Discontinued Hopper io

[Spleeeno]

tbf TM had its fair share of unit failures in the first 2 years and their previous (never publically acknowledged?) devices, those 2 apollo vapes, also werent the most reliable.
they seem to have improved on that, but imo thats probably down to EU laws giving customers some basic level of protection/guarantee assurances when the manufacturer is in finland, unlike some startup from colorado that says lifetime warranty, but only because there's pretty much no law to enforce that in the US.
so while the TM does look neat compared to IO, I already have my tetra-upgraded Tubo Evic and always heard people say that the P80/TM/Bowle basically give you identical vapor quality (while obviously not being identical) so I never bothered getting one, if they ever do a v2 where they fix the floatiness of the button I might jump in on it
once they do a second batch where all the first batch problems have been fixed

 

[vapviking]

You guys are in the wrong thread...

 

[MoltenTiger]

A good hopper hit is like a sublimator, just about.

I don't think I would seriously say that about any other portable, and even most hoppers, and most desktops.

I would immediately buy that if such a thing was properly available. I had a great time with the io where I didn't need to use the sub at all. Once that changed it was pretty disappointing and the radio silence from the warranty request means I've just had to say goodbye to that superior lifestyle.

I'd like to try the tiny might, firewood, crystal ball heater, tetra, fix my Tubox, but the hopper was very easy to use, maintain and enjoy, until it isn't. I'd prefer just to have one reliably back.

Still getting blazed as often as i want though so it's cruisy as. The Grasshopper was my first portable from a MFLB.
Plenty of things fill that product gap and trend pretty close to the hopper, and at this point pretty much anything is better than HLs average.

No obvious second pick however, nothing is flawless.

 

[tryingtowin]

For the post mentioning the batteries..I think shelving them even at a holding storage charge ruins them, It happend with my 1st batch..I had about 10 batteries..now i have 7 New vesrion 2 and version 3... 3 are from 2018 used in rotation basically daily, and the other 4 are newer 3rd version also in rotation since 2020 and all still work perfectly fine. I feel like if I didnt use them in rotation they would die quicker.

 

[MoltenTiger]

I found a bunch of GHB1s that I thought were dead and replaced years ago and to my surprise some worked well in the io

Same deal as the vape units, random chances, and no best practice other than enjoy it whilst it lasts

 

[Vaporific]

I think shelving them even at a holding storage charge ruins them,

Does that imply a full charge or otherwise (I.e. partial charge)?

I feel like if I didnt use them in rotation they would die quicker.

I rotate all my vape batteries too. Mostly. I do try though sometimes I’ll use just one and recharge it in the Hopper, especially if it’s from a newer batch and I don’t have time to swap a battery if I’m on-the-go. I have mostly GHB2’s (a couple of batches) and a few 3’s. The oldest ones in general may good for a few draws on either my OG or IO but that’s all they can give.

 

[RustyOldNail]

I have 10 stored in refrigerator, at lithium 3.8 volt storage charge. I’m still using the first one, I only use the charger so I don’t have to remove the backend, as my first one sprung apart, the day I received it. I don’t know what specs these geniuses used on these custom sizes batteries, but the standard shelf life of most normal lithiums like 18650’s is 10 years. Guess I’ll find out when I replace the OG. I don’t use my GH IO all the time as I rotate between devices. The best way to monitor battery health is with both DC and AC resistance, but you need the test gear.

 

[Spleeeno]

is it just me or is it impossible to add any stainless or ti hopper to your cart on thehopper.io? would make the "Currently there are extended lead times for all products. Please only order if you are okay to wait." banner even more useless

 

[RustyOldNail]

"Currently there are extended lead times for all products. Please only order if you are okay to wait."

Well, if they are waiting for parts etc., what a perfect time to catch up on all the LIFETIME warranty repairs sitting in a huge pile!

 

[JBone65]

I have 10 stored in refrigerator, at lithium 3.8 volt storage charge. I’m still using the first one, I only use the charger so I don’t have to remove the backend, as my first one sprung apart, the day I received it. I don’t know what specs these geniuses used on these custom sizes batteries, but the standard shelf life of most normal lithiums like 18650’s is 10 years. Guess I’ll find out when I replace the OG. I don’t use my GH IO all the time as I rotate between devices. The best way to monitor battery health is with both DC and AC resistance, but you need the test gear.

This is an example of how most of my problems are avoidable, self induced, etc.

My last battery just croaked. They both appear to take a charge, the light flashes, but can't get a full hit with either of them.

Maybe HL will come through with a battery pretty soon.

I suspect it's gonna get ugly around here before clandestine vaping resumes.

Edit: I've got a complete Davinci IQ if anyone wants it. Used it <2 weeks 1.5 years ago while waiting on a back end for the io. I would gladly trade it for a couple of pristine GHB3 batteries.

 

[kilo]

I have 10 stored in refrigerator, at lithium 3.8 volt storage charge.

How do you get the batteries to that 3.8 volt level? I've got about that many in the fridge as well but I just put them in there as I received them.

 

[vapviking]

How do you get the batteries to that 3.8 volt level? I've got about that many in the fridge as well but I just put them in there as I received them.

Run one in device til depleted, then put in a charger, stop the charge when it reaches 3.8V.
Or guesstimate. I think the idea is a 'medium amount' (very technical term...) of charge for storage, and fridge-cold is good, too...

 

[RustyOldNail]

How do you get the batteries to that 3.8 volt level? I've got about that many in the fridge as well but I just put them in there as I received them.

My charger has a setting called “STORAGE”, that does it automatically. Otherwise use a volt meter to get close.

FROM THE LINK IN MY SIG:

BU-702: How to Store Batteries

BU meta description needed...

batteryuniversity.com

“Lithium-based:

There is virtually no self-discharge below about 4.0V at 20C (68F); storing at 3.7V yields amazing longevity for most Li-ion systems. Finding the exact 40–50 percent SoC level to store Li-ion is not that important. At 40 percent charge, most Li-ion has an OCV of 3.82V/cell at room temperature. To get the correct reading after a charge or discharge, rest the battery for 90 minutes before taking the reading. If this is not practical, overshoot the discharge voltage by 50mV or go 50mV higher on charge. This means discharging to 3.77V/cell or charging to 3.87V/cell at a C-rate of 1C or less. The rubber band effect will settle the voltage at roughly 3.82V.”

 

[JBone65]

This is an example of how most of my problems are avoidable, self induced, etc.

My last battery just croaked. They both appear to take a charge, the light flashes, but can't get a full hit with either of them.

Maybe HL will come through with a battery pretty soon.

I suspect it's gonna get ugly around here before clandestine vaping resumes.

Edit: I've got a complete Davinci IQ if anyone wants it. Used it <2 weeks 1.5 years ago while waiting on a back end for the io. I would gladly trade it for a couple of pristine GHB3 batteries.

Update: Having some luck with one of my old batteries. Using it sparingly. Getting a couple of hits then recharging, haven't seen the flashing lights since yesterday morning.

Also, I plugged in the (10-12 year old) EZ Vape out in the garage and found a way to use it. I doubled up on the screen and rotate the wand (to stir the load) while drawing gently (to avoid fines). The temperature can be set anywhere between 200 to 400° F with a dial. Kinda reminds me of the io, pretty straightforward.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Welp my blue HopperIO has suddenly begun to act wonky, mostly it just sits in a drawer with rare use, now not making good connection maybe in the back end? Pressing and nothing happens, or it shutting off as I start to draw, with different full batteries... So that's that I guess haha not even going to try for any warranty service again with these fools, womp womp

 

[Vapetrees]

Welp my blue HopperIO has suddenly begun to act wonky, mostly it just sits in a drawer with rare use, now not making good connection maybe in the back end? Pressing and nothing happens, or it shutting off as I start to draw, with different full batteries... So that's that I guess haha not even going to try for any warranty service again with these fools, womp womp

I haven’t hear anything about that battery purchase I place a week and a half ago, I think. Emailed them to ask about it, nothing yet. It sucks that they have horrible Customer Service because, honestly the Grasshopper was the perfect vape for me. Instant on, hits hard, and I could measure how high I wanted to be.

 

[kilo]

Welp my blue HopperIO has suddenly begun to act wonky, mostly it just sits in a drawer with rare use...

And so it goes... <sniff>

 

[AJS]

Every few months I pop in a Grasshopper thread to see how things are going.
Welp...

 

[RustyOldNail]

It was an engineering project that the creators have little interest in commercially supporting. Just look at the backend complexity. Miniaturization is cool, one of the main reasons I knowingly bought in for. But, reliably in such a complex design, eventually dooms it. As my backend blew apart the 2nd time I pressed the button, out of the box, I posted a detailed photo in this thread of all the various parts…. I don’t remember counting them. I use my IO a few times in my rotation, I have two, and lots of spare batteries in frig at storage voltage. When these fail, I won’t shed a tear. Maybe these geniuses are just feeling…. SHAMEFUL at this point in their experiment.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Yeah I'm lucky I still have my plug-in setup with my frankenhopper OG, fail safe ish!

 

[Vapetrees]

Yeah I'm lucky I still have my plug-in setup with my frankenhopper OG, fail safe ish!

The plug in actually works? Was that the device someone made to power it using a wall charger?

 

[Spleeeno]

yeah the ac adapters works great, if you get it to run with the right PSU and a working hopper you always get consistent hits

 

[Shit Snacks]

The plug in actually works? Was that the device someone made to power it using a wall charger?

Yeah the MaxVaporPA, I had a problematic back end with my OG, so I bought a second titanium hopper that was running cool but I could use the back end with my steel body, so I'm up and running with a different setup, I have another one that I can probably try with the IO if I get the right thing to give it a better power supply but I don't know if the back end is already wonky probably not a high chance of success anyway...

 

[JBone65]

Still limping along with one weak battery, and still waiting for the battery ordered two weeks ago.

Have been trying to apply my grasshopper temp-stepping technique to my old desktop device. It's a $50 EZ Vape from 2008, essentially a cheap plastic convection/session device. It holds too much, so I'm just trying to duplicate the io results by using ~0.2 g and finding the right set of temperatures. Getting pretty close. Can get 6-7 excellent hits, whereas I would get 9-10 with the io. The hits with the desktop are too strong, still making too much vapor even though limiting the hits to 4-5 seconds each, still too much strong sweet vapor stinking up the room. Can't rely on visual or taste cues, just trying to match the load volume, temp-step range and hit durations. This old desktop works great but it's very sloppy. Anyone have a desktop as efficient as an io?

My io clicker also seems to be getting worse. It feels kinda sticky and gets stuck halfway. I'm on my last leg, on borrowed time and up shit creek without a paddle.

 

[Vaporific]

Welp my blue HopperIO has suddenly begun to act wonky, mostly it just sits in a drawer with rare use, now not making good connection maybe in the back end? Pressing and nothing happens, or it shutting off as I start to draw, with different full batteries... So that's that I guess haha not even going to try for any warranty service again with these fools, womp womp

Is it clean? Have you cleaned the backend and contacts recently? I know some folks have had backend issues, various ones, yet I’ve never had them with my OG (‘16) and IO (‘20). Light ISO swabs and Blu-Tac on everything does the trick. I’ve not had mechanical issues with either of my backends.

Yeah, I wouldn’t bother with any warranty at this point. HL is barely breathing at this point. It’s a shame but it’s all on them.