All depends on the 'noob'.
Listen...
Someone who puffs on half an ultra lite a few times a day will have very different needs than someone who deep inhales 3 packs of full flavor non-filtered Lucky's a day!
Do they like pipes? Cigars? Are they into collecting stuff? Do they enjoy working with their hands or not? What about lifestyle? Do they sit at a desk most of the day or are they chunking 80 lbd tools around in extreme weather? What's the budget? Any disabilities (vision, arthritis, shaky hands, missing fingers, etc.)? Do they have big hands or small ones? How do they like their coffee (steaming hot...luke warm...not at all..etc.)
It's important to ask these kinds of questions if someone is seeking help picking a first PV. These days there are hundreds of choices...nearly all of them good for various needs/reasons.
If someone with a 3 pack a day full flavor habit asks me for advice...I steer them straight to the big stuff (high powered mods), along with encouragement, but sincere warnings that there will be a learning curve to safely get enough kick out of an eCig to fill the gap of 50+ filterless smokes a day. The shape and nature of the devices I'd show them first would be in accordance to their lifestyle. I.E. Someone that sits at a desk most of the day and owns a briefcase full of eGadgets would probably enjoy USB based stuff with built in LiPo batteries. In contrast, a shipyard welder would be more inclined to enjoy something that's built like a tank...won't break if it's chunked in a box or belt full of heavy tools, with easily changeable batteries (preferably compatible with his existing arsenal of tool batteries and chargers if possible) since they probably work and move around in a LARGE space over the course of the day. A sportsman would probably need waterproof stuff that's as light as possible...etc. A Pro Golfer might better be served by a fist full of mini-cig-a-likes with auto-air-switches (hands free mouth hangers).
Little things matter as well.
Do they wear lots of rings on their fingers? If so, how would the PV you're showing them interact with their jewelry (If they have a hand full of gold and platinum rings...might wanna steer them to something soft enough that it won't destroy them...of leave flecks of finish in their stone settings, etc...). Right handed or left handed? Are they allergic to anything (some people's skin and low quality metals just don't get along at all). Does the area they live in have long cold winters (it sure would be nice to be able to vape without having to pull off the driving gloves or snow mittens)?
So...really, the whole point here is LISTEN...sometimes we're too eager to 'talk and lecture' about what 'I' like in a PV. It's good to share your experiences, preferences, and why...but if you're gonna vape coach...spend 4 minutes LISTENING and OBSERVING them for every 1 minute you 'speak and lecture'.
As for what to screw on the end...no one can answer that but the person vaping. Think of lifestyle, price, etc...when recommending the stuff to 'try first'...but really, a variety of things in the beginning is probably wise...so they can form their own opinion.
Everyone is different, and while it's true we should never 'assume' people are 'ready' for 'complexity'...the reverse is also true. Many people are ready, and SHOULD start with something more complex (particularly if they have 'complex' vaping needs). The only way to know is to chat with the person to see what they already know about batteries and such, and what they like in a 'smoking' experience...and of course...what sort of lifestyle they enjoy most.
It's good not to overwhelm a noobie...but at the same time...'simple' isn't necessarily always the best 'just because' it's a noob's first PV.
Wordy Philosophy from Experience:
As a music teacher the discussion constantly comes up: Should they be started on the simplest/cheapest thing available for 'beginners' or should they just skip straight to a mid-line instrument or better? In a way it depends on the child (and choice of instrument) and the family's budget, but at the end of the day kids that start out on an upper-line instrument are FAR LESS likely to give up and quit. It plays better and puts them at a slight advantage from day one! Less fighting the thing to make it sound good. It's more of an 'investment', so it's a little harder for them to just quit after one bad lesson or experience. It has 70% or better resale value...where getting the 'starter' horn has pretty much ZERO. It can be 'fixed' when something goes wrong, where the starter line is much closer to disposable (these days that is).
In the USA sometimes we superior type A folks get preoccupied with 'dumbing things down' so those 'beneath us' can undersand, and it's KILLING US as a nation.
Look at a newly formed band program in Japan after only 8 weeks of meeting an hour a day. They start them on THE BEST equipment available from day one...8 weeks later, they're already outperforming programs here in the states that have been organized for 3 or 4 years. While we're convinced things have to be 'kept simple' or kids can't do it....we're often stuck with a gut wrenching squeaky rendition of "Three Blind Mice" (even given identical rehearsal hours and raw talent that is on par with any other group of kids in the world)...while the kids in Japan are already Playing Grade 5 "Stars and Stripes Forever" by first year's end and doing it well!
Granted the best equipment alone won't make a good orchestra...but it DOES make a BIG difference...no question about it.
There are good arguments for the beginner line stuff too...but again, it depends on so many factors other than 'keeping it simple'.
