Both are excellent models that have stood the test of time (i.e., the better part of a year). The Joye eGO (called the Tornado by Totally Wicked) was the first, is the best known, and tends to be the most expensive. The regular eGO is 650 mAh and about 3.4V*. The mega/XL is 900 mAh (from most suppliers) or 1000 mAh (from Totally Wicked). [Cignot carries both.]
* All of these fat batts (as I call them) are ~3.4V.
The Riva fairly quickly followed the eGO and tends to be less expensive. The regular Riva-510 (there also is a 901 version) is 750 mAh. The new Riva 1100 is, of course, 1100 mAh. The best price I've seen on the 750 mAh Riva is $30 (after 20% off discount code: ecf) from
Liberty-Flights. The best price I know of on the Riva 1100 is $48 from
BreezEsmokes.
Both the eGO and the Riva use fast chargers and their charge times vary by mAh rather than manufacturer. [That is, it takes longer to charge an 1100 mAh battery than a 650 mAh battery.] Their appearance is virtually identical. I don't know of any real problems (performance, reliability, parts availability) either model has had. Since I am cheap, I'd go with the Riva. [Although, in fact, I went with the Leo, which is a penstyle (rather than 510-based) fat batt.]
And there are many
other fat batts as well: Hello 016, T-Rex, Inferno, VGO (two different models from two manufacturers), KGO ... and "eGo" (i.e., knock-offs). And those are just the ones based on the 510 atomizer. I describe
some of these in my
eGOs and Rivas, Hellos, Oh My! article ... but I haven't been able to keep up; there seems to be a new model or enhancement coming out every other day.
