The demand for a high-performance pocket-friendly dry herb vaporizer has always been huge! There’s no doubt about my previous statement but, unfortunately, when it comes to vaping dry herbs it’s really tricky to pack that performance into a small package.
Over the years, the industry seen a lot of companies try and in most cases, fail to make something pen size that’s also practical and comfortable to use. There are a lot of dry herb vaporizers out there that either burns the material or produce little to no vapor at all. Today we are going to review the grasshopper. Back in 2013, this unit was pitched for crowdfunding and the creators stated that it would be powerful, discreet, affordable and have precise temperature control. Almost three years and over 3,000 backers later the dream has been realized but does it live up to the claims?
Prior to getting into this review i would like to let you guys know that you can purchase this product by visiting Sky High Smoke Shop. We’re going to start with the boring stuff, the packaging. Surprisingly, this unit comes in a pretty big box. After sliding the unit out, we can clearly state that it takes home first place for discretion among the other portable marijuana vaporizers available on the market. It is so tiny that you can store it anywhere and no one’s going to give it a second thought that it’s used to smoke marijuana! In fact, I’m keeping this thing in my office at the moment and on several occasions, I’ve gone to reach for a pen and grab the hopper by mistake! The button on the top of the unit is your on/off switch and there’s a little wheel just below that for temperature control. It can be a little bit tricky to turn and I’d like to have seen some numbers printed onto the screen to make things a little bit easier to keep track of.
After screwing off the mouthpiece it reveals the filling chamber underneath. It might look fairly small but it definitely packs a punch which brings me to problem number one: After you inspect this vaporizer you will notice how close the bottom of the chamber is to the mouthpiece. When you see a layout like this, cooling capacity is almost definitely going to be an issue!
Problem number two: There is a small clip attached to the pen and whenever you unscrew the back end the whole section tends to rock back and forth. This usually means that the clip rubs against the unit and after a few times it does end up scratching a ring around the outside of the housing. If you’re careful you can avoid it but I think it would’ve been better if they’d split the housing below where the battery sits as opposed to where they have put it now.
I’m usually a little bit scared off when I see a unit with a discrete form factor like this purely because it can be a gimmick. The grasshopper vaporizer is a little bit different, though. It does have a feeling of quality, especially due to the fact that there is no plastic. In fact, the version we’ve got here for this review is all stainless steel so it’s got a nice weight to it while still being larger than the average portable. When it comes to internal materials the marijuana vaporizer is nice and clean. The air only comes into contact with stainless steel and the heating element which is made from nickel grade brass.
After examining the contents of the box which holds the dry herb vaporizer in it, you’ll notice a USB charge cable, a silicon mouthpiece tip, a set of instructions and a sticker! So, it’s got everything you need to get going but I definitely liked to have seen a cleaning brush and maybe even a carrying case!
The operation for the grasshopper is fairly straightforward. As usual, when you first get any brand new vape, it’s best to do a few dry runs to burn off any factory materials. Start by turning the temperature dial all the way to maximum and then click the power button. The hopper will then go into standby mode automatically after 15 seconds of inactivity. You have to keep an eye on it and click the power button twice as necessary after you’ve done this I’d be inclined to charge it up before you first use the vaporizer. Keep in mind that running on maximum heat really takes its toll on the battery! There are no real guidelines for loading this unit. I wouldn’t overpack this vaporizer because doing so will restrict the airflow. Other than that, you can basically use whatever amount you like. Once you’re all charged up again, you can begin to load the filling chamber. This unit is awesome with small loads too so if you wanted a couple of quick draws you can load half a gram or even less and still get great results!
The grasshopper vaporizer is capable of any temperature setting between 130 and 210 degrees Celsius. Each little increment you can see on top of the pen represents 20 degrees so be very careful and double-check it. I would highly recommend starting off just past the second group which is around 175 to 180 degrees. Heat up time really is one of the grasshopper’s best features! Once you click that power button this unit is ready to go in less than five seconds which is unbelievable, definitely perfect for using it on the go.
Once the LED indicators here turn blue that means you’re good to start vaping. The first thing I noticed when I took a drag what that there was nowhere near as much draw resistance that I was expecting from such a tiny unit. In fact, it actually has better airflow than most other portables at that price point! Another interesting thing that we noticed was that it really doesn’t matter how fast you draw from this vaporizer, the heater is so powerful that it will keep up no matter what!
The vapor production found in this vaporizer is amazing! There are no drawing techniques to worry about so whether you’re taking short or long drawers slow or fast pace you’ll see awesome results. I’d say that in terms of the amount of vapor that puts out the grasshopper is definitely one of the best portables that I’ve tried. The taste is nice and pure to there isn’t any flavoring from the unit itself. As long as you’re using a reasonable temperature you can expect similar taste which is comparable to most high-end portables or even low-end desktop convection units.
The only downside we noticed about this vaporizer was its cooling capacity. After a couple of draws, even at low temperatures, even if you use the silicon mouthpiece tip they include, the grasshopper vaporizer becomes extremely hot! So hot in fact, that it actually starts to burn your tongue and lips.
Overall I highly recommend this unit. The insanely quick heat up time is definitely a plus for anyone who is on the go. The compact size of this pen vaporizer makes for the perfect discreet cannabis smoking device. The price point of this unit is extremely competitive and it is also back with a lifetime warranty!