Where do newbies start these days?

[Ou2mame]

I don't know, everyone I know who vapes is subtanking or dripping on box mods and mechanicals. I only know one person who uses an ego. I'm in long Island though, and there's more money here so maybe outside of this monetary bubble people are using more budget gear, but from what I'm seeing everybody is upgrading to higher tier devices.

 

[xwarp]

I feel like it's important to note that no one person needs the exact same setup to quit smoking. I just feel that the 30w istick and nautilus mini are a great starting point. If that doesn't work for them, or if they try my setup (derringer atm, sometimes subtanks) then I don't have any problem recommending something different.

You are correct, in which case, if you know the person and you still have a working cheaper eGo setup, for example, have them use it until they they want something better just because, or, because it just isn't working.

I don't know, everyone I know who vapes is subtanking or dripping on box mods and mechanicals. I only know one person who uses an ego. I'm in long Island though, and there's more money here so maybe outside of this monetary bubble people are using more budget gear, but from what I'm seeing everybody is upgrading to higher tier devices.

I've seen the same with many people where I work that use them. One week with an eGo and protank, next week with a mod and a big azz tank. If it sticks, it's just a matter of time I think for most, but this is from personal observation of those I've seen and talked to.

 

[Grimwald]

I would still recommend an ego/evod type for a newbie. I believe in the KISS principle, and I think some older smokers just need a form factor that is closer to a cigarette. Perhaps it's an age thing, but not everyone is interested in the newest gadget. My wife has been using an ego and T2 for over 2 years with no desire to explore anything else.

IMHO, the biggest obstacle for new vapers is the flavor. A battery is just a battery, and a topper just holds the liquid. Always leave room in the budget for trying various liquids. Moving away from burning tobacco to something like fruit flavor is the real battle.

 

[sofarsogood]

If the first priority is getting off cigs then I'm going to recommend an N mini and iStick 30 because then I know exactly what experience they are going to have so it's easy to answer followup questions and troubleshoot. But I could also reccommend the Kanger sub tank (now with sub box) because I spent a few months with the tank. I'm going to get some coworkers dripping by doing a build on a spare tugboat and loaning it to them for a day or two. Once I finally got a dripper I lost interest in my tanks. I couldn't appreciate that a dripper is worth the minimal extra fiddling until I experienced the flavor and vape quality.

PS, i'm looking at my quit smoking counter below. I spent some of that $1,900 on gear. The number of cigs I haven't smoked is frightening but I sure know how much better I feel.

 

[Rocketpunk]

I can speak from experience as an employee in a vape store, our bread and butter is starter kits. We also carry the high end stuff as well, but I rarely if ever suggest those things to a brand stinkin' new noob. A lot of people fresh off the street think that a 1000 mah ego with an Aspire CE5-S is HUGE (remember, they're going from little tiny cigarettes to something roughly the size of a magic marker). I use mostly iSticks (one 20 watt with a Nautilus Mini and a 30 watt with an Atlantis), as well as a few antiquated mechs, and when brand new customers see what I use (and I'm the more low-key employee, everyone else uses high-wattage box mods and RDAs -- which were never my thing), their eyes pop out of their head. They almost always say, "I could never ever use something that big -- that's just ridiculous!"

So I typically suggest either a passthrough or a Vision Spinner or Aspire CF VV with Aspire clearomizers or the K1 glassomizer. These are cheap and affordable, which is what a lot of new users are looking for. Remember, this is supposed to be cheaper than smoking, and it can be, as long as you don't go nuts on the latest new gear.

It is fun to see the noobs who take to it begin their next phase of their vaping journey. That's when I suggest the higher end kits, and I can see the progress they've made as far as research and interest goes. But we must also remember, some vapers are 110% completely happy and satisfied with an ego/clearo set-up, and have no desire to upgrade to anything bigger.

EDIT PART 2: I suggest a fun activity if you've got the time for it. I suggest finding an ECF veteran and looking up all of their posts, from day 1 to now. You'll find that a lot of posters here that have been around for years started out a lot like you guys. Same questions, different devices. You might even be surprised to find that you can glean a bit of vaping history as a culture from the posts of these veteran members.

 

[xwarp]

They almost always say, "I could never ever use something that big -- that's just ridiculous!"

I said that too.

I also said that fruit flavors were for pansies and I wouldn't touch anything other than menthol.

I regret wasting money on the eVic/Aerotank setup when I could have had better.

Now, I am enjoying the hell out of my Sigelei 100 plus with the Subtank mini on it.

Now, I am enjoying the hell out of the Strawberry-Banana-milkshake as well as the Peanut Butter Cream Pie.

 

[cj081283]

I said that too.

I also said that fruit flavors were for pansies and I wouldn't touch anything other than menthol.

I regret wasting money on the eVic/Aerotank setup when I could have had better.

Now, I am enjoying the hell out of my Sigelei 100 plus with the Subtank mini on it.

Now, I am enjoying the hell out of the Strawberry-Banana-milkshake as well as the Peanut Butter Cream Pie.

Thats at least three of us then lol. Even only a few months ago i started with a cigalike then moved onto a cheap ego battery. Now even with a spinner i want to move up to a better setup when i can afford to do so which might not be for awhile so because my wife is an ex smoker but i want to get her something cause shes tried it and liked it (granted i didnt have nicotine free juice, shes a strong one with that). But granted research and this forum didnt stop my g.a.s. aka as gear acquisition syndrome.