The mighty and crafty had problems... made by one of the most reputable vaporizer manufacturers we have seen at FC.
There WILL be problems with the Grasshopper. They just finished testing with their publicly released model, and have not had the time necessary to see breaks, faults, etc in the hopper.
Same goes with storz and Bickel. It is a given there will be hiccups.
While I don't think it's unavoidable to have troubles 'out of the chute', it's extremely rare not to for sure. Even for established companies with solid track records. Even a 'minor change' to existing models can be fought with peril.
This understanding is the reason traditional product development/release has milestones. Normally we'd build
a few prototypes and pass them around for initial testing and design review. Explore things like different bowl/heater configurations, heat levels, port sizes, insulation and so on. Finally arriving at a compromise that meets as many of the goals as possible.
Then we'd
make some Beta versions based on the final prototype. Functional if not cosmetically right. Several units, all alike, made by Engineering to an assortment of design levels (from sketches and arm waving to formal drawings). Testers should be 'blind' to the process and as objective and knowledgeable in the area as possible. It should not include the same guys in on the prototype testing. You're looking for new inputs and problems random customers might have.
Subject to changes/improvements from Beta testing, you
do that all over again (New Beta units, looking for a mix of former and new testers)
until you yield no changes.
Then you formalize your documents and a release a
Pilot Run. This is a complete ('in the package') run, typically only a few dozen units, made exclusively by production people (not Engineering). The goal here is not to test the product (that was done with the last Beta run), but to ensure the documentation package (including software if involved) is complete and right. "Anybody" should be able to use only those instructions. Classically, models or examples are not allowed.
When the Pilot run is done, you can then do a cost accounting review (to be sure Sales isn't going to sell them too cheap.....) and schedule your production runs after your
Production Release.
Often you sell your pilot run units, almost never a Beta unit.
Here, as is sometimes done, most if not all those traditional milestones have not been met. Or even considered as far as we know. We went from prototype to sales. A good way to come out a hero if it succeeds, but IMO the risk is clear to all who care to consider it. The fact we're a year late is part of this? It seems some
major changes showed up on the road to production/shipping. Things that normally would have been resolved in Beta and Pilot Run stages.
Still, there could be some exciting breakthroughs in prototypes we don't know about driving this. Many of us, I think, hope so. If it can provide
conventional levels of vapor on the
very small power expenditures advertised in so compact a package IMO it may well be the wait on the tortured path to customer's hands.
IMO worth keeping an eye on......so I am?
OF
) and start shipping out units within the next month or two, there will be a wealth of reviews and opinions springing up all over the web. 
