Is " Start Simple" Really a Good Option for Noobs?

[WillyZee]

I was a smoker 46 days ago ... knowing that eCigs were not common in Canada, I asked my Mom to mail me a Blu starter kit from Florida. I quickly learned I needed something better if I was going to stay off smokes ... went to a local B&M and asked the guy working there what the device sticking out of his shirt pocket was? I also asked him if it was something he worked his way up to?

He told me it was an eVic, and yes it was something he graduated to after using cheaper gear.

OK then, I said ... wrap one up for me please ... I would not change anything starting over and still use my little Blu kit from time to time. Other than a spare battery for the eVic ... that Blu kit is my backup incase the eVic goes down

 

[seahawkin]

Ya but things change so fast and vaping is very personal. I live with 3 vapers we all use different stuff and use different juice. So I would say I want to suggest something that gives a good experience that a new user can figure out what works best for em.

I had to quit smoking for health reasons, I had quit many times before. I saw hope in the crappy one offs I could buy in gas stations, but it was a year before my experience was elevated to enjoyment and being a connoisseur. Damn, vaping has become a lifestyle for me. Now 8 years ago if I had something like the MVP2, a Protank and decent juice I would have been off the cigs and avoided all the health problems. But I don't even think anything was available then.

So ya if I could pay it forward I would. I think the MVP2 is a great starting device and I would suggest getting sample packs from juice vendors to see what one digs. 4 months ago I might have said something like "Get an eGo and a ce4" too.

 

[Caridwen]

It appears your needs and likes/dislikes changed the longer you vaped. No way to know that or what you like unless you start out pretty basic and go from there.

 

[Caridwen]

The vast majority of people get along fine with prefilled cig-a-likes. We are the odd people, the people here on ECF are in no way representative of vapers, just the hobbyist wing.

As others have said listen to what people want. Someone coming here saying I smoked 10 a day, money is no object, I want something small and simple is probably suited to a Blu or Greensmoke. Someone else who says I want something cheap and simple, size not important to replace 60 a day will be happy with a Vamo/Protank. Someone who says I want the best regardless and am happy to fiddle should get a Provari or Semovar with a good RBA.

The problem I see here is people on here recommending what they are currently using regardless of what information the OP has supplied, we end up with someone who is a light smoker and a technical klutz who wants something cheap and simple that looks like a cigarette so they can smoke at work without looking like a freak being recommended a Provari with a Kayfun and told to recoil their wicks and DIY their own juice.

I think that's pretty true. The few vapors I know that have been vaping quite a long time still use ego type batteries and carts/clearos. Some 3+ years and they're pretty happy.

 

[Ref Minor]

I think that's pretty true. The few vapors I know that have been vaping quite a long time still use ego type batteries and carts/clearos. Some 3+ years and they're pretty happy.

I passed my Greensmoke starter kit on to my parents neighbour a whole ago and she is delighted with it, it's cheaper than smoking cigarettes, a cart lasts her several days. She had been using disposables and asked me about other options. We chatted and I found out what was important to her and it was clear the simplicity of a cig-a-like was the most appropriate choice.

The friend who started me on ecigs still uses Greensmoke after 2 years and has no desire to change, whereas I have gone from Greensmoke to Ego to Semovar. There is no best for everyone.

 

[TUC]

Most "noobs" don't even want anything as large as an eGo, let alone a PV mod. They have to come to their own conclusions what is important to them. Is it battery life? Is it size? Is it...?

You get the picture?

Everyone has to start somewhere, and it is usually where they feel comfortable. Only after getting their feet wet, are they able to really decide whether or not to "take the plunge" and adjust their thinking in how far down the "rabbit hole" they are willing to go.

 

[rhean]

The vast majority of people get along fine with prefilled cig-a-likes. We are the odd people, the people here on ECF are in no way representative of vapers, just the hobbyist wing.

As others have said listen to what people want. Someone coming here saying I smoked 10 a day, money is no object, I want something small and simple is probably suited to a Blu or Greensmoke. Someone else who says I want something cheap and simple, size not important to replace 60 a day will be happy with a Vamo/Protank. Someone who says I want the best regardless and am happy to fiddle should get a Provari or Semovar with a good RBA.

The problem I see here is people on here recommending what they are currently using regardless of what information the OP has supplied, we end up with someone who is a light smoker and a technical klutz who wants something cheap and simple that looks like a cigarette so they can smoke at work without looking like a freak being recommended a Provari with a Kayfun and told to recoil their wicks and DIY their own juice.

I agree with this. My only problem is that the OP is usually a noob, and doesn't really know what s/he wants. I know, as I was a noob back in July.

Anyway, I live in Madison, WI, and we have no brick and mortar stores here. Very few people vape, so there is nothing to see, nothing to emulate. The only options that are easily available are the cigalikes, and only because they're either sold in gas stations or in the box stores. I was going to go with a cigalike starter kit when I looked at the price of replacement cartridges, and they were EXPENSIVE. If I hadn't looked elsewhere, I might have given up on vaping as it would have cost me more than analogs. Price is definitely a factor for me.

I think that recommending something else is not such a bad idea, especially as the stuff that is usually recommended is usually a starter kit with a basic battery, tank, and juice. That kind of thing is very simple to use, and way way way cheaper than what's being sold down at the local gas station. When I came here, that's what people suggested I buy, and I'm thankful I did.

 

[Keeno]

I started off with a first generation ego-T starter kit and try as I might I was only off smokes for a month with it then went back to smokes for about 6 month then started doing my research on what was available. At this point I bumped my game up to the Joye eGo and that was enough to keep me cig free. I've continued to evolve and really needlessly upped my devices but point being it took a step up from the cig style to get me to quit smoking.

 

[PNW Rider]

i dont believe anyone should be advised of what to get but rather told to research all of the options to find what suits them. my requirement for an e-cig were no leaks, BIG vapor/flavor and all day battery capacity on the go. i halfway hit a home run. my first setup was a provari with 18650 batteries, pila charger, protank2 and zen-atty genesis. the provari and the pila charger are excellent, hassle free products.
the genesis in my opinion is a bear to get setup right unless you had different grades of SS mesh and different gauages of kanthal and lots of patience AND it must stay upright.
the protank was excellent for a while and really taught me about what it takes to get a bottom coil wick just perfect and how to make a good coil and for that i am grateful. the fun stopped when i found myself taking 5+ second drags...soon the bad taste came and upon realizing i was burning/melt the rubber grommet i was appalled. i tried countless more rebuilds with the protank that vaped great but if i hit it to much it would taste rubbery.
the end-all for me is the kayfun. for me it is the same thing as a protank but all grown up. no grommets to melt. i really wish i could have my 180 bucks back for the other atomisers i bought that are now sitting but they helped me learn what i wanted. my spares can be given to smoker friends/new vapers or sold because people want those types of atomisers, nobody buys used evods or worn out ego batteries.
IMHO learning with NICE stuff is why i am still vaping. a drawer full of ego batteries, which sell for 30 bucks at my b&m, is useless. i would be ...... if i bought an ego and evod for 40 or more dollars only to find that is was just a taste of whats out there and now i may as well toss them.

 

[sky4it]

agree totally with PNW Rider, interesting post what your end all is, you like bottom wicking clearos better than the top ones? and you have to keep a lot of the top wicking tanks upright, that seems to be especially true with the ce5, but i have better luck with the mini nova, with the threads to turn into and dont leak even upside down, well may once in while, people dont talk much about kayfun, it must be a good tank

 

[PNW Rider]

agree totally with PNW Rider, interesting post what your end all is, you like bottom wicking clearos better than the top ones? and you have to keep a lot of the top wicking tanks upright, that seems to be especially true with the ce5, but i have better luck with the mini nova, with the threads to turn into and dont leak even upside down, well may once in while, people dont talk much about kayfun, it must be a good tank

before i bought anything i spent over two weeks researching, mostly on ECF and never was the Kayfun added to my narrow-down list. not alot of people talking about that tank in a beginners usability sense or even at all. i think a lot of people join the forums to research and ask questions on their beginner setups and by the time they reach their final, best of, type of tank they have long since dwindled off. not ALL members though, there is a dark corner that i found under the search function for kayfuns. i made my user name here after learning to rebuild my beginner setups because now i feel i have contributions that might be useful to people who are in the postion i was just 1 month ago.
i did not want to buy another carton of cigs and i quit cold turkey banking on vaping. i went 2 weeks with only smoking one bummed cig in the time it took me to: research, find that what i wanted couldnt be had locally, decide on my setup and place an online order THEN wait for my order to arrive. it was excruciating. my head hurts just thinking about what it was like trying to choose with all the information there is online about e-cigs.

 

[sky4it]

PNW Rider:

yeah i did the same thing but for months, I learned a lot, read a lot of posts here in these forums before I joined,, I have been making my atomizers, most of mine turn out better than the ones from the store,(sometimes) I have atomizers new ones from the store that dont work, (2 of them), long time ago i tried 2 ce4,s right out of the box they didnt work, and the atomizer builds i do myself are sometimes better than the stores. But i am going to try the bottom wicking ones, I have one coming in the mail, and i will keep your suggestions in mind, its just with the top wicking ones it seems you have to add liquid to much, keep it topped off to have good vape. and the CE5's drive me nuts with leaking, plus when i use them and rebuild them oh 4-8 times, after a while they dont go back together real well, and they start leaking bad because the bottom silicon ring doesn't seem to hold up. worse sometimes they are crooked when you put em back together, but your right its a learning thing, and these forums do have some really knowledgeable people, anyway nice post, you seem to know what your doing, appreciate the advise

 

[mackman]

Most of us started with a ego type battery and a clearo of some type. Walk into any B & M shop and that's what they are going to push on you. Your progression is determined by where you want to take it. I guess you could say I have gone from one end of the spectrum to the other; but once in a while I will load up a ego twist and an evod and enjoy the hell out of it. It is all perspective IMHO.

 

[amanda211]

I know with me it was a financial decision to quit (had I only known) and I was still stuck in the "but I want it to look like a cigarette" stage. Vaping was relatively new in our area and I didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb. Little did I know it would actually work! I think a lot of newbies might have the same thought. It's also relatively inexpensive so if by some chance it doesn't work for them, they aren't out very much money. This way they can try it out, see if they like it, then graduate from there. Honestly, would someone new to the vape scene really want to shell out a couple hundred on something they might not stick with?

 

[blinny1983]

I WISH something like the MVP and PTs and iclears were available when I started vaping 4-5 years ago.

I went from Blu to generic 510 batts and attys to egos with cartos to Reos with cartos (actually still a great setup), to where I am now with MVPs and an SVD with protanks and iclears.

Spent a lot of money along the way, but it's been fun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ohyeathat]

You gotta walk before can you run.

I spent a little bit of money just to see if I was going to stick with it. Once I got the hang of things I began looking to improve.

 

[nobreak1970]

YES start simple! You may stick with simple like I did.

 

[LeeW]

i have a few friends that tried to get me into vaping last year.....I made the move on my on this week.
I have an advantage to speak with them & try there mods so I have experanced what a good mod/setup will deliver in VTF

That being said i still got a single bat ego style kit(a auto bat at that :/ ) now after a week I kno i will never go back but i am still getting a back up pass through on next order & will prob pick up a twist next week from a B&M......at the same time I will be getting a mvp in few weeks.
Truthfully yes I know i could save money just going MVP to start but still ....A STARTER KIT IS JUST THAT. A kit to START with, to test the waters & see if vaping will work for you. As such most want something as simple to start with & in comes ego style. VV/VW is deff nice and give a better vape but remember most dont know what that mean when they first start, they are just wanting simple & inexpensive to see if it will work for them.....that is were the cheaper route is kinda better. Like me after a couple of days I joined here (after lurking for a while before) & that has opened up so much area for research. I take what i have found here & it helps me pick my vape friends heads as well as owners at B&Ms. I think that time to research is good for beginers.......I mean VW/VV is great but if you don't know what that meANs or how to apply it to different delivery setups can result in a bad vape or worse.

Just my 2cents i may be wrong

 

[nobreak1970]

If anything I think noobs have to many choices anymore, and because of that it can be actually harder to get started.
What is see is all to often noobs just buying something different instead of learning how to vape.

Post #6, page 1

Wisest thing I've heard about vaping!!!!

 

[nobreak1970]

My thoughts are this: We tend to push new vapers into making it a hobby inadvertently. Some just want to vape instead of smoke. No need for an MVP or anything like that to accomplish it.

People are called "novices" and that word tends to imply there is some sort of apprenticeship involved and that being a hobbyist is the way to do it properly.

BUT
On the other hand, most vapers don't care about a hobby and don't visit forums such as this...some that do visit make a it a hobby, and I like that. I love these forums, and I am sure a lot of people are like me, but I do not intend on making it a hobby and will stick with my "noob" kit CE5 with ego-T. Like I said I love this forum though, so I think the more complicated we make things for a new vaper the more of a turn off for some it can be.
I also shake my head when a new vaper posts a thread about things and the thread turns into a bunch of vets bragging about and pushing all the "advanced" stuff without addressing the new vapers needs at hand. Threads turn into advertisements for products after a few posts, it's happened in this thread.
That makes it all the more complicated if you ask me.
The fact is that there are many "help I'm a noob" threads here, and I notice that as they go along the OP is suggested to spend 50-100 or more bucks to "get the full experience"....doesn't make a lick of sense doing that. I as a noob do not represent all noobs of course...but I went to another forum and did the whole "Hi noob here" thread, and the only things I got were..."Oh get this MVP for only 60 bucks, get the Protank 2, never....oh try a starter kit for 25 bucks.
I mean...some people like me love to research, but most probably don't, they just want good simple info and not be told to spend 60 bucks on a tank. A lot of people when asked for ideas on inexpensive stuff tell someone to get something "only 100 dollars"...that's just goofy. I know that's all subjective....
Sorry I'm ranting now.
I hope I make sense.
Pax.
Anywho.