Y'know, in defense of the Grasshopper, it has tons of armor, and the large laser is manufactured in like 14-16 locations as of 3025 (at least 3 per Successor State). In fact, it's more commonly manufactured than an AC/10, and as common as an AC/5!
(just a small factoid I love shoving in the faces of 'canon junkies' who seem to think large lasers are rare for some reason...)
I'd gladly pick a Grasshopper, Griffin, Whitworth, and Firestarter as a great all-around lance; plenty of long-range firepower, the longer-range 'Mechs are capable of defending themselves close-in, and it does get nastier the closer you get. The Firestarter is definitely a great pick for a light, and the Whitworth is a consistently underrated medium.
If I were to desire a faster, cavalry-oriented lance, I'd go Kintaro, Griffin, Wolverine, and Crab, or Grand Dragon, Kintaro, Griffin, and Mongoose.
The Kintaro's a great medium that gets overlooked quite a bit for some reason, despite the fact that 18 SRMs is a truly nasty amount. It also has maxed armor and a token LRM that can add to its lancemate's long range firepower - I'd prefer swapping it for heatsinks, but what can you do sometimes? The Mongoose is what the Locust wants to be when it grows up: a vicious backstabber. The Grand Dragon... it's one of my favorite 3025 heavies, hands down.