They will never be as good as a Goon or even a Cloon. They might be good but not as good as…
I got a Tsunami 24 and i never use it, it doesn’t come even close in flavor to other RDA’s i got and since that is so i use the others instead. Don’t get me wrong, it is ok but even a Cloon runs in circles around it when it comes to flavor.
That is a philosophical question that we surely can use a lot of time debating 
My first guess is that 528customs want their development costs paid back in full, second they surely wanna make some money off of it as well. And today 528customs has gotten a name in the industry and that as well set the price to a certain level.
Makes perfect sense to get a test clone. For Attys like the Goon and the Petri I know I cant go wrong and I’m 99% confident that I can bypass the clone test if that makes sense. I can understand for those more ambiguous tanks. Say a Pharoah with it’s intricacies (From what I’ve read), a Hadaly with it’s different mounting and being single coil.
Due to my budget (and my not getting over clones) I Basically asked here what to buy. Smok Alien and Tsunami to start. Love em. Then I saw Pugs review of the Ammit and went for that. Very good. So I rely heavily on your sage advice.
Right now I’m sold on the Mad Dog Desire (pugs review) @Kalahariuk stating he is as fond of it as a cloon is pretty good.
As i have a tight budget and a no clone policy I rely heavily on your experiences and I am sold at the moment 2 Mad Dog desires it will be. The Tsunami’s are $3 more funnily.
@Fenrir1 I haven’t studied economics so I don’t know if buying clones is a good or a bad thing for the industry. You could also look at it like with woftam. Someone who loves the clone may be inspired to get the original. So might work both ways. I know it’s definitely not clear cut if it’s harmful to the designers or not.
Yes I also get very annoyed at companies charging huge profit margins on their products. That’s the thing that nearly sways me and often leaves me teetering on whether to do it. For me, I just think of it as if I started my own company I’d be annoyed with clones ( but probably also weirdly proud).
So with that we are at Maddog desire for me make that 2 please. Thanks guys, unless some revealing new info comes up thanks for all your help.
I’ll post it up on vape mail and tell you what i think of em. And trust me you have persuaded me of the quality of the clones as a start.
+1 it’s my 4th choice every time
Fair play, but … from my perspective as an end user … weeeell, you know where I am going from here …
You can see it like this when it comes to clones. Most people that buy a clone would never spend the money an authentic cost due to reasons. They might be on a really tight budget or anything.
But those prepared to spend some extra money on something they like and who start with a clone will most likely get an authentic at the end.
So my conclusion is that both the manufacturers of clones and authentic earn money and the only ones losing money is the buyers. 
SXK Hadaly Clone. $15 and it’s identical. Single coil and amazing flavour. I moved away from dual coils as they require too much wattage and the batteries don’t last nearly long enough. Yes, I have spares. But since I git the Hadaly I never use my second set. I just charge over night.
My typical builds are 0.45-0.5 ohm and I vape that at 32.5W. I use Fused Claptons SS316L.
I purchased several Mad Dog Desire’s but have only used one so far, the black one (my fave). Oddly, it came with only two grubs in the posts, but no worries because there are two additional sets (8) in the poly bag.
As far as flavor , it (MD) is better than the Tsunami 24mm, and can take a much larger coil build, even mesh easily. The MD has a bit less flavor than a Goon or a Cloon (I have several of each), even the Velocity V2.(which I have a couple authentic and about 15 1:1…but only one particular 1:1 from FastTech #14906 $9.57) For a dual coil 22mm RDA, nothing beats a Velocity V2, and they are on most of my squonkers, the rest have Goon or Cloon. I do have a couple Tobeco Velocity V2 which are great.
For a single coil RDA, a Hadaly is great but spits a bit, an IF you wanted an RTA single coil, the Ammit is amazing, and has better flavor than many dual coil. Other than my Kayfun 5’s, or having a good squonk, the Ammit is the best ever.
I would choose a Goon or Cloon or VV2
Maybe even a Glacier V2 (very nice)
From your list I would choose the MD Desire.
I do the blame you for not wanting a clone but I think if you already have a tsunami 24 get another one since your trying to do a head to head comparison.
Just two: Both deep well, Magma and Origen V1 & V3 Moderate clouds and superior flavor. Magma easiest two post build and Origen may have a slight flavor advantage.
Both might be had at around $8 each from FastTech.
A Wotofo Troll V2 is a good bet. I love that thing. Get SS instead of black. SS is easier to spin the air holes. The velocity deck is a dream to build and wick. Has a deep juice well and gets about 10 to 12 pulls before dripping again.
I use it regularly with my Griffins. I have just about the entire Griffin family. Just need the mini.
The Troll is my go to RDA.
Peter and Lois, Meg, Chris, Stewie, and Brian
Leave out Meg. No one likes Meg.
Sadly, the goon clone I tried leaked and had a really loose cap. Ended up buying an authentic one used. GL on cloons though!
If you’ve a clone problem, pick up the tsunamis then. Maybe a sapor or mad hatter for some nice flavor attys.
El cabron RDA is awesome if you can find one under $20 Vapor beast had them for $15 a while back but I think they sold out. I don’t know if any of your vape sites in oz would carry them but it’s worth a search. You can adjust the air flow for single or duel coils and they’re easy to build on.
I purchased a Tsunami 24 a couple months back and I love it. I’ve never tried a Goon or a cloon, but I do think the Tsunami is a pretty great RDA.