I love vaping but Keep It Simple Stupid doesn't apply to the e cig industry.

[Rocketpunk]

I dabble in science fiction writing -- trying to be as pulp-like as possible, one of the few things that my characters did was smoke. Because I smoked. I thought it was cool.

But now, since I started vaping, the times I dip my hand into short-story writing, all my characters vape. Not because it's the cool thing to do, but because it replaced traditional smoking "in my universe".

Now, characters in my rocketpunk universe flick around cigalike batteries with nuclear-level energy densities to each other while in zero-g. The cartridges have been perfected.

 

[BardicDruid]

Now, characters in my rocketpunk universe flick around cigalike batteries with nuclear-level energy densities to each other while in zero-g. The cartridges have been perfected.

Now that would be one serious battery catastrophe if a direct short happened.

 

[Sane Asylum]

Reading this thread, it's interesting and a little bit fascinating as to what some poster's think a layperson's knowledge is of vaping. Before seeing a person at a barbeque who happened to be vaping using a clearomizer and Ego battery, the only thing that I had seen or heard about vaping were e cigarettes. I don't live in some rural area of the country and I am not a recluse. And from talking with people, I'm not alone in my previous lack of knowledge of about vaping.

For many of us noobies to vaping and to this forum, this is all foreign so, yes, it's very important to keep it simple. We are learning and it can be very confusing. We have to buy liquid, cartos, clearomizers, batteries, atomizers, chargers???? Your head starts to spin very quickly. I did a lot of research and it still can be confusing.

So yes....KISS for the new people

 

[WattWick]

My problem with keeping vaping on a KISS level was that all the "easy to use, newb friendly" gear turned out to be a pain in the behind. Started out with clearos like most. Gurgling, leaking, poor flavor, dry hits, vapers tongue, plastic taste... swirl to wet the wick... you name it.

That, and indiscriminate use of polycarbonate in clearos, is why I moved on to mods and RBAs. Now I have a really hard time when people ask what setup would be good for a beginner. If I dind't really really want to switch smoking for vaping, I simply wouldn't have stuck with it. My perspective (not trying to be arrogant) is that getting into a form of vaping that can keep you off the ciggies permanently, takes dedication, time and money.

I wish there was gear that really was perfect for beginners. Most I've tried may be... but only for a limited time before the problems set in. And they usually set in when you got a bad craving, need a fix, and the last thing you want to do is fix a gurgle or clean a clearo.

Now I usually recommend a couple of ego batteries, a Protank 2 and a pack of spare heads... even tho I know there is no such thing as a perfect beginner setup.

 

[B1sh0p]

One of the issues I had was that vaping has it's own language, slang and acronyms.

 

[deanthemachine]

It's as easy as you want it to be. Just go buy disposable blu ecigs. Its a little cheaper than tobacco that way.
Oh wait you want to go from spending $50/week to $3/week, well better do some research. Nothing in life is easy.

 

[EvilZoe]

It's as easy as you want it to be. Just go buy disposable blu ecigs. Its a little cheaper than tobacco that way.
Oh wait you want to go from spending $50/week to $3/week, well better do some research. Nothing in life is easy.

NOT TRUE! Going broke is WAY easy...lol

 

[Ryedan]

Now that would be one serious battery catastrophe if a direct short happened.

Ahh, but there will not be shorts in 2145

 

[Ryedan]

I can't help thinking a lot more smokers would turn to vaping if it didn't scare the hell out of them when they looked into it.
It's all well and good saying there are starter kits and it's going to be really great once you get into it and understand everything but I think vaping is quite elitist in a way and all hobbyist activities promote elitism and you can see that everywhere you turn with e cigs.

Cigalikes work for a lot of people but for a lot more they feel stupid 'fake' smoking so they try them and they drop them. After that we all know what the next step is but there is so much choice and it's easy to imagine any smoker turning to vaping and feeling left out before they start with people talking about mods and provari's and a zillion brand names that mean nothing to anyone other than the vapers trying to get one up on 'lesser' vapers with their choice of vaping equipment.

Vaping is probably the least user friendly environment I have encountered in a very long time and that's coming from someone with a background in computers. Talking about ohms and coil heads and mods and voltages can you blame anyone for thinking ... I'll just go down the road and get some cigs.

Vaping needs to become more user friendly, fast. That's all I'm saying. Thanks for reading.

Yup, I hear ya Silent Scream and I agree if vaping were more user friendly more people would get into it. OTOH, it is what it is now and there's nothing we can do about it until things change. I must say that in the hear and a half I've been vaping the hardware has become significantly better. Don't know if it's the same with cig-a-likes because I've never used them.

IMO when enough people vape and the industry is valuable enough companies with deep pockets will see it and start making these changes. It just hasn't started yet and maybe one of the reasons is the regulatory uncertainty in the market right now. In the meantime all we can do is help people along one at a time.

 

[Longtooth67]

Now I usually recommend a couple of ego batteries, a Protank 2 and a pack of spare heads... even tho I know there is no such thing as a perfect beginner setup.

I would recommend the Higher MaH spinners, but that is the most sensible thing I've heard all day. Write up a one page users guide and that right there would be enough to get most people started and hooked.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

The only problem then would be avoiding crap juice to begin.

Its not hard I bought my setup long before I found ECF and only did a search cause that setup got me interested in better stuff.

 

[WellAdjustedAndroid]

Lol. Brilliant!

Vaping is the Linux if smoking. Cigalikes are Ubuntu. Ego's are Debian. Mods and rba's are Gentoo. The learning curve is steep.

 

[Ainokea]

Vaping is the Linux if smoking. Cigalikes are Ubuntu. Ego's are Debian. Mods and rba's are Gentoo. The learning curve is steep.

Don't know what's sadder, the truth of the statement or knowing what it means.

So linux is vaping and windows/apple OS are big tobacco.

I try to remember way back when i first started vaping about 4 years ago. Usually it was easier to switch over with something that was still more familiar, joye 510 with tobacco flavor and high nic. I would have definitely be overwhelmed if i started within the past year. When i meet someone new i try to answer the basic questions and lead them towards better "ciga-likes" and tobacco flavors. The most advance i would tell them about is ego batteries and clearos.

 

[Mark Anthony]

I'm the type that welcomed the challenge.... and to be quite honest... it does get easier once you get hands on. To each their own.... I'd rather learn what I am doing and help improve my health than go grab cigarettes and ruin my health....

 

[bshm]

Don't know what's sadder, the truth of the statement or knowing what it means.

So linux is vaping and windows/apple OS are big tobacco.

I try to remember way back when i first started vaping about 4 years ago. Usually it was easier to switch over with something that was still more familiar, joye 510 with tobacco flavor and high nic. I would have definitely be overwhelmed if i started within the past year. When i meet someone new i try to answer the basic questions and lead them towards better "ciga-likes" and tobacco flavors. The most advance i would tell them about is ego batteries and clearos.

Let's face it, windows is huffing paint and self mutilation. Apple is big tobacco.

LoL

 

[bshm]

If someone has no interest in devices or the hobby aspect I encourage them to just get a charger a couple ego batts and a barrel atty and a couple vivi novas. The hard part is finding a juice they can vape like they used to smoke, in other words an ADV.

This is just me because it's simple and what I did and doesn't require much research or fiddling.

If they do express an interest in hardware and fiddling then it's off to RBA / RDA land.

 

[Criticalmass]

I think the Cigar smoking and pipe smoking are about the closest you can get to comparing the level of unfriendliness of vaping to smoking. Both Cigar and Pipe smoking have a lot of intricacies that if you do not follow them, you may have an unpleasant time of it. (such as rotating pipes out. Not letting the tobacco get too hot, walking the fine line of too hot or having it go out and having to relight it, Cigar humidor maintenance, pipe maintenance, etc)

And if you ask many, they'll tell you they've tried Cigars and Pipes and found them too much of a hassle to deal with on a regular basis. Also, unless you go cheap with all of your pipes, you are going to have a collection of at least 5-21 pipes, as it is a big no-no to smoke from the same pipe every day.

 

[wheezal]

Let's face it, windows is huffing paint and self mutilation. Apple is big tobacco.

LoL

Apple WISHES they had BT's number of customers. if anything MS is BT, Apple is the snooty pipe guy trying in vain to pull off a turtleneck, and the comb-over.

 

[HybridTea]

It IS confusing - it took me this long to try it because I read TOO much. So many recommendations, and no clear answer to, "what's best to buy for a beginner?" And all the new vocabulary is off-putting, although there are some good glossaries out there. But I didn't actually try it until I had a friend use it successfully, and I could just say, "I'll have what SHE'S having."

That said, though, in my (new) experience, the people on the forum have been very welcoming and encouraging, and no one has overwhelmed me with gear talk, nor sneered at what I chose to buy to start off. I'm just reading everything and not worrying about what I don't understand for right now.

I did remind myself that at some point, way back in my dinosaur prehistory, I had to learn to smoke. We all did. We tried different brands (usually OP's) and taught ourselves to french inhale and to blow smoke rings. We developed a way of smoking - inhalation methods, ash tapping, how we held our cigs, everything about it - that gave us the most effective delivery and comfort. It isn't all conscious because the body is a willing participant in perfecting the addiction, but it was a process and it did take time. If I could learn to do that - learn a process that wasn't all that pleasant right off the bat - then I can learn to do this, which IS pleasant.

 

[degnr8]

It's weird, when I started you pretty much had to be a modder. Even if you stuck to the cigalikes you were modding the carts so there was a lot of research and a lot of tinkering involved, but I think with the information overload and sheer number of options it's probably harder for a newbie now then it was back in the day.

 

[bluecat]

The company that comes out with a long lasting cigalike that is reasonably priced will make a fortune. If I could get a pack of cigalikes for 7 bucks (like my smokes) I would be all over it. Messing with all the e cig stuff is tiresome. Flipping a smoke in your mouth and lighting up is too easy.