Discontinued The Grasshopper

[Justpassedu]

The shock is the unaddressed bad thing, eh?
I hope that maybe the other issues were about your batteries being just plain worn out, and maybe the new one will show a good-working hopper.
So, we all wished for replaceable batteries. But not much fun if you have to to buy a new bunch every few months!
But the shock, that would of course still be unacceptable.

Not only the shock , none of my concerns were addressed. My batteries dies way to quick , i have only re-charged them 4 times and own 3 of them. After 4 charges i did not expect them to dig-rate so quickly which leads me to believe my hopper has another problem. I guess well just have to see what happens when it comes back into my hands.

 

[tubasco]

Same thing just happened to me. I wrote them about it and Caroline sent a new front end which will be here Tuesday. I'm sending both the faulty body and old (differently threaded) front end in the same return package.

EDIT: my old front end doesn't even start to catch the threads of the new body they sent. Looks like the new bodies have more threads at the front (by the oven) than the old ones did.

Got my new front end today.
It fits the threads of the new body perfectly...

BUT it has no screen assembly inside of it. No copper cone, no proprietary glass/silicone tube thing, and no screen. Just an empty front end.

At least it arrived a day earlier than expected?

EDIT: shoutout to page 504 from the 504!

 

[btka]

Got my new front end today.
It fits the threads of the new body perfectly...

BUT it has no screen assembly inside of it. No copper cone, no proprietary glass/silicone tube thing, and no screen. Just an empty front end.

At least it arrived a day earlier than expected?

EDIT: shoutout to page 504 from the 504!

maybe you could use the inside of your old mouthpiece (there is a video that shows how to do it)... ask caroline maybe...

 

[syrupy]

Not only the shock , none of my concerns were addressed. My batteries dies way to quick , i have only re-charged them 4 times and own 3 of them. After 4 charges i did not expect them to dig-rate so quickly which leads me to believe my hopper has another problem. I guess well just have to see what happens when it comes back into my hands.

I'd wait a little bit, try the new battery. If the problems haven't been solved, then open another warranty claim, and remind HL that they already replaced the batteries, so it must be a problem with the unit itself.

 

[Mr.Sifter]

Can the

"My hopper works as a daily driver and never had a problem people"

please give a quick shout?


All you read is RMA, sent in, came back, and other issues.

 

[Mr. Me2]

Can the

"My hopper works as a daily driver and never had a problem people"

please give a quick shout?


All you read is RMA, sent in, came back, and other issues.

I'll be honest...

One of the two I got is used as a daily driver and never had a problem (the one I gifted, naturally. It's a ti). Mine is a ss, and did fail, but I got the body replaced in a painless and fast warranty claim. It was and remains my daily driver before and since that bump in the road.

@Mr.Sifter - Follow us lemmings. It's not so steep off the cliff. I know you'll be very happy (of course, keep a safety net with a backup vape. But like many of us, you'll pine for the quick return of your gh if a RMA becomes necessary).

 

[Baron23]

Can the

"My hopper works as a daily driver and never had a problem people"

please give a quick shout?


All you read is RMA, sent in, came back, and other issues.

We just went through this exercise a few pages back.

Mine works perfectly and has for 5-6 months. No heat in back end at all, lights perform exactly as described in the manual with no blinking cop lights, no ticking out the back end. I have been very fortunate so far.

Oh, its a Ti Bronze.

 

[Icon13]

Finally got in touch with Caroline at Hopper Labs to arrange sending my non working hopper back. They asked a few questions and have decided to send me a new body out before ive even sent the old one back.

Couldnt be happier with that warranty outcome tbh, just hope this replacement lasts longer than the previous one.

Whatever my final opinion on the quality of the hopper ends up being (which will be totally based on getting one that lasts more than a few months), that kind of customer service does inspire some kind of loyalty. Other companies should take note!

Other companies will take note... when GHL goes belly up from questionable Q&A and lifetime part replacements.

Exactly my thoughts... Conduction is all well and good, but convection only bakes when you're drawing.
Since I'm kind of Type A with some things, it used to bug me when I'd pass the Pax with a green light to someone and they'd keep talking or whatever, and I'd be itching to say, "Toke it, it's cooking in there!".

And I gotta add here (I don't know who originally stated it, was it you, @Vapor_Eyes ?) that had suggested the "pulse" method of drawing. I dig it now; It's sort of like you pull in some hot air, but "pause" in a draw, just for a quick moment... Sort of like doing a very slow draw, but to avoid a hopper auto-off you pull in hard, and dynamically slow to short pause, then repeat a couple or three times. I find great vapor that way, even at T3 (on a fresh chamber).



I guess the best thing is to wait and see when you get it back. I certainly understand the on-edge feeling this must give you since you feel it is coming back with nothing changed but a new battery.

It seems so discordant that GH would seem so quick and good with some issues and then seemingly ignoring others that are posited to them. Please keep us posted; at least we can be there to offer support during your odyssey.

I have been on a convection vaporizer for nearly 10 years. The Evolutions, and that is exactly how I puff it; in pulses. When you hit it the bowl cold from your draw, but when you pause that hot air sits for a moment and make I move clouds.

This is how I hit my Hopper too. I'm waiting on the replacement body, now I'm kind of nervous if the front end is going to fit.

 

[Vapor_Eyes]

@JoeMama
I don't know if I was the first to post about it but I definitely do the pulse technique. I started using that technique it with my E-Nano, it helps squeeze out that last bit of extraction at the end of a bowl, or creates huge hits at the beginning.

Since I brought up the convection aspect of the Grasshopper I'll explain why I think it's an advantage.

First of all is it preserves your material's potency and flavor. I can take a small quick hit, turning it off midway, and the load won't continue to cook. I could come back to the same chamber a week later and the second hit would still taste fresh and hit hard. With a conduction vape it will be cooking your herb until the oven cools down. A second session will be less flavorful and potent.

Convection doesn't taste better in and of itself, it just tastes better longer. The first hit of a conduction vape can taste amazing but the very nature of how it extracts means you are constantly losing flavor while the chamber is hot, even if you're not hitting it. Small loads and being mindful not to let it sit can help with conduction vapes, but it's still an inherent weakness.

More importantly, I find convection much more potent. Similar to how a convection oven cooks faster than a conventional oven, I find convection vapes extract faster and hit harder.

I have to take more hits of the same material with a conduction vape than it would take me to get the same effect as a convection vape.

Not that conduction vapes can't hit hard, I just find that I need longer sessions to reach the same level of medication.

I do appreciate the different effects from conduction, I find it more sedative and convection more clear and focused.

Convection has drawbacks too. The vapor tends to be more hot and harsh. It takes a lot more power to produce convection which is why it's not as popular with portables.

I have conduction vapes that I enjoy a lot and I recommend them to many people as well.

I'm just personally a sucker for on demand convection. And I was trying to point out to @Mr.Sifter that the convection aspect of the Grasshopper would give him a different experience than his Arizer portables.

 

[Shieldsab]

My hopper is here, and I have used it. Here are some observations.

The back end stayed completely cool through all 4 hits I took.
There is a quiet ticking sound when it's on. I didn't listen closely enough to isolate it, but it's there.
The vapor is definitely hotter than what I get from the Crafty or Vapcap.
All the parts feel good. No gaps or anything.
The taste of the vapor was a lot clearer than the other two vapes.
And it's at least equal, maybe better, with the Vapcap for how hard I'm hit on a similar amount. (EDIT): Definitely more powerful. Wow.
Overall a positive first impression.
I can't tell you about the lights, they're too dim for me and I can't see color at all.
Same goes for vapor, not being able to see makes cloud chasing pretty much impossible. But It definitely hit me.

Think that's all I have for now.

 

[ooo]

Can the

"My hopper works as a daily driver and never had a problem people"

please give a quick shout?


All you read is RMA, sent in, came back, and other issues.

i'm going on my 4 month anniversary at the end of this month. use it every day. never had a problem with it whatsoever. i clean the threads with the Blu-Tac stuff that was recommended. clean the mouthpiece with isopropyl alcohol. only use a Nitecore D2 to charge my batteries. never used the charger that it came with. satisfied customer

 

[newVaper420]

Ok whoever recommended @Ratchett 's 14mm - 18mm adapter, BRAVO!!!! Works perfectly with my Vapexhale Turbine. Just took the silicon mouthpiece off, replaced with 14mm - 18mm adapter and works amazingly well.

I'm sure this may have been brought up somewhere, but how safe is this stuff? :-)

Anyhow, great session with my grasshopper. I can move the Cloud back and forth now. Have a good rotation going. :-)

 

[Mr.Sifter]

Why is it recommended not to use the included charger?

And what contacts are to be cleaned with blutac?

 

[Vapor_Eyes]

Ok whoever recommended @Ratchett 's 14mm - 18mm adapter, BRAVO!!!! Works perfectly with my Vapexhale Turbine. Just took the silicon mouthpiece off, replaced with 14mm - 18mm adapter and works amazingly well.

I'm sure this may have been brought up somewhere, but how safe is this stuff? :-)

Anyhow, great session with my grasshopper. I can move the Cloud back and forth now. Have a good rotation going. :-)

That was me that recommended it. I'm glad it worked, I was 99.9% sure it would.

Funnily enough, I just confirmed it worked today too, I got a honeycomb tube from VapeXhale. I wanted to know how you liked your turbine but I guess it doesn't matter anymore lol. I decided I needed a high diffusion piece in my lineup.

 

[BadDog No]

Why is it recommended not to use the included charger?

And what contacts are to be cleaned with blutac?

The digital nitecore charger allows you to charge at a lower rate thus extending battery life. Not sure about the very latest new and improved Hopper charger though.

Pretty sure the bluetac is mostly for cleaning threads; especially necessary apparently with the titanium models where titanium oxide can be formed by current flow (the black stuff) but a good idea for the SS as well. On the other hand I'm still on the waiting list, so I'm just repeating the advice of others.

 

[JoeMama]

Why is it recommended not to use the included charger?

And what contacts are to be cleaned with blutac?

As @BadDog No correctly states, the Blue Tac is for threads on the backend and body.

I've been using this exclusively (along with a fast wipe of threads with ISO afterwards) every other time I replace a battery (it takes less than 30 seconds of actual application) and I'm totally satisfied with all aspects of my hoppers.

I have just started using the included charger for when I'm in the car. It fits nicely concealed inside the arm rest and gets a bump for when I'm at my destinations. I got tired of running out for a while and wondering, "should I take a spare battery?".

 

[tubasco]

Got my new front end today.
It fits the threads of the new body perfectly...

BUT it has no screen assembly inside of it. No copper cone, no proprietary glass/silicone tube thing, and no screen. Just an empty front end.

At least it arrived a day earlier than expected?

EDIT: shoutout to page 504 from the 504!

FOLLOWUP: already heard from Caroline. Sending a complete Front End and I'll return the incomplete one. Easy peasy. Great service!

 

[Mr.Sifter]

How do i recognize a charger that will take good care of the hopper bats?

 

[vapviking]

Ok whoever recommended @Ratchett 's 14mm - 18mm adapter, BRAVO!!!! Works perfectly with my Vapexhale Turbine. Just took the silicon mouthpiece off, replaced with 14mm - 18mm adapter and works amazingly well.

I'm sure this may have been brought up somewhere, but how safe is this stuff? :-)

Anyhow, great session with my grasshopper. I can move the Cloud back and forth now. Have a good rotation going. :-)

Can you please confirm which 14/18 mm SonG adapter you are using with the Hopper?

 

[jabba]

How do i recognize a charger that will take good care of the hopper bats?

for starters...look at the Nitecore D4 or D2 depending upon how many slots you need. I use the D2 and like it a lot. There are many others which will work as well.

 

[newVaper420]

Can you please confirm which 14/18 mm SonG adapter you are using with the Hopper?

http://delta3dstudios.com/silicone-reducer-18-14mm/

I put that on top of the Grasshopper instead of the silicon mouthpiece and then it fits right into the turbine no problem.

 

[MoltenTiger]

all other vapes also my loved nano are collecting dust

I could taste the dust in my EQ last time I used it
Had to give it a good fan blast at 260

I'm curious if they made another design change...

I was going to mention this, I noticed the larger holes with my most recent replacement.
If they're CNC'd they could have just been mass batch and produced closer to a tool change.
Or they could just have refined the process, whatever it may be, with closer tolerances in width. It's a very small difference, probably 0.05mm, but the bigger holes fill with herb more noticeably, and the blue heater beneath is clearly visible, as is the LED emittance below it.

but how does the vapor quality differ ?

Conduction vs. convection is purely talking about the thermal transfer from the heater to cannabis.
In the hopper, it is entirely convection. The heater heats up to the temperature selected, which is 130-210°C. Due to its state of the art production method, the heater has a complex shape which offers a surface area large enough to conduct to the air passing through it the same temperature, we then rely on this air to transfer to the cannabis the same temperature. Once the heater, air and herb are in equilibrium (at the selected temperature), the maximum vaporisation rate will occur to material viable at the selected temperature.
Around the chamber of the hopper is highly thermal resistive material, this, coupled with the spiralling nature of the air as it spins through the chamber, allows this equilibrium to happen rapidly, and the result is a very consistent and tasty vapour.
None of the system exceeds the temperature selected, and so it is extremely evenly applied.
(It's also important to avoid making your mouth part of the system, can burn)

A conduction oven will produce hot spots and won't be as efficient or consistent in flavour.
It will require stirring.

The different dynamics of cooking the cannabis produces unique signatures, and no two devices will be exactly alike. Flavour is an adaptable, personal attribute.

Personally, I much prefer clean, consistent flavour, which the hopper does nicely.
However, as it's so rapid to cook cannabis, subsequent hits will be noticeably less tasty.
Some herb can taste pretty rancid once it's been pre-cooked.

The Mighty, which is a 30/70 (guess) conduction/convection device does not suffer from this 'pre-cooked' taste degradation, and flavour wise that is the most amazing vape I've used.
The Pax 1/2 are nearly entirely conduction, and after tasting convection did not tickle my fancy.
My MFLB tastes like scorched wood.
The EQ is also a 30/70 conduction/convection, but it's a bit weak in flavour.
The hopper can produce very dense vapour comparatively, and the concentration really amps up flavour response. The concentration also gets you way higher, way faster.

So, we all wished for replaceable batteries. But not much fun if you have to to buy a new bunch every few months!

I have two seemingly fully dead batteries. It took about 8 months, and whilst others of the same age are noticeably shitty now, they're still going. I'll be swapping my SS case funds and getting a new batch before the years out. Hopefully GHB2s are an improvement.

I'm sure this may have been brought up somewhere, but how safe is this stuff?

I think it's food grade silicone and starch. They are the safest bungs you can buy.

titanium oxide can be formed by current flow (the black stuff) but a good idea for the SS as well

I am pretty sure the majority of the thread gunk is from galling, which both Ti and SS are prone to. This is the same principle wearing down the PCB positive battery terminal too.

How do i recognize a charger that will take good care of the hopper bats?

I recommend the Xtar MC2. Powered by USB, 4.2V 0.5A output x2, no settings, no fuss. Super compact, excellent quality, decent warranty. Cheap.

 

[Purple Lava Lamp]

Can the

"My hopper works as a daily driver and never had a problem people"

please give a quick shout?


All you read is RMA, sent in, came back, and other issues.

I just asked the same question here a couple days ago– on page 500 of this thread. Read the responses on p 500-501

 

[vapviking]

http://delta3dstudios.com/silicone-reducer-18-14mm/

I put that on top of the Grasshopper instead of the silicon mouthpiece and then it fits right into the turbine no problem.

Thanks!
I'm going to get one of those. Simple.
I've also just learned that the NU SonG-Large adapter is a good fit on the Hopper, it will fit into either 14mm or 18mm female glass joints, so I'll be ordering one of those, too!

http://delta3dstudios.com/nearly-universal-vape-to-waterpipe-adapter-large/

Conduction vs. convection is purely talking about the thermal transfer from the heater to cannabis.
In the hopper, it is entirely convection. The heater heats up to the temperature selected, which is 130-210°C. Due to its state of the art production method, the heater has a complex shape which offers a surface area large enough to conduct to the air passing through it the same temperature, we then rely on this air to transfer to the cannabis the same temperature. Once the heater, air and herb are in equilibrium (at the selected temperature), the maximum vaporisation rate will occur to material viable at the selected temperature.
Around the chamber of the hopper is highly thermal resistive material, this, coupled with the spiralling nature of the air as it spins through the chamber, allows this equilibrium to happen rapidly, and the result is a very consistent and tasty vapour.
None of the system exceeds the temperature selected, and so it is extremely evenly applied.
(It's also important to avoid making your mouth part of the system, can burn)

A conduction oven will produce hot spots and won't be as efficient or consistent in flavour.
It will require stirring.

The different dynamics of cooking the cannabis produces unique signatures, and no two devices will be exactly alike. Flavour is an adaptable, personal attribute.

Personally, I much prefer clean, consistent flavour, which the hopper does nicely.
However, as it's so rapid to cook cannabis, subsequent hits will be noticeably less tasty.
Some herb can taste pretty rancid once it's been pre-cooked.

The Mighty, which is a 30/70 (guess) conduction/convection device does not suffer from this 'pre-cooked' taste degradation, and flavour wise that is the most amazing vape I've used.
The Pax 1/2 are nearly entirely conduction, and after tasting convection did not tickle my fancy.
My MFLB tastes like scorched wood.
The EQ is also a 30/70 conduction/convection, but it's a bit weak in flavour.
The hopper can produce very dense vapour comparatively, and the concentration really amps up flavour response. The concentration also gets you way higher, way faster.

I very much like this summary, well done!
Having a Pax2, a Mighty and now Hopper infestation, this all rings true. I agree the Hopper's extraction is faster and more thorough/concentrated. In light of this, any comparisons one might make about "how many hits I get" from given vapes become moot.
I think the thorough/faster extraction is even true at mid-range temperatures (extraction of things available at said temp, that is). It's hard to build up momentum like a session vape would, 'cause the goods are all gone pretty darn early in the game.

 

[Mr.Sifter]

what cases do you use for your spare hopper batteries ?
They seem to have an uncommon form factor.