Discontinued The Grasshopper

[MoltenTiger]

I call bullshit on the "closing in on all of the preorders"

It's a fairly large window to be on the latter half of.

These guys and their wording, always painting a pretty picture out of pipe dreams. A bit of slack materialised lesser quality. Raw design is appreciable, business is best dirty.

 

[Hammahead]

Getting the cop lights on my Ti hopper. Fiddling with the switch, ramping temp up and down, and swapping batteries has kept me going, but for how long?

After my experience (^^ a little up this thread) I'd recommend to watch their video on blue/red lights in their troubleshoot section. If it looks like the second part, open a warranty request describing the problem and referring to the video. In my case they sent a new body right away and request me to return my part when the replacement arrives. I had waited for the hopper to die down, but I guess when it's starting to coplight now and then, even though you can revive it for a couple days with the usual voodoo, it's going to die anyway. So I'd have had a good chance not to run without Hoppy. *sigh*

These guys and their wording, always painting a pretty picture out of pipe dreams.

Welcome to the wonderful world of brand marketing

 

[Purple Lava Lamp]

All you guys who are too scared to use your hopper feeders now, feel free to send them to me. I'm loving mine and would love to have a couple extra to have for different strains!

 

[SourT]

All you guys who are too scared to use your hopper feeders now, feel free to send them to me. I'm loving mine and would love to have a couple extra to have for different strains!

Have those feeders gone back on sale yet? It's been sold out for quite sometime, but I see another like it but the seller has 0 feedback, so yeah.

 

[Jealousy]

Just got a new Grasshopper from warranty. Only downside is that the new one has few cosmetic problems and the heat- dial makes an awful sound when turning. Might get better in time though

The new Hopper seems to be made from 3 different batches of steel, as the finish is different on each piece. This itself isn't too bad, but the mouthpiece doesn't fit the middlepart properly. Other side is a bit thicker than the other, so it leaves a sharp edge between the two. The hole Hopper now looks much more unfinished product and cheaply made as you can clearly see the parts not matching on looks or the edges.

My first hopper felt and looked like a premium product, but with this unit I must say that the quality doesn't impress Have to wait and see if this holds up in use. Got the new style charger also.

PS. Warranty was handled really fast and really well by @VapoShop ! Thank you!

 

[vapviking]

Just got a new Grasshopper from warranty. Only downside is that the new one has few cosmetic problems and the heat- dial makes an awful sound when turning. Might get better in time though

The new Hopper seems to be made from 3 different batches of steel, as the finish is different on each piece. This itself isn't too bad, but the mouthpiece doesn't fit the middlepart properly. Other side is a bit thicker than the other, so it leaves a sharp edge between the two. The hole Hopper now looks much more unfinished product and cheaply made as you can clearly see the parts not matching on looks or the edges.

My first hopper felt and looked like a premium product, but with this unit I must say that the quality doesn't impress Have to wait and see if this holds up in use. Got the new style charger also.

PS. Warranty was handled really fast and really well by @VapoShop ! Thank you!

Was this handled by Hopper Labs in US, or pretty much completely overseas?
With six repairs thru HL, I haven't had a whole new hopper yet, always a new part; almost always a body. One Ti body had a teeny scratch but others have all seemed new and nicely matched. Something different is on it's way to me now, newly replaced back end with new serial and apparently my original body & mp(?). I'm curious to see if they replaced the working charger I sent with the new version.

 

[travis]

Does anyone have a good method of cleaning under the heating dial? I squirted some IPA with an eye dropper and I could see some dark material flow out. After the cleaning, my battery life greatly improved. Prior to the cleaning I was only getting about 5 hits per battery. Now it's 10+. One downside was that the IPA probably got in the clicker mechanism and made it a little rough (less lubricated???). However it is back to normal the next day (IPA all dried up???).
So for mine it seems like the heating ring is a trouble spot for oxidation. I clean my threads regularly with IPA and blutac.
I was thinking of wetting some yarn or string with IPA and flossing the gap under the ring but I don't want any string to break off and get stuck in there.

Side note... does anybody's heat dial rock from side to side? Mine has a 0.1mm gap that can be "rocked when I ouch on one side then the opposite side. It feels like a magnet is pulling down on it when I rock it. I also notice that I get less flickering (better battery life) when it is rocked (no gap) on one particular side vs the other.

 

[Jealousy]

Was this handled by Hopper Labs in US, or pretty much completely overseas?

It was handled by Vaposhop.com . They have really nice customer service, but the product clearly still needs some fine tuning on quality/build- control.

 

[Jealousy]

Side note... does anybody's heat dial rock from side to side? Mine has a 0.1mm gap that can be "rocked when I ouch on one side then the opposite side. It feels like a magnet is pulling down on it when I rock it. I also notice that I get less flickering (better battery life) when it is rocked (no gap) on one particular side vs the other.

My first Hoppers dial also moved a bit from side to side. This second one doesnt, but the dial is making really bad sound when turning and its really hard to twist. My new backend also heats on 4-5 setting to a degree where its too hot to touch if you pull for too long on one breath.

 

[Deleted member 23961]

Does anyone have a good method of cleaning under the heating dial?

Bump on this question. I've had total of 3 backends fail on me over the past year. Two of them got hard to turn and ultimately jammed up. Current backend is smooth (finally), but I'm scared its only a matter of time before its hard to turn, just like all the others.

I wish we could get a proper teardown of the entire device, back end included. Then maybe we could better take care of our grasshoppers if we knew how to properly maintain them. Then again, I know I woudn't want to take apart my grasshopper considering the lifetime warranty!

 

[Hjalmark]

Sometimes I am bit irritated that it's been shaped, find it to limit or at least slow down the progress of resolving all the hopper issues, like if it had larger sized mechanics like the dial and took a 18650?

Guess also many here preference the pen factor

 

[Gramin]

So I'm planning on using a cotton q tip to wipe up some reclaim and then tossing the cotton into the GH to vape again. Sound good?

 

[JoeMama]

Does anyone have a good method of cleaning under the heating dial? I squirted some IPA with an eye dropper and I could see some dark material flow out. After the cleaning, my battery life greatly improved. Prior to the cleaning I was only getting about 5 hits per battery. Now it's 10+. One downside was that the IPA probably got in the clicker mechanism and made it a little rough (less lubricated???). However it is back to normal the next day (IPA all dried up???).
So for mine it seems like the heating ring is a trouble spot for oxidation. I clean my threads regularly with IPA and blutac.
I was thinking of wetting some yarn or string with IPA and flossing the gap under the ring but I don't want any string to break off and get stuck in there.

Side note... does anybody's heat dial rock from side to side? Mine has a 0.1mm gap that can be "rocked when I ouch on one side then the opposite side. It feels like a magnet is pulling down on it when I rock it. I also notice that I get less flickering (better battery life) when it is rocked (no gap) on one particular side vs the other.

I've wondered how that part if the backend could best be maintained, but there's no way I'm running anything in that crack between the dial and the backend; with my luck it will break or leave traces of material, and I'd wish I hadn't. I know nothing about fishing, but maybe there is a monofilament line that is superfine that might do the trick. Even so, I wouldn't know how far to slice into that space without understanding how that mechanism is designed. Methinks high that the functional elements in the Temp dial are midway between the ID and OD of the concentric pieces.

I kind of see it like you do; something has to be happening in there that can only detract from performance, since it's a mating of (moving) parts with an electrical purpose. Oxidation, I would think so as well.

As @TomatoChub says, a tear down would be really great.

Both my Ti backends "rock", and make a subtle audible click As it rocks; but I don't fidget with that too much. I sort of check it from time ro time to see if it ever gets worse, and It hasn't yet.

All in all, though, I find that working that dial back and forth (with no battery installed) tends to at least keep operation consistent. Whether I can get improved performance by possibly voiding a warranty, I'm just afraid to consider.

 

[SiDankies]

Are these things more reliable as of late? And is there a specific one that ships quicker? SS vs Ti?

 

[armani]

I have had mine for about 1 month, and my friend for about 5 months with no problems.

The battery life though is bad, so leaving the house with no extras is crazy.
I use the Nitecore UM20 to charge at home and the usb charger in my car always as backup.

Grasshopper with a Bubbler or Bong is the perfect match

 

[vapviking]

Methinks high that the functional elements in the Temp dial are midway between the ID and OD of the concentric pieces.

What a marvelous sentence! Not sure what it means but it's almost better out of context.
I may borrow those first two words sometime, Joe.

 

[Hjalmark]

So I'm planning on using a cotton q tip to wipe up some reclaim and then tossing the cotton into the GH to vape again. Sound good?

I used dislike cotton but now I love it, not gotten the Grasshopper yet but use this with my enano and it's a fantastic tool

So I have a little jar of some organic cotton, couple of wooden skewers and a bottle of I.S.O, then when cleaning time comes I will roll up a ball of cotton on the skewer and dip it in iso and clean my glass pieces, then place the balls on a glass tray over night , then I but them in a separate jar for dankrupty or when I have trouble sleeping.

Works fantastic

 

[McQuack]

I made a simple docking station for my hopper:

http://imgur.com/a/hqj0b

All you need is a hopper charger v2, a piece of wood, a 6mm/14mm drill and a sharp knife. The charger ring should stand out a bit, so the hopper can be tilted forwards. I stuck the docking station to my desk with some Blu Tack, so it won't wobble when docking the hopper. A bigger one that I also made doesn't need to be stuck on the desk, but I prefer the smaller one.

I used an external charger before but I was really annoyed of switching batteries all the time. Now I just dock my hopper after each bowl, so it's always fully charged and ready for take-off. It feels really awesome how the hopper connects to the station.

@Ratchett Maybe you can make a nice docking station based on this.

Btw, I absolutely love my hopper. It hits so damn hard...

 

[JoeMama]

What a marvelous sentence! Not sure what it means but it's almost better out of context.
I may borrow those first two words sometime, Joe.

Haha, this is what happens when I post using a mobile device; I also have no idea what it means
But perhaps I should've written out that ID = Inside Diameter, and OD = Outside diameter.
"High", of course, is self-explanatory.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

I made a simple docking station for my hopper:

http://imgur.com/a/hqj0b

All you need is a hopper charger v2, a piece of wood, a 6mm/14mm drill and a sharp knife. The charger ring should stand out a bit, so the hopper can be tilted forwards. I stuck the docking station to my desk with some Blu Tack, so it won't wobble when docking the hopper. A bigger one that I also made doesn't need to be stuck on the desk, but I prefer the smaller one.

I used an external charger before but I was really annoyed of switching batteries all the time. Now I just dock my hopper after each bowl, so it's always fully charged and ready for take-off. It feels really awesome how the hopper connects to the station.

@Ratchett Maybe you can make a nice docking station based on this.

Btw, I absolutely love my hopper. It hits so damn hard...

Nice work!

I have thought about making a charging dock for the Grasshopper, but sadly I only have the V1 charging cable which was not very friendly for designing a simple stand.

I love the Grasshopper v2 charging cable, however I still don't have one. Maybe if someone could lend me one for a week or two to take measurements I could finalize some designs I have in mind.

 

[McQuack]

I love the Grasshopper v2 charging cable, however I still don't have one. Maybe if someone could lend me one for a week or two to take measurements I could finalize some designs I have in mind.

I live in Germany, so shipping would be a bit expensive. That's also the main reason I didn't bought any accessories from you yet. Could you maybe add some cheaper international shipping option? I guess the high shipping costs keeps away a lot of international customers.

 

[moondog]

Nice work!

I have thought about making a charging dock for the Grasshopper, but sadly I only have the V1 charging cable which was not very friendly for designing a simple stand.

I love the Grasshopper v2 charging cable, however I still don't have one. Maybe if someone could lend me one for a week or two to take measurements I could finalize some designs I have in mind.

Hey Ratchett,

I could send you one of my V2 cables. PM me with the address to which you'd like it sent.

I will take this opportunity to point out that Ratchett's hopper stands (I have and love the swirly one) work well as makeshift docking stations. I just put my hopper into the stand with the mouthpiece pointing down. Not as neat and tidy as McQuack's piece, but it will suffice until Ratchett finishes his version.

If I was going to make any suggestions, it would be: While I love the additional hole for loading the hopper when not charging, I'd prefer it worked like Ratchett's existing stands - The hole is large enough to accept the entire back end, not just the on/off button. I might be overly precious about it, but I'd be nervous about an accident that has the hopper getting torqued over to the side and that button suffering some sort of stress/damage. Maybe some sort of concentric two-tiered thing with a smaller, deeper hole for the button inside of a larger hole for the back end up to the base of the clip.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

That's also the main reason I didn't bought any accessories from you yet. Could you maybe add some cheaper international shipping option? I guess the high shipping costs keeps away a lot of international customers.

Indeed, international shipping is a bitch! Sadly this is the cheapest method I can use for shipping.

I'm hoping to find a European partner to act as a distribution partner, hopefully I'll find one next year so I can lower shipping and vat taxes for my international customers.

I could send you one of my V2 cables. PM me with the address to which you'd like it sent.

Awesome, thank you! PM sent

 

[McQuack]

The v2 charger I use for the charging dock needs 90 minutes to fully charge my hopper. Was it possible to charge the hopper in 45 minutes with the v1 charger? So HL switched from 1A to 500mA to increase battery lifetime?

Indeed, international shipping is a bitch! Sadly this is the cheapest method I can use for shipping.

Okay, thanks. I need to convince some friends to also get a hopper, so they also need some nice stuff from you, and I can split shipping costs with them.

I'm hoping to find a European partner to act as a distribution partner, hopefully I'll find one next year so I can lower shipping and vat taxes for my international customers.

That would be great. Some partner suggestions: Vapefiend, Verdampftnochmal, Vaposhop.

 

[vapviking]

The v2 charger I use for the charging dock needs 90 minutes to fully charge my hopper. Was it possible to charge the hopper in 45 minutes with the v1 charger? So HL switched from 1A to 500mA to increase battery lifetime?

This does seem new. Has anyone checked the charge rates? Is there published info on this from HL?
It would seem significant, even if only from a marketing perspective, that the charge time would be doubled. I believe HL generally discourages use of external chargers and for an owner without one, 90 min. charge time could significantly affect use habits.