Yeah, there's quite a bit to learn, but it's worth it. Even if just because you don't smell as bad.
Smok makes some good starter kits. The tanks with them aren't necessarily for beginners, but they'll likely last you more than a year and aren't too expensive. You also don't need to wrap your own coils. If you go to a vape shop, one of their kits is probably what they'll try to sell you. They're better than Kanger. Their coils are expensive though.
If you find a good shop, they might be able to give you some good advice on what's available over there. The tanks you guys have are totally different.
I'd say just get him a good starter kit that will last a while and a few e-juices. He'll probably find it's a lot easier to quit than he would ever have thought.
Thanks for the advice! We'll definitely check out Smok, as well as get him to actually visit a couple of shops. I agree, I'm sure that once he starts he'll find it easier to quit cigarettes/roll ups than he thought.
If he smokes loose tobacco, that's even better. He might need to start at a higher nicotine than some others, but because of the lack of additives, it's a lot easier to quit. I smoked rollies myself. When I switched to vaping I started with 18 mg but was able to quickly move down lower and lower and only had a craving very rarely. Some find 18 mg a bit high but 18-24 mg in a normal vape pen is equivalent of a filterless cigarette. If he gets a sub ohm tank, he should be able to start a bit lower. I'd suggest probably starting at 12 mg and trying to slowly switch to 6, then 3. Some shops only sell 3 mg these days, because most vapers have worked their way down to that, or even 0 mg.