New member from Atlanta, GA. I'm actually here because of my dad, who has been a smoker for the last 51 years (since age 11) and has tried everything to quit.
A few months ago, we were walking through the mall and saw a salesman vaping beside one of the e-cig kiosks. My dad asked me if I knew anything about e-cigarettes, specifically about the health benefits (I'm a pediatrician), but I hadn't encountered them before, so I said I'd look into it. I read up at that time and got back to my dad with what I had found - the potentially enormous health benefits of switching, the many unknowns, the near-certainty that e-cigarettes are much safer than traditional cigarettes, and my conclusion: that it was definitely something worth trying out. We left it at that, and he didn't mention anything else about it for a while. Over the years, I've learned not to push my dad when it comes to smoking - just give him the info and let it brew for a while.
Just after Christmas, he asked me a much harder question: "Where do I start?" I didn't realize what I'd gotten myself into until I typed "best brand of electronic cigarette" into Google. Whoa! I was bombarded on all sides with reviews, ads, youtube videos, and seemingly endless debates about topics I'd never dreamed were being debated - topics like PG vs. VG, atomizers vs. cartomizers vs. dripping vs. dipping, 510s vs. 808s vs. big batteries vs. mods, automatic vs. manual, and so on. I'm sure many of you know exactly how I felt.
At the brink of total confusion, I finally found the explanations, answers, and thoughtful discussions I was looking for here, at this forum. Thanks to the information I found here, I was able to steer my dad away from the rip-offs and in the right (initial) direction. My dad wanted something small and light, with no manual buttons, that looked and felt like the cigarettes he's been used to all this time. I gather that most new vapers start this way, so I didn't try to push him into 510s or eGo clones, even though I realize that he may eventually land there. He just received his RN4081 starter kit from aquavaporcig (a local company, for us) this weekend, and he is very happy with it so far. I've got my fingers crossed for a total switch - but again, I'm not pushing.
For all of you who have written the "Info for Noobs" threads and reviews of products, who have warned newcomers against buying from mall kiosks or signing up for "free" trials, who have continued to review and critique PVs that masquerade as cigarettes, even though you have long since moved on to bigger and better rigs: Thank you. For my dad's sake, I am grateful.
A few months ago, we were walking through the mall and saw a salesman vaping beside one of the e-cig kiosks. My dad asked me if I knew anything about e-cigarettes, specifically about the health benefits (I'm a pediatrician), but I hadn't encountered them before, so I said I'd look into it. I read up at that time and got back to my dad with what I had found - the potentially enormous health benefits of switching, the many unknowns, the near-certainty that e-cigarettes are much safer than traditional cigarettes, and my conclusion: that it was definitely something worth trying out. We left it at that, and he didn't mention anything else about it for a while. Over the years, I've learned not to push my dad when it comes to smoking - just give him the info and let it brew for a while.
Just after Christmas, he asked me a much harder question: "Where do I start?" I didn't realize what I'd gotten myself into until I typed "best brand of electronic cigarette" into Google. Whoa! I was bombarded on all sides with reviews, ads, youtube videos, and seemingly endless debates about topics I'd never dreamed were being debated - topics like PG vs. VG, atomizers vs. cartomizers vs. dripping vs. dipping, 510s vs. 808s vs. big batteries vs. mods, automatic vs. manual, and so on. I'm sure many of you know exactly how I felt.
At the brink of total confusion, I finally found the explanations, answers, and thoughtful discussions I was looking for here, at this forum. Thanks to the information I found here, I was able to steer my dad away from the rip-offs and in the right (initial) direction. My dad wanted something small and light, with no manual buttons, that looked and felt like the cigarettes he's been used to all this time. I gather that most new vapers start this way, so I didn't try to push him into 510s or eGo clones, even though I realize that he may eventually land there. He just received his RN4081 starter kit from aquavaporcig (a local company, for us) this weekend, and he is very happy with it so far. I've got my fingers crossed for a total switch - but again, I'm not pushing.
For all of you who have written the "Info for Noobs" threads and reviews of products, who have warned newcomers against buying from mall kiosks or signing up for "free" trials, who have continued to review and critique PVs that masquerade as cigarettes, even though you have long since moved on to bigger and better rigs: Thank you. For my dad's sake, I am grateful.
I think it is a great story everytime someone makes the jump.
