As we lament the apparent demise of Hopper Labs, my search for how to maximize the life of my two units without manufacturer support has yielded consequential results. Inspired by some of the discussion in this very forum, I have long contemplated the "full soak" ISO cleaning method. My IO Ti had been dead for almost a year, so I figured I would have nothing to lose at this point, now that my fear of a warranty request being denied due to my actions is moot. For those of us thinking about how to best preserve this remarkable yet flawed vape, I have finally run an ISO immersion experiment on a non-functional Hopper IO. Initial results are very positive, the unit is back to life and running like a beast. Here are the details:
Unit: Hopper IO Ti purchased in late 2020. Half way through 2021 the unit would only produce heat intermittently, despite using new batteries and frequent cleanings using blue tac, compressed air, and other basic methods. It would light up fine but simply produce no heat. By 2022, it would only work on the rarest occasion, so I discontinued use and relied on my OG Ti for regular use (in which I connect it to an all-glass hookah with the PFE for a divine vaping experience, but that's for another post).
Method: With battery and mouthpiece removed, I immersed the separated body and backend in a glass filled with 99% ISO. I left them to soak for ~3hrs, at one point removing the backend and twisting the temperature dial back and forth then clicking the clicker a few times to ensure the ISO was working its way into the unit. After the soak, I left the pieces to air dry on a paper towel, with the body standing straight down, for ~24hrs. Again, at roughly the midpoint of the drying duration, I manipulated the backend, as described above, to dislodge any remaining deep-penetrated ISO for better evaporation.
Results: Over the course of three quick sessions, I found that on demand heat had returned to the unit. I made sure to use the same battery as before the ISO immersion to factor that out in the results. Although the function is not flawless (about 10% of clicks to start the unit produce no heat), the unit is back to usable performance levels.
Discussion: The Beast is Back, at least for now. We will see how long this improvement lasts, but I can report that the unit's heater is restored to it's full strength. Indeed, I tend to vape old school dry sift hash using the paper adapter kit, thus requiring more continuous long blasts of heat to bring the concentrate to a state of vaporization. These results add a lot of credence to speculation that resin-caked heaters and/or other circuitry are causing unit failures, an issue Hopper Labs never released guidance for and effectively dismissed. I should note, however, that the ISO never turned color indicating any substantial amount of resin was dissolved, so I don't have any evidence beyond the circumstantial that resin-clogged circuity was a factor in my unit's failure. Even so, the immersion method appears to have brought my unit back to life. Of course, this is only the first evening post-experiment and I hope that more people will try this so we can figure out if full ISO immersion is a viable maintenance method that can be used safely. As guidance for those going to try this, I stress the caution that I employed here, particularly in using ISO in its highest concentration for faster evaporation coupled with a long drying time (in a warm room with little humidity). Since my unit still seems a little glitchy, if I repeat this experiment I may opt for a longer soak time to ensure any lingering resin is dissolved. I will follow up with a report in a few weeks on unit functionality.
