Discontinued The Grasshopper
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Vapor_Eyes
taste buds
I agree with pretty much everything else you say, but not this. It is vital to have both positive and negative experiences in the same thread. I sometimes have positive and negative aspects in one single post I write, which thread would that go in?
Life is full of gray areas and the good often comes with the bad. Nowhere is this more true than the Grasshopper.
There will always be haters of any vaporizer, you can't prevent that. The thing about the Grasshopper is it inspires a love/hate relationship for the unlucky souls who deal with excessive RMAs. Many of the people posting negativity are people who really enjoy the performance when it is functioning properly.
Hopper Labs is great at honoring their lifetime warranty and responding to warranty requests quickly, but it sounds like their servicing department isn't always testing devices thoroughly enough, and making other mistakes as well. They need to improve that whole process on their end. If they can do that and improve reliability there won't be much to complain about.
It feels like they've come 80-90% of the way, and are in a good place. That last 10-20% is always the hardest though.
IAmKrazy2
Darth Vapor
Can you compare to the original style? Do clouds seem bigger? Is it an airflow thing?
I noted you were keeping the batteries you weren't using at full charge. I had heard you aren't suppose to keep them full I thought it was 60% but checked at Battery U and "Lithium-ion must be stored in a charged state, ideally at 40 percent.". A hopper battery that shows flashing red is probably at a good charge to store. Just have to charge before use. I use all I have in a constant rotation. I know that means all 3 will probably die at the same time but I'm a new owner. So time will tell.So I have decided my current GHB1 (8 month old) battery is finally to decrepit to produce a good hit.
I'm going to chuck it in the recycling battery box thingy at my local supermarket.
I have a few GHB1's I bought 8 months ago that I've been periodically charging and discharging to keep them healthy, I put one of those in my hopper and immediately got that T5 Hopper signature back.
I also have a few GHB2's along with the PFE winging their way to me, not had a chance to try the GHB2's yet so that will be interesting.
Still loving my hopper...
GreenHopper
20 going on 60
That's exactly what I do:
Sorry, should have stated explicitly that I use the hopper to do the discharging.
I should do this but I mostly just rotate them monthly so that the stored ones don't lose too much of their charge which would also be bad for them.
I also tend to just stick with the lower performant battery(s) when at home and leave the hopper on the charger when not in use. I'm not so worried about the longevity of an older less performant battery. As long as I can get my one bowl out of it and then chuck it back on the charger I'm happy. However there comes a point at which the battery quality affects vapor quality rather than just the number of bowls you can get out of it. That's when it's time to recycle that batt.
This leaves the more performant batteries for when I'm out and about. It does mean I have to plan the trips as I have to charge up the higher performant batteries when I know I'm going out but that's mostly fine for me. For the times I get caught out I have a VapCap.
Vapor_Eyes
taste buds
I've been working with worn out GHB1s for a while now, with one GHB2. I'm still getting good performance from my 1s, but only one chamber per charge, sometimes less. I'm still getting two chambers per charge from my lone 2, but I don't use it as much as the 1s, I keep those in a rotation so they don't sit idle for too long.
I can totally relate to planning the use of my better battery, not a big deal but an extra thing to consider.
I was waiting for the March update to order batteries. I was hoping to hear something about the leather sleeve, but since I found my old one I can make do for now. I think I might buy a few batteries and a PFE soon.
And I've also got a few butane vapes available for when I'm caught out, or when I don't need stealth and don't feel like fucking with batteries.
Baron23
Well-Known Member
Wow, go away for a couple of weeks and ten pages of the same stuff as before I left! LOL
I have said this in detail before and will try to keep it short. In the way of establishing credentials in support of my comments I just retired after a very long career as a Program Manager within very high tech companies, mostly airborne electronics (aircraft stuff, yeah?) and telecommunications network equipment. After I left the USAF in 1980, I went to work for a company named ARINC (Aeronautical Radio Inc) who were instrumental in developing much of the reliability engineering framework used today as well as some ground breaking development of models and tools to improve fault detection and isolation (so you don't have to wonder what the f*ck is actually wrong as you get the same 'flashing lights' for multiple failure modes...sound familiar? LOL).
I want to very clear about two points;
1. My GH is nine months old and hasn't skipped a beat. Works like a champ, I love it, and fills a niche in my vape collection that cannot be filled by any other device that I know of now on the market. That's my opinion and I will not debate it.
2. Hopper Labs has a completely fucked up manufacturing test and QA and did a shitty job engineering reliability and maintainability into their design. That's my opinion and I will not debate it either.
Take care, guys
I have said this in detail before and will try to keep it short. In the way of establishing credentials in support of my comments I just retired after a very long career as a Program Manager within very high tech companies, mostly airborne electronics (aircraft stuff, yeah?) and telecommunications network equipment. After I left the USAF in 1980, I went to work for a company named ARINC (Aeronautical Radio Inc) who were instrumental in developing much of the reliability engineering framework used today as well as some ground breaking development of models and tools to improve fault detection and isolation (so you don't have to wonder what the f*ck is actually wrong as you get the same 'flashing lights' for multiple failure modes...sound familiar? LOL).
I want to very clear about two points;
1. My GH is nine months old and hasn't skipped a beat. Works like a champ, I love it, and fills a niche in my vape collection that cannot be filled by any other device that I know of now on the market. That's my opinion and I will not debate it.
2. Hopper Labs has a completely fucked up manufacturing test and QA and did a shitty job engineering reliability and maintainability into their design. That's my opinion and I will not debate it either.
Take care, guys
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Vapor_Eyes
taste buds
Since @voodoo_vape made a comment about his better GHB1 performance vs GHB2 I thought I'd begin a test myself since I had noticed a similar performance difference, and thought it might be the GHB1 I had used once or twice (I have mostly GHB2's).
I started testing the 2 GHB1's vs. a couple GHB2's, and I've noticed over the last couple days or so much better performance consistently with the GHB1's; and it doesn't end at better performance, I also have to "fiddle" w/ my hobbling Ti hopper less often. It seems to consistently do 2 bowls well, and the spinning of the dial when it stops performing seems to be limited to every 4-6 bowls or so as opposed to almost every one. Very strange. Could I have 5 GHB2's that are "bad"? (they work but are far from 100%?) Or are GHB1's superior in some ways or in some instances?
I started testing the 2 GHB1's vs. a couple GHB2's, and I've noticed over the last couple days or so much better performance consistently with the GHB1's; and it doesn't end at better performance, I also have to "fiddle" w/ my hobbling Ti hopper less often. It seems to consistently do 2 bowls well, and the spinning of the dial when it stops performing seems to be limited to every 4-6 bowls or so as opposed to almost every one. Very strange. Could I have 5 GHB2's that are "bad"? (they work but are far from 100%?) Or are GHB1's superior in some ways or in some instances?
voodoo_vape
Vapour RebeL
Hmmm... u probably got me wrong there @JCat .. I was saying that I almost thought I had a faulty battery with the lasting of the GHB1!! It felt like it was half the GHB2 almost.. Performance wise, I cannot say that it didn't perform well, not too much difference but overall I think that the GHB2's are of great improvement comparing to their predecessors..
Ok ...
(I must have been high when I read it 
)
At any rate ... my 2 GHB1's perform much better than my 5 GHB2's ...
I did get you wrong
(I must have been high when I read it )At any rate ... my 2 GHB1's perform much better than my 5 GHB2's ...
voodoo_vape
Vapour RebeL
Ok ...
I did get you wrong
At any rate ... my 2 GHB1's perform much better than my 5 GHB2's ...
Oh well... happens all the time dude!!
Regarding your GHB1's, that's really weird... maybe they've given you the newer generation coated with a GHB1 cover
MoltenTiger
Well-Known Member
Are any of the batteries new?Ok ...
I did get you wrong
At any rate ... my 2 GHB1's perform much better than my 5 GHB2's ...
The only thing I've seen HL mention about a benefit between GHB versions is the charge cycle rating, GHB1s were 100-200, GHB2s are 150-250.
The batteries will continue to be mixed bin lots, meaning there's a small gamble for quality.
I'm not sure I've noticed any difference between GHB1 / 2s, though the latter have seemed to last longer, but I've also been charging them at half the rate. I have 3 working GHB1s still, they are noticeably shitty. The other GHB1s I had eventually stopped being able to be charged after ~8 months. Hard to say either way, I'll have a few new GHB2s in a month or so, so I might see additional comparison with that lot, but so far I think it's minimal difference.
I don't think you're wrong, so I'm not going to debate you, but I do think that given their choice of Chinese manufacturing, use of state of the art production methods (the 3D printed heater, the component that most often fails in electrical vaporisation equipment) and their budget easily explains their common problems, which are generally isolated to few faults that trend with production batches.
There have been constant engineered solutions arrived at for these faults, and although it's taking a long time and there would be better equipped people for the job (who are working on projects that might be deemed important by a normal person lol), it's a bit harsh to say they completely fucked it up. My newest version hopper body has a diagnostic point and suffered 2000 heat cycles before it went out, now it's broken only two months later with the same issues the device has suffered twice before.
I have seen a lot of different LED responses with the GH, they must all mean something different as they happen after various incidents (hot device with backflow, isopropyl boiling off the heater, device negative contact dirty, back-end falling apart, clogged device).
No matter the code, I can send it away, and they can service the device - by identifying the fault and fixing the component.
It's engineered to be fixed, but only by HL, if the user attempts any fix they void warranty.
Additionally, and the biggest fault, most devices are tested before they exist as a commercial product, but the hopper was barely a prototype when the first people backed them, and even when I pre-ordered 1.5 years after the campaign ended, the design was still in development.
Very common for crowd funded projects that are successful.
Wass it mediocre engineering design? Hell yeah it is (they spent ~6 months of time on it before the campaign, as students and not experienced professionals). Is it completely useless? Probably to an engineer who succeeded in the industry the HL guys bailed from!
I'd love to see your comments on how, say Davinci Vaporizers, have engineered reliability because there are plenty of disgruntled customers in that boat too.
Overall with the hopper, I think the heater coil might be the biggest culprit, as everything else in the system (apart from the structural integrity of the back-end, which has seen massive improvement) is pretty well designed and constructed.
The engineered reliability should be better, but it is a vaporizer company, so at this stage we must take what we can get. I do hope the industry continues to evolve, and maybe HL with their new experience will have a great vantage point.
As for your continued use of the hopper, nice one. Glad there are others out there not in hopper purgatory
Baron23
Well-Known Member
This was my experience as well! I couldn't figure it out, but the GHB2's were the ones constantly giving me flickering blue led's and inconsistent performance. I went from using 6+ month old hoppers with GHB1 batteries that BLEW ME AWAY as you all know, but it was the newer GHB2 batteries and newer hoppers that lost my confidence. I swear they have gone forward in some ways, but backward in others.
I've seen the potential, but I need that consistently every time. You know as well as I do that you can't be sneaking around the arenas doing the GH voodoo dance in order to get a good hit!
Some characters on here that's forsure! hahaha
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MoltenTiger
Well-Known Member
Haha, yes. I mean, I agreed with your point of view twice there so I'm not arguing with you at all, but really I couldn't resist some follow up to the literal claims made that I don't agree with for the reasons I stated
Valid for everyone's consideration, but not intended to instigate back and forth. That's all I meant by not debating, so cheers for not having a go at my own literal abominations
...
lol looking at the quote I didn't even get the phrasing right of what you said, which was 'fucked', 'shitty' and not 'useless' which is what I was ranting about.
So meh, there's some clear reason I've given as to why it's 'mediocre', 'shitty' or 'fucked' QA. There's no where else to turn in the electrical vape world anyway
Anyway on that bomb shell, it's about time I got done here. Obvously it has been terrible for my character, so thanks for that one @biohacker
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I'm not sure I understand what you mean here, but all I meant is that there are some pretty funny characters on this forum (and thread) that absolutely make me bust a gut!
Just adding to what biohacker said ... I liked your post in solidarity @MoltenTiger ... that's what I understood from your post @biohacker! There are a log of characters on here (meant only in the nice way) ... I think I might be one of them
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Vapor_Eyes
taste buds
I know I'm a character even though it might not always come across in my posts. Don't take it personally @MoltenTiger, there are a lot of us characters here, it's nothing to be ashamed of!
I would wager @biohacker considers himself a character too. I find his quixotic quest to find the perfect gear both humorous and helpful. I can easily relate to it, even though I haven't tried nearly as much stuff in my quest.
The characters are one of my favorite parts of FC, and life itself.
I would wager @biohacker considers himself a character too. I find his quixotic quest to find the perfect gear both humorous and helpful. I can easily relate to it, even though I haven't tried nearly as much stuff in my quest.
The characters are one of my favorite parts of FC, and life itself.
CarolKing
Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
Constructive criticisms is always good to know but harping on this units flaws constantly kinda turns me off of this thread. Not that I want to see things through rose colored glasses.
I think we are all on the same page, this is a finicky vaporizer. Let's hope the company figures it out over time. I see that using this unit constantly all the time on high heat will make this unit degrade over time. Sometimes a small period of time - depending on the throw of the dice.
This unit is an on demand portable, not to be constantly in use all day. My opinion just from what I've read over the last 2 years. I have minimal experience using my unit. I've used it probably 10 times probably totaling an hour. Good times so far.
I think we are all on the same page, this is a finicky vaporizer. Let's hope the company figures it out over time. I see that using this unit constantly all the time on high heat will make this unit degrade over time. Sometimes a small period of time - depending on the throw of the dice.
This unit is an on demand portable, not to be constantly in use all day. My opinion just from what I've read over the last 2 years. I have minimal experience using my unit. I've used it probably 10 times probably totaling an hour. Good times so far.
I was referring to @Baron23 ! I almost fell off of my chair with both of his quotes/comments; such a character!
Oh, i'm definitely a character alright! Thanks for the kind words bro, I wear my heart out on my sleeve, and am glad you get some kicks out of it
Thanks also for teaching me a new word! Unfortunately, everything in my world is either black or white, so it's hard for me to "kind of" enjoy a device. I expect performance and durability, for the most part....I don't mind RMA's, but not at the frequency of this little beast at this point in time. I really hope that changes....and soon! I just can't be twisting backends and doing the voodoo dances when I need it to work. You got that right!!! Otherwise I find life and people to be quite boring.
I can so relate, from the other side....rose coloured glasses.....there is a delicate balance, but only you can think critically enough to sift through what's useful to you and what isn't. As long as it's constructive, or self reported experience, and not slamming the company or the vape, I very much welcome both positive and negative experiences.