Discontinued The Grasshopper

[Vapor_Eyes]

My SS Grasshopper has had issues with the temp dial getting stuck for a while now, since March I think. It would get stuck and you would have to unscrew the backend to change the temp. I was always able to get it functioning again with some fiddling, so I never bothered sending it in. I figured I would use it until it fell apart.

A couple of weeks ago, it did.

Shortly before it fell apart I noticed the gap in the backend where the temp dial is had become huge, probably 5mm or more. I got a couple more hits on me then it fell apart when I went to click it on. Other than that it was functioning great, hitting hard with no issues besides the temp dial getting stuck every month or two.

My replacement has the new white heater cover with the blue temp sensor. It has noticeably better airflow than any hopper I’ve ever used. I was never that impressed with the airflow from the beginning but airflow isn’t a minor concern of mine so I didn’t view it as much of a negative.

I’ve tested side by side and my recently refurbished SS has much better airflow with the stock mouthpiece than my Ti does with the PFE! I’m talking about a night and day difference too. My Ti does have a little less airflow than my hoppers have had previously when new or freshly RMA’d, but still, the new heater cover must play some role in the airflow, or maybe it’s what is behind there that we can’t see that has improved.

My backend was obviously replaced and has a new serial number, and they replaced my (fully functioning) heater, but the body is definitely the same one.

The temp ranges are also night and day with my old hoppers. Temp 5 seems about the same, maybe a tiny bit hotter. That’s compared to a fully functioning OG “blue oven” hopper. As many of us have experienced, hoppers can degrade and eventually provide noticeably weaker heating with tan ABV instead of dark brown or even near black.

The interesting thing to me is temp 1 seems noticeably warmer, almost equivalent to what 2.5 used to be. I get fairly thick visible vapor on temp 1 with my repaired SS which has never been possible before. I prefer this narrower temp range but others may disagree, especially if they vaporize botanicals other than cannabis.

I’ve been very busy so I haven’t had the chance to test everything as much as I’d like to. So take everything I’ve just said with a grain of salt. Except for the stuff about airflow, I’m positive about that.

My RMA experience was nearly identical to @kbrown5523, the dates almost lined up too. Luckily mine isn’t combusting. I hope you get everything sorted soon.

@JCat; you just can’t catch a break can you? You have the patience of a saint! Hopper Labs really needs to step up and take care of you.

Also I’d like to give a belated welcome back to the thread @biohacker, and welcome back to hopper ownership too. Hopefully you have good luck this time.

 

[biohacker]

Also I’d like to give a belated welcome back to the thread @biohacker, and welcome back to hopper ownership too. Hopefully you have good luck this time.

It has noticeably better airflow than any hopper I’ve ever used. I was never that impressed with the airflow from the beginning

Thanks bro, it is appreciated. Unfortunately, even though my SS GH works 100% properly and can milk dense, the novelty must be gone because it's not what I remember it being. The airflow is horrible for me now, so i'm not sure if it's because i've been spoiled by full open airflow convection or what, but it's beyond my threshold. I also very quickly had flashbacks of the GH causing me anxiety every time I used it, and that's the opposite of what I want from the device. The serial is in the 8000's and is from earlier this year (received in trade).

It was nice getting vapour within seconds, and the taste as someone was asking about earlier is very nice and full bodied, especially at lower temps. However, on 5 it was okay on the first hit, but then quickly tasted like abv, although it was a smallish load (maybe 60-70% full). ABV was a pretty decent medium brown colour.

I have the PFE, another battery, the herbie 14 female WPA, and 5 silicone mouth guards arriving today too! Doh!

 

[biohacker]

Fortunately @PlanetVape is a class act and is allowing me to ship back the accessories I no longer require for store credit.

Just wanted to pass on a sweet deal for the SS PFE I came across from the Herb Cafe...works out to $19.50usd on sale!

And lotsa retailers still have the silicone mouth piece cover if looking.

 

[snaffle]

Fortunately @PlanetVape is a class act and is allowing me to ship back the accessories I no longer require for store credit.

Just wanted to pass on a sweet deal for the SS PFE I came across from the Herb Cafe...works out to $19.50usd on sale!

And lotsa retailers still have the silicone mouth piece cover if looking.

So @biohacker does that mean you're giving up on the Grasshopper for good now? Maybe with the PFE the airflow will be more to your liking? But I can sympathize with you feeling anxiety when using it that it won't work reliably. What was it you wanted the Grasshopper for? As an efficient fast-hitting desktop? Or a portable and stealthy cloud machine? I'm not sure it can be beaten on the latter, but, while I love using it at home, if you have the money or space you can probably get something bigger that can fulfill that function better, and without any worry that it will stop working on you.

Still, I'm glad your new GH works well, even if it isn't right for you anymore.

 

[biohacker]

So @biohacker does that mean you're giving up on the Grasshopper for good now? Maybe with the PFE the airflow will be more to your liking?

I will most likely not give up on the GH for good, as it is an incredible device. This one I jumped on simply due to a trade, however after having it in my hands i'm realizing that my timing and confidence just isn't there yet. If @JCat had his returned and he was shouting from the rooftops that it worked 100%...but that didn't happen, it came back broken and that grinds me gears after all of this time. I just don't have the time to play this game at the moment.

But I can sympathize with you feeling anxiety when using it that it won't work reliably.

I appreciate your sentiment, it would be a completely different situation living in the USA and only paying a few bucks for shipping. We get hosed in Canada...it costs me $10usd just to ship a tiny 250gram box to PlanetVape which is less than an hour drive for me, for perspective. @JCat has tallied his financial losses on this device, mine aren't that high, but not too far off from all of my previous experiences. Shame that HL have not opened their repair depot in Canada yet. And I just found out that you can buy a vaporizer from Planet of the Vapes, USE IT, and if you're not happy for ANY reason RETURN it for a FULL refund within 14 days! This kind of refund policy is UNHEARD of in this industry! But there is a stipulation, for USA customers ONLY (for now).

What was it you wanted the Grasshopper for? As an efficient fast-hitting desktop? Or a portable and stealthy cloud machine?

Good question. Honestly, I don't know.... my standards for vaporizers are so high that it limits what I can actually use and enjoy. My circumstances have changed frequently over the past year or more, so at one point the portability was massively important to me (like when I lived in a hotel for 6 months between homes) but now things have changed, and now a desktop that I enjoy very much as my daily driver. For portability, the GH doesn't work well for me without water (most portables don't) so it's used mainly at home, which is why it's easy to give up at this point.

I'm not sure it can be beaten on the latter, but, while I love using it at home, if you have the money or space you can probably get something bigger that can fulfill that function better, and without any worry that it will stop working on you.

Couldn't agree with you more.

Still, I'm glad your new GH works well, even if it isn't right for you anymore.

Really appreciate your thoughtful message. Thanks!

 

[MoltenTiger]

I got to try a different hopper last night, this ones been going on for about 1.25 years with a single service a few months back.

And I got to try it with some really nice bud, grown in mountainous conditions with ideal dew point.
It was fucking nuts.

In my hopper, it was very potent, but I wasn't getting massive clouds.

I found a technique, instead of toking at a constant rate, staggered inhales got my semi-broken unit to pump out some decent clouds.

However with the properly working hopper, that thing was pretty crazy.
Like, insanely huge clouds and a 3 second warm up. Level 5 was very hot, level 3.5 was producing lovely coffee ABV.

I need to send mine back so I can get a supercharged device, fuck yes.
One hit blew my head off for real.

Great bud helps so much, but a GH tuned to destroy it is what I need back in my life!

 

[JCat]

I got to try a different hopper last night, this ones been going on for about 1.25 years with a single service a few months back.

And I got to try it with some really nice bud, grown in mountainous conditions with ideal dew point.
It was fucking nuts.

In my hopper, it was very potent, but I wasn't getting massive clouds.

I found a technique, instead of toking at a constant rate, staggered inhales got my semi-broken unit to pump out some decent clouds.

However with the properly working hopper, that thing was pretty crazy.
Like, insanely huge clouds and a 3 second warm up. Level 5 was very hot, level 3.5 was producing lovely coffee ABV.

I need to send mine back so I can get a supercharged device, fuck yes.
One hit blew my head off for real.

Great bud helps so much, but a GH tuned to destroy it is what I need back in my life!

1 in 4 chance you get a working device back!

 

[MoltenTiger]

1 in 4 chance you get a working device back!

1 in 3, the bronze one I was using came back with my two units last time!

For real though, I can't believe what you got back again D:
It is the worst thing...

At this point for me, I don't really mind what I get back.
Only one of mine NEEDs to go back, so the other one might as well go back for the same cost and for a check up.
Who knows, maybe they'd send it back as is, it is working fairly normally.
But I want it to go hotter, I don't even mind if I have to turn it down during use.

If I were to guess I'd say mine is getting 200/210 and the bronze easily 230.

I want my vapes to do one thing: blast the shit out of herb.
I'm not too fussed about low temp vaping really.
If I can get a 230 GH that is best used on 3.5, so be it.

I've always got working units back, whether or not they can work like the bronze GH in question is another thing though.

 

[JCat]

1 in 3, the bronze one I was using came back with my two units last time!

For real though, I can't believe what you got back again D:
It is the worst thing...

At this point for me, I don't really mind what I get back.
Only one of mine NEEDs to go back, so the other one might as well go back for the same cost and for a check up.
Who knows, maybe they'd send it back as is, it is working fairly normally.
But I want it to go hotter, I don't even mind if I have to turn it down during use.

If I were to guess I'd say mine is getting 200/210 and the bronze easily 230.

I want my vapes to do one thing: blast the shit out of herb.
I'm not too fussed about low temp vaping really.
If I can get a 230 GH that is best used on 3.5, so be it.

I've always got working units back, whether or not they can work like the bronze GH in question is another thing though.

Yeah ... wish I could say the same ... this SS unit is cursed! Looking on the bright side, my Ti unit is working 100% right now (probably just jinxed that one! )

Edit: in some ways I can't believe I'm still hanging in there! HL is trying really hard to get rid of me! (Guess there's a sucker born every day! )

 

[MoltenTiger]

Yeah ... wish I could say the same ... this SS unit is cursed! Looking on the bright side, my Ti unit is working 100% right now (probably just jinxed that one! )

Yeah, I wish we could all have a unit like that bronze one, though I'd be scared to try that one direct draw.

One of the dudes I was with prefers the hopper like that, and I stopped him from trying as I knew it would end painfully.

Funny little devices these pens.

I hope your Ti holds true for as long as is possible!!

 

[Hjalmark]

I am starting to think hopper labs should sell an altar or maybe we can just pile them out of stone?

Needed for sacrificing small buds or lambs to the hopper gods for better hopper reliability


Edit: realized we are anyway half the way to a cult religion, why not just go the whole way?

 

[johnnyCanuck]

Well. Sad days are here. Got my Ti hopper June 2016. Was a bit finicky for the past 6 months but still worked well. Unfortunately Last week I’m getting the straight to blue lights with no heat. I LOVE, ABSOLUTELY LOVE, this vape but it’s always in the back of my head that it may fail on me at any given moment unnecessarily causing me a bit of anxiety. Because of this, I’m thinking of adding to my VAS & waiting for the Haze Square to come out & retiring the hopper. I could send it for repair, but I don’t really feel like shipping something that is coated with THC through the mail cross border from Canada. Maybe next year when pot officially becomes legal come July 1, 2018 but not right now.

Anyways, thanks for reading, just felt like venting a little.

 

[biohacker]

I don’t really feel like shipping something that is coated with THC through the mail cross border from Canada

Just clean it and send it in. I've been doing it for over a decade, many dozens and dozens of cross border transactions, never and issue. Ever. But I make sure the vapes are clean.

 

[Vapetrees]

Well. Sad days are here. Got my Ti hopper June 2016. Was a bit finicky for the past 6 months but still worked well. Unfortunately Last week I’m getting the straight to blue lights with no heat. I LOVE, ABSOLUTELY LOVE, this vape but it’s always in the back of my head that it may fail on me at any given moment unnecessarily causing me a bit of anxiety. Because of this, I’m thinking of adding to my VAS & waiting for the Haze Square to come out & retiring the hopper. I could send it for repair, but I don’t really feel like shipping something that is coated with THC through the mail cross border from Canada. Maybe next year when pot officially becomes legal come July 1, 2018 but not right now.

Anyways, thanks for reading, just felt like venting a little.

Sometimes taking out the screen in the oven and cleaning underneath can fix that problem. Mine had that issue and doing that fixed it. Since then mine has been working, and working really well. I even get clouds on the first mark on the dial.

 

[btka]

Well. Sad days are here. Got my Ti hopper June 2016. Was a bit finicky for the past 6 months but still worked well. Unfortunately Last week I’m getting the straight to blue lights with no heat. I LOVE, ABSOLUTELY LOVE, this vape but it’s always in the back of my head that it may fail on me at any given moment unnecessarily causing me a bit of anxiety. Because of this, I’m thinking of adding to my VAS & waiting for the Haze Square to come out & retiring the hopper. I could send it for repair, but I don’t really feel like shipping something that is coated with THC through the mail cross border from Canada. Maybe next year when pot officially becomes legal come July 1, 2018 but not right now.

Anyways, thanks for reading, just felt like venting a little.

I had the same problem... I did blow in the air inlet holes and oven and this solved my problem (the gh was turned off).... you can also use canned air to blow in the oven and air inlet holes... let us know if it worked...

 

[dadan]

I had the same problem... I did blow in the air inlet holes and oven and this solved my problem (the gh was turned off).... you can also use canned air to blow in the oven and air inlet holes... let us know if it worked...

hi @btka ! I am thinking in a GH, because i need a vape for take some strong but unnoticed puffs when i'm not at home...I own also a FF2, I like it, but it needs to stir material every 2 puffs, not a good thing when you are wherever you are (not at home)...I own also a pax 1 that I use when i 'm out, but being a conduction one it is not 'on demand', i have to finish the bowl, and when it is impossible means wasting material...not exactly what i need. Not considering any buthan torch vapes, GH seems what I'm looking for...except for all his issues. How about yours? it works well? TI or SS? where have you bought your GH in europe? I have also thought about buying a used GH from ebay, but to buy in USA means import costs, higher cost (and longer waiting times) regarding eventual RMA + shipping back. Buying in europe would mean simpler RMAs but maybe would also mean older unsold units...what do you think?

PS what about hit's flavour comparing GH to FP?

 

[Hjalmark]

@dadan I would not recommend the hopper unless you understand what it is

Like a custom sport car with a lot of power in its specially tuned engine, a lot of stuff can go wrong and then you need a special mechanic to fix it (hopper labs)

But it's an awesome vape when you get a good unit

I live in Sweden but I don't mind the cost sending it for repairs 1-2 a year and getting all the latest upgrades to the unit

About 6.50 dollars for express parcel

But owning this as your only vape is not recommended by anyone here

Good backup unit is a torch vape because they can give you huge clouds and keep you happy while you wait

Or a logvape

 

[dadan]

@dadan I would not recommend the hopper unless you understand what it is
Like a custom sport car with a lot of power in its specially tuned engine, a lot of stuff can go wrong and then you need a special mechanic to fix it (hopper labs)
But it's an awesome vape when you get a good unit
I live in Sweden but I don't mind the cost sending it for repairs 1-2 a year and getting all the latest upgrades to the unit
About 6.50 dollars for express parcel
But owning this as your only vape is not recommended by anyone here
Good backup unit is a torch vape because they can give you huge clouds and keep you happy while you wait
Or a logvape

Hi Hjalmark, thanks for your words!
Like said I own other vaporizers, desktop and portable, so GH would be not be my 'only' vape. Just the one I would use 'on the go' for some stealth on demand random hits. Express parcels in Italy has slightly higher rates than Sweden, lucky you! In addiction, every time i would receive a returning RMA I would have to pay VAT and import taxes (all about 25%), also on used items. Every time! For this reason I was looking for a european GH seller, in order to let shop handle warranty, RMAs and import taxes.
I don't like portable torch vapes because they are not stealth at all, and I'm looking something people doesn't see. I cannot walk in my town and take a puff with a big torch flame! My Pax 1 is good at this but it is conduction (not on demand) and, sincerely, its oven smells too much! If GH would not have all these different issues (that all of you confirm) it would perfect for what I'm looking for...

 

[Hjalmark]

@dadan legally then you should only pay import fees ONES on a product, just need to list your shipping as a "return to manufacturer" and think hopper labs does that when they ship out repairs?

Or that how it works in Sweden / EU so just wanted to mention that, least I only paid import fees ones and then no extra costs for the rma's

If you need a fast hitting stealth vape then Grasshopper is awesome, I got kids and semi-professional life style

So perfect vape for ninja-stoners but I need to use mine with mouthpiece because I want big clouds and hopper is warm vape

Its also a beast of a vape

 

[dadan]

@dadan legally then you should only pay import fees ONES on a product, just need to list your shipping as a "return to manufacturer" and think hopper labs does that when they ship out repairs?

Or that how it works in Sweden / EU so just wanted to mention that, least I only paid import fees ones and then no extra costs for the rma's

If you need a fast hitting stealth vape then Grasshopper is awesome, I got kids and semi-professional life style

So perfect vape for ninja-stoners but I need to use mine with mouthpiece because I want big clouds and hopper is warm vape

Its also a beast of a vape

A lot of things would legally have to be different here, but no way...
italian customs always make you pay vat for any good (>10EUR), it happens to me so many times. they don't mind if it is used or a return. Last time it happened to me was only 15 days ago.

How many times have you sent back to Hopper Labs your GH? TI or SS?

 

[johnnyCanuck]

Sometimes taking out the screen in the oven and cleaning underneath can fix that problem. Mine had that issue and doing that fixed it. Since then mine has been working, and working really well. I even get clouds on the first mark on the dial.

I tried using one of those fine tweezers to get at that screen. Can’t get it to move unfortunately.

 

[JCat]

I tried using one of those fine tweezers to get at that screen. Can’t get it to move unfortunately.

My fine tweezers actually go into the holes on the screen ... don't know if that's the case on yours ...

 

[btka]

hi @btka ! I am thinking in a GH, because i need a vape for take some strong but unnoticed puffs when i'm not at home...I own also a FF2, I like it, but it needs to stir material every 2 puffs, not a good thing when you are wherever you are (not at home)...I own also a pax 1 that I use when i 'm out, but being a conduction one it is not 'on demand', i have to finish the bowl, and when it is impossible means wasting material...not exactly what i need. Not considering any buthan torch vapes, GH seems what I'm looking for...except for all his issues. How about yours? it works well? TI or SS? where have you bought your GH in europe? I have also thought about buying a used GH from ebay, but to buy in USA means import costs, higher cost (and longer waiting times) regarding eventual RMA + shipping back. Buying in europe would mean simpler RMAs but maybe would also mean older unsold units...what do you think?

PS what about hit's flavour comparing GH to FP?

to be honest the gh is one of the best vapes I have ever had... one problem is if you use it exclusivly and a lot it will maybe need rma (when I got my stickybrick I used both and did not have to rma the gh in this time, then I used the gh exclusivly again and had to rma)... but on the otherside if you rma you will get the newest updates of gh so it is for me not the biggest issue anymore (to be honest I wished it will need a rma)... hope hopperlabs will be there for a lifetime so I can use the lifetimewarranty from them...

I was an early adopter and waited 2 years to get my ti and ss hopper... this vape is putting also really good desktop vapes to shame (I sold most of my other vapes)... big clouds and good taste good airflow... super small... I use it most of the time with my mflb orbiter...

maybe buy it from an european vendor e.g. https://verdampftnochmal.de/products/de/Grasshopper-Vaporizer or https://vapefiend.co.uk/grasshopper-vaporizer-1251...

in my opinion it does not really make a difference if you buy a ss or ti there is no really significant difference...

and yes it is a little bit hot sometimes native but there are also some ways and techniques for this...
also I would strongly recommend you the performance mouthpiece if you want to use it with a bubbler...

I also had the pax was my first portable vape you can throw it in the bin...

regarding taste comparison... it depends on the temps you are using (trade off)... and I am a cloud chaser... but the gh on its highest setting has more or less as good taste as the fp maybe the fp is slightly better but not much... and clouds are bigger on the gh on 5 but I have my fp for 3 days so I have not really a lot of experience and need time to get familiar with it and dial it in but in my opinion if you have a fp, a gh and a torch based vape (for zonmbiecalypse and so on hahaha) you do not need more... and every serious vapor should have a torch powered vape for times with no electricity... who knows what future will bring us..

@dadan if you buy a used one keep in mind that you have to pay gh 40 dollars for lifetime warranty

@johnnyCanuck did you try what i revcommended you above (blowing in the heater and air inlets...-> cold gh oven) as I said had the same problem as you and this helped me gh is working since then...

 

[snaffle]

hi @btka ! I am thinking in a GH, because i need a vape for take some strong but unnoticed puffs when i'm not at home...I own also a FF2, I like it, but it needs to stir material every 2 puffs, not a good thing when you are wherever you are (not at home)...I own also a pax 1 that I use when i 'm out, but being a conduction one it is not 'on demand', i have to finish the bowl, and when it is impossible means wasting material...not exactly what i need. Not considering any buthan torch vapes, GH seems what I'm looking for...except for all his issues. How about yours? it works well? TI or SS? where have you bought your GH in europe? I have also thought about buying a used GH from ebay, but to buy in USA means import costs, higher cost (and longer waiting times) regarding eventual RMA + shipping back. Buying in europe would mean simpler RMAs but maybe would also mean older unsold units...what do you think?

PS what about hit's flavour comparing GH to FP?

I think the Grasshopper would be perfect for you situation, as long as you don't rely on it if you need to vaporize (but if not vaping if it occasionally fails is not a problem). You're right, you should definitely get one from a retailer that will handle returns / repairs for you, and is more local (EU). There are a few retailers that do that, at least Vapefiend and Verdampftnochmal do.

I haven't used the FP, but I'd say the flavor of the GH is pretty good, but not amazing, partly because the vapor is a bit hot to taste as much, at least for me. But yes, I have used it quite a lot as you describe, walking about in places that it wouldn't be good for others to know about, and it is great for that, also because it is so efficient and fast to use all that's in the chamber.

 

[Vapetrees]

My fine tweezers actually go into the holes on the screen ... don't know if that's the case on yours ...

@johnnyCanuck Yeah, the tweezers should be able to go into the holes on the screen, and if they do you spin it around while trying to pry it out. So you spin it around, while squeezing, and pulling out simultaneously.