I do rotate my cells they not siting too long I used. Hard to explain but HL batts ain’t my favorite.

Ironically, it might be time to order a few new batts with the Black Friday discount code. And I’ll echo @mulciber ’s comments above that HL doesn’t treat everyone the same - contemptuous is well-stated and how I’ve felt dealing with them with one major year-long RMA with my OG a few years ago as well as volunteering to proof read their latest site (or one of them - indeed it’s ridiculous to have 4 sites and potentially lose warranty info) and was guilted into buying something (like a PFE which I didn’t have at them time) to throw them a bone. Nary a thank you for all the edits I provided and purchasing a PFE. Suffice it to say, I have one each working OG and IO and I’ll only buy batts from them to keep them working. I won’t buy any other product or accessory from them ever. I do love my Hoppers but they don’t appreciate their customers - us. Turkeygiving regards to all.

 

[jabba]

Grasshopper Labs LLC | Better Business Bureau® Profile

This organization is not BBB accredited. Online Retailer in Boulder, CO. See BBB rating, reviews, complaints, & more.

www.bbb.org

Here are 45 complaints registered with the BBB over the past few years.

When I read these I wonder how I've managed with HL and enjoyed several grasshoppers over these past 5 years (almost). I experienced the same major delays most people did when the OG and the battery had to be redesigned in 2018 & 2020, but my other warranty requests were handled within 2-3 weeks.

It all hinges on HLs being able to make a profit and somehow keep users like me business. I don't see how they have managed thus far. Maybe they won't come thru next time it fails. We'll see.

Yes and what did they do about these complaints? They changed their name to Hopper and started a new website.

There will always be a few customers who have had a reasonable experience with Hopper. I was one of these customers for a long while, just reading these terrible posts about other's experiences. I should have listened but was smitten with the product design and the potential. I am still smitten with the product design and potential, however, the mileage is not worth the gas.

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

Classic update: Currently being borderline ghosted in the warranty portal. Had the back end issue akin to everyone else some time ago, sent it back, got it back in identical condition (disgraceful), and held onto it since. I initiated a warranty request in 2020, but let it sit for some time as they could sort out their QA. I sent the back end in 3 weeks ago along with two warranty portal messages from me to confirm delivery and tracking etc, but no response.

Per someone's suggestion, I emailed the support email directly with my information and issue and was told "to use the portal", despite explicitly discussing in my opening email that I had sent messages via the portal. Waited again and sent a follow up email in the same thread with the support email. We'll see!

I've experienced exactly the same issues. Hopper have my IO for the umpteenth time since end October 2021. Multiple messages on the portal. Multiple emails. No acknowledgement. No response. I reckon they are snowed under with RMAs. They're still marketing it. IMO they are only interested in sales. Response times for RMA now the same as GH RMAs. The IO has exactly the same problems as the GH. They renamed it, changed the LEDs, and convinced us that all the design problems had been sorted. And we fell for it again.