Grasshopper 2.0 AKA: Mega Grasshopper

Here is a little project on mine that I am working on. I love my Grasshoppers but the vapor is too hot for me to use it all day, everyday, so I decided to make a wood body for the GH and extend the vapor path, for cooler hits at home. I did not modify my GH in any way and it can be pulled out at anytime.

In this first version; The GH is inverted but the On/Off button is right side up, so it’s easier to click and the extended vapor path is very cool. The vapor path consists of a silicone elbow from my 7th Floor Sidekick Vaporizer and the rest of the path is Stainless Steel and glass. There are vents cut out for the GH intake and for viewing the LEDS. The bottom portion is held on tightly and there are also magnets to secure the bottom.

This is the second version of my project and I am still trying to get this one to work…The main reason for this project, was to give the GH a “Heat” button that I could hold instead of clicking the On/Off every draw. Unfortunately, I cannot get my switch to work and I don’t know that much about electricity but I am guessing that the wires are too small of Gauge and / or the switch I am using is the wrong voltage….Any ideas??? I also wanted to give the GH another Mouthpiece/Cap, to cool the vapor as well, so I made one similar to the first version and it pulls off the same. The vapor path is shorter and similar in design to the Crafty/Mighty/CFX/CF/CFV/Tera/Alternate vapes with their “Cooling Tops,” and this “Cap” is held on magnetically with a magnet from a GH Charger that I took apart and strongly connects to the GH On/Off/Temperature Dial that I have parallel to the GH Body. I separated the two pieces of the GH, so I could add a wire between them for my “Heat” switch, which I am still trying to figure out…Hope you enjoy these projects and thanks for checking it out!!!

GRASSHOPPER UPDATES: 1/29/17

The New Year brings new items from the folks at Hopper Labs! Water Pipe adapters, Cleaning Vials and even a new Grasshopper Model, the HT or Heat Treated Grasshopper. I have also found an excellent Herb Scoop that fits the GH perfectly from newvape.com and also, a good case idea for your Hopper.

First and foremost, the HT GH! Hopper Labs has been releasing a few batches of Special Edition Titanium Grasshoppers that have been heat treated to produce color gradients in the Titanium. Each Hopper is hand crafted by one of three on staff artists, who prep, design and execute these beauties using a 1000 C Furnace and a Torch. This process creates some really interesting units that have a wide range of colors, from blues and purples to bronzes and yellows. This process doesn’t change the surface of the metal, so it still has the shiny quality, unlike the Anodizing process that’s creates a more matte finish. These Special Edition Hoppers are available immediately when they come out in batches but act quick, they sell out within hours! Currently they are going for $350 but there is no waiting, which was some incentive for me. I saw these and I had to pick one up for myself and I must say, it’s a pretty Hopper, although I can’t compare it to the Anodized Titanium. I thought the color wasn’t as vibrant in person, as it appeared on their website but still, it’s colorful and one of a kind.

Next on the list, the all anticipated Water Pipe adapter! These are likely to be available in February and will come in 14mm or 18mm and screw directly on your GH in place of your existing mouthpiece. I was able to get my hands on one of these and I really love it. It’s basically the same on the inside as your stock mouthpiece with the screen but slightly longer and features a 10 to 1 taper that provides a perfect seal on your glass downstem. I don’t use a water pipe tha t often but the GH is ridiculous when combined with one and when their forces combine, monster clouds are the result! I was hoping to see a universal Water Pipe adapter that fits 14mm and 18mm in one but this keeps the adapter small, compact and sleek. Look for these on the GH website in the next coming months.

With lots of requests for a Mouthpiece Cleaning Vial, Hopper labs has listened. These Vials are the perfect size to fit your Mouthpiece and allow you to soak them in Alcohol, worry free. They feature a Teflon Cap that seals in the Alcohol and prevents evaporation while your Mouthpiece soaks. Hopper Labs recommend that you soak your Mouthpiece for 24 hours for the best result and it’s important to have a good, safe container to do that and after the soak, just brush or scrub a little, then rinse and dry! They are available now on the GH website and cost $5.00. The dimensions are: 26mm Diameter X 60.0mm Length (1.02in X 2.36in)

This next item is not from Hopper Labs but it’s a match made in Heaven. This little number was originally designed for the Pax Vaporizer from the newvape.com but they fit the GH like a glove! They are machined from Aluminum and are small enough to hold some herb and fit inside the GH Chamber, which makes loading pretty effortless. It will cost you $16.00 but will likely last forever with good care or you can buy a Cleaning Kit for around $37, which includes the Scoop and much more, as well as, a sweet little case that also works great for the GH!

I would also like to add that the GH Batteries are now the GHB2, which replaced the GHB1 Batteries and I will be testing them to see any difference. They appear to be the same but the wrapper feels better to me and I will be adding my results within the next few weeks.

lastly, according to the recent Email Update from Hopper Labs, there will be a price increase coming, so if anyone is on the fence about ordering a GH, I’d get to it before the increase. Currently, the Stainless Steel GH is $175, Plain Titanium / Color is $225 and the Heat Treated Titanium is $350.

Introduction

I’ll admit that I was a bit skeptical at first, after all, how could this pen size vaporizer really work? No wires, magnetic chargers, instant on-demand heat, full convection, 95% metal, removable battery with a lifetime warranty? It sounded and looked too good to be true and I thought the only way I would ever have a vaporizer like this, would be in my dreams but dreams do come true……. The package arrived and I ripped that box open like a kid on Christmas morning. Immediately upon my first inspection, the Grasshopper was different than any other vaporizer I have owned before. It had a heft and weight to it, felt solid, rugged and refined. The smooth, stainless steel body felt good in my hand with it’s simple design and familiar shape. The time finally came, so I proceeded to carefully pack the chamber, spun the mouthpiece back on, set my temperature to 3 on the dial, clicked the button on and watched the red LED turn to blue within seconds and I took a pull. I could feel the vapor flowing in, I held it and then exhaled……..A huge cloud billowed out and I was amazed!

Features and Specifications

Specifically designed for dry or loose-leaf herbs ( Concentrate front end is coming )

Adjustable temperature range between 130°C – 210°C (266°F – 410°F)

5-second startup time

User-replaceable battery

True convection technology

95% metal construction

Mechanical button for great on/off feel

Magnetic charging connection

14mm Diameter X 140mm Length (0.55in X 5.50in)

30-watt heater

Li-ion 3.7V 750mAh rechargeable battery

1.2cc herb chamber (approx. 8.5mm x 19mm)

GH weight with battery: ( Stainless Steel: approx. 67g ) (Titanium: approx. 55g )



Design / Construction

-Overview

Not only does the Grasshopper come in Stainless Steel but there is also a Titanium version! If you choose Titanium, you can also have it anodized for $5.00 more with your choice of color; Dark Grey, Bronze, Green, Purple and Blue. The Titanium version is more durable, has better scratch resistance, lighter weight by over 10 grams and it has better thermal properties that allow it to cool down faster. For this review, I used both versions, a Stainless Steel model and a plain Titanium. The devices have the exact same chamber, electronics, heater, battery etc. and the main difference lies in the outside shell or body of the device. You can expect the same results, taste and vapor, battery life etc. from both devices but overall, I have found that the Titanium version’s body heats up quicker than the Stainless Steel but it cools down faster than the S.S. The machining is slightly different between the two metals and I prefer the feel, machine quality and performance of my S.S. GH over my Ti GH, just ever so slightly. They are so close but subtle differences can make a difference and the Ti is noticeably lighter, and tends to pick up far less scratches and dings, so I tend to take that model with me more often than the S.S. for those reasons. Performance is basically the same, so it comes down to personal preference and cost, the Ti GH is $50.00 more than the S.S.

Along with the a magnetic charger, a manual and a battery, each Backer and Pre-Order Grasshopper comes with a Silicone mouthpiece that fits over the metal mouthpiece for added comfort and protection from the heat.The Silicone Mouthpieces are $5.00 extra and I find that I don’t need mine unless, I am vaporizing with friends or using the Grasshopper on the highest temps, otherwise I find that the Grasshopper is perfectly comfortable, especially if you take shorter, slower inhalations and give the unit a second or two in-between inhalations, that’s the key. The Grasshopper Leather Sleeve protect your vape and it keep the air inlet holes free and clear during transportation without any worries. I highly recommend the leather sleeves, they do a great job protecting your vape and at only $10.00, they are well worth it. I would like to see a full length leather sleeve that covers the entire GH, including the power button for added protection but Hopper Labs will be releasing a metal case that will hold your GH suspended inside an airtight tube with a storage space for herbs or whatever. I will update this post as soon as I get my hands on the case!

-Body

The Grasshopper is small, really small at 0.55in X 5.50in, which is about the same size as the Atmos RX Raw vaporizer pen but it has the same heat output as the powerful and popular Mighty vaporizer from Storz and Bickel, which is gigantic in comparison. It really doesn’t seem possible that a pen size device is capable of producing some amazing vapor, almost instantly but it does! The Grasshopper is 95% metal which makes durability and reliability very promising with this vape compared to other vapes that are mostly plastic, and its also very promising that Hopper Labs is offering a lifetime warranty. There’s nothing wrong with plastic vapes, in some ways they are better and handle heat much better but I prefer the feel of metal and if something is going to be portable, it should also be able to take a beating, like the GH. The body is well machined, parts unscrew with ease and they fit together nicely with smooth seems and no loose parts or rattling. The one criticism I have at this point is with the clip and I wish it was a little heavier duty but so far it serves its purpose and its not really a critical piece anyway. The Stainless Steel model is polished to a matte like sheen and its not overly shiny, so you won’t blind yourself if your out in the sun and the Titanium version is slightly smoother, shinier and has a slight color to the metal but is hardly noticeable unless you have an S.S GH alongside the Ti.

Three main components make up the GH body; the main piece houses the battery, a small PCB board, the heater and the herb chamber. Second, is the mouthpiece and the third piece is the temperature dial and on/off button assembly.

-Temperature Dial / On-Off

The temperature dial is located on the top, along with the on/off button. There are 5 “tick” marks on the dial, starting with mark 1 at 266°F to mark 5 at 410°F with 28.8°F increments and you can stop anywhere in between the marks, which allows users to fine tune their temperature. The temperature marks and the + / – signs are engraved into the metal, so there is no worry of them rubbing off and they are very clean, crisp and easy to read. The dial turns smoothly and with a good amount of resistance so it will stay where you set it. The temperature dial is located on the top, along with the on/off button. There are 5 “tick” marks on the dial, starting with mark 1 at 266°F to mark 5 at 410°F with 28.8°F increments and you can stop anywhere in between the marks, which allows users to fine tune their temperature. The temperature marks and thesigns are engraved into the metal, so there is no worry of them rubbing off and they are very clean, crisp and easy to read. The dial turns smoothly and with a good amount of resistance so it will stay where you set it.

What sounds and feels like a regular ball point pen? The Grasshopper’s on/off button of course! The button is designed just like a pen with a mechanical action and It takes a nice amount of force to click it on, so there is little worry of accidental “pocket vaping” but I suppose it’s possible and it’s something I’m aware of when I carry it in my pocket. A twist lock or something else in place to prevent accidental vaping would be a nice addition, although I have not had the GH power on accidentally. There is an auto-shutoff of 18 seconds, so if it did turn on accidentally, it will shut itself off but more on that later.

Update: The design of the GH clip ring area has changed. Now, the GH features a seamless ring that connects around the clip and looks much cleaner and finished. This seamless design may add even more durability and reliability to the GH as well ,with the simplified and sleek design.

-Chamber

The Grasshopper’s heating chamber is approximately 8.5mm in diameter and 18.5mm deep, which gives you about 1.2cc of space so you can pack up to about a 1/4 teaspoon of herb or just a pinch at a time. The original GH featured the chamber inside what is now the mouthpiece, so you would load your herb in there instead but they changed it, so you load your material in the body of the GH.

The chambers in both GH versions are exactly the same, therefore they should produce the same vapor, same taste with the exception of the mouthpiece that will be different, so that can affect the vapor and overall experience. I will continue to try and explain any differences that I notice in the performance and use between of Ti and S.S. GH’s. They have Stainless Steel walls and a permanent screen at the bottom, which is very heavy duty and will not need replacing. They have added a additional screen to the chambers, so now there is added protection for the heater and permeant screen underneath. I found that the chamber is not quite as easy to load/unload as other vaporizers, as it is narrow, fairly long and has a small opening but I like the design of the chamber and it seems to be very efficient with different amounts or herbs and different grind consistencies. I have found that a small spoon or scoop, like a teaspoon or the Vapir Scoops work great and they help the loading process or if you can find a funnel like the Pack-N-Stash funnel, those work great as well without making a mess.

Update: Now Grasshoppers will feature a “Honeycomb” screen that sits on top of the permanent heater screen mentioned above and it will help protect your heater / inner screen. With the addition of the new screens, the chamber length has also decreased a tiny bit. These new screens are removable but I do not recommend removing them unless you have a proper tool, otherwise you may damage the screen.

-Heater

Behind that permanent screen lies the powerful heater, which is one of the most innovative elements of Grasshopper. I am amazed how powerful, how fast and how efficient this tiny little vaporizer actually is and to have full Convection heat is really unbelievable. Typically, Convection based vaporizers require a lot of surface area and a lot of power to be able to heat the air, unlike Conduction vaporizers that require less power and heaters that are much, much smaller, so the Grasshopper is truly in a class of it’s own.

“Using Direct Metal Laser Sintering, (a type of metal 3D printing), we’ve created an extremely compact heat exchanger with very little flow resistance. A 30 Watt heating element means that Grasshopper will always keep up, no matter how aggressive your usage.” ~ (Hopper Labs)

This high-tech heater is capable of reaching it’s top temperature in about 5 seconds and it produces pure, hot air that evenly heats your material without having to stir, no matter the amount of material, nor the grind consistency. Until now, full Convection heat in a device this small was not possible and normally they would require exposed coils or Conduction heat to maintain such a compact size. I can think of a few portable vaporizers that are similar to the size and heating method of the Grasshopper such as; The Firefly, Elevape SV, Thermovape T1 and the closet contender would be the Thermovape Evolution but non are as small, as fast, efficent and as powerful as the GH. Sure there are true vapes almost as small as the GH like the Source Ghost, Cloud Phantom and the Imag Plus for instance but all feature Conduction heat that constantly bakes your herb. Most portable vaporizers are limited by the length of their heating pathways and Convection based heaters generally require a long path, so the air can be drawn through and heated efficiently. The Grasshopper’s heater is influenced by nature, specifically a shell and this heater packs 36mm of heating pathways into 4mm of space with it’s spiral shell design. Not only is the Grasshopper full Convection but it also offers on-demand heat, not typical in Convection based vaporizers because they often require more power, more battery life and more time to heat these long elements and some of the best Convection vaporizers require over a minute to heat up like the Crafty but not the GH with nearly instant heat, relatively good battery life and plenty of power. This innovative heater effectively heats fresh air that is pulled in from the 8, air intake holes and it spirals through the heat exchanger, super heating the air and your material, vaporizing the active ingredients. This convection heat, makes it possible to use any amount of herb in the chamber and you will get great results without combustion.

-Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece screws directly on to the end of the heating chamber with just a few turns and the threading is very minimal, so it comes off and on with ease. Inside either the Ti or S.S. GH, the parts are the same and the vapor path is also the same, except for maybe a mm at the very tip, where it passes directly over the metal of the mouthpiece. You can expect the same flavor from both versions but the mouthpiece will heat / cool at different rates, depending on what metal you chose. From what I’ve noticed, the S.S. GH mouthpiece warms up slower overall but it seems to take longer to cool. The Ti mouthpiece seems to warm up faster but seems to cool down quicker. Again, I tend to prefer the S.S. GH slightly over the Ti, it just feels better to me and I like that it takes a little longer to warm up and if I wait a minute or so between inhalations, it really doesn’t get hardly warm at all.

The mouthpiece features another heavy duty screen, identical to the new screens inside the chamber and have the same “honeycomb” pattern. These screens are thicker than your average screen by far and can take plenty of beating, repeated use and cleaning. I doubt if anyone will need to replace the mouthpiece screen. In order to remove the mouthpiece screen, you will need a special tool or key, which has 3 tabs or teeth that fit the 3 slots in the screen, so it can be unscrewed. Hopper Labs is currently considering to release a tool but the screen will likely not need replacing and you can get the mouthpiece clean by soaking the entire unit in Isopropyl Alcohol, so it’s not necessary to take it out. On the other side of the screen is a funnel of heat safe material that is connected to the threads of the screen assembly. On top of the funnel, sits a metal “cone” that appears to be Copper, which looks like it acts as a type of shield that helps keep the tip of the mouthpiece from getting too hot ( see photo below of mouthpiece parts ). Overall, I think Hopper Labs did a good job designing the mouthpiece, making it as compact as possible but I hope they release an extended mouthpiece that features more cooling and filtering action for extended sessions, better use with multiple people and smoother, cooler vapor, especially using the higher temps.

Hopper Labs is also including a Silicone mouthpiece aka. “Silicone Session Extender”. This piece is great for a cooler vaping experience and you can use it with a water pipes / bubblers, as it creates a good seal. I would prefer a different color of the Silicone Extender than the clearish-white, so it better hides the signs of repeated use but it does a great job keeping the mouthpiece cool and comfortable. Spare Silicone Session Extenders are only $5.00, so I recommended getting a couple extras, especially if plan on using the device with multiple people or if you prefer higher temperature vaping.

There are rumors of oils-end attachment, that will allow you to vaporize oils in your Grasshopper and there is also a Water Pipe Adapter in the works.

-Battery / Charger / LED

Battery

The Grasshopper uses a replaceable battery, a feature that EVERY portable vaporizer should have! That’s kind of the main purpose behind a portable vaporizer, to be able to bring it with you, so being able to bring spare batteries and replace them, can greatly increase your vape time on the go. At $7.00 each, it’s easy to pick up a few extras for just such an occasion, that way you always have a charged battery ready to go.

The Grasshopper’s proprietary, Li-ion battery is 3.7V 750mAh, about the size of a AA battery, only skinnier and a little taller. Batteries can be charged inside the Grasshopper with the included magnetic charger or you can use an external charger like the Tenergy TN270 to keep your batteries juiced.

I recommend using caution when handling and changing these batteries because if you cut or wreck the plastic wrapper around the battery, then they will not work properly inside the Grasshopper. The Grasshopper is constructed without any wires, which is a really cool design feature and it also makes the device much more durable and reliable. Instead, the actual metal tube/body of the Grasshopper serves as a “wire” that connects the heat exchanger to the temperature dial assembly, so if the wrapper of the battery is cut or ruined, then the exposed metal of the battery can touch the metal tube/body of the Grasshopper which will interfere with the circuit.

Battery life of the Grasshopper is good and better than I thought it would be, especially considering it’s small size and heat output. The battery is only as big as a AA battery, so considering that, how powerful the unit is and the fact that it is full Convection, I am pleasantly surprised at how good the battery life really is. This was one of my main concerns before trying the Grasshopper and I feared a repeat of the Thermovape T1 situation, where you needed to replace the batteries after every load basically, thankfully that is not the case with the Grasshopper. On average I have been able to get about 20-30, 5-8 seconds inhalations on temperature 2-5-3.5 on the dial, which has been equivalent to about 3-5 full chamber loads using the on/off method. In my experience this is usually more than enough for a full day of vaping on the go and if it’s not, you have the option to bring spare batteries.

Charger

The Magnetic charger is simple, sleek and securely attaches to the on/off button and you can even use it while it’s charging. Unfortunately it’s not a complete pass-through, so there must be some juice in the battery if you want to use it while it’s charging, which isn’t a big deal considering that you will most likely be using this vaporizer on the go and away from home. Hopper Labs will be releasing their own external charger as well and I personally like to have both chargers around, so I can keep my spares on the external and keep my battery inside the Grasshopper juiced with the magnetic charger.

Update 10/19/16: The new 2.0 chargers are now available and shipping with current GH orders. I loved the old charger, I thought it was great and really innovative, I didn’t realize it could be better but 2.0 is quite an improvement. The cable is much more flexible, forgiving and thinner. The cable is now one piece, instead of two cables that split into the magnetic ring, making it much sleeker, less bulky and is also faster / easier to manufacture. The other huge improvement lies inside the charging ring itself and features a oval like shape, that has a slight angle on one side, which allows you to “rock” or tip off the charger effortlessly, instead of the prior version that had a tight circle and required pulling and yanking straight up. There is still plenty of magnetic hold on the new chargers, so your free to use the device like before during charging and it is much less restricting as well. Spare 2.0 chargers are available on the Grasshopper website for $35.00.

Charging the Grasshopper with the included magnetic charger takes around 90+ minutes to fully charge from a drained battery. I thought the charge time seemed a little slow, especially considering the size of the GH battery but you can use the vape while it’s charging, plus it’s great to have extra batteries around, so your never without power. External chargers are also available and offer multiple battery charging and faster charge times.

LED

The Grasshopper utilizes one LED that emits two different colors; Red for heating up and charging and Blue to signal that the unit is up to temperature and that the unit is fully charged. When the battery power is getting low while the unit is heating up, the Red LED will blink, letting you know that you need to charge your Grasshopper. I have been able to get a couple more hits after this warning but it’s still a good idea to charge it up when you notice this. In direct sunlight, the LED can be difficult to see but this really isn’t much of an issue because you can just expect that your Grasshopper will be ready to hit in a couple of seconds after you click it on so you don’t really need to see the LED.

Vaporization

The Grasshoppe r offers a unique style of vaping that is different than most other portable vaporizers out today and this in part, is due to it’s insanely fast heat up time. With the Grasshopper’s “heat on demand,” your only seconds away from tasty, potent, satisfying vapor, which allows you vape at your own speed. Some vaporizer similar to the GH’s unique style and heat include: the Firefly, Elevape SV, Thermovape, and The Magic Flight Launch Box to name a few.

Most portable vaporizers take a minute or more to reach a desired temperature, which takes a lot of battery power and once the temperature has been reached, you tend to rush and finish your chamber load as quickly as possible to minimize power, keep from losing precious vapor and over heating your material. These “session” style vaporizers make it difficult to relax and enjoy vaporizing, they are always using power and heating, so you can’t take your time in between draws or risk running out of juice before your material is done and you can’t turn them on and off after every hit because that’s not efficient or practical either. Not with the Grasshopper though, you can day dream all you want in between draws because it’s not always on, heating, wasting herb, wasting battery, it’s only on when you need it, only when you want it. Someone transitioning into vaping may find the GH a good first step, as this style of vaping is about as close to the smoking experience as you can get, where you apply the lighter you heat your material for every hit, just like hitting the power button on the GH to take a hit. This also makes getting a proper dose much easier for medical users because your able to take a few draws, wait a bit and see how you feel and then you can repeat or save it for later. The Grasshopper style makes vaporizing so much more convenient and much more efficient for a portable unit.

-Usage

The Grasshopper feels good and familiar in your hand and it’s not awkward to hold or operate. Your off to vaping in just a few steps:

Unscrew the mouthpiece to reveal the chamber, grind your material and load the chamber. Replace the mouthpiece and select your temperature on the dial. Click on the button, wait for the red LED to turn blue. Take a slow and steady draw.

This vape was designed to be turned on and off for every hit or two and this is my preferred method of use, however you can use the Grasshopper like a traditional vaporizer and leave it on for your session. Due to it’s mostly metal construction, the on/off method is a much cooler option and conserves the most battery life.

The Grasshopper features an auto shut-off after 18 seconds to preserve battery life and for safety reasons. This shut-off feature can be reset with your inhalation, as the Grasshopper will sense this and cancel the shut-off, therefore staying on for another 18 seconds or until you inhale again. This is a good feature for people who like to keep the Grasshopper on, instead of clicking it on/off each inhalation and it is nice in case you forget about it or it somehow turns on when your carrying it.

I prefer to set the Grasshopper between 2-4 on the dial and turn the unit on, take a draw for about 5-8 seconds, turn the unit off and take another hit while its still hot but cooling down. You can usually get two good hits this way if your quick and it clears the chamber of any left over vapor. The Grasshopper’s unique heat exchanger does not require any pre-heating or waiting and you can typically get visible vapor on the very first inhalation, depending on your temperature, draw speed and duration.

Clean-up is easy and quick with the Grasshopper. I recommend unloading the Grasshopper while it’s still warm after your session and most of your material will fall right out. Just take a small brush and quickly go around the chamber to get any leftovers and then just brush the screen in the mouthpiece. This will keep your GH clean and running at its best and it will greatly increase time between deep cleanings.

-Vapor Quality

The Grasshopper is extremely powerful and has the ability to vaporize an entire chamber with just a few draws on the higher temperatures if you want, or you can take it nice and slow, with a lower temperature for better flavor and a smoother draw. This vaporizer is incredibly efficient and I tend to use a lot less material and often require less inhalations to achieve the same effect. You can essentially put just a pinch of herb in the chamber and effectively use the Grasshopper as a “one hitter” and replace the herb every hit or two so you always have fresh, clean tasting vapor and it really allows you to conserve your herb and cut back on usage. The Grasshopper will work just as well if you fill it up too but don’t over pack it or pack the chamber too tight, preventing the hot air from freely flowing through the material, effectively and evenly vaporizing your herbs active ingredients. Vaporizers that use Conduction heat on the other hand, require the opposite and it’s better to fill the chambers full and packed tighter, as they vaporize by direct contact with the heat source, essentially “baking” the material.

Occasionally, I like to start my GH on a lower setting around 2 or so, for the best flavor and turn it up a few inhalations later for thicker vapor, ensuring the material is fully spent. I am usually able to finish a chamber within 5-10 draws or so on temperature 3-4 and the herb is evenly toasted without stirring, similar to the Crafty’s ABV (Already Been Vaped) with the same amount of inhalations and similar temperature range.

Before trying the Grasshopper myself, I expected the vapor to be much hotter and harsher due to the very short vapor path, the Convection heat and the metal construction. I was pleasantly surprised at how cool and smooth the vapor is for such a small vaporizer and for the coolest experience, I recommend taking slightly shorter, slower draws than your typical, steady inhalations while using other Convection vaporizers. Most of the time I don’t use the Silicone Extender and I found that the metal body doesn’t get too hot or uncomfortable and vapor is perfectly fine using the on/off method. It’s important to give the GH time between draws after the first few inhalations, to keep the mouthpiece cooler and more comfortable. The very tip of the GH mouthpiece can produce very hot vapor and at times it can be uncomfortable, so I also recommend drawing on he mouthpiece slightly further up, rather than the very tip, where all the vapor is flowing out and you will find it’s much cooler on your lips.

The vapor quality of the Grasshopper is on par and better than most portable vaporizers, especially on the lower temperatures. The vapor is not always as cool as the Crafty or Mighty but the vapor just as great, even better at times, especially the first few inhalations. The very short vapor path of the GH provides intense flavor, minimizes build-up and means you won’t be missing any of the active ingredients. Longer vapor paths can be great for cooler, smoother vapor but they can collect vapor that has cooled, making the flavor less pure but the GH tastes pure all the time, unless the it’s in need of deep cleaning. With the Crafty or Mighty, their Cooling Tops allow much more room for the vapor to expand and cool than the GH, allowing you to take longer and larger hits but on the flip side the vapor may taste less pure in the long run and requires more time to clean.

You have a ton of control over the vapor quality and vapor temperature with the Grasshopper and you can find what works best for you by playing around with different draw speeds, different draw duration’s as well as, the set temperatures and how you choose to pack the Grasshopper. These all affect the quality of the vapor and you will be surprised at how much control you have if your willing to experiment. It may take a little playing around to get it just right but anyone can also pick the Grasshopper up for the first time and get vapor on the very first hit. I think Hopper Labs could have done more with the mouthpiece, maybe by making it slightly longer, they could have fit more cooling features, while still keeping it compact. A longer mouthpiece could fit a small cooling spiral or a type of filter, which could really improve the vapor output.

Overall, the flavor is great, pure and satisfying but I have noticed that the flavor seems to drop off faster than other vaporizers on the mid-high temperatures, which I think is due to the awesome extraction/efficiency of the heat exhanger, as well as the small surface area in the herb chamber. With that said, I have found that the vapor tastes great, every hit on the lower temperatures but there is less visible vapor and with the mid to high temperatures, the vapor always tastes great on the first few hits but the flavor and smoothness fades a little as the unit gets hotter but this is true for all vaporizers. I have inhaled with the GH with nothing in the chamber and the heat is pure and basically tasteless, so yo taste only the material your vaping.

There is little draw resistance with the Grasshopper and it doesn’t take any lung power to get a good draw. If you over pack the chamber or pack it too tight, you can easily increase the draw resistance and over time, the mouthpiece screen builds up with residue and plant material, also increasing the draw resistance but you can really go quite a while without having to do much at all.

The powerful heater allows you to hit the GH as hard as you want and it will continue to dish out the vapor. With normal use, you will not overpower the heater and it takes a lot to do so, which makes the Grasshopper a good fit for a wide range of people as it will accommodate different styles and methods of use. With colder weather and lower battery power, the GH’s heater can more easily be over powered but I am extremely impressed with power and heat of the GH.

QUCIK TIP: Use your hand to transfer some of the heat out of the Grasshopper body after a draw and you will find that the Grasshopper cools down much faster and it hardly gets above warm. Tip from Buzz Danklin, The Vaporizer Wizard. http://www.vaporizerwizard.com



Cleaning / Maintenance

The Grasshopper’s simple design makes cleaning and maintenance a cool breeze. Herbs are easily dumped after vaping with a few taps on the chamber and or a quick poke with a pick and your ready for another load. I have found that some dust gets stuck to the walls of the chamber but that is easily brushed out.

QUICK TIP: if you use a q-tip / brush while its still warm and quickly swab the walls, everything comes out and its like brand new again. Doing this will save you from having to “deep clean” the chamber with ISO. when things build up after time.

The only other thing that you will have to occasionally clean is the mouthpiece assembly. All you need to do is drop it in some ISO. and after soaking, give it a quick scrub with a brush, pipe cleaner or q-tip and it’s good as new. This will get most of everything and you will likely never have to go any further than this, especially if you keep up on your cleaning. Hopper Labs is considering to release a tool that will allow users to unscrew their mouthpiece’s screen, which could make cleaning easier and allow you to replace the screen if you should ever need to. The screens are not like traditional “mesh” screens but they are made from a thin sheet of stainless steel which makes them very rigid, durable and with normal use and regular cleaning, I doubt that you would ever need to replace these screens. The threads of the chamber, as well as the backend assembly, can get a little gunked up, especially the chamber and mouthpiece threads, so also cleaning those will ensure smooth assembly.

Pros

Extremely portable and farmiliar design

95% metal construction for great durability and reliability

Efficient Convection heat: effectively vaporizes different amounts of herbs

Heat-on-demand

Stealthy and inconspicuous

Simple and easy to use

Very little maintenance and cleaning

No wires

Replaceable battery

Ability to use during charging

Good battery life

High quality materials and craftsmanship

Great taste

Handy clip for carrying

Full temperature range

Limited lifetime warranty

Good sized chamber

Cons

Not the best vaporizer for multiple people

95% metal: can get hot to the touch

Chamber is a little difficult to load/unload

Currently only for dry or loose leaf materials ( oil attachment in the works )

Vapor can get hot / harsh due to short vapor path

Hard to see LED’s in sunlight

Lack of good battery indicator

Can potentially turn on in your pocket without a locking mechanism

Conclusion

There is no perfect vaporizer out there, at least at this moment in time but I think the Grasshopper comes closer to perfection than any other portable vaporizer on the market. The GH is extremely portable, easy to use and efficient. Quality design and construction as well as it’s insanely fast heat up and great vapor quality, make it the total package. Although it has not been proven in the long run, it’s fine craftsmanship feels very reliable and durable. There is simply no other portable, full Convection vape, this small or with this many innovative features. It may not be quite as smooth or flavorful as the Crafty or Mighty but makes it up with it’s portability, durable metal construction, faster heat up time and features a replaceable battery, all for less than half the price. This vaporizer has completely lived up to my expectations and took vaporizing to another level. I highly recommend this vaporizer to anyone and I bet you won’t leave home without it once you try it!

Thank you for reading and checking out my post. I hope you found it helpful, informative and entertaining. Please contact me with questions, concerns and comments. Happy vaping!