I want a easy to use model but that is basic and cheap, because I’m not sure he won’t dismiss it out of hand.
He is a two pack a day smoker who can’t quit to save his life literally, he has been hospitalized and even with the patches on he was organizing bizarre smoke break escapes. He refused to even try the gum.
So I think because of cost and health he could benefit, but I don’t want to waste my time if its too complex or he refuses to try it.
I’ve become a bit of an e-cig geek since finally quitting a heavy, hardcore 37-year-long smoking habit painlessly with the right stuff.
I’ve bought this kit for several people. It’s a ton more powerful (get high nic level juice) and satisfying than the cheesy gas station/mall kiosk brands. Much cheaper in the long run. Easy to use. And this is a really good deal compared to most other online stores.
A good friend’s husband sounds very much like your dad; refuses to quit even though he’s had two heart attacks. His cardiologist gave e-cigs the green light. He has not completely quit smoking, but he is smoking much less. Harm reduction is better than nothing, I guess.
If you get something like this and he refuses to use it, I will buy if off you. No kidding. 
What is an e-cig?
Electronic cigarette, it is a vaporizer basically that lets you inhale nicotine containing vapor.
“Vapers” (people who use ecigs) seem to come in two flavors: Techies and Familiars. chiroptera’s a Techie, I’m a Familiar.
I’ve tried the admittedly way-cool and neato systems like the one chiroptera linked to, and I find them off putting. I like the basic looks-like-a-cigarette-holds-like-a-cigarette style much better. There’s nothing at all wrong with the function of chiroptera’s system, it’s excellent, in fact. It’s just too…high tech for me. The look, the feel, it just isn’t my thing.
Plus, I hate being at the mercy of the post office to bring me my addictions.
Along with the vaping systems, I’ve tried several drugstore/kiosk brands, and I keep going back to my Mistic, available at Walmart and online. Website here; you’ll have to put your birthdate in to access it, I believe: http://store.misticecigs.com/categories/Electronic-Cigarettes/
Actually if you think I’m a techie, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Google Darwin, Provari Gold, VV Bolt… that’s techie. And I own none of them. Although I am working on (painting the building, I am not in the biz) a brick and mortar e-cig/gourmet juice store that’s opening locally to me and will be bartering my work for some real techie stuff.
So…I’m sort of a geek but totally not a techie! I’m just an…educated Familiar, maybe? If you truly want techie, boy could I give you some links…
The one I linked to is a very basic, prosaic model; just a step up from the type you’re talking about. And the reason I linked to it is because:
For hard-core smokers (the OP’s dad, me) the cig-look-alikes and low-nic juices are too weak to really replace smoking. I started with them, but they were, for me, like sucking air. OK for a few hours to stave off cravings, but certainly not sufficient to quit smoking for, not even close.
Also, for a heavy smoker, those end up getting really expensive; more than smoking. The one I linked to (for me) is much, much cheaper. I’ve tried Blu, Tsunami and Mistic; that’s how I started. I think they work for some people - obviously, they do. But not for me. Too weak, too expensive, not enough throat hit to satisfy, certainly nothing that would get a hardcore, resistant smoker - the OP’s dad - to transition.
Also a good set-up is way, way cheaper that either smoking or Mistics. For a heavy smoker, those things are way expensive.
I think they are OK but what bothers me about the cheapie-cigarette-looking-things is that a lot of people try them, are unsatisfied and think they’re too weak, don’t think to look for better alternatives, then go back to smoking. They didn’t work at all for me.
I’m starting to feel like I’m being spammy about this, honest I’m not. I just want to be sure that anyone considering quitting smoking by vaping instead is fully informed. I was totally gobsmacked that after getting a decent set-up and juice, intending just to “cut down”, I forgot to smoke for days. For someone with as hard-core a habit as I had - someone who sometimes wanted to go outside in the middle of a movie, or during a restaurant dinner, to smoke - quitting as painlessly as this just astonished me.
I used to get psychotically depressed every time I tried quitting smokes. Literally.
So absolutely, if greensmoke or blu or mistic or tsunami works, go for it! Just know there are other options, is all I’m saying. 
Hrmph, I do wish I’d seen that starter kit before buying the e-cig I bought. Comparable price, and that one is probably more powerful.
Absolutely. When people ask me about it IRL, I always say, “This is what I like, but there are lots of them, and they’re all different - they draw different(ly), they taste different, they hold a charge different… Find one to try, but if you don’t like it, don’t give up, try another. Just like cigarettes, everyone’s got their thing. If you’re a Newport smoker, it doesn’t matter that Marlboro is a fine cigarette, you’re going to hate it anyway.”
When I got one for my dad, I went to a local smoke shop that sold them. Actually a store that specializes in roll-your-own cigs and e-cigs.
I had looked at all the Web sites and stuff (things recommended here) and found there was just too much choice. I wanted someone to be able to show my dad how to take care of and refill his set, and for him to be able to buy refills in person. That was all more important than anything.
The smoke shop had one brand with 3 different pipes and that was it. Much easier to choose. They showed me everything there was to know (I’m an ex smoker so I did test it) and said my dad could come in any time.
Anyway, as a buyer, it seemed like there was too much to know. As a smoker, I’m sure I coulda done better. But with a crapshoot present, I went with what would be easiest on both of us, and it was to buy local from a pro.
Thanks for the tip on this. I ended up buying this kit for my inlaw who is a heavy smoker. Hopefully it will help him start to transition off cigs for good.
Glad I ran across this - going to try some of those Mistic e-cigs. I’ve been searching for a good recommendation, and now that the new year is here, I’m back to my “quit smoking” resolution for the 100th time! 
I saw my first tv commercial for electronic cigs last night. Product was called “NCIG.” I use Bloog myself but found it interesting that the market was improving enough and the competition increasing enough that it finally found its way to television advertising.
We’re starting to see television and radio ads for NJoy and Blu here. I didn’t like those brands myself, but yes, interesting development.
May I suggest a browse around E-Cigarette Forum ? I started using e cigs 2 years ago, and for those who like to research, or for those of you who just need some answers, this forum is the way to go. As far as the juices, they are available in varying nicotine content, as well as more flavors (not just tobacco) than you can shake a stick at .
I bought one of those Njoy disposable e-cigs last night. The damn battery gave out pretty quickly. I’d say I got about 6 or 7 cigarettes worth, not nearly the “2 packs” that they advertised. It was my first time trying one of these e-cigs. I was impressed, it was almost like smoking a real one. Not a lot of flavor though, it kind of had a fruity taste to it. For $8 it sure wasn’t worth it though. Maybe if the price drops down to $2 or $3 I’d consider it again.
Yeah, I haven’t been happy with the battery life of any of the disposables, either. Even if there’s enough juice in the cartridge to last 400 puffs, it’s not very useful if the battery doesn’t last that long…
The cigarette lookalikes tend to be attractive to first time ecig users, but in the long-run they have some problems. They are more expensive to continue using than higher-end products, and the small batteries don’t hold a charge for very long. Most people pretty quickly get over the idea that it has to look like a cigarette and choose to go with something that is inexpensive to operate and that has long lasting batteries.
Reviews of the new Njoy King disposable tend to say they taste good and produce a lot of vapor but they are very expensive and don’t last long. A high quality disposable like this is probably a good way to see what ecigs can be.
Once you’ve tried an ecig or two and think maybe you are interested in going further and you are getting baffled trying to sort through the huge number of brands and types, and don’t want to go the super-techy things that require you make Ohm’s Law calculations to set, I suggest the Joyetech eGo-C.
The eGo-C can probably be considered the standard against which other ecigs are measured, at least until you get to things like the ProVari. With high quality long lasting batteries and easily replaceable inexpensive atomizers, it ends up being substantially less expensive than cigarettes. It’s very easy to use; squirt some juice in it, push the button, and smoke (vape). For those who want to get more into it, you can add all sorts of tanks, cartomizers, drip tips, etc., but you don’t have to.
One thing to note in the world of ecigs is that there are a lot of counterfeits. The counterfeits range from almost totally unusable to identical to the original, so buy from a reputable source; there are a lot of them. The link chiroptera gave sells good quality stuff. I am very happy with the service from http://www.ecigbestsave.com/default.asp.
So there you go. A lot of your research is done for you. Try whatever you can get your hands on, and if you are interested, get an eGo-C. If you want to get involved with Ohm’s Law, get a ProVari.
I use SafeCig, and refill their cartridges from e-liquid bought elsewhere.
Yes, all of this.
I think the cigarette-like e-cigs are probably fine for light smokers.
I wasn’t a light smoker, and nor is the OP’s father, which is why I suggested going to the next level - the eGo Turble linked to, or the similar KGO I mentioned earlier. Both very good devices.
In my experience, and the experience of several people I know, the disposables and cigarette-looking devices simply weren’t strong enough to wean me off of cigarettes. The highest nic level I’ve seen with them is about 16-18 mg - to a smoker like me, that was like sucking air. I started at 32 mg juice in April, and am weaning myself down; I have some 18 mg juices that are satisfying. My goal is to wean myself down to zero nicotine and quit this nonsense for good.
And, as noted above, they end up being quite a bit more expensive in the long run. I started with them because a few people in my dog club were having success with either cutting down or quitting completely but it wasn’t until I bought a better kit and juice that I actually quit smoking.
Ahlusion is opening a brick and mortar cafe/store about 15 miles from me, in a couple of weeks. The owner has some sort of chemistry degree and trained as a chef at the Cordon Bleu school in Paris, so he’s bringing quite a bit of expertise to creating tasty juice! There are scores of “gourmet” juice vendors like this online.
Being able to get a tad geeky about vaping has been instrumental in my quitting smoking. The Provari is a bit spendy for me, but I did just get this variable voltage monster to play with. It’s awesome.
/geek
How do you like the Vamo? I’ve been having a hard time talking myself out of ordering one. 