I'm relatively new to it as well (tried and got bored with cig-a-likes last year, started on CE4 & ego in April). The learning curve is steep, and many people start out on the Ego/CE4 combo and advance from there.
I quickly opted for a 2nd Ego battery, as I was just smoking normally while the battery was recharging, so I needed a spare.
I then upgraded to a Kanger Evod - great little bit of kit, pretty cheap with replaceable heads (and an option to recoil when you advance further)
I then invested in a couple more Evods, a Kanger Protank and a DCT (this has a tank and cartridge, so it uses the technology of the cig-a-likes without the ropey power/juice supply). Evods and Protanks are similar with an airy draw and cool vape, DCTs are much warmer with possibly more vapour, however, I did get an Ego Twist (variable voltage) and the DCT is much better on this at a slightly higher voltage than the standard egos. The Twist is also better on the Evods and Protanks that still have the pre-fitted 2.4-2.5ohm heads on them (I have lots of 1.8ohm spares that are better for the fixed voltage egos).
I think my favourite is the Protank, with the Evods a close 2nd, but the DCT tends to come out when the craving's greater - whether it's just psychological because of the clouds of warm vapour and strong flavour (coffee/cinnamon), or whether it does provide a stronger nic hit, I'm not sure
So I would say that a perfect first set up is 2 Egos (or Ego twists) with a couple Kanger Evod tanks and spare heads (resistance dictated by whether you have the Twist) - that wouldn't set you back too much, but provides a really decent kit that would help motivate you to stick with it - if I knew then what I know now, I would have skipped the CE4s and gone straight for Kanger tanks.
As for juice, I ordered my DIY supplies the same weekend I started on the Ego kit, and have been mixing my own ever since - I've not used any tobacco flavours, and I think that's helped. I do still smoke about 4 per day, but when I do, I do feel disappointed that it doesn't taste of one of the array of flavours I have in my (multiple) tanks. I think that will be an overriding factor in me letting go of those last few "psychological ciggies"
I was smoking around 100-120 superkings per week, but I only use about 10ml of 16mg juice per week (plus about 28-30 cigs).
A few of us have found ourselves getting a bit of a rush of nicotine, which results in headaches or woolly-headed feeling. It seemed to pass on its own as I got used to ingesting nicotine differently, but I've recently reduced the nic content from 18mg to 16mg - and though this seems to be much less than I was getting on the cigs, it doesn't seem to increase cravings for the analogues.
