Discontinued The Grasshopper
- Thread starter midgetsanchez
- Start date
ashinybox
Well-Known Member
I received a response from Olivia on the 19th with a special discount code for an issue I had with my PFE order. Of course the code rings up as "Invalid" when I try to apply it to my cart. Messaged back the same day and no response as of today. Nothing new but just felt like I should chime in.
I'm just going to chime in ... I feel lucky because (knock on wood) my Ti hopper has been hobbling along mostly functional since Nov/Dec timeframe (maybe sooner??? I forget ...!)
Anyways ... been holding off sending it back as it sorta' worked, and then HL went into shutdown mode, and have had my non-functional SS and mostly functional Ti (only get 1-2 bowls, lots of flashing blue lights, need to fiddle with the knob to get it to produce decent vapour, decent vapour only lasts for the first 5-10 sec of your draw then you have to quit because the hopper has quit ... (so cutting it short by 1/2 to 3/4) ... but it still works at least! and ok enough to give me generally pretty monstrous hits through my zapubler when travelling (which I just broke and have sent to PV to have a replacement made) ...
Anyways ... I read a lot about people being disappointed that Olivia seems to have stopped responding properly ... I'm just guessing, but with shipping having started back up, I'm imagining they are just absolutely insanely busy and unable to keep up ... hate to speak up for HL (as they've done nothing but give me the runaround), but anyways ... I'm cautiously optimistic that things are going to get better moving forwards, both in regards to stable hoppers and maybe a company that will be able to keep up enough to be able to act like they care.
blackwater
Member
Hi everyone, looonnggg time lurker and first time post. Preordered mine in December 2015 only to cancel with GH and order my plain Ti from an eBay backer in Jan 16. I collectively want to thank all of you for the information provided here. ALL of my vaporizers were procured after much reading on these forums. From my Haze to my recently ordered Fury 2 (on the way) have been because of all you smart people!
Anyway, on to topic. Decided to sign up and post because I may be in the last round of RMAs before they went dark. My experience was awesome and I thought GH had finally figured it out. Rcvd my RMA back sometime before Halloween 2017. I’ve had 3 total; one for front end thread stripping, and 2 for basic poor performance (both for back end heat and poor performance). They’ve replaced the backend twice, body once, and front end once...I know 4 replacements with 3 RMAs is odd math. It’s weird how with how awesome this thing is because you can IMMEDIATELY tell when something isn’t working as it should.
My latest RMA return operated flawlessly for about 2 months. Solid blue lights when heating (rapid blue flashes on full battery always led to poor performance and RMA for me), quick heat, and rips shatter in cotton with ease. I got so comfortable with how well it worked I stopped following GH and had no idea about the current dilemma. When my hopper started to exhibit familiar flashing blue and back heat with slow-to-heat and couldn’t properly destroy concentrates I naturally migrated here to see what was up. Ironically I got my monthly email from GH about the March discount and succumbed to GH madness...no pun for March Madness, of “best backup is anothe hopper!”.
Been following your guys’ progress through RMAs and new orders to see when I should send mine in and when I will get my March 2 order plain SST Hopper. The answer as usual is - you just don’t know.
All that said I love my 3/4 or 2/3 working hopper better than anything else I have. I do the usual voodoo dance, clean threads, and rapidly twist temp dial and CAN get her working 100%, just not that often. Damn I wish I didn’t love this thing so much.
My Fury 2 is on order and so excited to add a quick heating session style convection love to my GH. Tax season is a glorious thing.
Sorry for the super long post; as a newb I feel I only have the right to report my situation. All I know about vaping is from YOU. I certainly respect and admire this community! Here’s to more hoppers in the wild soon!
Anyway, on to topic. Decided to sign up and post because I may be in the last round of RMAs before they went dark. My experience was awesome and I thought GH had finally figured it out. Rcvd my RMA back sometime before Halloween 2017. I’ve had 3 total; one for front end thread stripping, and 2 for basic poor performance (both for back end heat and poor performance). They’ve replaced the backend twice, body once, and front end once...I know 4 replacements with 3 RMAs is odd math. It’s weird how with how awesome this thing is because you can IMMEDIATELY tell when something isn’t working as it should.
My latest RMA return operated flawlessly for about 2 months. Solid blue lights when heating (rapid blue flashes on full battery always led to poor performance and RMA for me), quick heat, and rips shatter in cotton with ease. I got so comfortable with how well it worked I stopped following GH and had no idea about the current dilemma. When my hopper started to exhibit familiar flashing blue and back heat with slow-to-heat and couldn’t properly destroy concentrates I naturally migrated here to see what was up. Ironically I got my monthly email from GH about the March discount and succumbed to GH madness...no pun for March Madness, of “best backup is anothe hopper!”.
Been following your guys’ progress through RMAs and new orders to see when I should send mine in and when I will get my March 2 order plain SST Hopper. The answer as usual is - you just don’t know.
All that said I love my 3/4 or 2/3 working hopper better than anything else I have. I do the usual voodoo dance, clean threads, and rapidly twist temp dial and CAN get her working 100%, just not that often. Damn I wish I didn’t love this thing so much.
My Fury 2 is on order and so excited to add a quick heating session style convection love to my GH. Tax season is a glorious thing.
Sorry for the super long post; as a newb I feel I only have the right to report my situation. All I know about vaping is from YOU. I certainly respect and admire this community! Here’s to more hoppers in the wild soon!
I ordered one on 2/28 and a 2nd Hopper as a backup a few days after during the sale. After waiting over two weeks for them to write me back I was given a non answer about when it would ship. They also told me the 2 weeks shipping time means that's how long it takes to get to you once it ships out from them and it does not mean that your order will ship out from them in two weeks... Meanwhile, I saw someone on Reddit who ordered theirs on the 28th and got it a week ago. I swear they are slapping random labels on boxes and shipping them off.My buddy ordered a new hopper in late October and is still waiting. He's upset with their CS as now they aren't even replying to him (I've been updating him when people have been posting about shipping notices). He already owns what has been identified as a "new style" Grasshopper with the white sensor, which he acquired August/September. He's thinking about canceling the order for the new hopper.
Maybe their new in-house processes are more reliable - but if they only produce 1 vape every x days...![:\](/i/s/hmm.gif "Hmm :\")
Not sure what is going on at Hopper Labs but I'm cancelling my order. I tried to order one of these when they launched and cancelled after waiting over a year, I thought things might have changed by now. I'll order one if they get things sorted out, but I'm not holding my breath.
vapviking
Old & In the Way
Have you ever had opportunity to try a Hopper?
It's that intermittent positive reinforcement that keeps a lot of us hangin' on...just like the rats we trained in Psych 101 class in the '70's!
MoltenTiger
Well-Known Member
The key reason I want a hopper back is because it's easier to use to do what I want than my Dynavap M.
I just roasted a few chambers, and sure it's nice and great and all that. But I'm just not that buzzed really. I've been dabbing all week with the Sub, which was quite ridiculous, so tolerance is creeping at pretty high levels. I'm now away for Easter, and no qualms, but I guess getting sublimated would be pretty welcome, as always. The GH when it's actually working, even two together, is certainly lagging behind in intensity compared with the sub, but not by too much. It's pretty ideal, given what the GH delivers when it's near instantly pocketable after actually volatising the essential oils from my favourite plant in a way that works for me.
Other portable options I find lacking as much as the GH is unreliable... Why can't someone just get this shit right. I need to get on board the RBTrain I guess, but it's not the same as a switch on and switch out experience. I guess the Splinter or Zion are pretty close, but they're not a favoured form factor.
The GH is super nice, some positive stories and waves of shipping notifications are well overdue though... It's really not looking good. Of the few RMAs that have recently been reported, multiple have malfunctioned after not long and things are as slow as ever.
But, the flavour and density of low temp cloud potential is pretty damn tasty with the hopper, it's something else. Thinking back, I've had that many hits from a hopper I feel like I've easily got my money's worth. If the things come back after warranty service and keep on toking properly for months (my average experience) then I'll still be over the moon with them, but that's a barely passable score for a real world product. The reliability needs a drastic change, we've consistently seen spikes of failures and problems after supply disruption. If they can get their QC where they want it, surpassing outsourced yields, then it'll be game set and match. I'm not holding my breath though. I know it's possible, likely even. But it requires much time and patience. Luckily thats cheap, but can be costly.
From the sideline it's a rough game and I've been stung my fair share too. It's been entertaining, to say the least.
I'm hoping the hiccups are finally squished and 2018 turns into a better year for HL and all of us in turn.
I just roasted a few chambers, and sure it's nice and great and all that. But I'm just not that buzzed really. I've been dabbing all week with the Sub, which was quite ridiculous, so tolerance is creeping at pretty high levels. I'm now away for Easter, and no qualms, but I guess getting sublimated would be pretty welcome, as always. The GH when it's actually working, even two together, is certainly lagging behind in intensity compared with the sub, but not by too much. It's pretty ideal, given what the GH delivers when it's near instantly pocketable after actually volatising the essential oils from my favourite plant in a way that works for me.
Other portable options I find lacking as much as the GH is unreliable... Why can't someone just get this shit right. I need to get on board the RBTrain I guess, but it's not the same as a switch on and switch out experience. I guess the Splinter or Zion are pretty close, but they're not a favoured form factor.
The GH is super nice, some positive stories and waves of shipping notifications are well overdue though... It's really not looking good. Of the few RMAs that have recently been reported, multiple have malfunctioned after not long and things are as slow as ever.
But, the flavour and density of low temp cloud potential is pretty damn tasty with the hopper, it's something else. Thinking back, I've had that many hits from a hopper I feel like I've easily got my money's worth. If the things come back after warranty service and keep on toking properly for months (my average experience) then I'll still be over the moon with them, but that's a barely passable score for a real world product. The reliability needs a drastic change, we've consistently seen spikes of failures and problems after supply disruption. If they can get their QC where they want it, surpassing outsourced yields, then it'll be game set and match. I'm not holding my breath though. I know it's possible, likely even. But it requires much time and patience. Luckily thats cheap, but can be costly.
From the sideline it's a rough game and I've been stung my fair share too. It's been entertaining, to say the least.
I'm hoping the hiccups are finally squished and 2018 turns into a better year for HL and all of us in turn.
MoltenTiger
Well-Known Member
Okay, so I'm a second sesh beyond with the M, I will probably need to retract my comment above about not getting buzzed.
Comparing it with an outrageous machine using self processed concentrates is quite ridiculous.
But tonight I put some concentrate in the M, a bit of compressed kief, and I'm fairly perfectly buzzed. So it's doing a decent job of filling the void, but it takes a bit of work to allow it. Where as the GH, like the sub, requires no work. Straight-up deliverance. And that is definitely something I'm looking forward to having ultra portably again. But the M is a nice little portable kit for sure.
Butane is less than ideal but a bit of fun. I couldn't comfortably daily with it though. The GH dismissed my Arizer EQ, which is now passed on. It's a damn good vape too, got me off tobacco mixes. No mean feat. But the hopper... Why does it have to be so elusive
Comparing it with an outrageous machine using self processed concentrates is quite ridiculous.
But tonight I put some concentrate in the M, a bit of compressed kief, and I'm fairly perfectly buzzed. So it's doing a decent job of filling the void, but it takes a bit of work to allow it. Where as the GH, like the sub, requires no work. Straight-up deliverance. And that is definitely something I'm looking forward to having ultra portably again. But the M is a nice little portable kit for sure.
Butane is less than ideal but a bit of fun. I couldn't comfortably daily with it though. The GH dismissed my Arizer EQ, which is now passed on. It's a damn good vape too, got me off tobacco mixes. No mean feat. But the hopper... Why does it have to be so elusive
johnnyCanuck
Well-Known Member
Agreed. The M is awesome when compared to price but I barely use it as I’m pretty damn lazy and get tired of waving my torch over it waiting to heat up every time before I can use it. Inefficiency is in the time it takes to heat it to temp then draw needing two hands and an eye on it the whole time. Smells a lot more than my GH ever did.
Hammahead
Well-Known Member
^^ this plus I like to medivape when in conversation or watching a movie or listening to loud music and then this (sometimes) pretty soft click can be barely audible. Also I'm quite the klutz so I get burned on a regular base when using _any_ torch-powered vape. I love me my batteries and I love devices that can extract most of what's in .1 gm of primo in pretty much two tokes. The VC can do just this but not civilized enough in my book. Which still leads me to the Hopper.
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CarolKing
Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
The VapCap and the GH are like apples and oranges. Each to their own but I don’t like using a lighter. The GH of mine is still working after getting it back from a warranty fix in Oct. in a lot of situations a lighter does not work well for stealth. That’s the big “draw” you might say for the GH is stealth.
newVaper420
Vapor Enthusiast
Welp, I really haven't read the back thread yet, but I shipped my Hopper back at the end of January, and they received at beginning of February. I still have not heard anything, even after updating their ticketing system a few times. Like once a week or two....
I'd just like to know they haven't forgotten about me or my hopper yet. This is very discouraging.
I'd just like to know they haven't forgotten about me or my hopper yet. This is very discouraging.
Cheesequake
Free Men Don't Ask
I haven't gotten a reply to my request for a shipping label in ~16 days. Last reply I got took about a month.
vapviking
Old & In the Way
Back thread is that they shut down for several months to do a factory and product re-vamp and didn't ship any new or repaired units during that time, only resuming in the past couple of weeks. Bottom line is that you will be waiting "a while" (the backlog began with units sent to them in November, maybe a little earlier). In the plus column, your Hopper will be the newest version, which we all hope will be much improved in reliability dept.
But they haven't forgotten you, it's in there somewhere!
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It's funny that you mention the Dynavap M, because ever since I got mine about a week ago it has made me question if I even need a Hopper even with my VAS. My vapes are mostly around the house use so using an induction heater or torch lighter isn't a big deal, especially since it's about the same effort as heating a nail on a rig. Dynavap is also coming out with their own battery powered, waterproof induction heater which means no need to build your own coil or use a torch. If I'm going out to a ballgame, beach, bar or anywhere public I'm bringing a concentrate pen for ultimate stealth, but I also live in a medical state and have that access and understand others do not.
So do I really need a battery powered on demand one hitter vape? No, the M has exceeded my expectations and has been getting me seriously medicated with light packs, medium grinds, and on occasion adding some keif or extract like you mentioned but that isn't necessary for me as long as the strain is quality. It's also 4x cheaper, has no electronics to break and can be run over by a car and still work.
That being said, I've wanted a Grasshopper since I heard about them around '14/15 and have been hoping that they improved since I cancelled my order back in '15. The Dynavap M fits my needs for now but even then I still want a Hopper, but I remember the saying "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results isn't patience, it's insanity." I've seen this company do the same song and dance as a lurker on this forum for years. They announce they have changed and offer some huge sale to lure people in, and then when people start to receive the new and improved Hoppers, some are already reporting issues like on /r/GrassHopperVape, others get no response and the typical extended wait period whether it's warranty or a new sale. All I know is it's the same stuff, same company and a different day. I don't expect anything different unless something changes, that would be insanity.
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Cheesequake
Free Men Don't Ask
I had an M for a while and can't even imagine it replacing my hopper. It's like saying an Athlon 64 from 2003 is just as good as an i7 8700k. Sure they'll both get the job done (eventually) but they'e really not comparable. The only reason the M even appears to milk things up so good is because of the insane draw restriction.
My M milks bubblers, but I also have the 2018 with better airflow. I haven't used a Hopper so I have no direct comparison, but I do know that it work's 100% of the time. Availability is the best ability in my book.
beyond6strings
Just another traveller in the Cannaverse
@butts this speaks to me. The first vaporizer that convinced me that vaping flower could work was the Alternate. (IKR?wtf) And, it also lead me to this forum. I very quickly realized that I was not cut out for session vaporizers. I also found that I don't like plastic mouthpieces.
Armed with some knowledge, and budding experience (pun intended) I went through this forum looking for on-demand devices convection devices. I discovered the Grasshopper, the Milaana, Dynavaps, Sticky Brick, Vaponic, and several others. After reading through the threads I purchased a Milaana and a Dynavap Omni last fall. And I've been so rewarded. I feel bad for people here, but still lurk, because I'm enjoying my vaping experience so much. And both companies treat their users like family. And given that DV and GH launched at about the same time, it's really been an interesting case study in 21st Century crowd-funded, social media based companies. One provides a how-to while the other provides a how-not-to.
What I do find astounding, is that if GH ever gets their shit remotely together they will have a HUGE success on their hands. It's too bad they don't see that.
Cheesequake
Free Men Don't Ask
Right, it milks bubblers because it has very little airflow and lots of time for the vapor to build up in the chamber. The amount of vapor you get from the biggest M hit is nowhere close to what you can get from a normal grasshopper hit. Even the M with "upgraded airflow" is still very restricted compared to just about any other vaporizer I've used except maybe the Solo. If the M works for you that's awesome and I'm happy for you, but it's definitely not comparable to a hopper for someone with high tolerance.
@beyond6strings They have been spending so much energy over the last three years as a small team controlling the bleed, catching up fulfilling orders of units and then losing money and time on warranty repairs that are backed up for months. Their full efforts can't go to getting the core manufacturing problem fixed. They finally get have the ability to upgrade their labs but then what comes out is still breaking on people. I can't speak for their financial standing but unless they have some major investors backing them, I can't see how they can keep this strategy up much longer.
Like you, I found a few great vapes I love since the Hopper came out, but people have this cult following for the Hopper for a reason, when it works. It's just a shame that this team isn't as big as the problems they face.
@Cheesequake It's comments like these that make me hope that they really do get it solved, whatever is causing all of these issues. I'm happy with my M, and if it can be better than that then I have no idea what's in store for me. Which is a shame because I have been wanting to get my hands on one of these for some time now
I've an omnivap that's not far off what a hopper can do and recently purchased a Tubo Evic which can blow it out of the water. Unfortunately it's not very portable and the omnivap needs butane so the grasshopper has its place but I've learnt the hard way not to rely on it
Baron23
Well-Known Member
Perhaps I missed it, but I haven't seen any reports of failures on recently returned RMAs. That is, units returned since they resumed shipping after pulling processes in house, redoing testing/lab, etc.
Link or anything you can tell me to shed light on this?
newVaper420
Vapor Enthusiast
Wow finally got a response. They said they are only in warranty requests from mid November. LOL. Guess I’ll see my hopper in November.
MoltenTiger
Well-Known Member
The key difference, as I was reintroduced whilst getting frustrated last night, is that a passively heated device is no good in the cold or wind. It does the job, and I got some satisfying bong hits, but it's very limiting compared to a hopper. More open airflow, much better flavour, larger chamber but it hits harder and just with a click on.
The labs definitely have a warped sense of marketeering and conductivity, but they're making it work as best they can. I keep saying it, but before the GH existed there was nothing like it because all these problems were foreseen. Even now, I don't see a single company with as much an ambitious design. It just happens to be the design that I value over all. I'm still months away from being reunited with them, but I'll be waiting months longer for a viable alternative.
The air restriction certainly helps, but really if you're getting the bigger clouds from a Dynavap you're getting a broad spectrum hybrid offgas with light charring occuring from conduction on the outer layer of the herb. It doesn't have the power or dynamic to evenly distribute heat through the chamber. It does do a pretty good job, but it's a basic concept which is noticeable from the vapour quality. The best vapour quality from a vapcap is short-lived, even with the SS tip which retains heat best. An active heater makes a big difference, especially when it's hard to overpower.
Still compared to my starting point, the MFLB, the VapCap I'd actually bother using.
They might both make vapes, but HL is an electrical engineering start up and Dynavap is a mechanical engineering start up and their products have polar opposite complexities at play.
If a student base was to examine either project, there's much to learn either way. But not by comparison. They're too different. Customer service is extremely easy at the sales end, made more so by a lack of returned product. Theres no insight there. Without that initial 30% failure rate, I'd imagine prioritising would be quite straightforward and things are going to flow easily, allowing a solid plan to come to fruition. When you attempt something considered impossible, it's going to be a rougher journey.
I'm pretty sure that'd be their key motivating factor. They obviously have passion, but they're aware of what they've at least designed.
This back up has been since Oct/Nov, before that problems were ripe but the turnover was reasonable.
Cut to the chase and get a Sublimator
Yeah sounds about right
