Discontinued The Grasshopper

[slcbdco]

Completely agree, which is why I haven't thrown out the baby with the bathwater (yet). When it works right, nothing can even come close IMO. However, the way things are right now...i'm not so sure I would recommend it. I have a friend wanting one, but I told him to wait and buy it straight from HL once there isn't any wait time. I still think they need time to sort out their issues.

Hot backends, flickering blue lights with inconsistent performance, and no heat blue lights could crush this company if it keeps up.

@slcbdco I do welcome your comment on this one!

I'm not sure what comment you want so here is what I offer, for those that don't know I work for Terrapin Care Station, a Colorado Cannabis Company, and I live in Boulder, down the street from hopper labs. That is my perspective, I DO NOT and HAVE NOT AT ANYTIME worked for GHL.

I am a fanboy however, just like I am for BMW and Apple, when I find quality that I like I am loyal, I hate shopping around, there might be a "better deal" but who cares, it's not like it sucks ripping a grasshopper while ignoring work emails on your iphone driving a 3 series!

The company I work for was also (at my strong urging) a retail kit backer. Boulder is the silicon valley of the Mountian West and it's a community full of start ups and supportive of them.

Because my company has a relationship with theirs and they're my neighbors I do get to check in on Hopper labs every so often and what I have seen is steady staffing growth, steady investment in infrastructure, steady growth in outreach, for example the saturday open houses.

Terrapin sells Grasshoppers retail at our locations in Boulder and Denver. A dispenserary is actually a terrible place to sell vaporizers and we sell almost none of any brand, Grasshoppper is the only vape we have a. sold out of and b. restocked in any store. It's not to say that is 100's, it is to say, that people in general don't buy vapes in a dispensary, be it a pax or whatever (pax has sales people running all around Colorado and we won't carrry them anymore because they don't sell, because, unless it's a grasshoppper, in which case people will come seek it out, a dispensary is the worst place to sell vapes.

Of course since a warranty is done direct with grasshopper it's hard to know for sure, to date however, the little feedback we get from Terrapin customers who happened to get a grasshopper is positive.

Certainly my experience with other consumers whether in a personal or professional setting has been overwhelming positive.

So from my fairly front row seat, I smile at all the panic about the company. The panic comes from lack of context, this is not Apple, or even Pax, it's not a huge VC backed, investor driven company, Its a small crowd funded start up that has grown organically and as far as I can tell primarily on revenue, though I would have no way to know except that their aren't investors crawling around micro-managing every decision so I have to assume

My actual experience with the company gives me every reason to believe they will be around a long time, the cannabis review sorta means that the mainstream cannabis industry has embraced the vape http://www.thecannabist.co/2016/11/30/titanium-grasshopper-marijuana-vape-pen-review/66556/ placing it right up there with the big boys and these reviews are not pay to play.

Can't wait to see what grasshopper comes up with next, although when I really think about it, the only thing I find wanting is battery life, every other aspect, all of which are subjective of course, I can't think of a better consumption method which is why with lots at my disposal I choose grasshopper 90% of the time.

As for flickering blue lights, the ticking sound, a backend that can be pushed down a little, most of these issues are a. not issues, it's fine if your unit does it and b. there is slight variation and the degree of flicker, tick or compression has probably more to do with differences in machining/production tolerance within the acceptable range than any malfunction. Remember the grasshopper doesn't have wires and the heater cycles when working. Those indicators have to do with the trueness of the connection so for example a unit with the far outside acceptable parameters with respect to back end gaps will flicker and tick more than one that it isn't. Neither broken, just different.


I think this thread would serve its use better and folks would get more from it if we stopped all the doomsday prophecy with no evidence. It's amusing to me because I know better, but it's a disservice to those coming here for actual facts, opinions and usage tips.

 

[biohacker]

Can't wait to see what grasshopper comes up with next,

How about a GH that actually works as intended without scorching backends, flakey sensors, and inconsistent performance? I do appreciate your comment, honestly, however you have so much bias as to never, ever say anything negative about the product or company, that you sound like you work for them or have alot of investment. I get the context, however the amount of RMA's/defects with this product is overwhelming, that it needs to be addressed BEFORE any stupid water tool adapters are released. Fuck the coloured hopper bodies (that were probably anodizing fuck ups!) and just make a product work the way it's supposed to, right out of the box.

Sorry...apologies to all, I should probably be in another thread ranting, but I empathize with all of you who have ranted before me previously....

Still love my hoppers, I guess it was just a matter of time before I became frustrated with bullshit.

From the review:

"But there are some downsides to the dogged pursuit of efficiency that you should be aware of. Specifically: the heat, and how finicky the vape pen is with its components."

What an understatement!

 

[MoltenTiger]

? do not get it.. understand it.. sorry
do you mean daftpunk the guys who produce music...

haha sorry not many people would understand what I was meaning, maybe no one..

D4FTPUNK was a user on the reddit GH page. He signed up around the time I did, just before I joined up here.
He seemed pretty cool and was supporting the hopper for a while, then lost his patience and harassed HL. He threatened, I think over email (he wanted to call them), to drive to their business and assault them.
HL cancelled his order and refunded him against his wishes and then he disappeared.

It was possibly the most interesting content on the subreddit haha

*I think his name was D4FTPUNKFAN actually..

 

[invertedisdead]

I was formerly a HUGE ZenPen fan, I preached this vape like messiah, and these guys finally cracked the code. Desktop performance in a pen. I could replace my Volcano with something that fit in my nightstand. It would plug into a water pipe, it would have a front end for concentrates, it was cheap. Who doesn't want that???

Now it seems for many owners, if you are lucky enough for the device to even power on, you might even get enough battery life to vaporize up to 1 whole bowl!

At this point I don't know why anyone in a legal state would even bother with a dry herb pen with all the plentiful concentrates and pens available.

 

[MoltenTiger]

Sorry

There's no need to apologise, you are queering all the right things along the GH roller coaster.

The HT GH is definitely a decided upon marketing idea. Like you I'm interested to see what the performance is like with one. I've only seen a single third party pic with them so far, a lot of users simply aren't vocal, and like my two friends who I added to my order, they don't see the same use as other units to get fucked so quickly or easily.

I think HL have a bit of a battery predicament atm too, as all the GHB1s will be dying as the months go by.
I had another go on me today.*
Near death batteries means single chamber life, blue flickering.

Your current batch issue is a real blow.
Can you do a side-by-side video of your OG hoppers with solid lights and these newer flickery bastards?

A bit of a reference for people might show the scale of the problem.

What's most interesting to me is that the symptoms sound exactly like what I was experiencing with my OG back-end (which I've yet to send back actually..)
Have you swapped back-ends around with your devices? Any change?


..
* When my battery died today, I had it charged and used it for a chamber and then the start of a second (when it went flat). Later when I went to charge it, the charger doesn't read it or charge it. It might still be able to be charged in the hopper...
When it died on the second chamber, I was thinking 'weird.. oh that's right yeah, I brought a GHB1'. My GHB2s, which I'm now used to, last a while even 2 months in.
Must be time for a tester, I have a feeling the GHB2 will defeat me in a game of tolerance right now though. win-win though, right

 

[biohacker]

There's no need to apologise, you are queering all the right things along the GH roller coaster.

I just don't want to be a whiny little bitch. I hyped the product on my honeymoon, even changed my avatar, and i'm happy about it....but also want people to know the real score and that it hasn't all been roses especially since my recent batch hoppers. I just see things going backwards and it worries me, or at least drops my confidence in the product and company. But i'm still hanging on for the ride.

Can you do a side-by-side video of your OG hoppers with solid lights and these newer flickery bastards?

That's a great idea and I would love to and plan to, however i'm in between homes at the moment and the last 2 vids were just done on a whim in the bathroom! Lol

For now, what has been working it seems is simply clicking it on, clicking it off, and just pretending like I didn't do that once redundantly and she works like a charm! Lol

 

[vapviking]

I have just performed the HL prescribed 24 hour mouthpiece soak on two mps, one SS and one plain Ti. Actually, the soak of the SS was only 13 hours...
Of the two, I note that the SS is the one that has a sometimes loose screen, and as such is the one I've had apart and cleaned previously. I have never dis-assembled the screen from the plastic funnel. On the Ti mp, I've never been able to remove any of the inner works and in fact broke the tweezers trying (used iso, blow dryer, harsh words, etc.). HL does not recommend the dis-assembly.
These have both been through soakings of 10 to 40 minutes on more than weekly basis, over four months.
SS;
After the 13 hours (which included lots of intermittent draining/filling/q-tip swabbing), I was still able to dirty some soaked q-tips by 'blotting' against the screen, then I removed the screen and copper funnel. Lots more swabbing underneath where the copper funnel lays. I could have polished the copper, but just left it kind of a scorched color, clean-looking. Replaced all and torqued it down good. All good to go.

Ti;
after 25 hours of soaking (all 99.9% for this) and swishing and lots of blotting and swabbing -still can't get the screen to budge- I got to the point where all q-tips were staying pretty clean, so I declared 'all done'.
To help dry it out faster, I put the mp to my lips, reversed, and blew hard so air came out the little front hole. I pointed the spray at my hand about 6" away. The alcohol spray on my hand evaporated but left a little stickiness on the skin. Then I looked at the mp and saw that oil had oozed out and gathered right around the rim of the orifice.
I've put it back in the iso for the moment.

I'd like to hear from anyone who's got some better actual result. I'm hoping that very hot water in PBW might be the answer? @MoltenTiger ??? Think so?? I'm a little concerned about the "plastic" part that's inside the mouthpiece.

I guess part of my reason for posting this experience is that HL makes the 24 hour soak sound simple and totally effective if done on about a monthly basis.

 

[MoltenTiger]

I just don't want to be a whiny little bitch. I hyped the product on my honeymoon, even changed my avatar, and i'm happy about it....but also want people to know the real score and that it hasn't all been roses especially since my recent batch hoppers. I just see things going backwards and it worries me, or at least drops my confidence in the product and company. But i'm still hanging on for the ride.



That's a great idea and I would love to and plan to, however i'm in between homes at the moment and the last 2 vids were just done on a whim in the bathroom! Lol

For now, what has been working it seems is simply clicking it on, clicking it off, and just pretending like I didn't do that once redundantly and she works like a charm! Lol

It is important to stress the real experience, so whining is essential!
When both my units stopped working on the same night, the sensation was maddening. But it was still beneficial to have two, as it wasn't simultaneous so I had a part en route to me.
As soon as I got the part a week later (and because I have an EQ back-up), it was fine, as if it didn't matter.
But there is a real reality that this product will almost definitely require service within 12 months. But, as it is currently the only option for it's specs and vape signature, the services are totally worth it and are simple enough. People drive Alpha Romeos, and sometimes by choice right? I would say they are more like that than the BM'er (@slcbdco), look great, drive great but unfortunately don't come stock with an engineer. You'll have to pay for that separately.

Good luck finding the next vape castle man, hope it works out well

Have you had any communication with HL over the double click-ness of the newer hoppers?
That is for sure a problem.

I'm hoping that very hot water in PBW might be the answer?

Yeah mate!
I doubt I can go without my mouthpiece for a whole day, and I have 1.3 MP's per hopper

BE CAREFUL with PBW with coloured hopper mouthpieces!!!!!
I would limit soak times to 5 minutes (10 minutes at a MAXIMUM, but that is probably unnecessary anyway).

My recommended procedure as it stands, I'm still experimenting (and I hardly clean my mouthpieces, it's happening tomorrow though, plus I think I have two loose screens to deal with)

1. Hot water rinse. Hold the MP under a running hot tape, use a scraping tool to rid the screen of the bigger chunks of gunk. You can get a little gunk out from the mouthpiece hole too.
2. Add boiling (from kettle) water to a glass with a 1/4 tsp PBW (concentration is high at this level, so between a 1/6-1/2 teaspoon is good, it really won't make a lot of difference either way [perhaps])
3. Soak for 1 minute, take out and repeat step 1. Using a pipe cleaner to scrub is effective.
4. repeat step 3 until clean
5. Rinse (hold under running water for 30 seconds, make sure to flush the top end thoroughly
6. Blow air through either end to dispel water, and let it sit to allow the mouthpiece to dry

 

[GreenHopper]

I have just performed the HL prescribed 24 hour mouthpiece soak on two mps, one SS and one plain Ti. Actually, the soak of the SS was only 13 hours...
Of the two, I note that the SS is the one that has a sometimes loose screen, and as such is the one I've had apart and cleaned previously. I have never dis-assembled the screen from the plastic funnel. On the Ti mp, I've never been able to remove any of the inner works and in fact broke the tweezers trying (used iso, blow dryer, harsh words, etc.). HL does not recommend the dis-assembly.
These have both been through soakings of 10 to 40 minutes on more than weekly basis, over four months.
SS;
After the 13 hours (which included lots of intermittent draining/filling/q-tip swabbing), I was still able to dirty some soaked q-tips by 'blotting' against the screen, then I removed the screen and copper funnel. Lots more swabbing underneath where the copper funnel lays. I could have polished the copper, but just left it kind of a scorched color, clean-looking. Replaced all and torqued it down good. All good to go.

Ti;
after 25 hours of soaking (all 99.9% for this) and swishing and lots of blotting and swabbing -still can't get the screen to budge- I got to the point where all q-tips were staying pretty clean, so I declared 'all done'.
To help dry it out faster, I put the mp to my lips, reversed, and blew hard so air came out the little front hole. I pointed the spray at my hand about 6" away. The alcohol spray on my hand evaporated but left a little stickiness on the skin. Then I looked at the mp and saw that oil had oozed out and gathered right around the rim of the orifice.
I've put it back in the iso for the moment.

I'd like to hear from anyone who's got some better actual result. I'm hoping that very hot water in PBW might be the answer? @MoltenTiger ??? Think so?? I'm a little concerned about the "plastic" part that's inside the mouthpiece.

I guess part of my reason for posting this experience is that HL makes the 24 hour soak sound simple and totally effective if done on about a monthly basis.

Careful with PBW, I read a post on this thread where someone had uses PBW and it caused a discolouration of their Ti mouth piece.

I got spare mouthpieces so just leave on in a small condiment jar full of ISO.

I always fully dismantle the mouthpiece after soaking and clean everything with q-tips and kitchen roll.

Sometimes it's a little hard to undo the screen with the needle nose tweezers, I just make sure the leading threads are clean, give MP a few taps against the table (kitchen towel sheet between MP and table to avoid scratches) and always go gentle, never force the turn.

 

[Mr. Me2]

Am I the only one who scrapes the mouthpiece screen each time I empty the oven? I always see some amount of debris blocking the screen/airway and just use my mini scoop &spoke to clean it off. I also tend to do this in a clockwise direction to avoid any screen loosening.

Doing this, I don't seem to get the amount of buildup in the mouthpiece others seem to get (based on what I'm reading here).

I also give a light scraping to the oven screen (and to the walls of the oven) using the same tool, but that one doesn't seem to get the buildup.

 

[MoltenTiger]

I think it's a combo of the amount of kief I use and the length of my draws as to why I get a lot of resin in my mouthpiece. But I let it build up over a while before dealing with it

PBW is fine on the coloured mouthpieces for a short while, it took over 30 mins for mine to change.
It brings it back to as-new in a very short amount of time though, so it's perfect for easy cleaning

 

[GreenHopper]

Am I the only one who scrapes the mouthpiece screen each time I empty the oven? I always see some amount of debris blocking the screen/airway and just use my mini scoop &spoke to clean it off. I also tend to do this in a clockwise direction to avoid any screen loosening.

Doing this, I don't seem to get the amount of buildup in the mouthpiece others seem to get (based on what I'm reading here).

I also give a light scraping to the oven screen (and to the walls of the oven) using the same tool, but that one doesn't seem to get the buildup.

I find if I empty the chamber just after its used, then use one of the mini brushes it all seems to keep quite clean and is easy to manage:

 

[Baron23]

It is important to stress the real experience, so whining is essential!
When both my units stopped working on the same night, the sensation was maddening. But it was still beneficial to have two, as it wasn't simultaneous so I had a part en route to me.
As soon as I got the part a week later (and because I have an EQ back-up), it was fine, as if it didn't matter.
But there is a real reality that this product will almost definitely require service within 12 months. But, as it is currently the only option for it's specs and vape signature, the services are totally worth it and are simple enough. People drive Alpha Romeos, and sometimes by choice right? I would say they are more like that than the BM'er (@slcbdco), look great, drive great but unfortunately don't come stock with an engineer. You'll have to pay for that separately.

Good luck finding the next vape castle man, hope it works out well

Have you had any communication with HL over the double click-ness of the newer hoppers?
That is for sure a problem.



Yeah mate!
I doubt I can go without my mouthpiece for a whole day, and I have 1.3 MP's per hopper

BE CAREFUL with PBW with coloured hopper mouthpieces!!!!!
I would limit soak times to 5 minutes (10 minutes at a MAXIMUM, but that is probably unnecessary anyway).

My recommended procedure as it stands, I'm still experimenting (and I hardly clean my mouthpieces, it's happening tomorrow though, plus I think I have two loose screens to deal with)

1. Hot water rinse. Hold the MP under a running hot tape, use a scraping tool to rid the screen of the bigger chunks of gunk. You can get a little gunk out from the mouthpiece hole too.
2. Add boiling (from kettle) water to a glass with a 1/4 tsp PBW (concentration is high at this level, so between a 1/6-1/2 teaspoon is good, it really won't make a lot of difference either way [perhaps])
3. Soak for 1 minute, take out and repeat step 1. Using a pipe cleaner to scrub is effective.
4. repeat step 3 until clean
5. Rinse (hold under running water for 30 seconds, make sure to flush the top end thoroughly
6. Blow air through either end to dispel water, and let it sit to allow the mouthpiece to dry

This ^^ for PBW but while I love PBW for herb residue in glass, ISO still is king to me for melting gooey residue.

I'm not sure what comment you want so here is what I offer, for those that don't know I work for Terrapin Care Station, a Colorado Cannabis Company, and I live in Boulder, down the street from hopper labs. That is my perspective, I DO NOT and HAVE NOT AT ANYTIME worked for GHL.

I am a fanboy however, just like I am for BMW and Apple, when I find quality that I like I am loyal, I hate shopping around, there might be a "better deal" but who cares, it's not like it sucks ripping a grasshopper while ignoring work emails on your iphone driving a 3 series!

The company I work for was also (at my strong urging) a retail kit backer. Boulder is the silicon valley of the Mountian West and it's a community full of start ups and supportive of them.

Because my company has a relationship with theirs and they're my neighbors I do get to check in on Hopper labs every so often and what I have seen is steady staffing growth, steady investment in infrastructure, steady growth in outreach, for example the saturday open houses.

Terrapin sells Grasshoppers retail at our locations in Boulder and Denver. A dispenserary is actually a terrible place to sell vaporizers and we sell almost none of any brand, Grasshoppper is the only vape we have a. sold out of and b. restocked in any store. It's not to say that is 100's, it is to say, that people in general don't buy vapes in a dispensary, be it a pax or whatever (pax has sales people running all around Colorado and we won't carrry them anymore because they don't sell, because, unless it's a grasshoppper, in which case people will come seek it out, a dispensary is the worst place to sell vapes.

Of course since a warranty is done direct with grasshopper it's hard to know for sure, to date however, the little feedback we get from Terrapin customers who happened to get a grasshopper is positive.

Certainly my experience with other consumers whether in a personal or professional setting has been overwhelming positive.

So from my fairly front row seat, I smile at all the panic about the company. The panic comes from lack of context, this is not Apple, or even Pax, it's not a huge VC backed, investor driven company, Its a small crowd funded start up that has grown organically and as far as I can tell primarily on revenue, though I would have no way to know except that their aren't investors crawling around micro-managing every decision so I have to assume

My actual experience with the company gives me every reason to believe they will be around a long time, the cannabis review sorta means that the mainstream cannabis industry has embraced the vape http://www.thecannabist.co/2016/11/30/titanium-grasshopper-marijuana-vape-pen-review/66556/ placing it right up there with the big boys and these reviews are not pay to play.

Can't wait to see what grasshopper comes up with next, although when I really think about it, the only thing I find wanting is battery life, every other aspect, all of which are subjective of course, I can't think of a better consumption method which is why with lots at my disposal I choose grasshopper 90% of the time.

As for flickering blue lights, the ticking sound, a backend that can be pushed down a little, most of these issues are a. not issues, it's fine if your unit does it and b. there is slight variation and the degree of flicker, tick or compression has probably more to do with differences in machining/production tolerance within the acceptable range than any malfunction. Remember the grasshopper doesn't have wires and the heater cycles when working. Those indicators have to do with the trueness of the connection so for example a unit with the far outside acceptable parameters with respect to back end gaps will flicker and tick more than one that it isn't. Neither broken, just different.


I think this thread would serve its use better and folks would get more from it if we stopped all the doomsday prophecy with no evidence. It's amusing to me because I know better, but it's a disservice to those coming here for actual facts, opinions and usage tips.

Ok, I read your post, @slcbdco , and thank you for writing it.

To me, personally, its a fine line to walk between being objectively and constructively critical and bashing or hyping. My feeling, in general, is the bad needs to be revealed along with the good so I don't view @biohacker 's posts (or others) as bashing. To me, there are some uncomfortable facts that are....nonetheless....facts.

I certainly don't want to bash HL but I won't compliment the emperor's new invisible clothes either. So, I will say this once and hopefully succinctly and clearly as I can:

While I love my GH and my unit has worked very well for me for 8 months, I cannot recommend the GH to a vaporist who is not a vaporizer hobbyist like most on this board (including me). The reliability is still IMO unacceptable as is the confusing and seemly arbitrary and changing displays/characteristics and the many things to keep in mind to try in order to keep your GH going.​

I think we need to keep in mind that many/most of us here, who regularly attend FC threads, are indeed vaporizer hobbyists for whom modifications and arcane techniques are not only tolerated well, they are actually viewed as interesting and fun. The GH is simply not there, IMO, as a general retail item for the average user.

Ask yourself, would you recommend the GH to a MJ smoker friend as their first vaporizer? I cannot not at this time.

I believe that GH can rectify their remaining issues, but first there needs to be recognition that there are indeed issues in need of rectification.

Cheers

 

[Mr. Me2]

Ask yourself, would you recommend the GH to a MJ smoker friend as their first vaporizer? I cannot not at this time.

So...which convection vaporizer would you recommend, then? And I ask this in all seriousness. In the present marketplace, I'm hard pressed to find or identity a convection vape that can do what the gh does as simply and elegantly. But I haven't tried them all...

 

[MonsterWithoutBorders]

I'm not sure what comment you want so here is what I offer, for those that don't know I work for Terrapin Care Station, a Colorado Cannabis Company, and I live in Boulder, down the street from hopper labs. That is my perspective, I DO NOT and HAVE NOT AT ANYTIME worked for GHL.

I am a fanboy however, just like I am for BMW and Apple, when I find quality that I like I am loyal, I hate shopping around, there might be a "better deal" but who cares, it's not like it sucks ripping a grasshopper while ignoring work emails on your iphone driving a 3 series!

The company I work for was also (at my strong urging) a retail kit backer. Boulder is the silicon valley of the Mountian West and it's a community full of start ups and supportive of them.
Because my company has a relationship with theirs and they're my neighbors I do get to check in on Hopper labs every so often and what I have seen is steady staffing growth, steady investment in infrastructure, steady growth in outreach, for example the saturday open houses.


So from my fairly front row seat, I smile at all the panic about the company. The panic comes from lack of context, this is not Apple, or even Pax, it's not a huge VC backed, investor driven company, Its a small crowd funded start up that has grown organically and as far as I can tell primarily on revenue, though I would have no way to know except that their aren't investors crawling around micro-managing every decision so I have to assume

My actual experience with the company gives me every reason to believe they will be around a long time, the cannabis review sorta means that the mainstream cannabis industry has embraced the vape http://www.thecannabist.co/2016/11/30/titanium-grasshopper-marijuana-vape-pen-review/66556/ placing it right up there with the big boys and these reviews are not pay to play.

I am hoping hoping hoping that this turns out to be true long term and I thank @slcbdco for his on the ground report. This is my favorite vape by quite a margin (firefly 2 a non-stealthy second) and I am getting a second one so I don't (theoretically) need to be without it for any length of time. So now I call on the VG (vapegods) to be merciful and bountiful. It will be hard to "trump" this one.

 

[Mr. Me2]

I find if I empty the chamber just after its used, then use one of the mini brushes it all seems to keep quite clean and is easy to manage:

I GOTTA get me one of those brushes!

 

[GreenHopper]

I GOTTA get me one of those brushes!

Mini Cleaning Brush for E-Cigarette Tanks, Atomisers, Clearomisers (White 5 Pack)

Here is the link to the Amazon item

I find the bristles at the end wear out quit quickly, I'm currently searching for one like this but with a bit of sponge at the end.

 

[Baron23]

So...which convection vaporizer would you recommend, then? And I ask this in all seriousness. In the present marketplace, I'm hard pressed to find or identity a convection vape that can do what the gh does as simply and elegantly. But I haven't tried them all...

We are talking portables, right? If so, why are you requiring convection as the only tech?

For a first time vaporist, right now my recommendations would be a CFX or a Mighty (depending on their financial resources, really).

Again, in my post, my main point is what would you recommend to a new vaporist. So, I think after a quick look at our resource page on GH Tips, that "simply and elegantly" are not the adjectives I would use. I'm not addressing a single session, I'm trying to address the experience of being a GH owner.

If desktops are part of the conversation, then EVO, eNano, or Volcano.

If HL can clean up the reliability/QA and the often ambiguous behavior that has us reading resource pages and tea leaves to try to figure out if its broken or not, then it would be right at the top of my list for recommendations. I do love my GH. Glad its been rock solid. I do very much hope that HL can polish it up a bit so that I can, in good conscious, recommend it to a non-hobbyist

Cheers

 

[moondog]

FWIW, I can relate to this "2nd click" thing. Not that I'm saying that I deliberately do a 2-click, but I have noticed that the blue flicker at times "stops" upon my next hopper cycle. That 2nd click is simply "y next session", be it immediately after the first or even a half hour later.

I am finding the same thing with my recently returned SS. Same back end as before but now I get lots of blue flickering on my first click/draw. Second click/draw, flickering is less but often still there. Also, my hopper seems to be taking longer to heat up. Almost always takes 7-8 seconds to reach temp as opposed to 4-5 before I sent it in. And, the back end gets MUCH hotter than before. The return was prompted by the unit not turning on; a problem they could not duplicate.

Bring back the stiff backends that don't flicker and work consistently!

Except that I'm having these problems with an "old" stiff back end. (Boy, does that sentence present possibilities...)

For those with gh's with some miles on them and some performance issues, can I also suggest an empty oven session on temp 5. It may cook off any residue and improve performance.
I did it on mine and there was definitely some baking occurring. Not sure if I'm imagining improved performance after but I'd like to hear others' experience.

I'm going to have to try that.

really would,like to see an opened gh... heater sensorsmand all the vodoo inside thismvape

Agreed.

Am I the only one who scrapes the mouthpiece screen each time I empty the oven? I always see some amount of debris blocking the screen/airway and just use my mini scoop &spoke to clean it off. I also tend to do this in a clockwise direction to avoid any screen loosening.

Doing this, I don't seem to get the amount of buildup in the mouthpiece others seem to get (based on what I'm reading here).

I also give a light scraping to the oven screen (and to the walls of the oven) using the same tool, but that one doesn't seem to get the buildup.

As I've mentioned before, I empty my chamber not too long after every session and clean both the chamber and the mouthpiece with a nylon brush. Every time. And I see hardly any buildup on my screen.

While I love my GH and my unit has worked very well for me for 8 months, I cannot recommend the GH to a vaporist who is not a vaporizer hobbyist like most on this board (including me). The reliability is still IMO unacceptable as is the confusing and seemly arbitrary and changing displays/characteristics and the many things to keep in mind to try in order to keep your GH going.

I think we need to keep in mind that many/most of us here, who regularly attend FC threads, are indeed vaporizer hobbyists for whom modifications and arcane techniques are not only tolerated well, they are actually viewed as interesting and fun. The GH is simply not there, IMO, as a general retail item for the average user.

I have to agree with this. I've had a couple of people ask if they should get one and my response is now "You need to try mine and we need to have a talk about what hopper ownership entails." I think it's a case of "Are you vaperist enough to handle a hopper?"

 

[Mr. Me2]

We are talking portables, right? If so, why are you requiring convection as the only tech?

For a first time vaporist, right now my recommendations would be a CFX or a Mighty (depending on their financial resources, really).

Again, in my post, my main point is what would you recommend to a new vaporist. So, I think after a quick look at our resource page on GH Tips, that "simply and elegantly" are not the adjectives I would use. I'm not addressing a single session, I'm trying to address the experience of being a GH owner.

If desktops are part of the conversation, then EVO, eNano, or Volcano.

If HL can clean up the reliability/QA and the often ambiguous behavior that has us reading resource pages and tea leaves to try to figure out if its broken or not, then it would be right at the top of my list for recommendations. I do love my GH. Glad its been rock solid. I do very much hope that HL can polish it up a bit so that I can, in good conscious, recommend it to a non-hobbyist

Cheers

I was talking portables. And I focused on convection to try an apples-to-apples comparison.

When I talk to combusting friends and begin to educate them about vaporizing, I usually ask about their preferred partaking approach or style, among other things. If a session style suits them, I feel like there are many great options (including the ones you listed). But if they prefer a one-and-done approach, I feel that the options are limited...right now, at least.

I'm really looking forward to the portable convection market expanding. Is it so hard to design and build a true (and reliable) convection vape with great flavor, easy maintenance, and that doesn't require stirring? I can't wait to see what comes next!

And to @moondog - I don't know where you're located, this is my first winter with the gh. Even indoors, I find it quite cold to the touch when I take it out of @Ratchett's great leather case. I tend to warm it in my hands before I fire it up. It still may take an extra second or 2 to turn blue, I'm not sure. And that's with brand new batteries too. I'm not sure and live with th same gh apprehension we all seem to share (flickering blue lights and all). But it keeps hopping on...

 

[Baron23]

I've had a couple of people ask if they should get one and my response is now "You need to try mine and we need to have a talk about what hopper ownership entails." I think it's a case of "Are you vaperist enough to handle a hopper?"

Exactly and said more succinctly than I. Cheers

 

[btka]

I GOTTA get me one of those brushes!

Mini Cleaning Brush for E-Cigarette Tanks, Atomisers, Clearomisers (White 5 Pack)

Here is the link to the Amazon item

I find the bristles at the end wear out quit quickly, I'm currently searching for one like this but with a bit of sponge at the end.

sorry but I really can not understand why you will buy such a brush to clean your gh... yes and please use this plastic brush after you emptied your bowl so the plastic melts in to your hot bowl... and if I am lucky I will get your used and plastic in the bowl melted scratched gh hopper body as a replacement...

use a fu**ing cotton fabric (don t you have a damaged t-shirt anywhere lying) and every time you empty your gh roll it togheter so it fits nicly in your gh bowl and clean it you will never need to clean the bowl withsomething else it will always look like new... and you also do good to the enviroment recycling your old t-shirt and not polluting earth with such a brush... and you also will save money...

I have told thismseveral times on this thread

 

[Mr. Me2]

sorry but I really can not understand why you will buy such a brush to clean your gh... yes and please use this plastic brush after you emptied your bowl so the plastic melts in to your hot bowl... and if I am lucky I will get your used and plastic in the bowl melted scratched gh hopper body as a replacement...

use a fu**ing cotton fabric (don t you have a damaged t-shirt anywhere lying) and every time you empty your gh roll it togheter so it fits nicly in your gh bowl and clean it you will never need to clean the bowl withsomething else it will always look like new... and you also do good to the enviroment recycling your old t-shirt and not polluting earth with such a brush... and you also will save money...

I have told thismseveral times on this thread

Il admit I've been using q-tips (regular and precision) to give it a wipe when it needs more than my poker...

 

[GreenHopper]

sorry but I really can not understand why you will buy such a brush to clean your gh... yes and please use this plastic brush after you emptied your bowl so the plastic melts in to your hot bowl... and if I am lucky I will get your used and plastic in the bowl melted scratched gh hopper body as a replacement...

use a fu**ing cotton fabric (don t you have a damaged t-shirt anywhere lying) and every time you empty your gh roll it togheter so it fits nicly in your gh bowl and clean it you will never need to clean the bowl withsomething else it will always look like new... and you also do good to the enviroment recycling your old t-shirt and not polluting earth with such a brush... and you also will save money...

I have told thismseveral times on this thread

OK easy buster, don't blow a fuse!

I use one end as a poker to remove the AVB and the other end to quickly brush out the chamber and mouthpiece.

I have had ZERO indication of any melting plastic using these brushes. I've been using the same brush since april 2015, I'm careful with it so I haven't scratched up my hopper at all. Yes I'd like one with a sponge end and yes the bristles have finally begun to wear out.

I use them because they work well as an AVB poker + chamber cleaner.

I actually used an old t-shirt to clean an actual oven last weekend, now I'm never going to use that oven ever again, it's clean and I never want to have to clean it again, man that was an intense job.

 

[moondog]

And to @moondog - I don't know where you're located, this is my first winter with the gh. Even indoors, I find it quite cold to the touch when I take it out of @Ratchett's great leather case. I tend to warm it in my hands before I fire it up. It still may take an extra second or 2 to turn blue, I'm not sure. And that's with brand new batteries too. I'm not sure and live with th same gh apprehension we all seem to share (flickering blue lights and all). But it keeps hopping on...

Winter is definitely a factor here and I do the same as you in terms of warming up the hopper in my hands before firing up.

sorry but I really can not understand why you will buy such a brush to clean your gh... yes and please use this plastic brush after you emptied your bowl so the plastic melts in to your hot bowl... and if I am lucky I will get your used and plastic in the bowl melted scratched gh hopper body as a replacement...

use a fu**ing cotton fabric (don t you have a damaged t-shirt anywhere lying) and every time you empty your gh roll it togheter so it fits nicly in your gh bowl and clean it you will never need to clean the bowl withsomething else it will always look like new... and you also do good to the enviroment recycling your old t-shirt and not polluting earth with such a brush... and you also will save money...

I have told thismseveral times on this thread

STAY AWAY FROM THOSE BRUSHES!!! HE HATES THOSE BRUSHES!!!!

Don't know why I feel compelled to respond but...

1) I didn't buy the brushes. They came with other vapes.
2) Even after having used my hopper, I am able to function well enough that I can tell when the hopper has completely cooled off and wait for that to happen before using a brush on the chamber.
3) If I ever have to return a failed hopper body I will specifically request that they never send it to you.
4) How do you fit an entire t-shirt in that tiny little chamber?

I couldn't resist being snarky and sarcastic and don't really mean to be coming after you, btka. But TBH, it seemed like a bit of an over-reaction on your part to someone else's preferred method of hopper maintenance.