Here's some things I've learned along the way. This is not meant to replace doing your own research but more along the lines of pointing newbies in the right direction.
Don't buy the first damn e-cig you see. Do some research, check out http://e-cigarette-forum.com and read, read, read! If you bought it at a mall kiosk, it's probably going to suck and you paid way too much for it. For any decent e-cig the price should be right around $40-$65, don't pay too much! Don't go crazy buying spare parts until you find the "right" e-cig. It's easy to overdo it and get stuck with a lot of stuff you don't want. Pre-filled cartridges are a rip-off. Any e-cig that has a cartridge with a built-in atomizer is also a rip-off. Buy liquid and refill your self. It allows for more flavors and is cheaper in the long run. Don't go crazy buying giant bottle of a flavor until you've tried it. Buy the smallest bottle possible and IF you like, THEN buy more. Concerning liquid-- most liquid sold online comes from one manufacturer in China (Boge), be skeptical of suppliers saying their liquid is "the best". Chances are unless they mix it themselves, they're selling the Boge stuff and you'll probably find it cheaper if you look around. Liquids can be cut with glycerin and/or propylene glycol. This can be bought at your local pharmacy for $3-$5 and will make the vapor thicker. This will also cut the flavor down but stronger flavors (like menthol) won't be affected as much. I cut 50/50 and it's been great. This also stretches your liquid out-- for those economically conscious individuals. Also, if you buy too high of a nicotine content, this cuts that too, some people even buy liquid in higher nicotine strength with the intention of cutting it. Keep this in mind. The polyester batting or "wool" in cartridges is replaceable. You can get a big bag of the stuff and it'll last you forever. Some alternative cartridge stuff includes, tea bags made out of hemp or polyester, or coffee filters. Do some research, there's lots of information out there about this topic. The best way to combat the build-up that occurs in an atomizer, is to do preventative maintenance. I cycle through 5 atomizers, and clean my atomizers out once a week. I rinse in hot water, soak in ethyl alcohol while agitating, rinse for 5 minutes in hot, hot, water and blow them out. I then let them dry for a few hours. This process helps prevent gunk form building up and also removes lingering flavors and improves draw. you'll need to "re-prime them" with liquid by dripping on the atomizer itself, a few drops and wait, vape, a few drops more. Dripping and topping off your cartridges are two different things. Read about them. Keep your liquids, in a cool dark place out of UV lighting. On the dashboard of your car or even in the glovebox for instance, and your liquid will turn to skunk piss in no time. Check a supplier out. In the supplier sub-forums of ECF (link at the top of this post), you'll get a good idea about a supplier by looking at their feedback. I suggest sticking to an easy to communicate with (and friendly) supplier. Keep it USA, if possible. Keep your ear to the ground. It pays to know who's got what in stock and when. Supplies go quickly. Suppliers are people too. Most of these guys are just ordinary folks trying to make a buck. Be nice and you'll be surprised how accommodating they can be. There's no reason to flame any supplier and if you get burned, move on, there's more suppliers out there. There's a difference between letting others know about your experience and being a ****. E-cigs are in a constant state of flux. Models are redesigned, optimized and revised. There's also the issue of quality control. If you end up with a dud, don't freak out, things like this happen. Most suppliers will replace something if it's a manufacturing defect. And finally, try doing some research before asking a question. You're not the first person in the world with an e-cig and a load of questions, use Google and the Search function on forums. Chances are someone else has asked the exact same question before you did and it was already answered. There's no need to clutter up the forums with questions that could have been answered if you weren't too lazy to look. Okay wait... one more thing. If there was a model of e-cig I'd recommend (forget the DSE901/RN4075, M401, Penstyle, etc) I'd recommend the JOYE 510 (aka, Titan, Yeti, Dura-C) with a manual battery. Automatic batteries can be a hassle and there's durability issues. The 510 shouldn't cost more than $50-$65, and that's with 2 batteries and 2 atomizers in the kits.
tl;dr version: Research and read up on stuff before making impulse buys and decisions.
Feel free to ask me any unique and original questions you may have.
