Maybe so, but I hate to say, again, why should I keep track of what I send them, when they have the record of shipment? I simply am not going to keep notes in this crap. They have the SN''s; they ca track it.
Which brings me to:
When a backend is replaced, what happens to the SN? Do they automatically change it to reflect the latest one are sent back in exchange??
And also, as there are no identifying marks on the body, how the heck do they keep track of design iterations? It can't be like, "oh lookie, there's an extra capacitor inside there; it must be a new revision we made".
I dunno, just weird.
Yes, after returning a whole Hopper, I received all back, but new Back End with new SN. In 'My Hopper' on the website, the original number is still listed and the new one has been added. I'm sure that the old number is now defunct and going fwd I'll use the new one.
The question they ask about when it was received is s bit silly imo. They ask once when you register, but then same question again every time you make a warranty claim. I agree, it's really Their number and they know the pertinent details.
My SS Hopper had a SN in the S0042XX range, and I got it in early Aug. '16. Almost four months later late Nov.), the replacement Back End is S0052XX. Within days, it became a ''hot" Back End just like the first, so I know I'll be making another claim sometime. The new SN has me wondering if it's refurbished. I'm a little curious re: SN of other SS Hoppers shipped say, just as the battery shortage was slowing things down, late Nov.?
So do you guys prefer the SS or Ti more? I'm finding that the SS gets hotter, and i'm starting to notice that the back end can get to scorching from time to time. I think i'm going with two new Ti for my backups instead of one of each like I originally planned. I like the lighter feel and texture of the Ti as well.
Still in disbelief what this thing can do. It's like an ultra portable EVO or something....
I've had good, I'd say equal results with both, in terms of vapor production, even heat that exterior develops with the exception that the SS developed "hot" Back End (twice now). It's a spiking heat that happens first in the clip ring, very quickly, very hot, and dissipates almost as fast (unless Body is already warm from use). So sometimes even in normal use, the Back End feels about as hot as the mouthpiece end. I believe performance also suffers in the hot-backended SS more when the battery is low, in part because of the power going to the wrong end!
At the same time, I believe it's luck of the draw on this defect, can happen to either type afaik.
My eyes ain't what they used to be and I have real trouble reading the temp dial on either one (my Ti is 'plain'). I'd love to see them all in person side by side and I believe I'd select the one I could see best.
I quite like the feel of the coloured hoppers, a subtly textured matte finish. I only have Ti's, though I'd be interested to see the SS in person. I can see the appeal for the smoother threads, but can't say the grainy Ti feel has ever bothered me. Not having felt the comparison probably plays a role in that.
I should say, a while back I mentioned cleaning mouthpieces with PBW, well I did that again recently, and whilst it works efficiently, a longer soak changed the colour of my blue Ti MP.
So just a heads up, keep soaking times at a minimum with coloured mouthpieces (5 mins max should be safe). It does work well enough that I will continue to use PBW, it actually cleaned the MP threads so thoroughly I could easily turn the screen with just a toothpick, it brings back the sheen to the screen, but does require a brush or pipe cleaner with less soaking time. Still the fastest, easiest way to clean IME.
Well, now you tell us! Yesterday I did my first mp clean with PBW, quick story;
I had left Hopper loaded after use and it cooled, mp was stuck tight in place. I gave it a bigger twist and it reluctantly unscrewed. When mp came off, it had left its' innards stuck to the body of Hopper - so what I saw was the copper funnel, then the screen was below that. This was a first, for me!
I dropped the mp parts all in iso for about half an hour and moved them around, swabbed threads, etc. The screen itself gets crap stuck inside that is just obstinate. I abandoned the iso and put all in warm water/PBW for about ten min. Everything had looked quite clean except a couple of gobs inside the screen, but I was surprised how much dirt floated to the surface of the PBW mix. I see no change to SS mp color. The screen got clean as a whistle, inside too! Re-assembly was a breeze with the threads so clean. A clean Hopper is a happy Hopper!
I have seen that cleaning mp by dropping in iso for a few minutes is not a deep clean. It may be fine if done very often. After a soak and thorough swabbing, q-tip looks to be clean, etc. But then, while still wet with iso, cram a paper towel deep into mp. Give it a couple of twists, and see how much resin comes out on the towel...
Maybe there's another trick I haven't employed. Could have used some heat, maybe compressed air, etc. The PBW worked great.
I forgot to mention, after this nice clean result, I put my plain Ti mp in the PBW. I've not been able to remove the screen nor funnel (used heat/iso/broke my precision tweezer tip!), so I had to put the whole mp shell in. I'm not seeing a difference in finish after soaking for about ten min.