Discontinued Hopper io

[Michel]

I owned some OG’s and now 3 Ti IO’s. Easiest work-around after multiple defects was to buy a Tinymight. I don’t feel like James Bond anymore when vaping, but at least, the TM never stabbed me in the back…

 

[Vaporific]

Haven’t received new Hopper batts yet, should be tomorrow (USPS is obviously busy as they should’ve arrived Friday). More importantly however my IO now flashes when I have a fully charged batt, and one of my newer ones too. Not good. I also cleaned the batt contacts and backend fully today and getting a flashing light on the first draw of a fresh load and fully charged batt. I think the 15 month IO honeymoon has ended. Until recently it would just crank when I turned it on no matter what temp I set but always starting around 2 with half temp increments temp stepping up, and usually finishing around 3.5. I got great hits too on the low end and with a steady light. Now it’s struggling to stay solid on and not sure why. I shudder to think to send it in for an RMA. Perhaps my HL luck and patience has run out, save the 3 new batts arriving tomorrow. Maybe those will be a saving grace but I won’t hold my breath. My IO works but not as well as it had 15 months prior and I’m struggling to understand why. I hope it needn’t be sent in

EDIT: the only thing I didn’t do was soak the frontend in ISO; everything else was cleaned with ISO and Deoxit (batt contacts). Frontend is frequently brushed and in good shape for now.

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

Haven’t received new Hopper batts yet, should be tomorrow (USPS is obviously busy as they should’ve arrived Friday). More importantly however my IO now flashes when I have a fully charged batt, and one of my newer ones too. Not good. I also cleaned the batt contacts and backend fully today and getting a flashing light on the first draw of a fresh load and fully charged batt. I think the 15 month IO honeymoon has ended. Until recently it would just crank when I turned it on no matter what temp I set but always starting around 2 with half temp increments temp stepping up, and usually finishing around 3.5. I got great hits too on the low end and with a steady light. Now it’s struggling to stay solid on and not sure why. I shudder to think to send it in for an RMA. Perhaps my HL luck and patience has run out, save the 3 new batts arriving tomorrow. Maybe those will be a saving grace but I won’t hold my breath. My IO works but not as well as it had 15 months prior and I’m struggling to understand why. I hope it needn’t be sent in

EDIT: the only thing I didn’t do was soak the frontend in ISO; everything else was cleaned with ISO and Deoxit (batt contacts). Frontend is frequently brushed and in good shape for now.

Join the club. Works great from the off. Seriously impressive. Depending on how frequently you use it, it will begin to gradually deteriorate, becoming progressively less hot over a relatively short time period. Then you send it for RMA. Then you don't hear anything back from Hopper, not even an acknowledgement. Then you realise won't be getting your device RMA'd. And you won't be getting your device back. But if you want to buy another one it's no problem. What colour would you like?

 

[kilo]

I've always had pretty good experiences with Hopper Labs. Ordering accessories was relatively quick. I hung with them through the battery supply problem. I accepted the story about the fire and even sent them a contribution to help them get back into production. I was really happy with the io and bought two back up units. So when my first io began to overheat I requested an RMA and after a week or so they told me to send it back. That was in July. Needless to say, it's still there. I made an inquiry after a month had gone by: "We hope to get to it in a few more weeks." Something shifted in my thinking. "Screw 'em." Just like that.

 

[JBone65]

Could be a defective charger, or charger adapter. I'm sure you already checked that, but it happened to me a while ago.

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

I know that GH can be used with 510 driptips so when i saw this Ultron Rhino 510 Driptip ,i thought you can fill it with balls and it probably would make a decent cooling mouthpiece. Cant know for sure until someone tries it,but probably is worth the try for 9- 10$

$9.42 ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip Flavor Enhancer at FastTech - Free Shipping

Probably the best deal for a ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip Flavor Enhancer USD 9.42 as of 7/10/2022 - Free shipping worldwide on all orders. Prices unbelievably cheap.

www.fasttech.com

 

[JBone65]

I'm guessing the mouthpiece threads are designed with less interference than the heating element connection. The mouthpiece comes off much easier than the element when warm. I've sort of learned to feel the difference when the element first starts backing out, so I usually stop and reverse course and (happily) heat it up one more time.

I might take it all the way out, clean the threads and apply thread lock next time. If I do it right should be able to keep it away from the air flow path. Thinking about some way to apply more torque without any scratching, etc.

It would take weeks to send it in for repairs, and all they are likely to do is screw it together anyway.

I learned a lesson about cleaning my io. I had been "cleaning it" every 4-5 days, usually only a couple of minutes with a couple of q-tips. Also noticed that the mouthpiece threads started getting sticky pretty quickly after I cleaned it. This occasionally got bad enough that I accidentally unscrewed the heating element when the mouthpiece stuck.

I cleaned the io in a place with much better lighting, and I realized that I wasn't getting it clean enough. Found a thin layer of brown resin on the lip of the chamber, and I suspect there was a corresponding layer down inside the mouthpiece, in the corners close to the threads. Just took a flashlight, an extra minute and a third q-tip to fully clean it, and it functions like a new unit. I thought I was getting resin buildup in the threads but it could have been just above the threads, just inside the chamber.

 

[vapviking]

I learned a lesson about cleaning my io. I had been "cleaning it" every 4-5 days, usually only a couple of minutes with a couple of q-tips. Also noticed that the mouthpiece threads started getting sticky pretty quickly after I cleaned it. This occasionally got bad enough that I accidentally unscrewed the heating element when the mouthpiece stuck.

I cleaned the io in a place with much better lighting, and I realized that I wasn't getting it clean enough. Found a thin layer of brown resin on the lip of the chamber, and I suspect there was a corresponding layer down inside the mouthpiece, in the corners close to the threads. Just took a flashlight, an extra minute and a third q-tip to fully clean it, and it functions like a new unit. I thought I was getting resin buildup in the threads but it could have been just above the threads, just inside the chamber.

Do you soak the mp in iso overnight, as HL directs? I would use the little glass bottle they sell, as I do for the pfe's, but pfe does not need as long a soak.
Qtips and swabbing can never get the standard mp internals clean, imo. There is residue in there that you will never see regardless of lighting or visual acuity.
I've written about this before and included photos. After what I've seen, I don't use the std mp at all, only pfe.

But yes, the 'heater capsule loosening" problem is from stickiness where you saw it, on the end of that capsule and on the screen in the mp. The other result of stickiness there can be loosening of the screen inside the mp, and it begins to unthread (it shares the threadway with the body/heater capsule). When it is partially unthreaded, it can be perceived as "the mp won't screw all the way down". Tapping the mp, you can hear rattle of loose screen. Needs micro tweezers to screw it back in.

Additionally, there is a plastic 'funnel' inside the std. It is part of the vapor path and that is less than optimal, imo.
I have 2 io mps that have never been used at all.

 

[JBone65]

plastic

For some reason I thought the "heat shield" inside the mouthpiece is copper. Do you still have those photos from when you disassembled your mp? I can see the end of it inside the tip.

I don't soak the mp overnight, probably have some build-up in the hidden air gap.

Can air flow around the upper part of the shield or only around the lower end at the tip?

Thanks.

Edit: Not sure who posted the photos.

 

[Vaporific]

The other result of stickiness there can be loosening of the screen inside the mp, and it begins to unthread (it shares the threadway with the body/heater capsule). When it is partially unthreaded, it can be perceived as "the mp won't screw all the way down".

I had screen issues with my OG where it loosened often but not so much with my IO. In fact I tried removing the IO screen in the mouthpiece with fine point tweezers and completely messed it up trying to remove it, so much so I ordered another frontend (my bad but I couldn’t get it unscrewed and gave up). As for the heater insert, it’s never come out for me on either my OG or IO and have read about this many times herein over the years. I just as well leave that alone too.

I’m going to soak my IO frontend overnight soon. Forgot to get compressed air at Depot for the intake holes to see if this will help my recent underperforming IO after 15+ months of flawless operations. Something still ain’t right. My 3 new GHB3 batts arrived yesterday and those may help determine what my current issue is. Even with my last set of batts which have decent capacity my IO is not performing as well as it did a few weeks ago. The trials and tribulations of owning a Hopper…

 

[RustyOldNail]

I know that GH can be used with 510 driptips so when i saw this Ultron Rhino 510 Driptip ,i thought you can fill it with balls and it probably would make a decent cooling mouthpiece. Cant know for sure until someone tries it,but probably is worth the try for 9- 10$

$9.42 ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip Flavor Enhancer at FastTech - Free Shipping

Probably the best deal for a ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip Flavor Enhancer USD 9.42 as of 7/10/2022 - Free shipping worldwide on all orders. Prices unbelievably cheap.

www.fasttech.com

View attachment 15019View attachment 15020
View attachment 15021View attachment 15022

I just tried ordering two of these. Can’t get past the shipping screen. I have an account with them, ordered a few items in the past. Looks like the VAPE BAN is in effect, my USA address shows NO shipping options. Anyone in US experience this recently with a VAPE order from Fastech?

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

I just tried ordering two of these. Can’t get past the shipping screen. I have an account with them, ordered a few items in the past. Looks like the VAPE BAN is in effect, my USA address shows NO shipping options. Anyone in US experience this recently with a VAPE order from Fastech?

ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip Flavor Enhancer 1pc - Silver

ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip 1pc

www.2fdeal.com

Also available here but at a higher price, but it is cheaper if you buy 2.

$5.59
+
$5.50 to United States via Registered Mail Service
Estimated Delivery Time:8-20 Business Days for Delivery
Sry i cant help with fastech ,not in the US.
If anyone from EU is interested

Buy (Ships from Germany)ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip Flavor Enhancer 1pc - Silver

ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip 1pc

www.2fdeal.com

24h shipping it says,maybe it is meant for local distribution.
--------------
BTW site says

DEPTH	15.7 mm
HEIGHT	36 mm
WIDTH	15.7 mm

 

[RustyOldNail]

ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip Flavor Enhancer 1pc - Silver

ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip 1pc

www.2fdeal.com

Also available here but at a higher price, but it is cheaper if you buy 2.

$5.59
+
$5.50 to United States via Registered Mail Service
Estimated Delivery Time:8-20 Business Days for Delivery
Sry i cant help with fastech ,not in the US.
If anyone from EU is interested

Buy (Ships from Germany)ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip Flavor Enhancer 1pc - Silver

ULTON Rhino Dry Herb 510 Drip Tip 1pc

www.2fdeal.com

24h shipping it says,maybe it is meant for local distribution.
--------------
BTW site says

DEPTH	15.7 mm
HEIGHT	36 mm
WIDTH	15.7 mm

Thanks, already tried the 2F site, same problem, seems my US shipping address is NO longer acceptable for anything vape related.

 

[fogbank]

Haven’t received new Hopper batts yet, should be tomorrow (USPS is obviously busy as they should’ve arrived Friday). More importantly however my IO now flashes when I have a fully charged batt, and one of my newer ones too. Not good. I also cleaned the batt contacts and backend fully today and getting a flashing light on the first draw of a fresh load and fully charged batt.

Sounds like the same boat that I am in. I've tried charging the batteries in my Nitecore D4 but didn't notice any difference in performance. I have batteries that will definitely give me 4-6 draws on an OG Hopper before flashing red, but will not even give me a full draw in an IO before flashing white. A battery that can give me 10+ draws in an OG Hopper might give me 2 draws in an IO before flashing white.

HL is supposed to be sending me new batteries in place of the external charger that I ordered 4 years ago. If/when I receive them I will try them in my IO Hoppers, but I am not holding my breath.

I still have an OG Hopper or two in my rotation, but I am having much more fun with my XMax V3Pro, VLeaf Go, and TinyMight vapes. I have much less interest in tracking Hopper battery performance.

I can honestly state that I prefer the OG Hoppers to the IO.

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

Sounds like the same boat that I am in. I've tried charging the batteries in my Nitecore D4 but didn't notice any difference in performance. I have batteries that will definitely give me 4-6 draws on an OG Hopper before flashing red, but will not even give me a full draw in an IO before flashing white. A battery that can give me 10+ draws in an OG Hopper might give me 2 draws in an IO before flashing white.

HL is supposed to be sending me new batteries in place of the external charger that I ordered 4 years ago. If/when I receive them I will try them in my IO Hoppers, but I am not holding my breath.

I still have an OG Hopper or two in my rotation, but I am having much more fun with my XMax V3Pro, VLeaf Go, and TinyMight vapes. I have much less interest in tracking Hopper battery performance.

I can honestly state that I prefer the OG Hoppers to the IO.

The battery quality sucks. I bought 3 new batteries a couple of months ago because Hopper were claiming I must be having a problem with old batteries and not the device. New batteries exactly the same. One even arrived with a piece of the plastic cover missing. I emailed them, got no response. They have one of my 2 IOs for RMA since October. Haven't even acknowledged that they are dealing with it. I think they've given up completely on repairing devices. But they'll sell you a new body or a new back end. 2nd one is faulty bit no point sending it for RMA. Don't expect top get the 1st one repaired or returned.

I ordered an XMax V3 Pro and am awaiting delivery. Reviews look good, especially for the price. I'd loved the GH and IO pen shape and look (the most stealthiest), and when it works there's nothing as good. But alas it's a poorly designed POS. Time to move on. Is the V3 as good as it looks?

 

[Spleeeno]

While I do like my heavies (Verdamper, Terptorch, DIY Glass Symphony, Ceroma, etc...) I still keep my plain ti IO in the rotation because I just really dig the vape signature and the quick switch from very terpy to very cloudy. Been that way since I got it in November 2020.

But like everyone else with a currently functional device, I am well aware that my honeymoon could end at any moment and I've seen plenty of people that have been pissed since the start of the io thread (I would be too if I ordered their charger years ago or if my shipping estimate for the anodized version turns out to be complete bs) or people that went from hopper evangelist to hater (Hi Jabba! ).

And it really is a shame. If I could guarantee that all the new hoppers delivered today would A: work like mine does and B: keep working that way for a while, I would recommend this to anyone that can spare the expense. But thats not the world we're living in today and the most baffling thing about hopper labs that doesnt seem to have changed from the beginning: It shouldnt be too hard to only send out tested, tuned units that work in their full range from temp 1 to temp 5 for any first-time customer that spends their money with them. I was the odd one out and it shouldnt be this way, thats just flat out unacceptable.

I'm kinda expecting to run into battery problems with the 2 batteries I have at some point in the future and as someone else in this thread has mentioned: Maxvapor still sells the AC Adapter, but doesnt accept european credit cards, because his payment processor uses some AVS that cant verify european adresses. So I cant even preemptively phase out the batteries, even if I wanted to...

Anyway, here's mine in action. First hit on temp 1, second on temp 5. Both tasty, the second one obviously less so but with WAY thicker vapour.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/835030505942417408/910216480593940540/hopperio.mp4

 

[JBone65]

While I do like my heavies (Verdamper, Terptorch, DIY Glass Symphony, Ceroma, etc...) I still keep my plain ti IO in the rotation because I just really dig the vape signature and the quick switch from very terpy to very cloudy. Been that way since I got it in November 2020.

But like everyone else with a currently functional device, I am well aware that my honeymoon could end at any moment and I've seen plenty of people that have been pissed since the start of the io thread (I would be too if I ordered their charger years ago or if my shipping estimate for the anodized version turns out to be complete bs) or people that went from hopper evangelist to hater (Hi Jabba! ).

And it really is a shame. If I could guarantee that all the new hoppers delivered today would A: work like mine does and B: keep working that way for a while, I would recommend this to anyone that can spare the expense. But thats not the world we're living in today and the most baffling thing about hopper labs that doesnt seem to have changed from the beginning: It shouldnt be too hard to only send out tested, tuned units that work in their full range from temp 1 to temp 5 for any first-time customer that spends their money with them. I was the odd one out and it shouldnt be this way, thats just flat out unacceptable.

I'm kinda expecting to run into battery problems with the 2 batteries I have at some point in the future and as someone else in this thread has mentioned: Maxvapor still sells the AC Adapter, but doesnt accept european credit cards, because his payment processor uses some AVS that cant verify european adresses. So I cant even preemptively phase out the batteries, even if I wanted to...

Anyway, here's mine in action. First hit on temp 1, second on temp 5. Both tasty, the second one obviously less so but with WAY thicker vapour.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/835030505942417408/910216480593940540/hopperio.mp4

Glad to see that your io works like my (15-month old) SS io. Replaced the first battery at 10-11 months but it worked fine last time I checked it. I use it natively with the ring charger. Haven't spent much. Registered my first grasshopper 5 years ago this week. It's been my primary device when working, about 80% of the last five years. They functioned maybe 90-95% of the time for the last three years.

Edit: I can also say that I enjoy the level 1 terpenoid hits all the way thru level 5. I think that's one reason I'm getting 11 hits per load, plus Im not trying to create anywhere near as much vapor as you did on level 5, not all in one hit. That looked like about 4-5 hits IMO.

My brother ordered one on black Monday. Still waiting for any sort of acknowledgment from HL.

 

[Spleeeno]

Yeah the IO can last me a whole day with .1g if I use the whole temprange with 2-3 hits at every step. But I do have tastier all-glass airpath vapes so I kinda pick the hopper for the slappy/"dirty" side that the hopper high provides for me at temps above 4.

Sadly microdosing is one of the things that imho sucks in the hopper out of the box. If I only fill the half of the bowl and use the pfe on a bong, most of the herb will not be close enough to the heater during the inhale to provide the best roast.

So I had to experiment with different glass tubes that fit into the hopper and finally settled on a quartz oil bowl for 20mm coils with a bit of stainless steel mesh squeezed in the air intake and using a o-ring from my assassin dyna stem to create a seal with the hopper body.

You can get the bowl pretty much anywhere, most common with 14mm or 18mm male joints, just linking to one random example:

Quartz Glass Oil Bowl for 20mm heating coils

Details of the Quartz glass oil bowl: Joint: 14.5 (NS14), polished Total height: approx. 8cm Diameter top: approx. 1.5cm Material: quartz glass A heating coil with an inner diameter of 20mm can be attached to the quartz glass oil bowl so that the bowl can be comfortably heated evenly: Put the...

www.heisenberg.shop

You just fill .02-.04g in the hopper, tamp it down so it doesnt fall out and place it on the bowl. The o-ring seals the bowl, and the outer glass keeps it mostly upright (but I prefer to gentrly press the whole hopper onto the o-ring during inhale to make sure there's a seal)

One long inhale on temp 5 with .02g and the bowl is pretty much done, thats my kind of microdosing

 

[fogbank]

Time to move on. Is the V3 as good as it looks?

There are lots of positive remarks about it in the V3 thread. I have two and they perform very consistently. For my usage they can easily replace the Hopper.

I have had Hoppers since 2016, and have had many great sessions with them over the years. As others have said, a properly working Hopper is a great vaporizer.

I ran a couple of bowls through my Ti IO using the AC adapter. This IO is my worst offender when it comes to flashing lights on the first draw off of a fresh battery. Of course it didn't flash at all with the AC adapter. That just proves that the IO will work properly with a strong enough power source.

 

[WhyAreWeWaiting]

I ran a couple of bowls through my Ti IO using the AC adapter. This IO is my worst offender when it comes to flashing lights on the first draw off of a fresh battery. Of course it didn't flash at all with the AC adapter. That just proves that the IO will work properly with a strong enough power source.

I think you could be on to something here. I have one IO in for RMA for 2 months with no acknowledgement. The 2nd one doesn't fully vape the weed, so I gave up on using it a while back.

On your suggestion I just took it out of the press, put a fully charged battery in it, hooked it up to the Hopper charger. Waited until the light stopped flashing. Switched it on, and it works great. Surely the problems with Hopper couldn't be something as simple as underpowered batteries?

 

[JBone65]

Not having any problems keeping my battery charged. Pulled out my backup battery and tested it for the first time in several months, works great.

Since 2016, always used the magnetic ring charger that came with it, except when the unit was down for repairs.

Although the ring charger works great overall, it has been problematic at times. Sometimes it just refuses to charge. Have had several charger adapters that stopped working. Maybe I'm slow but even something as simple as this led to dead batteries. Was also shut down 3 weeks while WO a new charger several years ago. Ring chargers definitely can fail. HL replaced it for free as I recall. Not sure if this info is useful for anyone, just sharing what has worked for me. Maybe I was just lucky. Had a lot more problems than listed above. At times I was outsmarted, but somehow kept it working.

Yes, I like to get several strong hits with morning coffee and read this thread... and post. Sorry for the long post.

 

[cliffhanger1]

Sorry for offtopic. Shortly and only one time..
If here is some European interested in a Big Hopper io collection which is not often used in the past, some is new..
For cheap money in a Bundle to get a new home ..you can write me so i can make an offer in classifieds regulary.
With getting account for warranty.

 

[Michel]

Sorry for offtopic. Shortly and only one time..
If here is some European interested in a Big Hopper io collection which is not often used in the past, some is new..
For cheap money in a Bundle to get a new home ..you can write me so i can make an offer in classifieds regulary.
With getting account for warranty.

+1

 

[Shrike]

Hey! It's that time of year again!

I'll keep this short, as last year someone got so upset they wrote like a 10 paragraph response...lol (It was pretty fucking funny)

Today, is 8 years since I ordered my original OG. That was delivered in a month or two, but I am STILL waiting for the Ti Case I ordered with it.

Eight years...they are still in business, but many of us have to this date, NOT received all of our orders.

This 'business" has been taking "pre-orders" for SS Cases for many, many months but still no product for these customers. They are even too lazy

or arrogant to change the copy on their site that has the wrong price and a delivery date of 2019. It boggles the mind!!

That's it! I could go on with a screed about all of this, but truthfully (really), I only think about it on the anniversary which I keep in my calendar.

Hope anyone who "deals" with this company remembers the old saying...Caveat Emptor!

Luckily I only once a year...lol

Until this date next year...or sooner if I get my product. Naaaw...that isn't happening.

 

[mulciber]

Hey! It's that time of year again!

I'll keep this short, as last year someone got so upset they wrote like a 10 paragraph response...lol (It was pretty fucking funny)

Today, is 8 years since I ordered my original OG. That was delivered in a month or two, but I am STILL waiting for the Ti Case I ordered with it.

Eight years...they are still in business, but many of us have to this date, NOT received all of our orders.

This 'business" has been taking "pre-orders" for SS Cases for many, many months but still no product for these customers. They are even too lazy

or arrogant to change the copy on their site that has the wrong price and a delivery date of 2019. It boggles the mind!!

That's it! I could go on with a screed about all of this, but truthfully (really), I only think about it on the anniversary which I keep in my calendar.

Hope anyone who "deals" with this company remembers the old saying...Caveat Emptor!

Luckily I only once a year...lol

Until this date next year...or sooner if I get my product. Naaaw...that isn't happening.

I, too, am prone to ranting about this once a year, and I understand those who say "we get it, but you should move on". For the most part I have, but if you look through this forum I've been unsparing in my vitriol on many occasions.

The point is that when people consider this device, they may look here, and if they do, I want people to know just how scabrous these people are.

I've also been ripped off in a similar manner by these thieves, more than once. And yes, I _should have learned_. These people are staying in business by sending out as many new units as possible, and hoping that if just some of them work, even for a very short time, those users will write about the wonderful experience they've had (and we all admit that under perfect conditions, the device can be fantastic). Such praise hangs in the air JUST long enough for them to sell a few more units. And so on, and so on, year in and year out. They are "kiting" on the basis of this, and managing, presumably, to earn enough to keep the scam going.

Please do NOT fall for it. Unless you're willing to roll the dice and throw away a lot of money, run from the Hopper in all its forms. Word to the wise, that's all.