Discontinued The Grasshopper

[WoodyWeedPecker]

If you do go Nitecore don't get the D4. It is outdated. The new version is the UM20.

The UM20 is not a new version of the D4. It's a different model with different features. For exemple, the D2/D4 (new version) can be used with more types of batteries and can be optimized for use with small capacity batteries (like the gh, it seems the um20 can too). I think you must still evalutate the different models, or different brands, and see what is important for you. That said the UM20 looks like a good device.

 

[vapviking]

Hey Ratch...

But how come it's constant now, even when it is at temperature? It didn't used to do this before, and my other Ti of the same "age" doesn't do this.

Even when the led's go red to blue and the hopper is 'ready', the description of "at temperature" is not a static state, it is, I believe almost continuously monitored and cycled on/off very frequently depending on draw, etc., but meanwhile, the light stays blue rather than flashing. And the clicking does seem to continue. I've noticed it louder and softer at different times. Wife and I have both noticed that, as you draw, if you touch hopper to a front tooth, it really amplifies the click...in your head!
I've also had it happen that my Ti stopped developing heat, though the clicking was still happening, albeit slower than usual. New body fixed the heating trouble.

On the back end heat topic, I have not had improved back end heat from cleaning threads. The SS I have has had hot back end for a while now, I just haven't made much issue of it, and I don't notice any different performance from a Ti, which gets hot only when the hopper's on for a minute or two. Threads do get clean and smooth with Stik Tac, and though I've not gone to the Deoxit route, I really don't think there's a conductivity problem, it's something else. The Ti seems now working well after two new bodies, so maybe I have confidence to take up the hot SS backend with HL. Just been giving them some time too, maybe for improved design or whatever.

 

[Baron23]

Hi guys - my GH back end has never made a sound except the clicking of turning it on/off.

No ticking of any sort and absolutely no back end heat. So, although they now may be saying that this is normal behavior I have a hard time swallowing it.

Perhaps its benign in most cases but I have trouble seeing how this is nominal behavior as there are many out there that don't tick.

Cheers

 

[MoltenTiger]

It seems some of my batteries are struggling to hold a charge, they've probably seen the 1-200 charge cycles by this point.

It could also be my new hopper, which seems to love the blue flickers.
I'll get another fresh body in a couple of weeks to compare with, but I feel like a battery order is coming around sooner than I expected.

 

[Mr. Me2]

Even when the led's go red to blue and the hopper is 'ready', the description of "at temperature" is not a static state, it is, I believe almost continuously monitored and cycled on/off very frequently depending on draw, etc., but meanwhile, the light stays blue rather than flashing. And the clicking does seem to continue. I've noticed it louder and softer at different times. Wife and I have both noticed that, as you draw, if you touch hopper to a front tooth, it really amplifies the click...in your head!
I've also had it happen that my Ti stopped developing heat, though the clicking was still happening, albeit slower than usual. New body fixed the heating trouble.

On the back end heat topic, I have not had improved back end heat from cleaning threads. The SS I have has had hot back end for a while now, I just haven't made much issue of it, and I don't notice any different performance from a Ti, which gets hot only when the hopper's on for a minute or two. Threads do get clean and smooth with Stik Tac, and though I've not gone to the Deoxit route, I really don't think there's a conductivity problem, it's something else. The Ti seems now working well after two new bodies, so maybe I have confidence to take up the hot SS backend with HL. Just been giving them some time too, maybe for improved design or whatever.

To fix back end heat, have you tried the twisting of the temp gauge back and forth (without the battery in the hopper)? That fix helped my backend heating issues.

You probably did, but I thought I'd double check...

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Hey Ratch...

But how come it's constant now, even when it is at temperature? It didn't used to do this before, and my other Ti of the same "age" doesn't do this.

I'm really not quite sure what causes it. I know that a TI hopper from last year I was using clicked all the time when running, it was quiet but I could hear it.

My new SS hopper is so quiet I can barely hear when it's clicking - but I can hear it with my ear close to the heater.

The audible sound is most likely energy pulses, however it's not via the heater. I have experienced loud ticking when one of my heaters wasn't working, I'd get blue lights immediately, no heat and loud ticking sounds.

So far I've used three different grasshoppers (two Titanium and one SS), and all three of them has produced a ticking noise.

The decibel level of the clicking has varied depending on the unit (the loudest clicking came from an early TI hopper produced in the Summer of 2015 when they were still shipping to IGG backers)

But, in a quiet room with my ear up to my working SS hopper, I can hear a clicking sound (which as mentioned has performed flawlessly for months now - I haven't had one issue or hiccup in it's performance)


If memory serves me correctly, I seem to recall someone actually emailing HL about this about a year ago and their response was something to the effect of "the ticking sound is normal"

 

[vapviking]

Hi guys - my GH back end has never made a sound except the clicking of turning it on/off.

No ticking of any sort and absolutely no back end heat. So, although they now may be saying that this is normal behavior I have a hard time swallowing it.

Perhaps its benign in most cases but I have trouble seeing how this is nominal behavior as there are many out there that don't tick.

Cheers

The ticking noise we're referring to is not from the back end, it's coming from the body, somewhere near the heater. We're all kinda wondering just exactly what it is. HL only says, yup, that's normal.

To fix back end heat, have you tried the twisting of the temp gauge back and forth (without the battery in the hopper)? That fix helped my backend heating issues.

You probably did, but I thought I'd double check...

Thank you.
For back end heat, I believe I've tried all the motions and prescriptions from the Fixes Resource (okay, except for the Deoxit -- I keep wanting to call it De-Toxit!). I've flossed the groove, with alcohol, spun things, rotated things; the thing does this jolt of heat, a quick spike in temperature, sometimes. I can't say for certain, but I might agree that it happens less frequently on full battery. So I just keep my fingers away, as I do from the mouthpiece end. It needs to make a visit home, eventually...

 

[Baron23]

The ticking noise we're referring to is not from the back end, it's coming from the body, somewhere near the heater. We're all kinda wondering just exactly what it is. HL only says, yup, that's normal.

Well, I have never had that either!

 

[vapviking]

Well, I have never had that either!

Fair enough.

Wife and I have both noticed that, as you draw, if you touch hopper to a front tooth, it really amplifies the click...in your head!

 

[JoeMama]

If memory serves me correctly, I seem to recall someone actually emailing HL about this about a year ago and their response was something to the effect of "the ticking sound is normal"

Yep, that was me about 4 months ago too, I asked Caroline and she said "it is normal".

So OK, I will not regard clicking (or not clicking) as a measure of hopper health. I remain curious though, what the "source" of the clicking is. Certainly it is in the body, not the backend , and certainly it is at the heater location (what else is there in there!). I get that it is - as @vapviking states - a continuous operation to keep the heater at temp. I'd love to know what that heater looks like.

Somebody cut open one of your hoppers and get back to me, will ya?

 

[Mr. Me2]

So OK, I will not regard clicking (or not clicking) as a measure of hopper health. I remain curious though, what the "source" of the clicking is.

Time bomb, maybe? But who knows what's left on the clock...

That's weird. Don't know how I ended up in the quote. And I was looking for a burning fuse emoticon.

 

[JoeMama]

That's weird. Don't know how I ended up in the quote. And I was looking for a burning fuse emoticon.

Oh, so now you're putting words in my mouth!

Actually when I'd originally posted the word "ticking", I knew that comment would be coming!

 

[Vapor_Eyes]

It looks like my Ti Grasshopper had a bad backend.

It took a week for it to get to Hopper Labs, I used the cheapest option at the post office. Once it got there (yesterday) it took them a day to diagnose it and ship it back. I continue to be impressed with the warranty service so far.

I was a little nervous, they asked me to send in the original charger and I had never used it. I had this irrational fear that they would test the charger, find it defective, and simply replace it without testing the hopper itself. I know it sounds crazy, but I can worry too much sometimes. I guess it's good to know the charger actually works!

 

[Kermitt]

I was a little nervous, they asked me to send in the original charger and I had never used it. I had this irrational fear that they would test the charger, find it defective, and simply replace it without testing the hopper itself. I know it sounds crazy, but I can worry too much sometimes. I guess it's good to know the charger actually works!

That would be the same to me ;-)

 

[syrupy]

I'm more impressed with warranty service I don't need to use. But in the case of the hopper, I'm glad to know they seem to be taking care of people. Just wish they didn't need to take care of some people so many times...

 

[duff]

Add me to the list...

Just filled out my first warranty request after a month and a half of TI ownership.
Solid blue lights almost immediately after turning on with no heat.

My pocket just got bulkier with the Crafty. No skinny jeans for me.

 

[hogbristle]

Yep, that was me about 4 months ago too, I asked Caroline and she said "it is normal".

So OK, I will not regard clicking (or not clicking) as a measure of hopper health. I remain curious though, what the "source" of the clicking is. Certainly it is in the body, not the backend , and certainly it is at the heater location (what else is there in there!). I get that it is - as @vapviking states - a continuous operation to keep the heater at temp. I'd love to know what that heater looks like.

Somebody cut open one of your hoppers and get back to me, will ya?

Capacitors and inductors can generate acoustic noise under certain circumstances, so this would be a likely cause. I think the ticking corresponds to the approx. 10 Hz communication rate between the back end and the heater body. I've done some non-invasive analysis of these signals and suspect that the back end communicates by interrupting the battery supply to the header body periodically. Either a capacitor or inductor in the heater body could be used to provide energy storage for the heater body microcontroller during these periods.

 

[Kermitt]

Add me to the list...

Just filled out my first warranty request after a month and a half of TI ownership.
Solid blue lights almost immediately after turning on with no heat.

My pocket just got bulkier with the Crafty. No skinny jeans for me.

Try twisting the on-switch clicker 90-degrees and giving it a few clicks

 

[EmDeemo]

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!

 

[JoeMama]

Capacitors and inductors can generate acoustic noise under certain circumstances, so this would be a likely cause. I think the ticking corresponds to the approx. 10 Hz communication rate between the back end and the heater body. I've done some non-invasive analysis of these signals and suspect that the back end communicates by interrupting the battery supply to the header body periodically. Either a capacitor or inductor in the heater body could be used to provide energy storage for the heater body microcontroller during these periods.

Very interesting, Sir Hog! So it's sort of like the the noises generated from MRI machines where the current is pulsed through the coil to generate the (in Ths case) magnetic field.

I just realize what is so familiar Abrams it that sound.... it is a miniature of the sound the igniter on a gas stove makes when it's held in the on position. So I keep imagining a spark in there

Ah well.... it works, it works.

 

[JoeMama]

Abrams it

I hate that you can't edit after a while... Damn you Autocorrect!!!

 

[AJS]

Used the Grasshopper in a group for the first time ... Nonstop .. For a weekend. Stayed with my 3 friends and brought over my Milaana and vapman as well.

One has a LSV / FM5.0, one has Lotus (uses the LSV mostly recently), and the other one has the Nano / Milaana.

I expressed my concern for the vapes safety: spacing out hits, temps stay below 4.2, report hot backend, and keep it safe. They were more than willing to follow my instructions.

Almost no other vape was used during the weekend. All of them have heard of the GH, understand the hype, and were more than pleased with the results. Very fun experience. All 3 of them want one now. The GH doesn't disappoint!

They were pretty much all in favor of low temp cruising and high temp water.

You should've seen their faces on their first flavor rip. Just know ... It was hardcore, heartfelt appreciation that such a flavor exists.

For those of you who don't have multiple vapes, the GH is MUCH more resinous on the first hit, which has good and bad qualities. Good quality is it strips the terps for a mouth coating rip. Downside is it makes the flavor short lived when you reach the higher temps. Reminds me of the Arizer Air in that aspect.

They loved it though, really! Was so thankful to be able to show my friends what I get to use daily. They want me to drive up more often to visit

 

[UnshavenFish]

So finally (only took me 3 month, all my own doing) got my hopper going again, put in warranty on 29th Sep, got a reply on 5th Oct and vapefiend sent out a new body in less than a day don't know why I waited so long, well I do, it was so I would start using some of my other vapes again

New body is more of a mirror finish compared to the old but the fit is much better and it works so a little variation in finish is a minor complaint if that.

Now back to stress testing this thing , ain't a lifetime warranty a great thing

 

[ZC]

My hopper is still working after 3 months of light use. Been using it more lately, and pretty much in exactly the same way vapecritic does. Pretty much only through water, with a 14mm m2m and no silicone. I mostly prefer more manual/analog vapes but there's something to be said of the experience of "push button, receive vapor" without having to worry about combusting, hotspots etc.

 

[CarrotWarrior]

My hopper is still working after 3 months of light use. Been using it more lately, and pretty much in exactly the same way vapecritic does. Pretty much only through water, with a 14mm m2m and no silicone. I mostly prefer more manual/analog vapes but there's something to be said of the experience of "push button, receive vapor" without having to worry about combusting, hotspots etc.

I've had my TI Hopper for about a month, no problems with the main body yet. My charger however did malfunction and Caroline kindly forwarded a brand new one and I mailed back the old one.

Definitely agree about the no hassle or fuss just push and powerful vape awaits.

I do have my fw3, Mflb units still and those I use as backups or when convienent. Overall tho the grasshoppers been the faster option for me, click.. take 2-3 long draw milky hits and done. The Mflb and fw3 I think for me are better in regards to more fuller or cooked extractions but execution takes longer.

Really tempted to either get a second hopper or opt for a log or some other desktop. I'm saying this also having pre-ordered the fw4 VAS is real

Cheers everybody