Liberty Flights Riva 510 Starter Kit

Most of the popular e-cigs on the market at the moment are available in Starter Kits containing all that you will need to get yourself vaping with the minimum of fuss.

Starter Kits do vary in content however, and the Riva 510 Starter Kit from www.liberty-flights.co.uk is a well thought box of components especially if you are starting out with nothing.

This is a review of my experience with the kit, and the Riva 510 itself.

The Riva (also available in a 901 format) is a clone of the immensely popular Janty Tornado / eGo models, and comparable in just about every way. I was attracted to the Riva kit myself as the price was slightly lower than the Tornado and eGo kits, but also because the kit contained a USB fast charger, which I’d been correctly advised is an essential item.

I plumped for the Titanium coloured model, which in reality turned out to be more of a gold colour. I think when I come to order new batteries etc, I might switch to black as the “gold” is a bit bling for my tastes.

The kit is packaged in rather attractive box (although this does seem to be standard fare for all e-cigs) and contains:

• 2 x 750mAh, 3.3-4.2v batteries;
• 1 x atomiser cone (to match battery colour);
• 1 x standard 510 atomiser (2.2Ω);
• 1 x Low Resistance (LR) atomiser (1.7Ω);
• 10 x empty cartridges;
• 1 x Fast USB Charger;
• 1 x wall socket adapter for the charger.

Note that the Liberty Flights starter kit does not include any e-Liquid or pre-filled cartridges, so you’ll need to pick up some juice in addition to the kit.

Being my first quality PV and despite the extensive research I’d done before selecting the Riva, my initial impressions were that I’d made an excellent choice and the packaging and presentation of the product were excellent.

Both batteries arrived charged enough to use straight away, which was a nice surprise, so I was literally vaping the device within 5 or 10 minutes of opening the package.

Having now used the Riva extensively for over a month, I can say that I continue to be very pleased with it and can share a few observations about it.

The Good

There are lots of good things about the Riva, which frankly deserves the good press and hype that accompany the “Tornegova” variants you will inevitably read about or see on Youtube.

The components included in the kit are very well considered for an e-smoking newbie, although it does force you to select your e-liquid rather than deal with that problem for you. (I’d suggest picking up a selection of 5ml liquid bottles until you’re sure of what you like). The inclusion of the LR atomiser offers the opportunity to compare the 2.2Ω and higher voltage simulating 1.7Ω experience, which every vaper should do at some stage as there is a significant difference.

The device itself is very solidly constructed with precise threading for the atomiser and cone that provide assurance and good electrical connectivity. The tactile manual switch is both comfortable and reliable and fires every time without fail, without rattling. The “Titanium” finish is very hard wearing, mine showing minimal tell-tale signs of being carried in my pocket for several weeks alongside keys and coins.

Charging time for a fully depleted battery is shown as 2.5 hours on the Liberty Flights website, but in practice I find that they charge much more quickly than that, and for an ex 20-a-day smoker, I will normally get a full working day between charges.  The fact that there are two batteries in the starter kit enable you to carry a spare, which is essential.

The standard atomiser included in my kit has performed well and is still going (purchased on 14th September). Although I haven’t used it since converting to LR cartos a couple of weeks ago, the original atomiser was in virtually constant use for several weeks and subjected to various newbie abuse such as regular flooding, dry burning etc. So I’ve no complaints or concerns about the supplied standard atomiser – it just works.

The Bad

I have had real problems with the supplied wall charger from day one. The wall charger is designed to connect to the mains via the standard UK 3-pin arrangement, and has a USB socket into which you connect the USB charger.

The wall charger that arrived with my kit has a loose connection of some sort that means that it only functions if you apply pressure to the USB connector which obviously isn’t too practical. I never did successfully charge a battery this way, but Liberty Flights replaced it without question when I reported it to them.

Unfortunately, the replacement charger had another problem, and actually damaged my USB charger and two batteries before I realised what it was doing, leaving me battery and charger-less for a day or two – not good. (Since this incident I now have a spare USB charger and batteries as backup). Again, Liberty Flights were superb and replaced the wall charger, USB charger and both batteries, which they were under no obligation to do so I’m grateful to them for that.

I haven’t tried the latest wall charger yet, and have decided to use the USB port on my computer to charge my Riva batteries for a while and haven’t had any issues since. I might pluck up the courage to try it again at some stage, but not yet. I’ve noticed that the pictures of wall chargers available to purchase from Liberty Flights web site at the moment appear to be slightly different to the three I have had – which may or may not be significant.

The LR atomiser that arrived with my kit was unfortunately dead on arrival, but again Liberty Flights replaced it without question and the replacement has performed perfectly. Atomisers are notoriously quirky in terms of longevity and quality, so I’m not too upset about having received a dead one.

Summary

Overall, I have found the Riva 510 starter kit to be a great product. The battery problems I experienced were really caused by a third party charger problem so I wouldn’t let this dissuade me from recommending the kit to either experienced or new vapers.

Given the temperament of atomisers, I’d recommend buying extras (or cartomisers) with the kit or as soon as you can afford thereafter, as even a good one can expire without warning and it makes sense to have spares of all consumable parts wherever possible.

In fact, if I was ordering my first e-cig kit now, knowing what I do now, I wouldn’t hesitate to order another Riva kit, but I’d get a black one.

Scores

Supplier:	Liberty Flights
Product URL:	Riva 510 Starter Kit
Cost:	£42.99*
Value for money:	9/10
Performance:	9/10
Overall:	9/10

* Discount codes are readily available to receive a 10% discount. If you’ve found this review useful and would like to contribute to the upkeep of this site, please enquire about my affiliate code for Liberty Flights