Discontinued The Grasshopper

[Just Justin]

Good call! I think that was @Joel W. and the details are in this thread:

External 18650 Battery Pack and Adapter for the GrassHopper

Definitely worth @Just Justin checking out that thread.

thanks, I remember seeing that and was jealous. He was able to copy the GH threads and I really wanted a way to make my own GH threads, so I could do more with these projects. That gives me some ideas to try but I'M gonna try to reach out

 

[GreenHopper]

thanks, I remember seeing that and was jealous. He was able to copy the GH threads and I really wanted a way to make my own GH threads, so I could do more with these projects. That gives me some ideas to try but I'M gonna try to reach out

Yeh awesome idea, I totally want one.

I like your concepts too man, hope you figure it out.

The other FC members that might be able to advise you on threading Ti and/or SS tubes are @Boden and @stardustsailor. I've seen both of those guys create some awesome intricate components.

 

[PPN]

It seems my +2 years old second hand dark grey Ti Hopper start, sometime, to show some signs of failing. Clouds are less denses, especially with moist flowers and I need 1-2 hits more to kill a load although if I use grinded dry flowers I still get the clouds I want! I remenber it was performing very well with moist ungrounded flowers....

 

[Thebigsmoke]

Hi everyone I have been following the hopper and reading this thread for a year or so and despite the reported problems I still really want one as for me I think it would be perfect with its quick heat time take 2 puffs then done without my herb cooking in a hot oven in my pocket. I use a da Buddha at home so I would be using the hopper as my portable unit once or twice a day and without a water pipe. My vivant alternate is about to crumble for the last time so I'm on the look out for a new portable. I have also been looking at the boundless terra and fury 2 but for me there's just something about the hopper these units don't have. However I would need good reliability as I'm in the UK and the shipping to the states and long repair times are putting me off. Do you think the hopper would last a lot longer if lighty used at lower temps.

 

[Baron23]

Sent a message about shipping time this morning and received an unsigned reply in less than 30 minutes telling me to expect a 3 week wait if ordered today.

Just trying to make sure I understand this correctly....you contacted HL about lead time for delivery of a newly purchased GH and got a reply back in less than a half hour and that back log for new devices was about three weeks.

Meanwhile, people with RMAs that have been just sitting in CO can't get squat for a response out of Hopper.

Hopper Labs, this is for you:

Do you think the hopper would last a lot longer if lighty used at lower temps.

No telling, mate. Might at well throw a dart at a board blindfolded for an answer to that one.

 

[GreenHopper]

Hi everyone I have been following the hopper and reading this thread for a year or so and despite the reported problems I still really want one as for me I think it would be perfect with its quick heat time take 2 puffs then done without my herb cooking in a hot oven in my pocket. I use a da Buddha at home so I would be using the hopper as my portable unit once or twice a day and without a water pipe. My vivant alternate is about to crumble for the last time so I'm on the look out for a new portable. I have also been looking at the boundless terra and fury 2 but for me there's just something about the hopper these units don't have. However I would need good reliability as I'm in the UK and the shipping to the states and long repair times are putting me off. Do you think the hopper would last a lot longer if lighty used at lower temps.

If it were me I'd hold out for a couple of months on the Hopper. Seems to me like HL's haven't recovered yet from their latest down time and process/production reorganisation.

Until their work loads level out and their response times to RMA's improve I personally don't feel comfortable recommending new purchases. Not least to mention we are all waiting on tender hooks to find out if their latest generation of components prove to be more reliable.

I'd go with the Fury 2 for a convenient convection portable with a low entry price. You can always grab a Hopper later if things improve.

 

[MikeG7265]

Just trying to make sure I understand this correctly....you contacted HL about lead time for delivery of a newly purchased GH and got a reply back in less than a half hour and that back log for new devices was about three weeks.

Meanwhile, people with RMAs that have been just sitting in CO can't get squat for a response out of Hopper.

Hopper Labs, this is for you:

I’m not sure but they may have someone new answering emails. Last Sunday I opened a warranty claim. By Tuesday I had heard back telling me to send mine in. I sent it Wednesday, they received it Friday and I got an email Friday afternoon from them saying they had received it and it was in the service department. Now how long it goes from here and when I’ll hear back, that could be another story entirely.

 

[Baron23]

I’m not sure but they may have someone new answering emails. Last Sunday I opened a warranty claim. By Tuesday I had heard back telling me to send mine in. I sent it Wednesday, they received it Friday and I got an email Friday afternoon from them saying they had received it and it was in the service department. Now how long it goes from here and when I’ll hear back, that could be another story entirely.

Yep, I mailed mine on or about 25 Feb and their RMA tracking system shows an acknowledgement of receipt on 1 Mar.

I have not received even an acknowledgement of my two attempts to communications to them (via their ticket system interface on their website) about return date.

So, as it stands now, I'm 7 weeks with it in their hands and no sign of movement....and while I'm glad that others who are inquiring about buying new units are indeed getting a reply, I believe that the level communications to RMA customers is not the same.

And, TBH I don't give a rat's ass about them in-sourcing parts build and assembly/test processes as an excuse for these types of delays. They were in business and it was part of their job to figure out how to stay in business during a manf/test line re-engineering. It actually can be done.

7 weeks and counting on an RMA for a frakin little vape device is IMO outrageous and indefensible.

 

[GreenHopper]

And, TBH I don't give a rat's ass about them in-sourcing build and processes as an excuse for these types of delays. They were in business and it was part of their job to figure out how to stay in business during a manf/test line re-engineering. I actually can be done.

I would have been more understanding about their re-engineering if their communication was on point and they were more transparent.

As it is I gotta agree with you, they've had their fair share of leeway.

I like my hopper but I got one that needs repair and I'm not even going to bother sending it off for repair until I start seeing signs of improvement from HL's RMA process.

 

[nonbeliever]

Quote “I would have been more understanding about their re-engineering if their communication was on point and they were more transparent.....”

Sadly, Grasshopper management has acted mostly like the engineers they are, trying to do damage control after the fact, instead of getting in front of the problems. Some of this may be because they are trying to keep orders coming in (I have no knowledge one way or the other, but they act like they need the revenue stream to be continuing). They could have upfront made an announcement they were moving the production internally (for improvements, better controls, whatever). There are no doubt a bunch of folks who still would have trashed them (too many RMAs they never admitted to, design issues, inherent non sustainability of the product/business) but it likely would have given them the opportunity to maintain a more positive and patient relationship with their RMA customers. It’s a lot harder to regain goodwill than lose it... a lesson they do still seem to need to learn.

 

[mrb]

I had to laugh at the email i got the other day promoting 25% off at Hopper Labs!
I'd pay 25% over the asking price if and when i have any confidence in the product..
It's great that the few early reports of newly returned hoppers are positive, and i'm crossing my fingers that this trend continues! But right now is gonna take a lot more than 25% sale

 

[newVaper420]

They’ve had my hopper since the first week of February. I emailed them first week of April to notify them of shipping address change. And I sent a follow up, hey did you get my message to them last week. No response. Gotta love that.

 

[snaffle]

Hopefully the threading issue is in the front end and not the body threads. If so, you might consider purchasing a PFE if you don't already have one. They work really well and because of different internal construction they have far less issue with keeping clean inside, where you can't readily see that residue just lingers in there.

Thanks for the thought. I do have a PFE, and it works well, so happily it must just be threading of the front end that is the issue. I prefer the PFE most of the time, but it reduces the stealth of the thing a lot, which is something which I need at times, so I'm looking forward to having it back as an option, in due course. But I'm still sitting tight on sending it in for now, until things level out more.

I brought the GH to a nice social gathering recently, with people who aren't regular cannabis consumers, and it worked really nicely, everybody was happy I think of it as a fiddly device, sometimes, because of all the little extra pieces of advice, like "click off and then continue to draw for a couple of seconds", but dispensing with all that and just saying "breath in deeply, put it in your mouth past the tip so it doesn't get too hot" was all that was needed, and it worked great. Long may it stay strong!

@Just Justin, your cooler looks great, but is there any way for the grasshopper to cool itself down? I know that the bodies and backends of some units get hotter than others in operation (mine is on the hotter end, but still works well), and I'd be wary of encasing it in a way that the heat couldn't go anywhere. Just a thought, maybe the wood would do a good enough job. Cool project, anyway, it looks great, well done!

 

[Copacetic]

I have only ever posted on forums about how my pre-order Hopper has always worked perfectly.

Sadly I now have to report that an order I placed for batteries and a PFE (all supposedly in stock) on the 1St of March STILL has not been shipped despite email exchanges with several different members of staff, the last of which claims that my order went out the same day I placed it, and must have been lost by postal services.......(the status of my order on my history has never once changed from "processed"-1St March, to shipped).

It saddens me to join the naysayers here (especially as I'm just about to finish manufacturing a second batch of wooden GH cases which I have yet to sell!) but a one year wait for a "two month" pre-order was pretty poor performance already, now an apparent inability to supply the only battery that will fit this device, renders it useless.

I'll post again soon to advise re' their speed refunding me (I requested /demanded my money back) but it's not looking good for my Hopper

Can anyone in the UK/EU direct me to any retailer that has battery stock? my preferred retailer @VapeFiend.com is out and I don't know any other source.

 

[Mr. Me2]

I have only ever posted on forums about how my pre-order Hopper has always worked perfectly.

Sadly I now have to report that an order I placed for batteries and a PFE (all supposedly in stock) on the 1St of March STILL has not been shipped despite email exchanges with several different members of staff, the last of which claims that my order went out the same day I placed it, and must have been lost by postal services.......(the status of my order on my history has never once changed from "processed"-1St March, to shipped).

It saddens me to join the naysayers here (especially as I'm just about to finish manufacturing a second batch of wooden GH cases which I have yet to sell!) but a one year wait for a "two month" pre-order was pretty poor performance already, now an apparent inability to supply the only battery that will fit this device, renders it useless.

I'll post again soon to advise re' their speed refunding me (I requested /demanded my money back) but it's not looking good for my Hopper

Can anyone in the UK/EU direct me to any retailer that has battery stock? my preferred retailer @VapeFiend.com is out and I don't know any other source.

So sorry to hear about your poor gh accessories experience. Mine went the other way. During the last ghl promotion, I ordered extra batteries and a ti pfe. And all was shipped and arrived quickly. Maybe it’s a US v. international thing...

 

[JoeMama]

Wow, I go away for a month and am so dismayed to see HL still screwing the pooch with communications and... well, why am I surprised?

I have the new Ti for about 2+ months, and it works at times too well (combustion at T4+). But with water it's just fine. Just not what I'd hoped it would be.

Kind of resigned; HL will never change the way they interact with customers. So sad.

 

[kushkush]

So sorry to hear about your poor gh accessories experience. Mine went the other way. During the last ghl promotion, I ordered extra batteries and a ti pfe. And all was shipped and arrived quickly. Maybe it’s a US v. international thing...

It’s not a US v. International thing... he said, “one year wait for a "two month" pre-order was pretty poor performance already”...and that’s exactly what happened when I ordered and I live 20 miles from them. And it took one year to deliver. I was already totally turned off to the GH by then. It was a rather sickeningly sad experience.

Makes me wonder why Paypal is still supporting Hopper Labs. While PP still refuses to do business with responsible vape shops.

 

[kbrown5523]

I have not received even an acknowledgement of my two attempts to communications to them (via their ticket system interface on their website) about return date.

I didn't get any response that way either, but once I finally emailed them I got a response back quickly. I think the key is to email them.

 

[slcbdco]

@Copacetic I got the case, its great man thank you!

 

[kushkush]

I didn't get any response that way either, but once I finally emailed them I got a response back quickly. I think the key is to email them.

Emailing HL is what everyone does...and it hasn’t worked for very many from what I’ve read here.

 

[beyond6strings]

@Baron23 have you gotten a response to the recent email you sent HL?

EDIT: let me know if you're more comfortable with taking this private. I'm just fascinated that a company that acts like they do can survive for this long.

EDIT 2: I'm convinced that a company outside of 420, and outside of the current prohibitive environment would have been shuttered a year ago.

 

[Copacetic]

@Copacetic I got the case, its great man thank you!

Glad you like it man.
Hope your Hopper keeps functioning, and that you can get batteries!
Any issues with the case, don't hesitate to get in touch

I now see that the status of my order has changed to "shipped"!
Is the general consensus that GHL are 'accurate' when they claim "shipped"?
I asked for a tracking # but haven't received one yet.
Also no response to my demand for refund.
At this point I have a hard time believing that my order has actually shipped.
Unless I can be sure it's actually on its way, I just want to get a refund so I can attempt to buy batteries from a retailer.
What do you guys think?
Just proceed with PayPal dispute?
Or wait a day or two to see if a tracking # is forthcoming ?

 

[disGRUNTled]

damn, this thread has gotten huge!

Here is a project of mine that I ve been working on, while I wait for my External GH Charger and SS Case: I showed these on vapelife but wanted to share them here to see if any one had ideas or anything...I also need some help on the second one.

one I made because I wanted to cool the vapor and also make the on/off button right side up so its easier to use. The GH is great but the vapor is too hot for an all day, everyday vape, so I made this to extend the vapor path and it does a really good job, providing super cool vapor.

The other version I need some help...I made a custom mouthpiece that pulls off like the first and is snuggly held down by a GH charger magnet that I ripped out and put into the mouthpiece/cap and magnetically holds on the on/off that I took off the GH and placed next to it. I started this project because I wanted to add a "heat" button for the GH, so I could turn the vape on, select my temp with the deial and use a separate switch held down for the heat but I can't get it to work...I think my wires are too small Gauge or too long or my switch is the wrong voltage...any ideas why this won't work? I can get it to light breiefly but the heater won't stay on with the switch engaged....Hope you like these creations and I hope y'all can help with my switch problem!

Holy sh*t man so sick.If you decide to produce any for sale send me a DM and I will buy on for sure.

Anyway sucks to see so many people having problems with this vape, I just busted mine out after a very long time charged it , working great but it is far from my daily driver .Putting some cherry cookies thru it right now .Listening to Vado & Dave East collab.

 

[Baron23]

I didn't get any response that way either, but once I finally emailed them I got a response back quickly. I think the key is to email them.

Emailing HL is what everyone does...and it hasn’t worked for very many from what I’ve read here.

@Baron23 have you gotten a response to the recent email you sent HL?

I have not sent them an email. Look, that trouble ticket interface on their website is THE way to open an RMA and has been THE method that HL has used to communicate what little they have with me.

They have a CS trouble ticket system and it SHOULD be used as it provides tracking and continuity.

I see no reason to engage them via email (or try to). If they aren't responding their OWN trouble ticket system, why would they respond to a email?

sigh....a friend of mine who isn't a real GH fan just lent me, long term, a damn near to new Bronze Ti just like mine that's in for RMA. I'm very grateful for this as I have missed my GH greatly.

Its a later model (not sure how late in HL's completely non-configuration controlled revision release system....sigh). Seems to run just slightly cooler than my older Ti that's in for repair.

@slcbdco - I'm not tagging you to give you a hard time at all. I understand you have become friends with these guys at Hopper and I do understand how that can influence one's view of things. But I believe you have told us that you live right down the road from them and visit them. If so, and if you are willing, please tell them that they are FUCKING UP CS BY THE NUMBERS and are really running out of runway to improve their reputation within the community. Many of us, at this late point in time with the extensive history that's there to be read by anyone, just can no longer give credence to a damn thing they say anymore.

BASIC FUNDAMENTAL OF CS = at the very least, acknowledge your customer communications with a response....even if its just a "I will need to get back to you on that".

 

[beyond6strings]

@Baron23 sorry I didn't realize you'd sent them an RMA and not email. But of course it sucks that they've not responded to that either.

And sorry you've got the sighs. These devices are supposed to improve our lives not make them more frustrating.