Discontinued The Grasshopper

vapviking

Old & In the Way
So, are those reparable without sending the GH in? Or is it dead as dead can be?
There is no 'send it in' option anymore.

There is a chance your battery is no longer strong enough to fully power the device.
Or
You might try immersing the body (only) in iso alcohol for a little while, then let it dry 24 hrs. I and a few others have had some success with this method. Proceed at your own risk, but really, you don't have many options at this point.
 
vapviking,
  • Like
Reactions: Vitolo

Dagormz

New Member
Okay i know talking smack is kind of old, but is anyone else just dumbfounded that hopper labs chose to have a custom 12630 liion cell made instead of just using a (somewhat) widely available 14650. ITS ONLY 2 mm BIGGER IN EITHER DIMENSION.

The length would probably be fine since there’s a spring on the backend switch and the threads are about 10mm. The width probably won’t work though. Has anyone tried this or am i going to be the guinnea pig?
 

RustyOldNail

SEARCH for the treasure...
Okay i know talking smack is kind of old, but is anyone else just dumbfounded that hopper labs chose to have a custom 12630 liion cell made instead of just using a (somewhat) widely available 14650. ITS ONLY 2 mm BIGGER IN EITHER DIMENSION.

The length would probably be fine since there’s a spring on the backend switch and the threads are about 10mm. The width probably won’t work though. Has anyone tried this or am i going to be the guinnea pig?

Too WIDE, too SHORT….
 

PPN

Volute of Vapor
Hi, I recently fallen my Ti GH from 70cm height on the concrete, when it happened I wasn't afraid cause it already fallen like that a few times without issue... but, here, when I powered on my GH again it worked as expected until... it combusted! It was true combustion, I cleaned everything and did another try... same story, my load combusted in seconds!

But it turns finally as a heavy heavy hitter, I moved up the screen in the chamber in order to keep the load far of the heating element and now I hit it right after I press the backend without to wait for the blue light (cause I can still combust if I did it), heat set at 1 and take a 4-5s strong draw hit with direct thick vapour.

Is somebody else experienced that with his GH? Do you think it's the sign of a device starting to fail? Do you think it's fixable?

I'm just afraid this is drain too much the battery (but they didn't seems hot after use though) and/or isn't good for the heater (and may release bad particles), cause, after all, it's a nice One hitter vape now and I have another GH with MaxVapor kit!
 

Averyminya

Grasshopper Backer
Gotta tell my story, again (Hi all! It's been... a long time since I've been in this thread, and here in general!) I was was /u/averyminya on Reddit before I deleted my account there (Reddit will say I'm banned but I just purged my account) and I was an early backer back in 2013, fully prepared for nothing to come but I'm pretty positive and I had high hopes. And hey, it was only $99 ;P (+cost of batteries on sale, I had 11 total by the end, and then cost of the MaxVapor PA. Still, not bad in total).

Well, tonight I just officially magic smoked my one and only SS Grasshopper body after... 6 years? I can't quite remember the last warranty I received, but I believe it was early-mid 2018, along with the IO if I'm not mistaken, though that may have come later. Up to that point I'd had relatively good experiences with HL, the only reason I even attempted trying the IO and my SS body did still hold up for a long time.

I had gotten a straight to red light no heat production about a year ago, probably around the beginning-mid of 2023. Far, far after their final e-mail claiming they'll "sort things out but will go dark". Lol.

What with there being nothign to lose I decided to bust it out tonight to play around a bit see if it was something I could revive like I had done in the early years. Was getting all sorts of weird reactions, from twisting the backend temp dial making the body flash red lights, or turn on at varying solid reds. Clicking it would sometimes turn it red, sometimes nothing.

I was twisting the backend click-pin and the lights went orange before "poof" and the smoke and smell. My grasshopper is officially, officially dead. And of course the IO was basically DOA after week 2 all way back when, and they sent out that no longer responding to e-mails e-mail some years ago now as well so, it's a sad day ents.


I genuinely loved the Grasshopper. The company had oh so many issues, but the device worked so well for me. The power for its size was unprecedented back in 2013 (and technically 2015 when it actually released), and the way in which the customers got treated was no good, even if my experience with the company was decent until after the fire.

I ran my Grasshopper with a MaxVapor Power Adapter for years. That part should still be going strong, and I may have a working backend still though who really knows, Not that it matters! I think I may also have a couple random IO parts, maybe the backend in my vape tackle box. Alas, they are both, finally, useless novelty now and the Grasshopper will live on through its indestructible mouthpieces as attachments for silicone whips, through the VapeXhale EVO and Tiny Might 2 <3

I always knew this day would come, I'm just surprised it took soooo much longer than everyone else. I ran this thing like a mofo you guys temp 4.5 start to finish even before the MaxVapor PA, back to back sessions milking each piece I had. Always got hot as a mofo when I did it but it kept up. I did have a couple warranties before the building fire but each were under 2 weeks, and the final one lasted until tonight (really, last year lets be real lol.) I've missed it greatly and will continue to, but I will say, the Tiny Might 2 is effectively a replacement for it. But y'all, I spent $99 on the backing when I was 17 lmao! It was the first vape I ever bought, got the FMV5.0s to tide me over and introduce me to vaping til it arrived. What a significant upgrade for I think only $10 more at the time, since the backing was $99 and the FM was I believe $89? Either way, no more than $129.

That's not to say the early days were all perfect, I had an old friend come to visit nearly specifically to try the Grasshopper lmao and guess what happened the night before he arrived? Cop lights of course, we were devestated but I priority shipped the Arizer Air (attaining my 3rd vape) and we tried that out instead. Still going to this day needless to say, and I like its differentiation from my Solo 2, the former getting a bit thicker vapor but the latter lasting 30 minutes for a sesh. But... neither are the Grasshopper, my units, or my experience with it just had that perfect blend of airflow and vapor production that was so good for stacking vapor in glass and then clearing it all in one go. *In a portable*. I mean the EVO does that no problem and continues to be my main desktop for it, but the Grasshopper was literally the same experience scaled down. Over the years I got other vapes as we tend to do, but despite the ones I try they just don't match up! (save the exceptions mentioned) the Mighty is alright but I'm not a fan of the batteries and my warrantied Mighty declined so quickly just a month after *its* warranty passed, which was the entire reason I never wanted a S&B portable in the first place (an old friend spent nearly 1K on replacements+shipping crafty's, it was insane). But the Mighty's vapor is unique and it does do a good job. Mine is just eternally plugged in (but so was the Grasshopper with the MaxVapor PA) and did a better job than the Plenty while being quieter than the Volcano (great party vapes though!)

Most of my vaporizer usage over the years has been split between the Grasshopper, the VapeXhale Evo, and the Mighty. The Arizers got a fair amount of use in college but the vapor has always been too thin for me and their usage in public has declined for me. Still bring them on road trips though! The PAX 3 and the Mighty are mostly movie vapes now and I never use the dynavaps because I was trying to get away from fires and burns, and I just personally don't see the point of a vape that loses heat as you use it

For a long time it seemed to be one of the only options that met the criteria (replaceable battery, convection, on demand, but powerful enough with some natural airflow restrictions to make dense vapor in glass).

For many reasons I knew my time with the Grasshopper remaining was limited. It was obvious that whatever it was I had about the Grasshopper was just good luck on a part with some care and maintenance. The body's contact point seems to wear or gunk up making caretaking seem vital else fatal. The same gunk would be on the batteries (or PA) and backend, so I can only imagine what was going on. I was searching both here and on the other site trying to find a worthy successor. I felt lucky to come across the Tiny Might 2 so quickly in my search because the few others I had come across didn't quite seem to hit the marks for me and this one seems to truly be the spiritual successor with repairability in mind. It does have a little more upkeep cleaning the stems and screens for airflow, but the removeable stems are a big upgrade for repackability or even for group sessions. It doesn't quite hit through glass the same way but how possibly could it - and even then maybe I could if I find the right combination of stem, screen, and beads. And of course, it's not nearly as sleek - I'm sorry TM2 I love you dearly and you're my first wood vape, it's not a slight against you, but I'll never forget my friend Lucy in college coming into my dorm room asking to borrow a pen, coming and picking up my Grasshopper turning it on and it lighting up and her jaw dropping as she asking "I can smoke this??". The TM2 will never get that reaction, but that's okay. Its reaction should be, "holy shit, this thing fucking rips!"

Anyway, thanks for reading my eulogy presented mostly stream of concious. The Grasshopper was a powerful, finnicky, unique vaporizer that had a lot of questionable decisions surrounding it but hopefully made its place in inspiring other devices to accomplish what it kind of was able to sometimes for some people, seemingly at random maybe if you were nice, who really knows.

Goodbye, my first vape. So long, and thanks for all the fish.


P.S. Hopper Labs never sent me their bong goddamnit!
 

Vaporific

All who wander are not lost...
Batteries are no longer at their most healthy, but my GH still sound 👍
I’m sure most of mine are useless except the 3 new ones I last bought 1.5 years ago (from Chosty not GH), and they’ve been in my refrigerator since. I hope I have the same luck as others. I’d been thinking recently about firing up both my OG Hopper and 2nd gen (the name escapes me it’s been so long that I’ve used it, LOL). Perhaps when I get back from a brief vacation this weekend (a long one for me). :peace:
 

Vaporific

All who wander are not lost...
There once was an adapter to use 18650s with the GH…anyone know if they’re available?

The GH was one of my favorite vapes and I still use them, never had any issues. Wish Hopper Labs was still going or someone could pick it up again
Maxvapor (385?) was on here but not sure if he’s still around; he made/sold the battery sled for a brief period. I loved my Hoppers too and they worked well mostly, but then fell out of favor when Hopper Labs went belly up and batteries became scarce. Chosty still sells them though I’m not sure how they still have inventory (unless many aren’t using their Hoppers much if at all, like me - but I do want to take them out of mothballs this summer and try them again with 3 new batts). :peace:
 

Adobewan

Well-Known Member
Please post if anyone tracks down a source of those Hopper battery sleds.
I'd jump right on one.
 
Last edited:
Adobewan,
  • Like
Reactions: Vitolo

vapviking

Old & In the Way
Does anyone know what would it take to build one?
This guy had a great story, but his post was 2016, looks like he hasn't been around in years.
His photos are apparently no longer on a host site that we here can see.
See his post and some of the conversation it started.

Post in thread 'The Grasshopper' https://fuckcombustion.com/threads/the-grasshopper.18482/post-1018449

But maybe @MoltenTiger would know. I believe he's done a lot of testing of hopper's flow of current...
 

MoltenTiger

Well-Known Member
Joel's work on the Grasshopper external battery was quite an awesome effort.

It came before the also awesome MaxVapor adapters.

I seem to remember Joel got to 100 chambers of battery life with his attached box of 4 x 18650s - the GH is crazy efficient. But everything got complicated by the finicky electronics of the Grasshopper. There is some kind of communication protocol used between the threaded rear end and the front chamber through the body.
I think weird issues cropped up with device malfunctions, and Joel eventually gave up and moved on. It might have been caused by his added mods, or it might have been a case of the major manufacturing defects never corrected with the Grasshoppers.

My own experience with the MaxVapor 18650 sled was not so good. It shipped with a battery holder intended for a longer battery with nipple. Most in this scene are probably familiar with the typical suitably powerful flat-end type. Using an LG HG2 I bridged the gap between battery and terminal using a copper staple, which probably caused a less than ideal connction.
Whatever the case, one of the very few times I used it the back end got scorching hot (way, way beyond any surface temp of a notoriously hot Grasshopper).
It might have been the io, I can't remember but I think the back end temp dial seized, maybe caused by melted plastic if it was the io or maybe just metal expansion otherwise.
I had a lot of warranties and units so it's pretty hard to remember specifics there, but it was a lame moment and a little painful.

I only had success with the MaxVapor mains power adapter with slotted adapter. I had to use a beefy power supply (Meanwell LRS-100-12) to power the io
The adapter kit includes a step down transformer to convert 12V to the 4.2V expected by the hoppers.

Instant on, and it really was. I had a great time with these pens for years and years.
It is nearly a decade since I preordered my original!

I still have my flawless cooler running (to spec, 210°C ie. too cold) HT Ti 2017 unit and it's as good as day 1.
The units running out of spec (240°C +) was why I loved most of my experience with a bunch of other units. Better than TM2 but only for a while. So much smaller, too sleek for its own good.

Such a wild ride, but it's easily the most convenient vape ever made. Somewhat unbelievable from conception to now.
I wish they got it right. It was so close and so amazing! I still think everything else is poor by comparison, but also can't deny the many issues.


@Adobewan The idea behind the power adapters is simple - using a dummy battery feed in 4.2V (45W for Grasshopper, 75W for io)

I would 3D Print a battery sized piece that can house wires soldered to serrated gold pogo pins.
To feed in the DC wires (which can be thin and flexible and quite long - think G43), you could mill a slot or drill a hole into the side of the hopper body, or lathe a threaded adapter to fit between the back end and body (extending the distance between contacts requiring the dummy battery to be longer than standard).

It's going to take a bit of work but it wouldn't be particularly difficult otherwise.
One day I will retrofit the MaxVapor kit to my TM2.

Lamart used to have an unsurprisingly nice power adapter for their Tubo Evic. I couldn't find a picture but that's how I got on to the MW PSU I selected for my io assembly. My io's unfortunately lost performance after a while but they were great for a while. I got my moneys worth and some. These were oversold sold and too cheap and now we are left with poorer choices that are more costly.

The airflow is a bit restricted but otherwise these ultra portables were pretty much as good as it gets for my usage needs.

I will say that having the power adapter and tethered device is much more cumbersome and the main benefit for using a hopper is a bit limited as much of the convenience is lost. The vape had a great signature, but compared to a ball vape or my sublimator, the fact the hopper is immediately transportable because they are cool/insulated was useful, but I would think that a ball vape is a better path forward today along with a TM2.

Not enough advanced insulation is being used on vapes. it was one of the big functional features of the Hopper design and why the efficiency was so good and the device immediately ready and immediately pocketable after.

I got the Xmax Nano to try and it's nowhere near as good as my HT Ti Grasshopper in any way.
The GH units were the Zune and not the iPod I really thought they could be.
Not even the iPod is around anymore though.
The GH was fantastic in terms of fucking combustion. Glad I got to enjoy it for as long as I did and hope others can still enjoy theirs.
 
Last edited:

MoltenTiger

Well-Known Member
DSC-3005.jpg


So I've brought my only flawless Grasshopper back into rotation. It was 35% off for 420 '17 and hasn't skipped a beat ever since.
It got me through a lot of warranty gaps between other units and continues to happily tick along. Although this one has never been a big hitter, just a lighter quality vapour. Tan ABV only.

It really is ultra portable, totally disappears in a hip pocket even on the eMTB ride to work.
Pretty awesome. Single spare battery in a coin pocket. Productivity has taken many small hits today. But the speed of it is great compared to the V3 Nano.

This GH I always thought ran cool for my on-the-cusp demands, but it puts out a good cloud, pleasant effect and extends the chamber beyond the single big hits I normally chase. Always consistent.
This more casual style is really an ideal healthy everyday vape. I always thought this was what the Grasshopper was supposed to do. But I preferred the catastrophic monster units, after all the first unit I received was from Vapefiend.
This golden sample heat treated unit has intricate lasering with hidden molecule glyphs at the CNC rendering scale. They said they'd get their best techs on it. Pretty cool indeed. The Ti colours are trippy too. Solid build quality and materials.

20240620-180123.jpg


It's hard not to appreciate this OG Grasshopper.

The near double the price TM2 has been staple, it has taken over for a long while now, since I got it after a short stint with the V3 Pro after my io's faded and lost consistency.
Previous mega hot hopper hit days were solid but of course the units couldn't handle the thermal cycles, I'm not sure how I did. Electrical torture but great times, the assembly stack is just crazy tight. Minimal tolerance, too thermally coupled.
Seems a bit too similar to other builds today. Deemed and proven impossible at scale?
But it's quite worth it when the lemon tastes so sweet.
There's definitely something extra nice about carrying a loaded hopper, I'll be making sure to do it more often.
 

Vaporific

All who wander are not lost...
I did it, I doggone did it. I took my newest 3 GHB3 batteries (group B) out of the fridge after 1.5 years, charged them up (labeled them too) and charged the prior 3 newest batch of batteries (group A). I also thoroughly cleaned my OG Hopper (titanium) and Hopper IO (titanium) and a an extra bronze anodized body I bought gently used from someone on here (I bent the end of the original body removing the heater from the body - it’s a long story and I could never get it better so I bought the second one). Neither Hopper was dirty as I cleaned them a while ago and hadn’t used them; the IO got all the love when I got it and the OG was seldom used. Complete ISO cleaning which didn’t yield much even on the threads and Blu-Tac on all threads too. I even tightened a slightly rattling IO mouthpiece screen which I noticed right away.

As for charging the group B batteries, one didn’t take long to fully charge and the other two took longer (I know which is the ugly duckling). As has been the case with most groups of batteries I’ve bought, one of these batts ain’t like the other! The quality and consistency has always been lacking for me in the power source. Even the good ones don’t have a long shelf life when they’re regularly being used. I digress…

So I popped in the first batt of group A into my IO with the anodized body (otherwise it’s a bit of pain to unscrew/screw the mouthpiece onto the original one due to the slightly bent end and, in the name of science of course, I didn’t want to have to constantly deal with that now on this resurrection project). On 1.5 my first draw was pretty good and got a bit of wispy vapor. The second draw at 2 yielded more and thicker vapor still taking about the same length draw - and keeping in mind that I’m not used to the short and harsher air path that I’ve unlearned with my favorite vape and others. I will say though the second draw hit me really good. And the light still showed I had enough battery left for a few more at least - TBD. As will I go through all the batteries in succession and see how group B (and the oddball) fare against group A.

Next on As the Vape Burns: group B in the OG Hopper - hoping for lots of blue lights and nice clouds.
:peace:
 
Top Bottom