If your using a top coil clearo in one of those ego kits then 24 is a good start, pack a day for 35 years. I vaped 24 for a month at the beginning, that got me off the cigs. Once the vape began to get harsh and give me a sore throat, I went down to 18, along with buying a bunch of protanks and vaped the 18 nic protanks for eons. Once I upgraded to kayfuns I then dropped down to 12 cause the 18 was making me dizzy, light headed and giving me a touch headache above my eye (nicotine overdose) . I'm slowly in the process of making my juice 9 nic now. Like said before the better gear your using the better the vape the less the nic your going to need to satisfy. Don't be in a hurry to cut down since with me its my body telling me when to start the cut down process. Good luck on your vape journey.