The Dovpo Riva 200 review and it looks identical to the DNA powered version, but does it perform as well?
If you like the look of the Dovpo DNA Riva 250C, but don’t want to pay out for a DNA chip, or can’t stand a mod that uses Micro USB for charging, then read on…
Dovpo has an option for you, with the Dovpo Riva 200 which we have in for review.
What Can We Expect From The Dovpo Riva 200?
As I mentioned, this mod is based on the Riva 250C which uses an Evolv DNA chip. However the Riva 200 uses an in house chip that fires up to 200W, rather than the 250W of the DNA.
To be honest, getting 250W out of 2x 18650s always struck me as a little optimistic, so I’m more than happy with a ceiling of 200W.
There are relatively few other changes, aside from a more limited range of colour options. One thing that I’m especially happy about though, is the change to USB type C.
This was sent over directly from Dovpo (thank you), as usual freebies do not affect my review, and I shall report back honestly with what I find.
Inside the Box
- Riva 200 Mod
- USB C Charging Cable
- Manual
- QC Card and Battery Safety Card
Specs
- Dimensions – 80mm x 43mm x 39.5mm
- Power Output – 5-200W / 0.5V-8.0V
- Battery – 2x 18650
- Charging – USB-C 2A
- Display – 0.96″ TFT Colour Screen
- Modes – VW/VV/Temp Control
- Material – Zinc Allow and Leather
Design and Build Quality
It’s a handsome, unassuming looking mod.
Surprisingly small for a dual 18650.
It comes in 5 colours, the metal is either black with brown leather (which I received) or black leather, or silver coloured with black, brown or blue leather.
Dovpo Riva 200 Body
It’s a very comfortable mod, all comfortable curves and perfectly happy being a thumb or finger firer.
The body is made of zinc alloy, which keeps the weight down, and the black version that I have has a very smooth, almost silky black finish to it.
On the back half of the mod is a piece of leather than is inset into the body.
It gives it a nice bit of grip and breaks up the look of the device.
Dovpo Riva 200 Top Plate
The 510 connector is set towards the front of the mod.
I know that some people won’t be terribly happy about this as it does limit the size of the tank you can put on it, it will manage up to a 26mm without overhang.
However, I believe if it were centred, it would also mean the mod would have to be taller. So to be honest I’m happy with the tradeoff here, to keep the mod at a nice compact size.
The 510 plate is secured by a couple of hex screws, and there’s a further structural one towards the back.
The plate itself is raised up ever so slightly from the top of the mod. So should mean that you’re unlikely to leave any atty swirls on the top of the mod itself.
Dovpo Riva 200 Battery Compartment
The dual 18650’s are accessed by a door on the base of the device.
It’s a sprung hinge, which always makes me worry a little about reliability over time, but in the short time that I’ve had it, I’ve noticed no issues at all, and it locks into place solidly.
One really nice touch is that when you push it to open, firstly it feels pretty solid, so unlikely you’ll accidentally open it in your pocket.
But more interestingly it doesn’t fully open when you do so, the battery cover opens to about a 60 degree angle.
What this means, is that even if it does spring open, the batteries can’t actually come out and go flying, as they get caught by the door.
You need to apply a little bit of force with your finger to overcome the spring and open it up to a full 90 degrees to get at your batteries.
It’s a really nice touch and worth shouting out.
Inside the top of the battery compartment you can see your positive and negative clearly labeled.
Also it looks like it has venting holes on the inside, but I can’t see where they outlet as there aren’t any on the outside. So not sure what’s going on there.
Dovpo Riva 200 Screen and Controls
Despite not being a DNA device, it keeps the same 3 button layout.
You’ve got a nice circular fire button that protrudes a decent amount, above the 0.96″ screen.
The screen is clear and relatively basic but clear, at the top it shows you your current mode (VW, VW or Temp in Ti, Ni, or SS) and has a dual battery indicator.
Although I keep all my pairs of batteries married, I like to see a dual battery indicator, as it lets me know if one of my batteries is starting to drain quicker than the other.
Below this is your main adjustable control (either wattage, voltage or temp) and finally a stack of indicators for
- Coil Resistance
- Output voltage (in wattage mode)
- Current amps being drawn whilst firing
- Puff counter
All in all, the screen isn’t massively interesting, and your only customisation options are the brightness, but it does the job.
Below the screen you’ve got an up, select and down buttons.
Turning on and off is a standard 5x click of the fire button, and you enter the menu to change your modes, with a long press of the middle button.
Below these is (thank goodness!) a USB C charging port.
Honestly this should be standard by now, but unfortunately there are still plenty of mods coming out with Micro USB (including it’s DNA brother, the Riva 250C), so until everyone gets on board I’m going to continue highlighting when something has USB C!
How Does the Dovpo Riva 200 Perform?
I’ve been using the mod for a couple of weeks now as my every day device, and I’ve been really happy with it.
It’s just a simple, no nonsense mod with a couple of nice touches.
I’ve been using it with a couple of different tanks, including my everyday Kayfun lite SE for mouth to lung, and the Arbiter 2 from Oxva.
Performance
Touching all the bases with performance, it’s power output feels accurate.
200W feels like 200W. It’s also very quick to fire, and I found the nicely protruding fire button meant I always found my thumb on it when picking it up.
I also really appreciate how quickly it will scroll through it’s power range. It will scroll in half watt increments from 5-100W, then full watt increments up to 200W. At which point it will round robin.
You can also lock the adjustment buttons by pressing menu and -, but I never found that I’d accidentally adjusted them in my pocket (common with buttons that take less pressure to push in) so I never really bothered.
Battery and Charging
There’s never a great deal to say about battery life when you have removable batteries, as it’s going to vary so much depending on what batteries you’re using, what tanks, etc
However I can say that I haven’t noticed any issues with it, it seems to last marginally longer than a couple of mods I have that have enormous screens, but that’s to be expected.
I haven’t tested charging it much, as I much prefer to charge my batteries externally, however, it seems to work fine.
However, I did find that my USB C to C cables wouldn’t work, and I had to use a USB A to C. This is one of the downsides that I’ve noticed with quite a few mods that use USB C!
Anything else?
Honestly, there’s not much to say about this mod.
It’s a simple, no nonsense mod that feel great in the hand, works as it should, and doesn’t have an unnecessary bells and whistles.
Pros
- Comfortable in the hand
- Simple menu system
- Feels solid
Cons
- Not much customisation, no curves, etc
- Probably wouldn’t recommend it if you’re into Temp Control
Final Review Verdict
So that was the Dovpo RIVA 200. And to be honest I think it’s a cracking little mod!
It’s one of the most comfortable dual battery mods I’ve had the pleasure to use, and the fire button is in just the right place, however you hold it.
I’m always big a fan of a three button menu, as I just find it easier to manage that doing various combinations of fire button and + or – button.
It fires quickly and seems to be providing the power that it says on the tin, so no complaints about the performance.
It probably wouldn’t be my recommendation for anyone that wanted to get deep into temperature control, and I feel that this is one there more because people expect it to be on there, rather than thinking many people are actually going to use it.
But as a cheaper alternative to the DNA device, I would have no hesitation in recommending this to anyone that doesn’t feel a need to tinker with, or obsess over their settings.
Is this a mod you’re using or going to buy?
Please let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
