I'd say yes, but then I'm biased. My russian tort fred has loads of personality, I never realised tortoises had that much til I got him. They are one of the smaller and hardier varieties of tortoise commonly available.
I really enjoy my Russian. Just like Wookie, I had no idea how much personality they had. He is a really good eater, and since he's a smaller size, can function well in a tort table. (However next summer he's getting his own big pen in the back yard!)