I couldn't agree with you more. Most vapers don't want to rebuild, spend days/weeks combing forums or agonize over new purchases. Finding decent e-liquid one likes is time consuming and expensive enough. Most (potential) vapers just want to NOT SMOKE. I haven't seen any actual "numbers". But I'd bet that at least 50% of smokers who try vaping continue to smoke to some degree because of a disappointing vaping experience.
Most tootle puffers who turn to rebuilding realize that much of the inexpensive gear that's been available for the last two years is garbage. They find that basic fiddling (like rewicking a stock EVOD head with cotton) provides a much superior and enjoyable vape that is more likely to help them abandon the analogs. This has been the way of vaping for many years. It has only been very recently that one could find a very fine and reliable vape, off the shelf, for around $60. First the Nautlius mini landed, followed by the iStick. This combo should be enough to allow most smokers to quit.
One might think the entire journey for tootle puffers would have ended with the Naughty-Mini/iStick combo. Yet here we are, months after their release, comparing notes, digging deeper, searching for "more & better" and encouraging each other to stay clear of analogs. As a complete noob, had I not seen posts in "general discussion" threads that talked about rebuilding and linking to the appropriate threads, I might never have realized that I could improve the mediocre performance of my early gear. I'd probably still be smoking. I could have posted full tutorials, complete with photos, diagrams and anecdotal data. But I didn't. There are many other great threads on ECF that already cover the topics. I simply offered my notes and linked to an excellent thread should people want to investigate it further. I also remember reading posts full of misinformation, bad advice and downright dangerous suggestions. Remember that forums are only as good as their posters.
There are many times more lurkers in these forums than participants. I lurked for six weeks before I even joined. I try to keep those passive readers in mind when I post. I actually try to be helpful. I try to emulate those who helped me in my journey, like JeremyR, MacTechVpr, Katya and Katdarling. These members, along with many others who are active in their threads, have made a significant impact on my life and well-being. Have I liked every post that I've read? Has everyone liked all of my posts? Certainly not. Personally, I just skip the posts that are of no/little interest to me. It's part of being a community. Feedback tells me that I'm being somewhat relevant to many in the community. When what I have to offer stops being relevant, I'll stop posting.
I hesitate to respectfully add that the attitude that leads one to write, "This looses 90% of tootie puffers including me for no other reason than it's B-O-R-I-N-G. Move on. Please.", is overly simplistic, inaccurate and the same sentiment that tells noobs and others who are struggling to move on and stick with cigarettes.
I hope everyone is enjoying their tootle-puffing. It's a great time to be a vaper!