First, let me say that Vapor Junction floored me. GREAT pricing, and the fastest shipping I've ever seen. I ordered this Saturday, and had it on Monday (what??). Something else I ordered at the same time from another great site that I frequent (with amazing customer service!!) and decent pricing won't be here until Wednesday.
For those who don't know, the Riva is a slightly different version of the eGO (I don't know if mod is the right word for it, but seems to fit the bill). Same look, longer battery life, stronger vape, and like $30 less for the kit.
My initial impression was a little bit of heartbreak- the battery break-in for these is HUGE. You need to initially charge the battery for 8 hours, then vape for 20 minutes, then charge for another hour (per the instructions). I was so excited to get my new toy, so as you can imagine, this was pretty much torture. I might suggest that vendors offer "pre-broken-in batteries" as a service- I probably would have paid an extra $10 to vape it right out of the box. Additionally, the atomizers had that gross primer stuff on them, but a little PGA got it out (nasty as hell to see that stuff swimming around in the glass, lol).
So after going through requisite steps, I will back-up the other reviews and say that there is a TON of vapor production. Easily double what I would have gotten from a cigarette. I also tried out the LR atty, and it gave me as much kick and flavor as I could stand. I don't know that I would use it all the time, but when you're in those moods where nothing can hit hard enough, the LR will get the job done (and it actually has a battery that can support it!).
I did run into another problem shortly afterward- the blank carts that shipped with the unit were a bad scene. I was burning the carts within a couple minutes, which had one HELL of a nasty taste. I switched them out for some 901 whistle-tips that I had laying around, and it immediately fixed the problem (more details in my post on the technical forum).
The manual button on this thing is top notch. It's that little rubber nub style, and it doesn't feel as "mechanical" as a normal 501 manual does.
Like a normal eGO, it's not a mini, doesn't physically feel like a normal cigarette (closer to a cigar), and you can't comfortably hang it out of your mouth. It is however the best vape I'd had yet. I don't plan on getting rid of my 901s anytime soon (ever?), as I think those are probably a little better suited to driving. Also, the red atty/black combo I have on my 901 right now just looks slick as hell. This will definitely be my default "lounging" vape though, and was probably worth double the price of admission.
For those who don't know, the Riva is a slightly different version of the eGO (I don't know if mod is the right word for it, but seems to fit the bill). Same look, longer battery life, stronger vape, and like $30 less for the kit.
My initial impression was a little bit of heartbreak- the battery break-in for these is HUGE. You need to initially charge the battery for 8 hours, then vape for 20 minutes, then charge for another hour (per the instructions). I was so excited to get my new toy, so as you can imagine, this was pretty much torture. I might suggest that vendors offer "pre-broken-in batteries" as a service- I probably would have paid an extra $10 to vape it right out of the box. Additionally, the atomizers had that gross primer stuff on them, but a little PGA got it out (nasty as hell to see that stuff swimming around in the glass, lol).
So after going through requisite steps, I will back-up the other reviews and say that there is a TON of vapor production. Easily double what I would have gotten from a cigarette. I also tried out the LR atty, and it gave me as much kick and flavor as I could stand. I don't know that I would use it all the time, but when you're in those moods where nothing can hit hard enough, the LR will get the job done (and it actually has a battery that can support it!).
I did run into another problem shortly afterward- the blank carts that shipped with the unit were a bad scene. I was burning the carts within a couple minutes, which had one HELL of a nasty taste. I switched them out for some 901 whistle-tips that I had laying around, and it immediately fixed the problem (more details in my post on the technical forum).
The manual button on this thing is top notch. It's that little rubber nub style, and it doesn't feel as "mechanical" as a normal 501 manual does.
Like a normal eGO, it's not a mini, doesn't physically feel like a normal cigarette (closer to a cigar), and you can't comfortably hang it out of your mouth. It is however the best vape I'd had yet. I don't plan on getting rid of my 901s anytime soon (ever?), as I think those are probably a little better suited to driving. Also, the red atty/black combo I have on my 901 right now just looks slick as hell. This will definitely be my default "lounging" vape though, and was probably worth double the price of admission.
