Great helpful post, sir.
Concerning the chrome bits: you could possibly spray paint them, along with the button to cover up the light. Or could always do the nail polish thing: they do make black matte nail polish.
I like your thoughts/advice on the 1100 spinner/twist with the ViVi Novas, since it erases any temptation I might have had concerning that battery. And I do like smaller batteries. My generic designer eGo is actually my favorite because of its size and it's powerful enough to keep me very happy. I of course love my 1100 KGOs, they're a great size and last a long time with great strength, it's just that yeah, little is better for me.
And from the VV I've done, I find the eGos really do the job I want without worrying and fussing with adjustments. Constant Vapor is running a 25% off sale that is making me want to get some more batteries, but I already have nearly 10 so maybe I should spare my bank account...We'll see...And as long as you have a beard it's ok to have those snow-bear skiing bed sheets.
If you just have a mustache with those bed sheets, well, we all know what that means.
