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Discontinued Hopper io

invertedisdead

PHASE3
Manufacturer
Maybe someone will invent a “cricket” taking the design ideas from the grasshopper. Like how danivape took the ideas and made it better. We can only hope there will be a device as portable as the grasshopper in the future.

I have an ultra pure Grasshopper inspired convection heater design for 510 box mods cued up and designed for mass production.

But the GH was crowd funded, in a time where there were basically no alternatives. I hate to say it but I don't really think crowd funded vapes will ever happen again. Most people are meeting their portable on demand needs through cartridge pens, I doubt anybody would really invest in the idea.
 

Shit Snacks

Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
Aside from the failures, I think the clicker has always required too much force to click! :horse:

Yes exactly, it is really rough on the hands, harder to push than most regular pens, just a dumb mechanical idea, in a bad location imo, like it's cute but not practical lol

Also I'm still lost why Hopper labs folded.... did anyone acquire the tech before they went out of business? That is such a shame because their 3D printed heat exchanger technology had real potential to change the industry..... if only they hadn't over-complicated the rest of the design

Yeah I'd say the overcomplicated type package design gives it too many flaws and reliability problems, couple that with some of the worst customer service anywhere and it's no surprise they have ghosted fully now
 

RustyOldNail

SEARCH for the treasure...
Funny to see debate about how well the clicker works and questions about how to best care for a hopper to keep it running, when I look at it as a virtually obsolete/unavailable/failed product.

These “debates” are an amusing waste of time, however posts regarding making them last are still relevant as long as there are working units and batteries out there.
 

Delta3DStudios

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
Hopper Labs is simply and totally m.i.a.; we don't really know if they have played their last cards or not.

I have been thinking of reaching out to you about an adapter for the Bowle stem to function as my photo shows, but one where the inlet is a 14mm inlet, for any vapes' wpa to match up to. Would be nice if something could lock into the Bowle stem allowing then easy in/out of a vape.

The Stem is much like a metal j-hook, it just needs the 14 mm inlet to be easy to use and more universal.
Time for your thinking cap? Here, pick one... :sherlock: :party: :tinfoil: :zzz:

Truly a shame about Hopper - I was rooting for them from the first time I heard about the Grasshopper. Hopefully they aren't gone forever. I'd love to see some sort of hybrid "locust" vaporizer which utilizes a larger oversized heat-exchanger and some more standard off-the-shelf components to increase performance and reliability.

Maybe one day I'll pick up where they left off and make my own vaporizer...... once all these laws get sorted out - right now there's no way in heck I'd bother making my own vaporizer (even though I'd love to!)

By all means feel free to reach out to me with some photos. I've never handled a taffee bowle but I'm more than interested to see how I could help. Perhaps some sort of exotic aluminum 3D printed adapter so it's heat and vapor-safe for use with any device on the market?

Shoot me a PM and we'll chat more :-)
 

Maroon-Scholar

Active Member
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.
 

RustyOldNail

SEARCH for the treasure...
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.

Excellent work!
*something I would definitely try, when mine go bad.
Thanks!
 

Vaporific

All who wander are not lost...
Excellent work!
*something I would definitely try, when mine go bad.
Thanks!
I may try this with my IO body, which is a gently used replacement for my original one (which I messed up). My backend has never had issues. If a full body ISO soak doesn’t quite do the trick, though my power issue isn’t as severe as described above, I’ll consider soaking the backend. I do think stuff gets gummed up behind the heater which causes or is partly responsible for this issue.

While removing the heating chamber from the body would be ideal, the copper retaining ring breaks when doing so. I stupidly used pliers to unscrew it and bent the edge of the heating chamber enough that the frontends don’t freely screw on and are tight to get on now. Attempting to true the circumference of the chamber words a bit but it’s far from good, just a bit better.

Sorta like my remaining Hopper batteries, lol. :peace:
 

PAZ

Well-Known Member
This is a bit of a longshot, but my OG SS GH is still alive and kicking, but the battery is dying. By chance does anyone know if any retailers have any stock left?
 
PAZ,

Vaporific

All who wander are not lost...
This is a bit of a longshot, but my OG SS GH is still alive and kicking, but the battery is dying. By chance does anyone know if any retailers have any stock left?
There was a European reseller selling new HL batts. Check a page or two (or three back). I looked and decided not to buy - hoping to buy 6, 3 for me and 3 for a friend - as shipping added a quite bit to the cost per battery making it stupidly questionable (for me). I’ll ride out the HL batts I have and then mothball my Hoppers.

For the first time I soaked my IO body in ISO. Not completely but the heating chamber part. Used a Hopper cleaning vial no less and let it soak for a few hours. I didn’t notice much gunk or particles though. I let it dry for 24 hours and it fired up. I also cleaned the rest of my IO, frontend and backend, and It’s performing a little better with more vapor at the lower temps. Sadly however my Hoppers’ days (an OG Ti and IO Ti) are winding down without new batteries but that’s the way it goes with HL seemingly defunct. It’s been mostly good 6 years with Hoppers and perhaps I can squeeze another one out but that’ll be it. And then time to move on (and find another vape or two to replace them). :peace:
 
Vaporific,

JBone65

Well-Known Member
I'm mostly switched over to the bamboo HI, a small plug-in one-hit vaporizer. It's really a two-hitter for me. You need enough weed for two hits in order to get a good first hit, but there always seems to be a good hit leftover. I guess the extraction process takes a certain amount of time and air throughput, but you can easily create blackish ABV with a little practice. You can also easily cause combustion if not careful. Aggravating combustion ruins your hit if you're not paying attention. The likelihood of combustion is less with moist weed, more with dry powder, so you will experience occasional combustion losses when trying to extract quickly.

Although logs are great, the difference between a log and a grasshopper io is striking.

My SS io is in it's 26th month and working great. I still use a full load most days. Some days I need clandestine portability, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I just want a really solid hit. I haven't seen another device that can do more with less weed than the io. Temp stepping eight flavorful hits from 0.2 g is amazing IMO. I've enjoyed three grasshoppers over the past 5 3/4 years, never had one combust. Guess I was lucky.

Added the last of my Strawberry Cough to my current blend. Two weeks later, added some dank Tropicana Cookies, which has an extremely pungent smell.

The current blend in the io produces an excellent low temp terpene flavor, and even the later hits are tasty. I can get that from my larger desktop device but it takes more weed.

Strawberry Cough
strawberrycough.png

Tropicana Cookies
Tropicana-Cookies-7-22.jpg
 
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felvapes

Well-Known Member
Haha
The hopper regrets we all have
We went in knowing and still felt rorted

My OG Ti and my SS IO have been in the draw for ages now
After reading here I might just soak the whole things in iso and let them dry out then see what happens
If they fire up for a bit yeehaa, if not there's no difference to currently lol

When they worked they were the best vape and bong beast going, tasty flavours and big hits
My ALP has become a good hopper replacement with quick on demand extraction and tasty hits - better battery life by miles too lol

The TM2 has been on the radar - the improvements made and finally an isolated airpath make it more enticing

Roffu looks interesting for a little less money as another strong hitter too

Gotta love the more powerful vapes available atm and improved vaping experience for us all
 

Old_muel

Well-Known Member
Bye bye HL:wave:
I dont have any enemies in life it's way too short for that & i couldn't say i hate anyone but damn over my last few years of personal experience of hopper dealings plus reading those of others' I think i might of actually grown close to hating this company lol, these fuckwits actually treated us, their paying customers with abosulte disdain, like pieces of dirt, & not that fancy store-bought dirt either, they lied to our faces & constantly shat all over us & expected us to thank them for the opportunity. I for one say good riddance HL:wave:
 
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vapviking

Old & In the Way
New banner on thehopper.io site (partially bolded by me) Oy.

"Currently there are extended lead times for all products. Customer service is very limited as we are retooling for the future."

Call me a stick in the mud, but I've got some 'unresolved prior issues' with these guys so I'm not sure how I feel about them getting another shot at this shit.
 

felvapes

Well-Known Member
New banner on thehopper.io site (partially bolded by me) Oy.

"Currently there are extended lead times for all products. Customer service is very limited as we are retooling for the future."

Call me a stick in the mud, but I've got some 'unresolved prior issues' with these guys so I'm not sure how I feel about them getting another shot at this shit.
Retooling for the future - are they going to respond to our emails and honour our warranties on our paper weights

I feel your angst with this company
 

JBone65

Well-Known Member
All negativity aside, competition is good for everyone. I'm very curious to see what changes. "Retooling" probably means a new design. How different will it be? I'm guessing they'll use less expensive material with minimal machining and labor. There's a chance they'll actually improve and make a truly great vaporizer that anyone can operate successfully. Hopefully the problematic lifetime warranty is no more.
 

RustyOldNail

SEARCH for the treasure...
While I knew what I was potentially getting into before buying from this company, as I read BOTH grasshopper threads, ALL the posts from the beginning.

As an informed consumer, the “lifetime warranty”, was an immediate RED FLAG, and has played out exactly as I presumed. So far I’m still ALIVE, but the company isn’t….. :(
 

JBone65

Well-Known Member
I'm coming up on 6 years of excellent service (except when it was in the shop early in) for a grand total of $285, and I'm pretty sure it's paid for itself many times over in terms of weed savings. I've probably gotten 2500-3000 good hits. If If the next one is better, I can't afford not to buy it, and I can't wait to try it out.
 

RustyOldNail

SEARCH for the treasure...
I'm coming up on 6 years of excellent service (except when it was in the shop early in) for a grand total of $285, and I'm pretty sure it's paid for itself many times over in terms of weed savings. I've probably gotten 2500-3000 good hits. If If the next one is better, I can't afford not to buy it, and I can't wait to try it out.

Well, tell that to those that have working units like you, but can no longer buy the PROPRIETARY “custom” BATTERIES!
 
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