The Risa Uke-Solids seem like kind of a rip off. Passive electronics so you'll need a Vox headphone amp or similar to use on the go with headphones, no tone or volume controls, not a lot of wood to give it good sustain, etc. You can get a Stagg EUK for a bit over $100 on ebay which is literally twice as much uke as a two hundred and something concert Uke-Stick. Even an Eleuke is a far better deal than the Risa.
As someone who has used both Risa Uke-solids and Eleukes, I actually prefer the Risa.
I suppose being a passive electric may come across as a 'drawback'; but most electric guitars are passive electrics and most electric guitarists have not found a necessity to have a built-in headphone jack.
It's an instrument that plugs into an amplifier for its sound. While I found that the headphone jack of Eleukes was 'fun' and 'convenient' in some ways, I don't consider it a feature necessary for a musical instrument that is to be used to perform.
As for the nature of being a 'passive', the Risa sounds fantastic through an amplifier.
I find it actually has more sustain than the Eleuke, due to more meticulous attention to design. The small body surprisingly has a lot of vibration throughout; the block of solid wood is thick, there is an aluminium bridge with the strings extending at a backwards slant into the uke (as opposed to just being tied at the bridge), which provides better transmission of vibration from the strings to the saddle. Features which are not as easily achieved on an acoustic, but improve vibration and sustain on an electric.
It also has a very rich, balanced sound to my ears, even without tone and volume, and you can adjust the sound to your liking on the amp. Eleukes come across as a bit harsh and trebly to my ears, even with the Eq adjusted - the pickups seem to be sensitive to touch in that way. When you strum on an Eleuke, you get an initial split second of a very loud twang, before the loudness quickly cuts off, coming across as short sustain. A Risa has less of an instant twang, but a more mellow, balanced volume throughout its sustain, which sounds more natural and pleasant to my ears.
And it's a huge plus when you don't have to fuss with 9V batteries, and it's ultra-portability is an undeniable advantage.
The action is also much more comfortable on the Risa - they're set up in a way similar to Fleas and Flukes. A zero fret, which ensures spot-on intonation and string height.
One drawback that used to make me prefer Eleukes is the tuners. Eleukes and Stagg have geared tuners, but the Risa had friction tuners, which I disliked.
But now Uke-sticks are coming with new geared tuners. If you email them, you can currently get the Concert size with geared (as I have now), and they're planning to put geared on the Sopranos and Tenors later on.
In the end, there are pros and cons to either.
The Eleuke (and Stagg I imagine) have active pickups and headphone jacks which are definitely a plus.
But when it comes to overall build quality as a musical instrument, my vote goes to the Risa.
As simple as they look in photos, when you hold one in your hands, you know straight away that it has a better build quality than Eleukes.
This is not to say Eleukes are 'bad' in any way - they're EXCELLENT value instruments made in China, and I recommend them to a lot of my friends.
But if they can be flexible in their budget, I also recommend the Risa, if its characteristics fit what they are looking for
Here is a concise comparison review on Ukulelehunt;
http://ukulelehunt.com/buy-ukulele/unusual/electric-ukulele/
