Lots of different answers. Lots of different people.
I started with the 808. I didn't want to try anything fancy or with super long battery life, I wanted to buy and electronic cigarette to help me quit smoking. The "mods" or "APV" as they are now referred to here (advanced personal vaporizer), did not appeal to me and if anything looked like more work. I wanted to quit smoking as painlessly as possible, and that didn't include a lot of battery maintenance. Charging an 808 I can handle, dealing with multiple batteries and big battery chargers, and dealing more with all that electrical/engineering jibberish - I didn't need in my darkest hours of tobacco. Don't get me wrong, I didn't base my decisions upon anyone's recommendations. I didn't know ECF or any other ecig forum existed. I call them electronic cigarettes because that's what the 808 is. Hell, I didn't even know the term "808" until I had to figure out the difference between it and a 510 when determining what brand/company I wanted to try. Both made to look like cigarettes. Two-piece or three-piece, no brainer for me. I just wanted to quit smoking.
I quit quickly, I didn't have faith in myself that it would be that easy or that fast. The electronic cigarette made it very easy on me. I had more than one battery, I had several, and I had a couple of chargers so I wasn't lacking for a charged battery in my transition to vaping.
I'm still here, because I'm still vaping. I just wanted to quit smoking, but found I like vaping. I like having the ritual still. After 39 years smoking, the lack of the ritual was probably what kept me from succeeding with other methods (patch, gum, cold turkey). I'm still using 808's. I like the Volts from Smokeless Image, I like a little variety and subtle "bling." I like their cartomizer flavors. They just came out with their own big battery in the last month or so - but the same, basically, and the Volt in the battery department, no multiple batteries with big chargers, but it is a very nice big battery. I use it, the X2, as well as my 808's. I still like my 808's. The new clearomizers for the X2 can be used on the Volts, and the cartomizers can be used on the X2. I see no need to switch from these styles in favor of bigger mods and more vapor and more power.
I recommend 808's to new persons, because most people just want to quit and get it over with. ECF is full of those of us who quit, but never moved on from vaping - at least not yet. Many will recommend the eGo or Kgo or even jump right into mods/APVs because they no longer believe anyone should start with such underpowered batteries like the 808's or anything that looks like a cigarette because they themselves no longer want to be associated with "cigarette." I can understand that, but with someone brand new to the idea of quitting smoking - and regardless of what the FDA or any of us here say - I'm going to recommend a device that I know works, and looks like a cigarette, 1) for familiarity, and 2) for ritual. After they've been in the arena for a bit, then their curiosity can take them to the "higher levels" of mods/APVs if they want to try them, but if they just wanted to quit smoking, then they had the least expensive and fastest track to do so. That's what my cousin wanted when I gave him an 808 kit. He wanted to stop, and then get away from any aids or devices all together. He didn't want to replace habit with hobby.
That's why I recommend 808's. I won't tell folks not to look at mods/APVs or "bigger and better" eGo's or whatever, but I won't recommend them to a person just starting who just wants to quit smoking. Until I know you better and what you want, I'm not going to make recommendations for liquids or other devices or accessories until you've declared yourself a vaper, and not just an ex-smoker. I've replaced one habit with another, albeit much healthier, but where you go from there is up to you to get curious and ask about, and not for me to push up front.
