Discontinued Hopper io

[Shit Snacks]

I would like to know about any comparable alternative portable convection devices.

I suspect most of the devices being marketed are less satisfying than the io in terms of hit quality.

Your suspicions are wrong, I said this to you early on in here, that it sounded like you didn't have any other pure convection on demand vaporizers to compare the hopper to, and I listed several...

The Tinymight has been recommended by some io users. That should be a glowing recommendation, still not sure how satisfied I would be with it. It's not cheap at $259. Reliability is critical since no warranty is advertised, unless it's easy to diagnose and replace parts inexpensively.

Recommendations?

No warranty? The TM has a 10-year warranty... Reliability on both of my units has been much better than my grasshopper, have not needed to use the warranty once... Agreed it's not cheap, but it is a far better investment than GH imo

This is the kind of thing we are supposed to explore other threads for; alternatively, you can start a new thread, asking for opinions about comps (I think that would go in the Vapor Lounge area, though I'm not sure). Technically, in the vaporizer threads, we are supposed to stick to discussion about use of that particular vape.
Mods have definitely let the hopper threads have wider discussions, mostly due to the, uh, unique nature of the customer experience.

Yeah it's actually a topic for Ask FC (not vapor lounge really) though it's true GH threads have a lot more leeway, it is okay to talk about a product if you frame it properly in general, you must talk about the vape at hand if it is its thread, okay to mention another though if it is relevant to the context

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?

I wouldn't say similar warranty, lifetime warranty is not easy to come by, but also every warranty service seems better than the Hopper Labs warranty service... Again there are many other great portables that hit reliably with great customer service, would you believe that many you don't even need to use the warranty service because the product actually works consistently?? lol

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?).

I love the TM, but again it is far from the only portable that hits similar, in fact I wouldn't necessarily say it's similar, I think it's better in many ways to the GH... Again 10-year warranty... However it is not really like the GH, this size with instant heat up, this alone is unique here. Pure convection on demand, is depending on the power level and temperature regulation, but also the heating element itself changes the specific signature of the vapor quality device to device...

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

Again, you had heard of them because I listed so many for you long ago, and you can easily check the portable section here (and the plug-in section) to see all the different threads for specific vapes, there are many popular products that use similar technology (pure convection on demand near instant heat up) and many others that are very different yet equally effective... Xmax v3pro is the new budget play, joining vleafgo but with different experience, and yeah TM, TetraP80, Tafée Bowle, Splinter, iHeat, Glow, Milaana, Firefly, StickyBricks, Piro, Toad/Nomad, and yeah one of my favorites along with the TM is the Firewood7 though it is not pure convection, it is on demand conduction with some hybrid convection and it is entirely unique and very effective and fun experience! FW8 may be coming soon...

Sure the grasshopper is unique from these, the industrial design, like I said the size, however I think there are a lot of limitations, like as I said I find the clicking very annoying and inconvenient, the small hot body, the custom batteries, the mouthpiece and cooling options, although easy to connect to glass j hook and such the same way I would be using the TM (but one key thing I like about the TM is that it is glass stem-based convection, meaning the glass stem is both your chamber and vapor path, fully removable swappable and cleanable...)

I've had excellent luck with very concise friendly warranty requests. Anything more than a couple of sentences and they might not read it, anything negative they might delete it, etc. Just my $0.02. Please let us know how it goes.

I know you are trying to help, but it's comments like this that might irk people, even though it's just your opinion... do you think any of our warranty requests did not start out concise and friendly? I received a defective cosmetically damaged color Ti IO and could not have been more friendly and concise explaining the issue, it took several emails back and forth repeating myself to finally get the appropriate response, of course they agreed to send out the replacement however they did not have any stock of the blue color and said it would be months, I have not followed up because I'm sure they're only busier now and it's such a headache to even get the response... Whatever I'm lucky mine is working okay despite the damage, hope there's nothing unsafe about having insulation material(?) spread all inside the chamber somehow...

Also "anything negative they might delete it" does that not sound ridiculous to you? For a company to operate this way...??

Again I highly recommend you try out some of the other popular units, or at least research them, before talking about them at the very least... Like I would refrain from making a general statement, when you are unaware of the general state of vapes, but you're only human lol if you can, I'd highly recommend grabbing another vape, for the comparison points, something different or something similar, just anything else if you want to make those kind of declarations about more than just the hopper itself, you know?

Sorry, you're fine, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to speak positively about the product here! Just rubs some people the wrong way depending what you say

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.

View attachment 14303

Oh yeah Delta 3D is the best, especially for Hopper accessories, I have an organizer like that, but I also got a huge box of wonky accessories that have slight imperfections for grasshopper, nothing really noticeable they all work fine, and the price was insanely low lol My favorite is the loading funnel, and the pyramid stand, really nice way to tie things together with my now-plug-in OG grasshopper and maxvapor power adapter (had to use a TI back end, from a complete TI I bought that runs cool and can't extract, with my original SS Hopper) it is a very fun little desktop this way, although it would be nice with the IO instead, and it would be really nice if you didn't have to load the chamber inside the body... I still long for that original prototype where the chamber was in the mouthpiece, one solid removable chamber vapor path piece much like a glass stem system...

Anyway I should take mine out again, I also try to use it with more coarse ground to prevent any particles, but it's still very difficult to account for that, and you do get better extraction the more you grind... I don't know it's just a little tedious for me to use it, the vapor quality experience is not that enjoyable, although the vapor signature is quite strong and unique... I had bought it to actually use it as a portable, but those situations have not come up just yet, and I still feel like I will take a oil cartridge pen instead

 

[JBone65]

I own three vaporizers. None hit "consistently" like the io, not even the desktop unit. Maybe I haven't used it correctly. It's a basic convection unit with precise temperature control and a much larger chamber. It hits extremely well when you put enough in it, but the hit quality deteriorates quickly and you have to stir and/or add more weed after only a few hits. It works great when growing and have too much fresh weed on hand, but it uses a lot more than an io for a similar effect, every hit is different, some are frustrating, it stinks, etc. I won't even talk about the worthless oven-style portable I bought. There are folks on another FC thread that like it but it's useless IMO.

Looked at the TM website again. Not a big deal either way but still not seeing anything about a warranty. I might have overlooked it. A decent warranty matters to me, considering what can go wrong with these things.

My point about a concise warranty request seems like common sense. As HL seemingly ignores certain people, over and over again in some cases, while servicing others in short order, mightn't it be counter-productive to send them a lengthy angry email? Clearly you are "irked" by my advice. Sorry about that. I just wanted to help people succeed with a HL warranty request.

 

[Shit Snacks]

I own three vaporizers. None hit "consistently" like the io, not even the desktop unit. Maybe I haven't used it correctly. It's a basic convection unit with precise temperature control and a much larger chamber. It hits extremely well when you put enough in it, but the hit quality deteriorates quickly and you have to stir and/or add more weed after only a few hits. It works great when growing and have too much fresh weed on hand, but it uses a lot more than an io for a similar effect, every hit is different, some are frustrating, it stinks, etc. I won't even talk about the worthless oven-style portable I bought. There are folks on another FC thread that like it but it's useless IMO.

Well I don't know what unit you're talking about, if you're talking about one of those old box vaporizers, or like an Arizer EQ, yeah those don't compare and that's what I'm talking about, if you want to talk about the comparisons, or the general statements, you need to try some more modern top tier vapes, regardless portable or desktop...

Looked at the TM website again. Not a big deal either way but still not seeing anything about a warranty. I might have overlooked it. A decent warranty matters to me, considering what can go wrong with these things.

I googled tinymight warranty and it brought me right to the place on the website that says made in Finland 10-year warranty, so yes you overlooked, and a decent warranty is only as good as the company... The whole point many of us are trying to make here, is that Hopper Labs is not such a good company so the lifetime warranty is a little moot for many of us... (And some people may feel that way about the TM too)

My point about a concise warranty request seems like common sense. As HL seemingly ignores certain people, over and over again in some cases, while servicing others in short order, mightn't it be counter-productive to send them a lengthy angry email? Clearly you are "irked" by my advice. Sorry about that. I just wanted to help people succeed with a HL warranty request.

I got your point, it is common sense, but you shouldn't assume that people are sending them lengthy angry emails for their first warranty request... That really only happens after being ignored dozens of times!

And it's okay, I get it dude, likewise I'm really just trying to help you too! It is good advice in general, useful for the TM warranty mentioned in that thread as well, I'm just trying to tell you that I think you are telling it to the wrong people in here is all

 

[JBone65]

I didn't assume anything and I'm not sure what you're upset about. Have read it twice.

Is a satisfied customer welcome on this thread? Just let me know, please.

Maybe we need two threads, those that (understand all that has transpired but are satisfied and) wanna learn and share usage info and those that simply hate HL and wanna see them fail ASAP. Two diametrically opposed viewpoints. It's a valid question, dude.

 

[Shit Snacks]

I didn't assume anything and I'm not sure what you're upset about. Have read it twice.

Sorry to suggest you were assuming, I'm not upset, it just seemed to me like it could be upsetting to hear that, if you are someone frustrated with the service... Seriously all good!

Is a satisfied customer welcome on this thread? Just let me know, please.

Again sorry, I'm not trying to attack you, what triggered me more was the request of other comparable devices as I explained why...

Maybe we need two threads, those that (understand all that has transpired but are satisfied and) wanna learn and share usage info and those that simply hate HL and wanna see them fail ASAP. Two diametrically opposed viewpoints. It's a valid question, dude.

Again sorry to make you feel this way! You're absolutely right, you're positivity is welcome here, that is what it's for, seeing both viewpoints, I really was just pointing out the way you were framing your advice, seemed like it could strike a nerve... Maybe it's just me, again I'm not so upset by it, I think I would be more upset if I was one of the other posters, but that is not for me to say, I was just trying to provide another perspective as well! I don't hate them, I am just very disappointed by Hopper Labs is all.

Tone can be tricky, when you're writing posts on the internet, just want to assure you I have no ill will and apologies if I came across harsh, hope you accept

 

[JBone65]

I admit that I sometimes get bored and look to things like this thread for entertainment. What can I say? My old friends either live elsewhere or worse.

It's unfortunate that there are two distinct groups of Hopper users in this thread, current and former. Unfortunately this can also mean happy and less than happy.

If they hadn't offered the infamous lifetime warranty they probably would have disappeared years ago. I'm guessing they know this or they probably would have amended the terms by now. I'm sure it's been discussed, they could require a small fee to cover costs and make people think twice. They could still call it a lifetime warranty of sorts. Maybe their goal is to get an average run time in years instead of months, that would also work. Either way, I hope to be right here soaking up the sweet vapor they helped create. (Sorry!).

Yes old people can almost use emojis.

 

[jabba]

I didn't assume anything and I'm not sure what you're upset about. Have read it twice.

Is a satisfied customer welcome on this thread? Just let me know, please.

Maybe we need two threads, those that (understand all that has transpired but are satisfied and) wanna learn and share usage info and those that simply hate HL and wanna see them fail ASAP. Two diametrically opposed viewpoints. It's a valid question, dude.

Which thread do you suppose would have more members?

 

[nasdri253]

Talkings about warranty, any recent experience with lead time? my OG and IO both in for repair since beginning of October but nothing. have emailed a few times but i never got the reply i need.
I am not that upset i have to say, both because I kind of knew the risks and since I am well covered, my vape life has not suffered at all but I also knew this was my last time money on them.
Because even if I will ever get anything back, they will fail again, i also suppose by the time i get anything back my third batch of batteries might be dead. Funny how i do not regret the buy, maybe because the OG was my first vape ever and started it all…thinking about it how could I blame them? We are in 2022 almost and after all these years they still get away with it.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Oh yeah, I mean I knew what I was getting into, and I guess I'm not totally un satisfied with what I've got from them ultimately! Part of the problem some would say perhaps lol

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

Talkings about warranty, any recent experience with lead time? my OG and IO both in for repair since beginning of October but nothing. have emailed a few times but i never got the reply i need.
I am not that upset i have to say, both because I kind of knew the risks and since I am well covered, my vape life has not suffered at all but I also knew this was my last time money on them.
Because even if I will ever get anything back, they will fail again, i also suppose by the time i get anything back my third batch of batteries might be dead. Funny how i do not regret the buy, maybe because the OG was my first vape ever and started it all…thinking about it how could I blame them? We are in 2022 almost and after all these years they still get away with it.

Same with me. Even when they do eventually repair them they last a couple of weeks and then it's time to send them back again. Rinse and repeat. I have received no acknowledgement on the portal or when I emailed them since my latest RMA in October. On the last RMA of many they said they were surprised I was having so much trouble because RMAs are rare with other users. Anyone who buys anything from this company needs their head examined.

 

[vapviking]

This is all of the same cloth.
HL brings it all on themselves.
How can one call a product reliable when it is only reliable for some indeterminate, middling percentage of buyers or time?
The same can be said for the warranty, and the service.

If there were two threads, I'd be posting in both of them! My experiences run the full range... Crazy!

Aside, I've said before that I believe a program of leasing hoppers might actually work. Pay a monthly fee to be assured of happy hopping. No hopping last month? no bill to pay.

The owners of Hopper Labs have stated several times that survival of the company justifies all of their behavior. A lot of the behavior is actually inexcusable. (Pre-selling products that are never made, for example.) Some folks are a bit turned off by that shit.

 

[jabba]

This is all of the same cloth.
HL brings it all on themselves.
How can one call a product reliable when it is only reliable for some indeterminate, middling percentage of buyers or time?
The same can be said for the warranty, and the service.

If there were two threads, I'd be posting in both of them! My experiences run the full range... Crazy!

Aside, I've said before that I believe a program of leasing hoppers might actually work. Pay a monthly fee to be assured of happy hopping. No hopping last month? no bill to pay.

The owners of Hopper Labs have stated several times that survival of the company justifies all of their behavior. A lot of the behavior is actually inexcusable. (Pre-selling products that are never made, for example.) Some folks are a bit turned off by that shit.

I've always said that HL's idea, design, and construction aesthetic were fantastic. I'm surprised that some larger corporation did not purchase HL and its intellectual property at some point during history. If HL had deeper pockets, fatter brains, and some common sense...wow! If a typical consumer could reliably obtain, utilize, and receive service for a Hopper, the Hopper might have been among the most prolific portable convection devices in existence. The Hopper form, aesthetic, and function (when it is working) is STILL that innovative imo.

The truth, however, is that HL has shallow pockets, they have apparently given up on engineering themselves out of their many technical difficulties, and their customer service is akin to working with a shylock. HL as a company still has the 'mindset' of a needy crowd funder and has fumbled and neglected the very few die-hard supporters that it had ever earned along the way. It is astonishing that they are still in business....I think a testament only to the longevity of their original design and aesthetic. HL has long ago 'given up' and are resting on their broken-down and rusty old laurels now.

I had been one of their original supporters and have been long smitten with HL's potential having purchased 4 units, accessories, and of course several batteries over the years. Despite my enthusiasm, I NEVER suggested to a friend that they should buy a Hopper. I think this fact 'says it all'. After listening to others bash Hopper over 4-5 years I must admit that I finally share that sentiment. Receiving HL's emails for Black Friday and other promotions now just makes me laugh. Perspective truly is everything.

 

[JBone65]

Which thread do you suppose would have more members?

Definitely more dissatisfied customers on this thread. There must be a group of users or HL would shut down.

Can HL win the uphill battle and reverse the bad reputation, with no marketing budget and continued bad reviews? Improved reliability and word of mouth "advertising" might not be enough.

The issues surrounding the unique warranty and disappointed users aren't likely to be resolved anytime soon, even with totally satisfied customers like me saying how much I have enjoyed the io.

I would gladly pay a $20 or $30 processing fee if/when failures occur if that would make the difference. It would give HL an incentive to take better care of customers, and would improve their bottom line so they could hire a couple more people with the skills needed to properly manage customers.

I'm thinking most folks would rather pay a small fee and receive prompt service than deal with slow, sometimes unreliable or non-existent free service.

Admittedly, I don't know much about it, but for me HL "raised the bar" for enjoyment of marijuana, in a way that makes it seem almost acceptable or clean or healthy, while getting even more fucked up.

It's my hope that performance continues to improve and dissatisfied users eventually have a reason to try it again.

 

[vapviking]

Can HL win the uphill battle and reverse the bad reputation, with no marketing budget and continued bad reviews? Improved reliability and word of mouth "advertising" might not be enough.

We all pondered this very question in 2019-20 when the all-new io was going to fix everything.

I'm thinking most folks would rather pay a small fee and receive prompt service than deal with slow, sometimes unreliable or non-existent free service.

Extend this idea to a monthly (or longer) lease fee for care-free vaping and I'm in! The $ I've spent on 5 hoppers and dozens of returns could have made many monthly payments...

It's my hope that performance continues to improve and dissatisfied users eventually have a reason to try it again.

Hope springs eternal, that's the expression!
Here was one of my hopeful statements (from Jan. 2020) as we all anticipated the io,

My hope, and I think it may be HL's, is that the io is the path leading out of the wilderness and into a sane and stable product and business (= happy hopper family). Almost anyone who has really experienced the working Grasshopper will happily convert the finicky one for the new & improved one, right? And for HL, no more carousel of endless repair. Hey, I said, "hope".

 

[jabba]

We all pondered this very question in 2019-20 when the all-new io was going to fix everything.

Extend this idea to a monthly (or longer) lease fee for care-free vaping and I'm in! The $ I've spent on 5 hoppers and dozens of returns could have made many monthly payments...


Hope springs eternal, that's the expression!
Here was one of my hopeful statements (from Jan. 2020) as we all anticipated the io,

Ya....THIS is the problem. Even most historically satisfied Hoppers eventually sour due to either device issues or customer service issues. Some Hoppers have longer honeymoon periods while others shorter. Through it all and for YEARS HL has exhibited, for lack of using too many words, bad behavior(s). These bad behaviors have gone unchecked aside from the type of negative FC posts that we have all grown accustomed to. HL has left SO MANY without a voice and helpless aside from the inevitable bashing seen here. They continue to peddle their wares while I can discern no obvious changes to their product(s), communication(s), and service. If it walks like a duck......

I would gladly pay a $20 or $30 processing fee if/when failures occur if that would make the difference. It would give HL an incentive to take better care of customers, and would improve their bottom line so they could hire a couple more people with the skills needed to properly manage customers.

This is fine (for you). Perhaps it would have been fine for me too. As it is, a company cannot tout their "Lifetime Warranty" with one voice and then initiate a additional fee in order to receive reasonably adequate warranty service with their 'other' mouth. Making such a change in 'policy' would be hinky for any company. In the case of an already tarnished HL, I believe it would make already slighted customers go completely ballistic (as if it would really matter).

Regardless of whether his or her Hoppers still function adequately, HL has serious trust issues. From selling products that were never produced....to never returning hoppers to their owners from warranty service....to wholly nonsensical service communications requiring 5 emails back/forth to garner even BASIC information.....to holding Hoppers for repairs for MONTHS or even YEARS with little/no relevant communications with the property owner(s). Either the employees at HL are so constantly stoned beyond sensibilities that they cannot perform basic tasks or they are purposefully stonewalling their customers. Worst of all....when the chips are really down....when you finally get their attentions....HL then reverts to the "hey can you help us out...we are a small startup trying to make it...howsabout you send us some money and we'll make everything all better". Mind you this has been going on since 2016!!!

It is really just 'crazy-town' over at HL ....and shamefully so. I can't think of a company that features a product with such potential that so horribly flunks manufacturing, quality control, and customer service. These HL guys are out of their ever-loving minds. I've said it before....load up on your batteries now.

At a MINIMUM HL should be taking good care of ACTIVE FC Members in an effort to feign some degree of quality customer service to those lemmings who stumble across us on the interwebz. As it sits...it is hard to find any semblance of consistent positive product reviews. I really don't believe that HL cares whether they survive or not at this point. I really don't.

 

[Vaporific]

My IO is working fine still, it’s just my oldest set of batteries that can’t keep up nor keep the IO running well. The newer ones work better, thankfully. I did order 3 new batts over the weekend with the BF promo code - at least I got an order confirmation quickly. Let’s see when they actually ship.

Some of the comments above from stalwarts on this thread (and FC in general) leave a bad taste in my mouth. I’m not an HL fanboy by any stretch and do hope they survive however many things still need to improved and maturity demonstrated. Still miles to go however.

 

[JBone65]

a company cannot tout their "Lifetime Warranty" with one voice and then initiate a additional fee in order to receive reasonably adequate warranty service with their 'other' mouth

They probably won't but they potentially could announce that, in order to stay in business and improve SQ to a satisfactory level, they have to add a $20 processing fee to cover shipping and material costs. It would probably upset some folks, but it's potentially essential for long term viability, to put HL on a sustainable track and improve customer service. It could be configured such that they don't get the money until the repair is carried out. Everybody would win to some degree. I've made out like a bandit with the totally free warranty but I would gladly pay a small fee "to keep the dream alive".

 

[His_Highness]

Maybe HL is trying to hang on long enough for a buyout. It would probably be a low ball offer though.

It's not likely that the current owners could convince enough potential GH buyers who do their homework that they've changed enough to buy a GH. Way too much baggage.... BUT...if an angel investor bought them out its possible that potential customers might believe the NEW investor/owner.

Don't get me wrong... its possible to turn a company like this around but its more rare than a Yeti sighting at the Bunny Ranch. The early days of the Cloud/EVO is a good example of a company that was able to turn things around in a similar circumstance. IMO the difference is that the early Cloud/EVO situation had the backing of the vape community along with a lot less of a "fuck you feeling".

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

They probably won't but they potentially could announce that, in order to stay in business and improve SQ to a satisfactory level, they have to add a $20 processing fee to cover shipping and material costs. It would probably upset some folks, but it's potentially essential for long term viability, to put HL on a sustainable track and improve customer service. It could be configured such that they don't get the money until the repair is carried out. Everybody would win to some degree. I've made out like a bandit with the totally free warranty but I would gladly pay a small fee "to keep the dream alive".

Hopper would willingly take the $20 and still wouldn't provide you with a device that lasts for longer than a couple of weeks.

 

[jabba]

Hopper would willingly take the $20 and still wouldn't provide you with a device that lasts for longer than a couple of weeks.

If history is any guide...that could be correct.

 

[MoltenTiger]

I've always said that HL's idea, design, and construction aesthetic were fantastic. I'm surprised that some larger corporation did not purchase HL and its intellectual property at some point during history. If HL had deeper pockets, fatter brains, and some common sense...wow! If a typical consumer could reliably obtain, utilize, and receive service for a Hopper, the Hopper might have been among the most prolific portable convection devices in existence. The Hopper form, aesthetic, and function (when it is working) is STILL that innovative imo.

The truth, however, is that HL has shallow pockets, they have apparently given up on engineering themselves out of their many technical difficulties, and their customer service is akin to working with a shylock. HL as a company still has the 'mindset' of a needy crowd funder and has fumbled and neglected the very few die-hard supporters that it had ever earned along the way. It is astonishing that they are still in business....I think a testament only to the longevity of their original design and aesthetic. HL has long ago 'given up' and are resting on their broken-down and rusty old laurels now.

I had been one of their original supporters and have been long smitten with HL's potential having purchased 4 units, accessories, and of course several batteries over the years. Despite my enthusiasm, I NEVER suggested to a friend that they should buy a Hopper. I think this fact 'says it all'. After listening to others bash Hopper over 4-5 years I must admit that I finally share that sentiment. Receiving HL's emails for Black Friday and other promotions now just makes me laugh. Perspective truly is everything.

This is it in a nut shell!

It's nothing about concise customer communication, this is really becoming a snake oil salesman story which I really hoped would have been overcome all these years down the line. I bet on it in a sense, although this to me is cheap entertainment, obviously gambling. It was possible for HL to really get this right and take the market by storm, although intensely ambitious given the always eyebrow raising needless design limitations. The amazement and the usage of complex fabrication was the key and the devastator in the hopper equation. Also the sheer lack of experience or skill in any of the faculties required to align to release a product is extremely evident, given the avenues taken, considering proprietary design and the distinct lack of off-the-shelf parts. Production is fiddly and expensive, but it really requires the right team of minds to achieve, and it seems, whilst it may be acceptably close as a prototype, it really hasn't been. I've been shipped units with permanent marker on the chamber sleeve, gunk inside. They don't run a clean room, they are not equipped to be making this kind of device in every way.

They've knowingly shipped faulty product or nothing for most of their careers. It's quite sad that this pipe dream of a product wasn't achieved. They have been flying too close to the sun.

My account details something close to 2k USD of purchases of which there is perhaps, really at a stretch, 2 working vapes still operational (I guess as operational as my 10 year old MFLB, pfft). And that's their legacy versions which simply haven't been used enough to fail yet. Even my SS io is basically dead, and I can't be bothered trying to troubleshoot it when the result is ultimately so trivial.

There is too much an element of disposable consumerism represented with their product, which unfortunately is very much against their initial intention.

For the premium price, this is akin to an unrefillable Bic lighter.

Good when it works, an abomination in reality.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Here's something totally unrelated to service and the company, as I brought my blue IO out again to use through some nice glass water pieces I've gotten recently, I was reminded how there is such strong effects signature with the extraction here, even below max levels, though imo it is not the smoothest, most enjoyable vapor quality...

 

[WelshBrok]

Perhaps HL should switch to a subscription model with a lower upfront cost where you just send it back every 6/9/12 months and they send you a new/refurbished one. That way they have a predictable support workload and a predictable income with which to research whatever needs to be done to get this vape from a consumable to a durable vape. Difficult for them to do now though with customers sold on a life of HL warranty

 

[vapviking]

Yes there is the flip side to this story, as much as I bitch about it, I will hit the hopper every day if it there's one here that works!
All with a j hook lately.

@WelshBrok I so agree with this sentiment and I have long and lonely suggested similar models, but reading it re-stated I gotta wonder if these are the right people to execute any reasonable model...

 

[JBone65]

My younger brother just ordered the black Monday deal. Well see how long before it arrives, if it works correctly, etc.

He's a very successful lawyer, only smoked weed occasionally over the years. He knows nothing about vaporizers, but he recently tried my io and wanted one for himself.

I tried to get him off tobacco many times over 3-4 decades. He's 9 years younger but looks at least 9 years older.

He waited too long. Got the Big C diagnosis a month ago, suffered thru cold turkey tobacco withdrawal (after 40 years of smoking), now he's gonna try an io. I'm in shock, can't imagine the stress level in his household.

I warned him there is a 50% chance HL will disappoint him but that doesn't seem to bother him for some reason.

Making up a little care package of medicinal cannibis for him since he lives in a nearby prude state. I'm giving him some harmless indica and some medium strength sativa. I already know he will freak out if he gets too much sativa. He told me he bought some weed when visiting out west, smoked to much and it scared the crap out him.

Incidentally, he said he paid an extra$10 for expedited shipping. I laughed.